Bush Fans Cross Another Thing Off Of The List

Bush Fans Cross Another Thing Off Of The List

This blog is for those of you out there, a quarter of the population according to the latest polls, that still love yourself some president Bush. This isn’t meant to change your mind or sway your opinion or even make you feel a tinge of regret or remorse. After all, the damage is done and I know you Cheney fans had your hearts removed to get into the official fan club. I dunno what this is meant to do, really. Maybe some of you will have an epiphany from what you read. Some of you might throw up. Some of you might have that aforementioned epiphany, come back to read this and then throw up.

This blog is also for people who hate Bush and want more reasons to or for people who just like to read and laugh a little.

Sorry Bush fans, here is another thing you can’t claim about FORMER President George W. Bush: He kept us safe.

As a matter of fact the opposite is quite true.

Since 1980 there have been a total of 30 terror attacks on either US soil or abroad.

11 happened during Reagan’s run of the white house.

6 during the Clinton era

The last 13 happened under Mr. Bush’s watch, as he likes to put it. This number by the way has gradually grown since 2003 when the first attacks on American interests in Syria occurred. They have repeatedly continued since.

Of all those attacks 3 were on US soil.

2 happened under Clinton while only 1 under Bush. Bush wins this one, superficially unless you take into account that a total of 9 people died in the 2 Clinton-era attacks combined while more than 3000 who died from the attacks of September the 11th. And there were no memos beforehand for Clinton that read, “Terrorists attacking very, very soon. Keep your fucking eyes open.” Bush had that memo in August of 2001 and was repeatedly warned by not only the incoming administration (Clinton) but month after month until the attacks. I guess that is beside the point. 2 attacks on US soil to 1 right, that is what most people will remember.

Since 1980 and not counting 9/11 there have been roughly 400 American deaths caused by these 30 terrorist plots and ploys.

Under Reagan, 270 Americans died, with an additional 300 or so non-Americans.

Under Clinton the American deaths dropped to 69 (funny number considering it is Clinton) with roughly 100 non-American deaths.

Under Bush, American deaths dropped yet again to 60 with the number of non-Americans at around 100.

Just to be clear, by non-Americans I mean people of US friendly nations like Britain. It should also be important to note that these numbers don’t include injuries and, to be clear, Bush’s numbers don’t include 9/11.

Of the thirty attacks only 1 lead to something bigger. Only 1 lead to war and more death, destruction and injury. The attacks of Spetember 11th pompted Bush to go to war with Iraq, no sorry, Afghanistan first. This was soon followed up by the war in Iraq. Between those two fronts more than 4000 US troops have died and counting. Also, nearly 1000 coalition troops have lost their lives as well. Factor in injuries and civilian casualties and these numbers are 5, 6 almost 7 fold.

Now take into account the lives of the other side. Yeah, the “enemy” except that I’m talking about the average dude in Iraq that runs a laundromat and just happens to live in between terrorist A and B. Typically, for those who may not know, bombs don’t discriminate and neither does a military with a faceless enemy. So, bomb is dropped on Terrorist A or B and civilians C-Z happen to be killed in the process. Casualties of war, right?

So now we’ve established that, while under Bush’s watch, more than 8000 US citizens and soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands of thousands of thousands more have been injured and had their lives forever changed. Add to that a few thousand non-Americans and a few hundred thousand, mostly peaceful, middle-eastern citizens and you have a number that defies logic, at least mine, in the 21st century. We can safely say, that while under Bush’s watch, 100,000 people have lost their lives as a result of his actions or non-actions. That is equivalent to the population of nearly fifteen Wasillas if that helps you Bush and Palin supporters any or twenty-five 9/11’s.

Read through this blog and get it through your head that we are not safer. As Americans we are far less safe abroad and we were never any less safe at home when you consider the following things:

A) Between the first Trade Center bombing and the 9/11 attacks there was one, relatively minor attack on CIA headquarters. So, there was an 8 year span between the attacks. Why does this matter? Because it takes about that long for a group of religious zealots living in caves with limited resources in comparison to an actual county with an army, to plot and execute a major attack, especially one of such epic scale.

B) Also, those limited resources they do have, in part, have been and will continue to be supplied by us and our CIA. Sure, the CIA didn’t intend on Osama attacking us when they trained him in the 80s to fight Russians out of Afghanistan, but you know what, if you raise a dog to be a killer and it will kill, especially when you bomb the shit out of the dog’s home on an almost yearly basis after the dog helped you fight Russians out of Afghanistan.

So add making Americans even bigger targets to the list of things Bush did to help firmly establish the US in the 21st century as a country without conscious. Add it among our failing school systems, failing for the poor that is, crumbling infrastructure, lack of progress with health care, massive job losses, an economy that has lived off of virtual money since the 80s, a general loss of respect in the world and pissing on the constitution with things like torture and wire-tapping.

And I can be fair; Bush did give us all 600 bucks a few years back and helped with AIDS in Africa.

Thanks man, now you and the U2 iPod I bought a few years back have done about the same for the world.

Knowledge is Power or: How I Learned to Live in Blissful Ignorance

Knowledge is Power or: How I Learned to Live in Blissful Ignorance

Consider how much you know. How much knowledge you have acquired throughout your life from both schooling and living. Now consider how much total knowledge there is in the world. Really think about it, there is a lot of freakin' shit to know? There is medicine, religion, math, science, language, psychology, history, literature and on and on. Just knowing how many categories of things there are to know is a lot, then take into account the specific knowledge in each of these genres. Again, there is a lot freakin' shit to know.

So, what percentage of that would say that you know? 1%? 5%? 8%? And, keep in mind, we are being generous here even using a whole number. Are you bold enough to venture higher? Now, think about what the average person knows, the Joe the fucking Plumbers that know their trade and little else outside of that.

For the sake of my blogument I would say that even the smartest person in the world would know only around 5% of everything there is to know.

Now, think of a young child you know around the age of 5. How much does that child know, especially in relation to you? Would it even be 1% of what you know? This is probably why children are so easy to fool. Why you can "pull their nose off" or why they so wholeheartedly believe in magic. I think it is part of the whole ignorance is bliss thing and I think, by extension, I just established that we're all living at some certain level of blissful ignorance.

Do you still think you can't be fooled? Not only fooled but easily fooled if a group of 10%-ers, who now collectively know a considerable amount more, really wanted to get something by you.

Would you then agree that in this scenario you, we, are the children?

But who is the adult?

Who is the one that can pull off your nose any time and any way that they want?

Reverend Martian

Arrival

January 30, 2009

I arrived on your planet August 7th, 1976 to observe the many customs, rituals and intricacies of your people. Though I look like you, sound like you and am highly flawed like you, I am an alien and I am a powerless visitor merely seeking knowledge. I am cursed (or blessed) with an eternally unsatiated curiosity which leads me to witness the extremes of your cultures. And what extremes they are.

As is the entire universe, your world is endlessly fascinating. Grotesque and beautiful. Intelligent but fearful. Destructive, but with a potential for boundless creativity. This ultimate power, however, hinders on fragile emotions and perceptions. You are a perfect storm of all that is horrible, mediocre and beautiful.

Welcome to your world the way that I see it.

Reverend Martian