Kentucky

Yet, another mass shooting in America, where several young students were shot and at least two killed, and the proliferation of military-grade assault weapons in America goes on and on.  Don't know exactly what kind of gun was used in Kentucky, but these mass shootings are sad and maddening; yet, America's politicians do absolutely nothing about the proliferation of the particular military-grade assault weapons used in the overall mayhem, and that serve no useful purpose in civilian hands. 

There have been at least a dozen mass shootings in America just this January.  This is no way for a country to conduct itself; that is, to do pretty much nothing to stop the coast-to-coast mayhem, with the exception of a relative handful of organizations, individuals, and even a few politicians, who are going against the grain.

Our sympathy to the Kentuckian parents of the slain students, the Holt and Cope families, and to the wounded students and their families.  This tragedy is completely outrageous; another chapter in the weight of sorrows of our nation.  May God be with the families of Bailey and Preston, the other families affected, and the injured victims in their  recovery.

[Revised on 1/29/18.]

Two Tragedies: Our Nation's Loss

The murderous attacks in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Lafayette, Louisiana this month were horrifying and another reminder that our nation must continue to be on guard against domestic and foreign foes in these troubled times, and regarding the Chattanooga attacks in which several servicemen were killed, just one more reason to become nationally inward without being out-and-out isolationist, including pretty much folding up the international welcome mat that the feckless Congress's policies have promulgated.  This political party (P.O.C.) extends our condolences and sympathy to all of the families of the victims, including the injured, in both states, and pray for the very quick recovery of the injured. Yet, another loss for a nation weary of war, but inevitably prepared to defend and to be "Always Faithful," the Marine Corps' motto.

[Revised on 8/13/15.]

Unwholesome

Just recently, we accidentally turned onto a FOX-TV program about the early-day apprenticeships of former vice-president, Dick Cheney, former secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld and economist Arthur Laffer, during the presidency of Gerald Ford.  It was disgusting seeing these notorious, criminal and unprosecuted ex-politicians, Cheney and Rumsfeld, playing the role of big shots as they began their ascent to becoming big-time politicians and being architects, in the regime of Bush II, of the most disastrous foreign policy in American history.  Of course, the extremist rightist station, FOX, presented these Neanderthals as politicians to be respected and fawned over, even knowing that these two influential members of the former regime are largely responsible for much of  the geopolitical mess that the United States is mired in, today, not that the present rule of Obama is any better, nor has any real intent of being anything other than a replica of the regime that they replaced.

[First posted on Commoner on 12/28/14; revised on 12/29/14.]

Common Sense Charity

It's amazing that Washington, D.C. does not impose travel bans on non-citizens traveling to the U.S. from countries presently suffering epidemics regarding particularly dangerous infectious viruses/diseases, regardless of the country it happens to be.  America should charitably assist countries with epidemics through a variety of scientific, medical and other helpful means, but that doesn't mean that common sense should go by the wayside.

Unprincipled Foreign Policy

With horrific scenes of brutality right in front of TV cameras, the Egyptian military junta has been shooting, killing and maiming mostly peaceful and defenseless protestors to their regime and undemocratic takeover of the government last month, while the president of the United States of America cannot bring himself to cut off the nearly or actual 1.5 billion dollars of annual military aid that the U.S. hands over to them.  This is taxpayers' money and it is abominable that this money is continuing to flow to a vicious junta. 

As Commoner is located in the 9th Congressional District of Washington, we would like to know what Rep. Adam Smith's position, and Senators Murray's and Cantwell's positions, are on Obama's practical support for the junta?

[Originally published on Commoner under the title "Obama Supports Junta," on Aug. 17, 2013; revised on 8/19/13.]

Kentucky's Strange Criminal Rules

Could this possibly be true? A man in Kentucky, apparently supporting a Republican candidate, stomps on a woman's head for no apparent reason other than the woman opposed his favored candidate politically. The woman is seriously hurt, suffering a concussion, and detectives in Lexington believe they have identified the offender. Yet, he's not arrested and hauled off to jail like any other violent criminal suspect, but only issued a summons to appear in court. Hmm. We wonder what they do with mere shoplifters?

Copyright 2009 - 2010, Party of Commons TM

Back to the 18th Century

Apparently not concerned that his sentiments about who is worthy to be in Congress would leave out the overwhelming majority of his own constituents, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn recently said or implied that the only people who should be in Congress are those for whom congressional pay would be a pay cut (congressional pay is about $160,000 per year). In other words, if it were up to him apparently, he would limit new members of Congress only to those whose present pay exceeds $160,000 or thereabouts. Turns out most Americans don't make six figures, let alone the congressional salary, and Oklahoma is no exception. Coburn wants to take America back to the 18th century when only the elite, landowners and the well-heeled could be in Congress; yet, they say he is a shoe-in to be re-elected. Hmm.

[revised on 10/28/10]

Copyright 2009 - 2010, Party of Commons TM

The Samsons of Nuclear Winter

Sarah Palin and her ilk think our country's nuclear prowess should be wielded as an intimidating force to get others to do as commanded, knowing full well that such commands would have no democracy-oriented or moral import, but would be based solely on power and naked dominance. Do they not realize that detonating nuclear bombs, which are much stronger than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs of 1945, would cause a nuclear winter that would have devastating effects on the entire planet, which of course means also on themselves? Anybody who wants to be Samson shouldn't be anywhere near the reins of national power, which is why odious politicians like Palin and Newt Gingrich should never be president.

[Originally posted on "Commoner"; revised on 10/22/10.]

RECOMMENDED READING: "The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush's Military-Industrial Complex" by Dr. Helen Caldicott

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Copyright 2009 - 2010, Party of Commons TM

Clinton's Bad Legacy

Give the devil his due: the sleazy ex-president from Arkansas, Bill Clinton, knew how to play politics. Running as a conservative Democrat from the South, in the mold of Jimmy Carter, Clinton managed to build on the same Carterite coalition to win the Democratic nomination and the presidency in 1992. The moment he got into office, the Democrat looked as Republican as anyone the Republicans offered up during the election, and in some instances even more so.

The flim-flam artist from Arkansas got rid of the guaranteed federal entitlement for aid to families with dependent children, enacted most of the globalization pacts that are bedeviling the economy to this day (WTO, NAFTA, etc.), including sending a great portion, if not most, of our manufacturing production capability overseas, decimated the F.D.R.-era Glass-Steagall Act, which until Clinton's new rules kept the banks fairly honest, but since then has opened up a financial hornet's nest, and emblazoned a gingoistic imperial arrogance in the same model as the corrupt Reagan-Bush I period.

In effect, Clinton told progressive Democrats, too bad if you don't like the Republicanization of the Democratic Party that I am implementing, because there's no place else for you to go. The little, meek progressive surrogates said, "Yessir," re-elected him, and went on about the business of taking their slots in the new right-wing Democratic-Republican Party. Despite all his talk about "hope and change," Barack Obama has gladly taken over the remnants of what Bill Clinton has left of the Democratic Party after an 8 year interregnum of the most repugnant and despicable administration in the history of America: Bush II (a period in which almost anything directly afterwards would be hard put not to look like a mirage of the Garden of Eden). Now do you think we need a strong, national third political party?

[revised on 12/27/09]

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Copyright 2009, Party of Commons TM

Philosophy of "Commons"

"Commons" is an economically progressive, culturally traditional, environmentalist, non-interventionist, and pro-civil libertarian (especially including the Bill of Rights) party. For further information about the philosophy of the Party of Commons, please, see our "Platform/Manifesto" blog, which has our platform (the manifesto will be coming sometime later this autumn; hopefully in time for our 3rd anniversary next month, Nov. 23rd).

[revised on 10/12/09]

Platform/Manifesto: http://commonfeet.blogspot.com

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Copyright 2009, Party of Commons TM

De Ja Vu: Obama & Bush II

There is really no surprise about this essay's title, because in the battle for the most recent Democratic Party nomination for president, Barack Obama hedged about whether troops should be immediately pulled out of Iraq, and some could have took his slick answers and speeches about the war either way, but those who paid attention most astutely knew that he wasn't going to end the war as soon as he took office. He campaigned as Bush-lite on war, and the Democrats chose him over Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel and Bill Richardson, anyway, all of whom were more forthright than Obama in their positions on ending the war in Iraq. So those who thought they were voting for a peace candidate can see no real difference between Obama and Bush II on foreign policy other than Obama coming across better in speeches.

Why doesn't President Obama just pull the troops out of Iraq? That has also become a good question for the Afghanistan-Pakistan theater of war given Secretary Gates' and the U.S. generals' ineptitude and negligence in that region as the continuing civilian casualty toll in both of those countries doesn't let up. This is causing increasing dissension against our nation in the region, which makes the entire war effort for our troops more difficult. Obama is beginning to look more like LBJ and Bush, Jr., everyday. Time to pull out of Iraq, immediately, and to either catch OBL or begin pulling out of Afghanistan, too.

[First posted on our "Commoner" blog on 6/25/09; revised on 6/26/09.]

Copyright 2009, Party of Commons TM

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Prologue

Welcome to Commons South! Our new blog will focus on the Party of Commons and our new party's efforts to extend to the southern parts of the United States, and by southern we mean Hawaii, California, and across the entire southern parts of America stretching to the Atlantic coast.

Copyright 2009, Party of Commons TM