Organizing for America | Posts with the tag militarism

Posts with the tag militarism

By Carl Senna - Aug 17th, 2008 at 2:05 pm EDT

Also listed in: African Americans for Obama | First Americans for Obama

McCain cannot shoot his way out of the oil crisis or the mortgage crisis. But his M.O. has been to speak of every problem in terms of its implications for our military status in the world. Nothing else matters but our military superiority to McCain, and Obama needs to point this out. We really cannot shoot our way out of a credit problem affecting millions of American homeowners. We cannot shoot our way out of the meterological crises caused by global warming. And we cannot shoot our way out of the international epidemics of HIV infections affecting parts of the underdeveloped world. There are a host of problems that will fall to the next President. Hardly any of them require this country to engage in a shooting war in order to solve them. But McCain's mantra that our military is the chosen instrument for America's problems has gone without much comment or response from the Democrats. It's time to call McCain to task for this failing in his policies. Most problems faced by most Americans do not require the Marines to solve. Whether it is our high incarceration rates for young people, our sub-standard math and science scores by our elementary and high school students, our loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector, our failed immigration enforcement policies, and our lack of universal medical insurance----a bigger Pentagon budget is not going to help us solve those problems. And McCain ought to come up with real solutions to those problems that do not involve picking up a gun.

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McCain's Instincts Almost Always Martial & Combative

By Bill Marjenhoff - Aug 15th, 2008 at 10:56 am EDT

Also listed in: 7 groups

“McCain's instincts have always been almost entirely martial and combative, and his focus is nearly always on playing global games of chicken — deliberately looking for ways of increasing tensions instead of easing them. After all, he's been shooting from the hip about the glories of a punitive Russia policy for years (a fact of which he keeps reminding us), and while French president Nicolas Sarkozy was busy trying to ratchet things down in Georgia, McCain was busy trying to ratchet things up — and pretty clearly reveling in it. That's a dangerous temperament for a president to have.” This is an excerpt from Kevin Drum’s comments in “Always 1938” from his blog, Political Animal, at The Washington Monthly website. Link: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

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Russia versus Georgia; the reality of Obama’s Candidacy

By ODEH ODEH - Aug 10th, 2008 at 9:31 pm EDT

Also listed in: Nashville for Obama | NC for Obama | Nigerian- American Biomedical Scientist for Obama

For several months Sen. Obama has maintained that in order to obtain peace, rather than exploit unilateralism and militarism, it is wise to pursue aggressive, tough and thorough diplomacy as the first line of actions, and for those several months running into today, many have sorted to disregard his call on the basis that it is a weak approach to the United States of America image as a world power player.

The fact that the United States of America could only bark and will not be able to unilaterally bite Russia for that country’s offense against it’s former state and now a sovereign state of Georgia should be a wake up call as to the limitation of militarism and unilateralism that McCain and Bush have favored in contrast to the position that Obama has always orchestrated and propagated in his foreign affairs articulations.

Sen. Obama evidently is more attune to the reality of the diplomatic necessity of the international community than either Sen. McCain or President George Bush, as a sequel to his disapproval on the war in Iraq and its $600 billion burden on the American people and the country. Unfortunately the incumbent has not even made any provision to pay for this colossal war debt on the country and yet McCain is asking for the continuation of the war in Iraq.

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Commander in Chief of all the American people?

By Jim Burrows - Jul 26th, 2008 at 6:17 pm EDT

On Thursday, I noticed something on The Verdict that really bothered me. The next day, Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo commented on the same general issue, though he did not mention the particular incident that had caught my eye.

On the Verdict, they were discussing Barack Obama's speech in Berlin, when Dan Abram's asked,

ABRAMS: So, what's the problem?
WATKINS: The problem is this--speeches like that are reserved for the commander-in-chief of the United States. The commander-in-chief speaks with the American people. Barack Obama is not just a citizen of the world or citizen of the United States, he is the presumptive Democratic nominee.
They know he's running for the presidency and what you do when you give a speech like that and you're not the commander-in-chief of all the American people, is that you undermine the institution of the president.

Commander in Chief of all the American people? Read More »

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Global Predatory Chaos

By Social Entrepreneur - Supporter Indigenous People - Jul 25th, 2008 at 8:19 pm EDT

I am a 57 year old, 100% permanent service-connected disabled American Veteran, that is committed to bringing forth a conversation of becoming with my fellow citizens regarding the political, economic and social Predatory Chaos happening in the American culture. I also consider this a defining moment in the history of the world and "hope" is not enough in our current circumstances; we must demand accountability, ethical integrity and militant responses to un-ethical behaviors of an elite class and status that has turned our social relations into a den of lying cheating criminals. George Bush was the last straw in a history of elite tyrants who have abused the good will and ethical virtue of the American people. I assess the Global Peak Oil Crisis is the 'trigger tipping point' for a global convergence where humanity decides between two worlds! One world view is human beings are aggressive and arrogant, and 'only the strong survive.' This way of being and living is based on a patriarchal/paternal pattern in human history where exclusion and appropriation of elite power's control the fundamental organizing generative principle of our world! The Second and emerging worldview is human beings are social loving animals, and have the wisdom throughout all the units and pathways of humanity's journey to embrace social relationship in an understanding one human family, one blood and one earth - home! I have two topics I offer to explore in this blog with interested citizens: 1st Global Predatory Chaos - a grounded discussion concerning the patriarchal design of modernity based in a cultural distinctions of exclusion and appropriation as the fundaments for current global economic standard practices and the possibility of creating a sustainable capitalism through 'individuated personal responsibility and empowerment' and 'solidarity in global human concerns.' If the American Spirit is to thrive we must face our shadows and disowned voices within our community in legitimacy-in-coexistence. Personally, I am an advocate for American Natives and First Nations People in the world. Politically it is time to address 'broken promises' and the aggressive oppression and incarceration of American Natives on reservations. I am outraged and indignant with the standard practices of the American/Paternal/Imperialistic aggressiveness with these respectful, generous, knowing, courageous and wise people. I intend to share my personal experience of predatory chaos in this American culture as a veteran of the Viet Nam era conflict and as an entrepreneur who sued American Family Insurance Company and the law firm of Harris, Karsteadt, Jamison & Powers in Denver Colorado. I personally want to confront the right-wing pundits who are paid $500 million for eight years to maintain denial, cynicism and hypocrisy in the conversation of American culture on behalf of the elite corporate and political powers! Please join this exploratory in bringing forth solidarity and political will to sculpt a new vision of who we are as Americans!Thanks Patric

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We Need More Than a Commander-in-Chief

By Bill Marjenhoff - Apr 4th, 2008 at 9:39 am EDT

Also listed in: Foreign Policy | Seniors for Obama | South Carolina Veterans for Obama

Sen. McCain’s bio-tour reminds us more than ever that he is a soldier at heart. May I suggest that he was not a particularly good student of military science or a particularly good pilot? While we honor his service, we should be aware that in a class of nearly 900 at Annapolis, the graduated fifth from the bottom. He crashed at least two planes in training before he "intercepted a ground-to-air missile over North Vietnam," as he jokingly puts it. He is proud of his family’s military heritage, and indeed the McCains have served our nation loyally and well as military men. But therein lies the rub. McCain is a war candidate, a candidate heralding the glory of national sacrifice and military virtues. There is a value, of course, to an ethos of sacrifice and service. The problem is that he views this almost exclusively through the lens of the military and foreign warfare. There are very dangerous real world consequences of a leader explicitly tying national honor and greatness to foreign imperial adventures. We need more than a commander-in-chief. We need a president.

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