Panties For Peace

We all know of the problems that are causing pain and suffering in Burma, ok Myanmar, right? (long pause for thought) Right? OK then what are you doing to help the people of Burma? They are protesting and dying for democracy. What are you doing to help?

If I had to guess I would say that you are doing NOTHING, right? Here is any idea for you. Go to KMart and buy a cheap package of women's underwear and mail it to the Burmese Embassy near you.

I know, What in God's name will this accomplish, Professor? The junta and its representatives are a superstitious bunch of little pigs. Most believe that if they come in contact with women's underwear it will somehow sap a man's strength.

Try it you will like it!

Nukes! Nukes! Everywhere!

OK if you watch the news or at least listen to the talk show pundits who are soooo concerned with Iran getting a nuke bomb. Have you heard it? If not, you are in a coma!

Iran is it is for energy, US says it is for bomb and we cannot allow that to take place. But we are helping many Muslim countries pursue nuke technology. Countries like Saudi, Egypt and Jordan are willing to go nuke.

Where do you draw the line on who is to have nuke technology and who is not? Is the prerequisite that if they massage the US genitalia, you may have nukes? What is the conditions that will make a country suitable for nukes? Stability? Very little of that in Egypt , Saudi could be destabilized with little effort and Jordan, there is a question mark. How about Pakistan? they have nukes and they could be available to terrorist with just one well place bullet.

So where do you draw the nuke line? It is all so silly! And all the lame rhetoric is all too familiar. I have heard it all before and Iraq was the outcome. So where do you draw the line?

A New Green City?

I am sure that just about everyone has seen the massive destruction that occurred in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. It was a man-made disaster. The failure of the Levee system caused about 85% of the damage. The MS Gulf Coast got most of the wind and water damage from the storm.

There was a hope and a desire by many of us on the Gulf Coast that NO would be rebuilt as a Green City, but local politics and corruption won out. Yes, I said corruption! An opportunity was missed to have the first environmentally friendly city in the US.

NO was given the chance to be a model city for something other than debauchery. It failed! The Big Easy has returned to its days of yore (whatever that means) and a perfect opportunity was missed like so many in the past.

A Day Of Anti-War Protests

On 27 Oct 07, there will be a national day of anti-war protests.

The vast majority of people in every corner of the country want the Iraq war to end, but Washington has failed to take action. With each month some 12 billion dollars of our tax money is spent and the death and destruction continue. Our communities – from New Orleans to Minneapolis – are neglected and suffer the consequences. From Vermont to California, from Florida to Wisconsin, the people have spoken: We want this war to end, and we want it to end now!

On Saturday, October 27th, people from all walks of life will gather in 10 sites around the country for massive regional demonstrations coordinated by (UFPJ). CCDS is organizing contingents in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco to join the ralles for peace.

If there is a protest in your area, please support them and maybe we can MAKE the Congress act as it has promised. We can only do so much, but your participation will go a long way at helping those working to end the war.

California Fires

YAWN! When is there not a fire in Calif.? It concerns 7 counties in South Calif, where does that mean it should be a lead story on ALL media outlets? Turkey is gonna invade Iraq, PKK offers ceasefire to Turks, people are dying in Gaza, etc, etc, etc. My point is, it is not national news, maybe one report and let the locals handle it.

I say, remove people and animals and let the mutha burn! Why so angry, CHUQ? I want to let there be massive structural damage and then do a report on how well the insurance compnaies treated the policy holders. I want top see if the wealthy has as much prob getting their money as the poor in the Katrina area. I doubt that they will have any probs at all.

Come on, do you really give a sh*t about S. Ca.? No! You care about what happens to you and yours and f*ck everybody else.

CNN< MSNBC, FOX--move on to REAL stories and let the local station handle the filler stories that require NO prep.

CHUQ

Where Have All The Statesmen Gone?

A long time passing! We have not had a statesman, since Bobby Kennedy. Why do I say that? Easy, a statesman is someone who looks to the next generation; a politician looks to the next election. Sorry people, but if you take a close look at the field of candidates, both GOP and Dem, you will not find a statesman in the entire lot.

Bobby's stands were constructed to last a lifetime, or at least a generation. The lot now, the best they can accomplish is the next Congress. Bobby wanted the war to end, not of this group seems committed to that. Bobby wanted poverty to disappear, and now look at the new group, do they have anything in their speeches that even remotely sounds like they want poverty to end? Bobby wanted civil rights for all, watch the news, we were close, but no cigar.

The Afro-American forum that the GOP did not show up for in Baltimore is a good example. Bobby went against all advice to skip a speech in Indiana because of riots. He went in alone and made his speech and was appreciated for his guts. Find me one among ALL of today's candidates that would show that kind of guts. (long pause for thought) Give it up! Not one is a statesman with guts, they are however COWARDS with money.

The American people will get the leader they truly deserve--A COWARD with NO thought of the future beyond their next election! Truly what YOU DESERVE!

CHUQ

To Discipline The Children

How do you discipline your child? A time out or a loss of some lame privilege or how about a good whack on the butt? How do you do it?

I recently read a survey that was a bit telling. 95% of whites used the time out or loss of privilege as a punishment for misdeeds. In contrast, 89% of people of color used the time honored whippin'. This whole thing got me to thinking. So I thought back to some of the major societal problems in the past years.

Dahmer--white
Deputy killing people in Wisconsin--white
Columbine--white
Nevada child perv--white
Va. Tech--Asian

There are many more, but without coffee this is the best I could do.

Conclusion--if white people do not whip there kids, then they could grow up like the ones above. I think good ass bustin' once in awhile is good for the soul. And I think it made me a better person for receiving numerous of them while growing up.

What does a child learn by having to give up their IPod? Or that they must sit in a corner until parents get bored? A good ass bustin' is very memorable!

Putin Goes To Iran

Do you the news? Do you read a paper? Why the hell not!

Something you should be concerned about is Putin's visit to Iran. He has said that Russia will help Iran finish and start up their nuke power plant. He has also said that NO country on the Caspian can be used to launch an attack against Iran. He is thumping his chest; he has found a new confidence. Russia is maneuvering to regain the power it had internationally with it was the USSR. Russia is returning to the old Cold War.

Russia is confronting the US on many issues now, but why? The US prestige in the world is in the toilet and some countries are looking for other means of support. They are trying to head off any homegrown opposition as quickly as they can. This gives Russia an inside tract to world power, once again.

May I suggest that you keep an eye on the news and you will not be surprised when the Cold War returns and Russia is in our face throughout the world. But then what do you care? that would mean that you have to get off your cel and do some thinking and, well let us be honest, that is not one of your best traits.

CHUQ

Another General Speaks

A couple of days ago, Gen. Sanchez has criticized the Bush Administration with such words as incompetent and the situation in Iraq as a Nightmare. He did not pull any punches. Guess what? Another General has spoken out. This time it is Gen. Abazaid. Below is a quote from the general.


“Of course it’s about oil, we can’t really deny that,” Abizaid said of the Iraq campaign early on in the talk.

“We’ve treated the Arab world as a collection of big gas stations,” the retired general said. “Our message to them is: Guys, keep your pumps open, prices low, be nice to the Israelis and you can do whatever you want out back. Osama and 9/11 is the distilled essence that represents everything going on out back.”

Amazing how fast these guys come out of the woodwork. Let one of them speak and they all want to say their thoughts. Gen. Abazaid will get a bunch of heat, but it will be mild. The Admin cannot afford to attack these generals outright, because of the gen. Patraeus thing. They would look like hypocrites if they are too hard on the generals and they cannot afford to lose any more support than they have now.

It will be interesting to see how they handle these on their policies. I will be watching!

CHUQ

The Real "Dr. No"

I remember seeing the first James Bond movie in 19.., I will not show my age. I went to the theater and it cost $.35. Yes, I am an old FART!

But I digress....the new "Dr. No" is Dr. Ron Paul. He got the name by voting NO on all issues that were unconstitutional, at least as he saw them. He is a big proponent of following the Constitution to the letter. in the beginning he was seen as a minor player and not taken too damn serious. However, his stand against the war and for smaller government and his confrontational style kept him in the news.

Now he is being seen as a real candidate. Why? The internet! Using the internet masterfully, Paul has raised more money than McCain and he has widened his appeal to the young voter, who like what he is saying. At his appearances the crowds are getting larger and larger, he is becoming a force that the GOP will have to deal with and soon.

In the beginning, I liked his style of debate; confrontational, passionate and well documented. I am not a repub by any stretch of the imagination, but from the start he was what I like in a politician. Will I vote for him. NO! But the GOP could do a lot worse than Paul as their nominee. And they probably will!

Just like the Dr. No in the 007 movie, he is thwarting everyone who tries to keep him from his mission. I wish him luck and I really enjoy being right once and while.

CHUQ

To Divide Iraq

The recent passing of the Biden-Brownback proposal in the Congress for the partitioning of Iraq into three states will not necessarily be a good thing. Yes, I have mixed emotions about the thing.

True that deaths are down. Was it the surge? Probably not, IMO. Why? Well the violence in Baghdad, especially has driven people away from their neighborhoods and into areas of similar beliefs; Sunni to Sunni, Shi'a to Shi'a, etc. Plus this type of forces segregation is going on throughout the country. So the drop in deaths is more that the ethnic division is more complete that not. So Iraq is already nearing the point where their are three distinct areas. So to say that the surge was the defining action would be just a spin on something that was already happening.

Recently, Iraqi lawmakers have said that they were considering taking a national reconciliation off the books, for the time being. Another indication that there is already a fledgling 3 states emerging.

If this division was being carried out already why would Biden, et al feel it necessary to make a proposal fir something already in process?

One can think of at least three reasons.

The first is Biden's desperate attempt at appearing a serious thinker on geostrategy without having to admit that the US has no choice but to remain on the side of the Iraqi people until they defeat their common enemies.

The second reason is that most of the leading Democrats in the senate, including several presidential candidates, believe that by passing resolutions such as this they could calm down their militant anti-war base. Last year, the Democrats recaptured both houses of the Congress partly thanks to the efforts of well-motivate grassroots organizations who had opposed the liberation of Iraq from the start. A year later, however, the Democrats have failed to have any significant effect on President George W Bush's strategy in Iraq. To calm the anti-war movement, the Democrats have to say and do something.

The third and perhaps the most important reason, as always in the Middle East, is oil.

Does it always come down to oil? Most assuredly! You would also not be surprised to learn that at least a dozen of the senators who backed Biden's carve-up plan have been recipients of campaign contributions from another oil company interested in Iraqi Kurdistan. This one is Hunt Oil, a Texas maverick in the oil business, which cut a deal with the autonomous Kurdish authorities just weeks before Biden made his move.

As you see, there is always ulterior motives for these actions in Iraq. Just like there were for the original invasion. And it always seems to come down to a common denominator--OIL!

CHUQ

A General Speaks

Just recently Gen. Sanchez, former commander of forces in Iraq, has spoken his mind on the situation. He has called the situation a "nightmare" among other things. He also stated that the administration has extremely naive and uninformed about the consequences of an occupation. Here is analysis of the people that ran the war.

Retired Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez delivered a scathing assessment of the management of the war as he denounced US political leaders as "incompetent," "inept" and "derelict in the performance of their duty."

Gee, that is pretty much common knowledge, he is just reinforcing our beliefs.

I have heard people say that if things were that f*cked up, why did he not voice his concern to the leadership? I would guess that he probably did, but as an uniformed officer he is required to follow their orders. Even if he did not agree with them. And as an officer he would not have made his concerns public, it would have been a break with protocol.

IMO, everything he is saying is probably correct. Timing, I would imagine has something to do with a book that he has written or is writing. The thing is that all this stuff needs to be out there and the historians will play it as they see it. The more info they have the more accurate they will be.

The most important part of this is when Gen. Sanchez says that the leadership that screwed up the situation in Iraq "should be held responsible for their incompetence".

CHUQ

Iran Is Lying!

Our Sec. of State has made this statement recently. She has said that they are lying and deceiving the world about their desire for nuke technology. That is a bold and sweeping statement. Is it true? Or is it just more attempted provocation of the country? Or possibly, setting the stage for Americans when the military action comes?

It is a bold statement, but where is the proof? I mean this administration has lied repeatedly to the American people. And yet they want us to believe them when it comes to Iran. Why would we believe them?

Is it arrogance? Or maybe just stupidity? Am I the only one that sees a problem? If they are telling the truth and want the people's support, then put ALL the evidence out there for us to see and then maybe we will smile and accept the inevitable military action. It will not be done, so I am dreaming.

Just keep an eye on the news. The Kyl-Lieberman resolution will be the justification for any military action. Why else would the two biggest hawks in Congress stoop to offering such a minor resolution?

Peace--Out!

CHUQ

Look! It is Blackwater!

If you read, and I may be assuming too much, then you know all about the problems that the company called Blackwater is having in Iraq. Killing lots of people, owes lots of cash, so on and so forth.....yada, yada.

I have a thought for you, what has happened in Iraq since the Blackwater thing started? Anyone recall anything? Probably not. Let me help you out. Southern Iraq has been pretty much abandoned, Brits are leaving and US does not go there. Iraq is giving up on the reconciliation thing, which by the way was part of the benchmarks that Bush wanted. The embassy in Baghdad is a worthless limp of architecture that will be delayed indefinitely. Do you see a trend here?

What I am saying is that Blackwater was a godsend to avoid the reporting of the crap going down in Iraq. Iraq is going to sh*t and the media does not want to add to the opposition to the war. It is all about ratings and scheduling.

CHUQ

The Hardship Of Going To Congress

I was watching the TV and an interview with Jim Webb. He and Morning Joe were talking about the hardships of being in Congress. The long hours, the lack of family time, etc, etc. Joe spent the time telling everyone his experiences as a Congressman from North Florida. He talked about the missing time with his family and other boo-hoo subjects.

I got to thinking--it must be horrible! He got a TV show and radio gig out of the deal. It is not like he had to go back to work as a wannabe lawyer, but rather a well paid media personality. So that bring s me to my point--if the life is so hard on these poor people why do they want to stay forever? The possibility of becoming a millionaire has nothing to do with it at all, I am sure. (sarcasm intended)

So to cry about the time lost from family is just pure steaming bovine fecal matter. Power, money and .......thinking.......that is about it--power and money! These people want to appear to have the same concerns as others, HA! They are motivated not by family ties or anything else normal, but rather by the big two. IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY AND POWER!

QUESTION: When a candidate loses the election and he/she still has ...say....$3 million in the bank from their fundraising..what becomes of the left over money?

Sudan And Darfur--What Is To Be Done?

That is the $64 question. The US is pushing for more sanctions against the country with the hope that the genocide will subside. Genocide? The US is one of the only countries that is calling it that; the rest of the world has shied away from using the term. Why do other countries balk at the use of the term? Easy, they would have to act! As it is now they can condemn and bitch and meet on the Darfur situation in Sudan, but they do not have to actually do anything.

But for all the chest thumping by the US, they are still cooperating with the government of Sudan on a couple of issues. Most notable is the WOT, which Sudan is feeding the US intel on foreign fighters entering Iraq. At a recent intel meeting in Sudan, the countries that are the most vocal about Darfur were there, UK, France and the US. The Sudanese intel chief, Ghosh, gets regular trips to the US to meet with the CIA and is housed in a ritzy hotel and catered to for all his wants and needs.

Sanctions are a cop out; they are used to look as if something is being done to stop the madness but in reality, the abortion goes on and on. So what of the people in Darfur? They will continue to suffer and die, while the rest of the world carries on, business as usual.

When will the world get its act together and demand that the people of Darfur be left to live in peace? Probably not in my lifetime! The world will continue to use band aids on the gunshot wound that is Darfur.


CHUQ

Going Green?

WHAT A CORNY STORY

Ethanol! Ethanol! Rah! Rah! Rah!

The cheer go up we can finally end our dependence on foreign oil. Now that is a one pound bag of manure, which they are selling to the people. Guess what!? They are buying this crap (pun intended). As long as we allow the oil companies to make obscene profits, you will NEVER be weaned from foreign oil. Why is that? Ethanol cannot be transported through pipelines, for it will pick up impurities like water. So, the only way to transport it is in trucks. Now guess what? Trucks use diesel and that is another pollutant. Ethanol IS NOT the answer, sports fans.

Let us talk about how environmentally friendly ethanol is, NOT! A Stanford study showed that ethanol is at least as polluting as gasoline and could be more so. The burning of ethanol produces more lung damaging ozone than the burning of gasoline. Another polluting factor of ethanol is that farmers will use a nitrogen based fertilizer which will enter into the water supply, killing marine life and such. This alone should make it unwise to push the use of corn as an alternative. But who cares, it is all about who makes the profits, not what it will do to the environment.

Now let us talk about corn prices. Ethanol refiners use huge amounts of corn and with that food prices will go up and up. Corn is used in food production from feed for the cattle that make out steaks to the syrup for our soft drinks. As the demand for ethanol rise, so will the price of our food. The more corn that is planted the less other crops are raised and this will also add to the price of food. Nothing about ethanol is a good.

Corn is not even the best source of ethanol. Sugar cane is and it produces 8 times more energy than it uses to make. Corn, however, the ratio is 1.3 to 1. This basically means that corn produces a little more energy than it consumes in the refining process. Not an efficient product.

The US is importing foreign oil so that ethanol can be produced and distributed. The only thing that is being accomplished by the production of ethanol is we are putting the grocery store in competition with the gas station for the use of the corn.

Ethanol is nothing new! It was used in Ford’s original Model T and it was considered in the 1970’s during the oil embargo. If ethanol is inefficient and costly why is it even being considered? That is the easiest question to answer—PROFITS! No one in the oil business wants to eliminate out dependence on foreign oil. Why would they shoot themselves in the ass? Answer—they will not cut off their supply of profit.

This is not an answer to dependency, it is however an answer to oil companies retaining their profit margin, for an additive will still need a supply of the original product and that translates into continued exploitation by the oil companies.

As a Communist, I call for the workers to take control of the industry and to start a program to find a viable alternative to oil. Hydrogen cell, solar, electric, etc are acceptable alternatives. Why? They are environmentally friendly; they are people friendly and will show the world that there is a better way to transport ourselves and a better way of governing ourselves. Ethanol is not an answer to this problem; it is only a continuation of the stranglehold of the oil companies.

Do not take my word for it! Do some research and you will find that I am correct. Do not hand the oil industry any more power than they have taken in the past. It is time for the people to become the power; we have waited long enough; time to act my friends.

PEOPLE POWER IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEDGE!

JOIN US AND RECLAIM YOUR RIGHTS!

Professor CHUQ

06 Oct 07

Myanmar And Sanctions

The UN is waffling on the subject of sanctions; the US has passed a steeper sanctions package for Myanmar. None of this is gonna help the situation. Why? Good question. Myanmar has a buttload of natural gas and then there is the gemstones.

Rubies! 90% of the world's rubies come from Myanmar. The military junta depends on tis for their income. Rubies are a desired commodity around the world. The sanctions already in place have had NO effect on this money making enterprise. You see, the US cannot get rubies from Myanmar, but if they are cut and polished in another country it is ok. There is your sanctions bullsh*t.

Do you think Americans are gonna give up the luxury of owning a ruby because a couple hundred monks got whacked? Of course, they are not! I is far more important to have the status of a ruby than it is to prevent the killings or to promote democracy. Americans will draw a line on the democracy thing, if their status and vanity are threatened.

They were appalled by the concept of blood diamonds being used to finance genocide in Africa. But did they take the time to check their diamond purchase out. Hell NO! So would you think they would give a sh*t about a blood ruby? Please, you are not that naive. They will soon forget Myanmar as soon as it slips from the headlines. They may feel bad for the Burmese now, but in a couple of days they will not care at all.

CHUQ

Showing Up For Democracy

Recently, I listen to an interview with former White House Chief of Staff, Andrew Caro, I heard him say what I have been saying for years. "Democracy is about getting them (voters) to show up". He is saying about elections, that it is more important to get voters to the polls than it is to have a stable idea on policies.

In essence, tell them what they want to hear and they will show up and give you the election.

Geez, I have been saying this for twenty years and no one was listening, until now. There seems to be more and more people realizing that bullsh*t is just that bullsh*t. They seem to be wanting specifics, not idle promises. This is a good thing, IMO, but will it translate into a substantial win for a statesman and not a politician? Sadly, probably not! The election will be business as usual and we will get another politician as usual.

Once again the people will be the big losers in yet another farce they call a presidential campaign. The really sad part of this saga is that the American people make the same mistakes over and over and never learn from them. I use to think the American populace was ignorant, but now I know they are just f*cking STUPID!

CHUQ

New Ideas?

Recently I have read and seen a couple of "new" ideas that are being past around the internet. But are they new? Not really! They are just extensions of stuff from the past.

A German parliamentarian has tried to introduce a bill that marriages should be 7 yrs in length and then renewable. If both parties agree. A cute proposal but it is not new! About 20 years ago, in Maryland I believe there was a proposal that marriages should be renewed after one year or they could walk away without a costly court battle, as long as no children were involved. So the German is just taking an already offered proposal and tweeking it.

Now, there is this shrink who has written a book about letting your children drink wine or beer at meals and it will stop the need for binge drinking in life. To begin with I agree with him. About 25 yrs ago, I let my daughter have a small glass of wine with her meals and I had no problem with her being a lush when she got into college. I was not original, I saw it in Europe when I lived in Spain and saw very few drunks running around and thought it might be the reason was that they were allowed to drink at meals.

These ideas are not new, maybe if you are a youngster they are, but to me, I have seen it before. The shrink needs to give props to others, like Europeans for his "idea".

A New Devil's Island?

In case your memory is not as good as it should be, Devil's Island was a French penal colony off the Coast of Guyana, known as French Guiana, back in the day. It was used from 1854 to 1952. France sent prisoners that it did not want to deal with to the colony. Kinda like "outta sight, outta mind".

It was condemned by the world as cruel and unusual punishment. The international outcries assisted in the closing of the facility.

Now guess what? There is a new Devil's Island in the making. What are you talking about, Professor?

Ever hear of a small South Pacific Island nation known as Nauru? Probably not! anyway, it is a small nation in the Pacific whose main export and source of income was phosphates. Recently the 13,000 inhabitants had run out of phosphates and the future was not looking very bright for the country. Then Australia's conservative government of John Howard came to the rescue. Now that was very thoughtful of them, right Professor?

Not hardly! It seems that the little country in exchange for Australian aid has agreed to run a holding camp for refugees hoping to immigrate to Australia. There are 89 refugees being held on the Island, most from Sri Lanka, the camp is cruel and indefinite exile. They have no legal representation, for Nauru denies visas for lawyers and even an Australian human rights organization has not been allowed on the Island.

So the people on Nauru are being treated just as badly as those on the original Devil's Island and no one can get there to help, thanks to the government of Australia, who is paying the Nauru to act as their "Gitmo".

Am I mistaken or isn't Australia a democracy? Another poster child for democracy. Shame that we will not get all the info from the media. Stories like this need to be reported before it is too late to save these people from starvation and cruelty.


CHUQ