Diggapedia

As America readies for its 237 th Independence Day I am struck by a bumper sticker I saw this weekend “My Dad Is Fighting For Our Freedom”.   Perhaps influenced by President Eisenhower’s January 17, 1961 farewell to the nation, the famous Military Industrial Complex warning, I have always been wary of the nation’s excessive militarism. “This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex . The potential for the dis...

1.        We’re supposed to believe conservative Texans are really pro-life when 1.2million children do not have health insurance, 20% of the population lives below the poverty line, and 500 people have been executed by the state. 2.        Going to college is a privilege but that doesn’t mean it should be limited to the privileged.   Ten years from now, a four year education may cost as much as $700,000.   That’s insane. 3.        “ Prejudice is the reason of fools.”   -- Voltaire 4.        Worst money ever spent: The RNC’s $10million rebranding initiative.   Opposition to LGBT rights and immigration reform, and now it’s all going up in smoke.   So much for expanding the tent. 5.        According to religious right leaders like Ralph Reed and Tony Perkins, same sex marriage will lead to the breakd...

What happens when you take a region with little history of self-rule, numerous tribal alliances over nationalism, sectarian strife including murder, an abundance of the world’s most sought after commodity, regional power players, autocratic rule, and global powers playing a chess game?   The Middle East of course. The Arab Spring started with a Tunisian street vendor’s self-immolation in December 2010 and we have seen   the fall of autocrats in Libya, Yemen, and Egypt.   Additionally, monarchies in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan have had to deal with popular uprisings via security forces and populist bribes.   The latest chapter is unfolding in Syria and it is turning out to be a free-for-all where nearly a hundred thousand civilians have been killed and millions displaced.   Local actors, sovereign states, terror groups, and the global powers are all vying for a solution, control, and a favorable outcome. When considering all of the possibl...

Are you troubled by the Prism and NSA news?   How do you feel about what Edward Snowden?   Has government become the omnipresent Orwellian “Big Brother”?   Was Benjamin Franklin right when he said “ Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ”?   Would you chose the blue pill or the red pill? Whether it is the very recent news of the Snowden leak, the use of drones, political intimidation, extreme rendition, or enhanced interrogation,   the American public needs to come to grips with its identity.   These are potent issues that require serious dialogue and debate, and should neither be flippantly nor frivolously relegated to 140 character tweets.   Each person will have to make up his own mind, but do not hold your breath for the truth, as history has told us when it comes to governmental controversy, truth is not singular.   But I would be remiss to leave you witho...

1)       It believes that markets and industry can regulate themselves. 2)       It claims to be pro-market, when it is actually pro-business. 3)       It hasn’t had an original idea since the Dwight Eisenhower administration. 4)       Resistance to change is embedded in its DNA. 5)       It believes a nation’s strength is measured by its arsenal. 6)       It is unable to show vulnerability. 7)       Its zero sum game plan is dangerous and harmful to America. 8)       It cannot understand the value or importance of the ACLU. 9)       It has coopted political conservatism into a reactionary social movement. 10)    It opposes deficit reduction when out of power, and lives by it when in power. 11)    Its roots are too deep in th...