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Tag Archives: John Boehner

The Middle East: Inferno

01 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Terrorism, The Middle East, United States

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

credibility of Congress, Dante's Inferno, Gustave Doré, James Foley, John Boehner, Obama, retaliation, the astronomical cost, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, the lawsuit against the President

President Obama

President Obama

On Friday, I wrote a post that I did not publish. It was about the systematic obstructionism and scapegoating Barack Obama has faced from the moment he was elected to the presidency of the United States. The word systematic is my keyword. Extremists Republicans seem to have gathered to plan President Obama’s demise. The post I wrote will no be published because we know that whatever goes wrong, it’s always the President’s fault or the fault of his administration.

We also know that the main motivation on the part of Congress is avoidance of taxation. Taxes are the “the freedom we surrender” to live in safety. (The Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes, 1651) and safety includes the creation of social programmes. Responsible citizens do not invite a government shutdown costing billions simply to ensure they get tax cuts, which is unlikely to be the case if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act survives constant attacks. I believe it’s there to stay.

Dante is lost in Canto 1 of the Inferno. Gustave Doré

Dante is lost in Canto 1 of the Inferno.
Gustave Doré

The President Hesitated

First, yes the President Obama hesitated.

Having said the above, let’s look at inferno: the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis). 

http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/29/senior-pentagon-officials-say-obama-hesitated-on-james-foley-rescue-mission/

Yes, there was an attempt to save journalist James Foley, but President Obama hesitated before entering Syria and he did so for good reasons. He was attempting to rescue Jim Foley, but entering a sovereign nation can be interpreted as an act of war and invite retaliation. I realize that there are air strikes as I write and that the U.S. is protecting agencies dropping food to victims of Isil, but, unfortunately, intervention can be perceived as interference.

It would appear James Foley was executed on 19 August 2014, in the Syro-Arabian desert, by a terrorist who has been identified as a Londoner. But there may have been two executioners.

In other words, no sooner was Osama bin Laden found and killed, that terrorists regrouped and named themselves the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), or Is, which is extremely alarming. One thinks terrorism is over, just as the war is over, but a new breed of terrorists emerges and, although there are no boots on the ground, “[a]fter a strike, one can expect anything.” Our new terrorists are rebels without a cause who are accepted by Isil, as though flesh alone a terrorist made.

Dante's Inferno, Plate 22 Hoarders and Wasters, Gustave Doré

Dante’s Inferno, Plate 22
Hoarders and Wasters,
Gustave Doré

“We don’t have a strategy yet”

Second, the President said: “We don’t have a strategy yet.” I watched CNN and happened to hear high-ranking military personnel comment on President Obama’s so-called “gaffe.” They explained that devising a strategy can take a very long time, but also said that the U.S. is prepared to face attackers. After the horrific attacks of 9/11, the U.S. has got tougher. In short, the Pentagon is ready.

However, because of its current debt, the U.S. cannot afford to spend $7.5 m a day on its operation in the Middle East. There have been 100 strikes and the Republicans in Congress would like the United States to adopt a more “aggressive strategy.”

“Republicans in Congress have led calls for a more aggressive strategy against Isis, beyond the strikes which the Obama administration has confined to the north of Iraq, around the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Irbil and the Mosul dam.” (The Guardian)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/30/john-kerry-global-coalition-isis-iraq-syria-nato

Suing the President

Given that Mr Boehner, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, is suing the President, can advice on his part or on the part of extremist Republicans in Congress be taken seriously. The lawsuit will cost taxpayers $500 an hour. Barack Obama is the duly elected President of the United States of America. That does not confer upon him “divine rights,”[i] but it has earned him a degree of respect that he also fully deserves. Suing the President has seriously jeopardized Mr. Boehner’s credibility as well as the credibility of like-minded members of the Republican Party. Mr. Boehner has provided little, if any, evidence that he is a statesman.

http://time.com/3222601/iraq-cost-us-pentagon/

I realize that the U.S. is not acting as a single nation and I am aware that agencies dropping food, water and other supplies to a beleaguered people require protection. However, if the conflict escalates I fully expect Mr. Boehner to blame the President. Moreover, if the U.S. adopts a more aggressive strategy, more money will be spent and the Republicans in Congress will also blame President Obama.

London Counts on Safe-Haven Appeal…

http://www.thenational.ae/business/property/london-counts-on-safe-haven-appeal-for-middle-east-real-estate-investors

If matters degenerate, there may be a few happy individuals, people such as CIT in London, England. They are building or have built a perfect safe-haven for the very rich who may need to escape turmoil.

Given the amount of money these refugees are willing to pay and can pay for a safe-haven, not only are London “developers” hoping to rescue enormously wealthy customers from the Middle East, but apartments have already been sold to wealthy customers in Vancouver and Toronto at prices only royalty can pay. Besides, two save-havens are better than one.

Releasing the Prisoners

I would like the prisoners Isis has captured to be released and for all endangered Americans or foreigners to be pulled out of inferno as soon as possible, if it is possible. However, Isil terrorists are asking for exorbitant ransoms the United States will not pay.

Strikes are very dangerous and one cannot defeat sectarianism. Inferno!

My kindest regards to all of you.

RELATED ARTICLES

  • Suing President Obama: Related Posts (4 August 2014)
  • Suing President Obama! (3 August 2014)
  • “After a strike, one can expect anything” (15 September 2013)
  • Syria on my Mind (9 September 2013)
  • Taxes: the “freedom we surrender” (15 October 2012)
  • The Social Contract: Hobbes, Locke & Rousseau (13 October 2012)
  • Mutiny in Congress: Ship them to Guantanamo (21 December 2011)
  • The US: Obstructionism and Scapegoating (7 November 2011)
  • “It is the fate of princes to be ill-spoken of for well-doing” (15 September 2011)

____________________

[i] “divine right of kings.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 31 Aug. 2014.<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/166626/divine-right-of-kings>.

—ooo—

GF Händel (23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759)
Wikipedia – the free encyclopedia
Suite No. 9 in G Minor
Sviatoslav Richter (20 March 1915 – 1 August 1997)
 
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a statement from Martha's Vineyard
 
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August 31, 2014
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Suing President Obama!

03 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

Congress, John Boehner, obstructionism and scapegoating, Suing President Obama, the Affordable Care act, the Government shutdown of 2013

 

John Boehner and President Barack Obama
John Boehner and President Barack Obama

Could it be about the Affordable Care Act?

Allow me to express profound dismay regarding Mr. Boehner’s continued assaults on President Obama. Mr. Boehner has made it very clear that he opposes the Affordable Care Act and his position regarding affordable health care has coloured his behaviour for a long time. He has also opposed President Obama’s humanitarian policies, such as extending the period during which an unemployed American may receive help from the government of his country. And now, Libya!

The Government Shutdown: October 2013

I remember vividly Mr. Boehner holding the citizens of the United States hostage by directing Congress to oppose raising the United States’ debt ceiling, which, of course, had to be raised. That was very silly and no one will forget. The Government shutdown of October 2013 cost the American people billions of dollars, billions that were needed to ensure the health and security of the American people, to refurbish schools, or help the nation in some other way. Was that responsible behaviour on the part of an elected official? It was a game, and not only did it impoverish Americans, but it also scared other nations.

Discrimination against women

If it has to do with medical care and, particularly, with whether or not birth control medication should be covered, many Republicans would have us believe that they are advocating life long celibacy for those who cannot afford birth control. These are medical issues. Moreover, it is for a woman to decide whether or not she will have a child and this can be done without recourse to an abortion. However, sometimes an abortion is necessary, for medical reasons. Do people think women use abortions in lieu of birth control?

This is a matter I take very seriously. My mother gave birth to a child every year. Four children survived, but we buried the others: 14. These babies did not have a chance to survive. I remember the grief, the despair, the hospital bills. I remember thinking that God did not love us.

President Truman, President G. W. Bush…

At any rate, Mr. Boehner seems to be grabbing every opportunity to criticize and vilify the President of the United States. As a result, Mr. Boehner may run the risk of losing his credibility. No one sued President Truman. As for President G. W. Bush, he has not been accused of war crimes. He and other former Presidents socialize. President Obama has been very kind to his predecessor. Could it be therefore that some members of Congress do not wish for a man of colour and exceptional intelligence and dignity to be President of the United States of America. There is nothing wrong with being black or somewhat coloured. Nor is it wrong to be exceptionally accomplished.

President Obama makes us feel safe

Were President Obama not at the helm (when Congress gives him a chance), the world would not have much confidence in the United States. I am sure his predecessor meant well, but he blundered. There is such a thing as compassion and forgiveness. Consequently, President Obama has not thrown stones. But Congress would throw stones at President Obama? Suing President Obama borders on lèse-majesté, except that President Obama is not Louis XIV (Louis-Quatorze) and knows he isn’t.

Not taking sides

Please remember that President Obama cannot take sides in the Near or Middle-East without jeopardizing the safety of Americans. That’s not easy. Moreover, many decisions are made collectively by member states of the United Nations. No one wants another 9/11 and more wars, including Congress waging war against President Barack Obama? A house divided… The United States has seldom had as good and humane a President as President Obama.

As for countries who have just escaped tyranny, they may need help, in the short-term, but I believe they are perfectly capable of building a better future for themselves. There is a difference between intervention and interference.

Conclusion

Since Barack Obama was elected to the Presidency of the United States, I have been a keen observer. I have witnessed what seems to be systematic obstructionism and scapegoating. Suing the President would be more of the same, but worse. It would be a witch-hunt. Those days are over.

We all make mistakes, but is it possible for President Obama to make as many mistakes as extremist Republicans would want people to believe? This is indeed becoming a witch-hunt. The Affordable Health Act will be costly and many of the rich do not want to pay taxes. But the age when cancer was considered a preexisting condition has ended. It seems to me that an insurance company should not shorten someone’s life. It is also my opinion that it is not for the Supreme Court to rule on what type of medication should be covered. This could turn into a circus. A medical prescription is a medical prescription.

Wishing all of you a fine week.

4833-004-EB8E7F6C

Sources and Resources

  • The New York Times
  • The Washington Post
  • The Guardian UK
  • Le Monde diplomatique EN
  • http://www.pi-news.org/category/libya/
  • http://www.worldcrunch.com/world-affairs/c1p1/
Treaty of Paris 1883

Treaty of Paris 1883 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 
© Micheline Walker
August 3, 2014
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Revised, August 4, 2014

 

 

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A Deal: Finally!

17 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

a deal, George Gershwin, John Boehner, Marc-André Hamelin, President Barack Obama

_70360532_obama5
John Boehner and President Barack Obama
(Photo credit: The Telegraph, UK)
 

I think We have a deal

It appears the debt ceiling will be raised.  There is a deal.  No one knows the details of this deal, except Washington, but a default has been avoided.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24558615

Yet, I am afraid.  I heard Mr Boehner, courtesy of the BBC.  He mentioned the Affordable Care Act, but called it what it should no longer be called:  Obamacare.   The name of the programme is the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, or ACA, and it is a long-awaited health-insurance plan.

Warren Buffet: “It would be ‘asinine’ if US defaults.”

I listened to Warren Buffet.  He stated that the “house” would no longer use a government shutdown to negotiate a rise in the debt ceiling.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/warren-buffett-it-would-be-asinine-if-us-defaults-8C11403074
 
 

The Deal

All I know about the deal is that, although it will “pass,” it is a short-term arrangement.  I expect therefore that we will soon be watching a replay of the drama that is currently ending.  When “negotiations” resume, there may not be a government shutdown, but I do not think extremist Republicans will ever want to fund the Affordable Care Act.  As for the rich, they will continue to oppose paying their fair share of taxes.

The Raises

Here is the history of the United States debt ceiling, from Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_debt_ceiling

US government indebtedness has been the norm in United States financial history, as well of most Western European and North American countries, for the past 200 years.

  • The US has been in debt every year except for 1835.
  • Debts incurred during the American Revolutionary War and under the Articles of Confederation led to the first yearly report on the amount of the debt ($75,463,476.52 on January 1, 1791).
  • Every President since Herbert Hoover has added to the national debt expressed in absolute dollars. The debt ceiling has been raised 74 times since March 1962,including 18 times under Ronald Reagan, eight times under Bill Clinton, seven times under George W. Bush, and five times under Barack Obama.

Conclusion

This is a brief post.  I will end it by saying that I am delighted the crisis is over.  We can breathe again.  However, we have now seen an episode of  obstructionism: a government shutdown.  I just hope President Obama will not be blamed.  That would be scapegoating.   Who knows, President Obama may have gained supporters.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/government-shutdown-cost_n_4110818.html?ir=Business&ref=topbar

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100241757/us-debt-ceiling-crisis-barack-obama-has-won-the-shutdown-his-prize-is-a-lame-duck-presidency/

◊◊◊

Marc-André Hamelin plays George Gershwin – Songbook (18 Songs)
 
American-Flag_Flat_© Micheline Walker
October 16, 2013
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The Debt Ceiling Crisis. End it.

05 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Affordable Care Act, Christine Lagarde, debt ceiling crisis, end it, fabricated crisis, John Boehner, one thing at a time, President Obama

 
President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24386086 (could end right now)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24404007 (nobody is winning)
 

I agree with President Obama that the shutdown could end today, right now, if there was good will in Congress and if meeting financial obligations were not contingent on President Obama’s administration ending the already implemented Affordable Care Act.  It’s there to stay.

“Mission Critical”

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/03/christine-lagarde-us-debt-crisis-shutdown (mission critical)

Christine Lagarde

Christine Lagarde (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Christine Lagarde, Managing Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the US Government shut down is a ‘mission critical.’  It will affect global economy if it does not end soon: ‘Mission critical.’

John Boehner

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24404413 (‘This isn’t some damn game’)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24388669 (factious Congress)
 
John Boehner

John Boehner

The current kerfuffle is all about money.  Insurance companies were able to make large profits by denying healthcare to people who had paid their premiums but whose illness was deemed — by the insurance companies — a pre-existing condition.  In other words, insurance companies got rich, but all too often, they got rich at the cost of human lives.

The Affordable Care Act was long overdue.  Humans congregate into nations and they pay their taxes so they can live in safety.  One does not let people die because they cannot afford the health care they require.

It would appear John Boehner is dealing with a factious Congress, hardline Republicans.

Conclusion

In my opinion, it would be best to deal first with the debt ceiling crisis.  Failure to do so could have serious repercussions, not only for Americans but also for the citizens of other nations around the world.  Tying that issue to the Affordable Care Act is unreasonable and manipulative.  It is in fact extremely ugly.  It makes the Republican seem mindless.

Why not take one thing at a time.  This is a fabricated crisis.  It could end right now.

Nat “King” Cole sings “Autumn Leaves”

untitled© Micheline Walker
October 4, 2013
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A Sense of Urgency

19 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by michelinewalker in United States

≈ Comments Off on A Sense of Urgency

Tags

democracy, good faith, James Carville, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, obstructionism, President Obama, Republic, sabotage, WordPress

According to James Carville, President Obama should make changes within his team and replace some of its players.  I wish that matters were so simple that merely reshuffling the team would solve the problem.  With all due respect, I do not think firing and reshuffling will work.  The problem has other roots.  America’s current woes have little to do with President Obama and his administration.  So let us look in another direction.

Foremost in my mind, at this moment, is the total failure on the part of hardline Republicans to work towards the good of their nation.  I have heard a few words to the contrary.  In an NBC Meet the Press interview with David Gregory, Senate minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that, “there are actually things we [Republicans and Democrats] agree on” (quoted by Josh Feldman, 18 September 2011).

However, House Speaker John Boehner, who was quoted and seen in a video incorporated into the Meet the Press interview, says that “tax increases, I think, are off the table.  I don’t  think they can be a viable option the Joint Committee.”  One wonders, therefore, whether or not President Obama has a partner in the Republican party.

Let this be my first question.  I have seen and heard all current Republican candidates tell what each would bring to the United States if he or she were elected to the leadership of the Republican party.  Not in any of their answers did I hear the words égalité and fraternité, equality and brotherhood, the founding principles, along with liberty, of a democracy, or republic.  I realize that Republicans need a leader, but were this leader to become President, would he or she tend to the needs of the nation and require the affluent to pay their fair share of taxes.  Given House Speaker John Boehner’s statement, I doubt it.  Moreover, Senator McConnell pointed out that the elections would be held next year, not this year.  Yet now is the time to act.

Can these Republicans not see that the United States is descending into an abyss and that America cannot wait.  And why this descent?  There is a simple answer.  It seems to me that Congress is not a forum, which it should be, but an arena, a sport’s arena.  And it also appears to me that although the Civil War ended in 1865, it has not ended.  Hardline Republicans are at war with their own country and this is not acceptable.

Yes, Americans can rally behind a leader, but it appears that hardline Republicans cannot see and, more importantly, do not want to see that Congress is not a battle field.  As Abraham Lincoln stated, “[a] house divided against itself cannot stand.”

—000—

Dear Republicans, do make choosing a future candidate to the Presidency a lesser priority than the work you have been mandated to do, but are not doing:  making sure there is bread on everyone’s table.  Moreover, do stop, purposefully and in full view of the entire world, sabotaging the current administration.  Your work is to ensure America remains functional and that it grows.

I hope you realize that there is no quick fix for the harm inflicted on America during the former Republican administration and that you also realize obstructionism is  unacceptable.  It is legitimate for one party to oppose the other party, within reasonable limits, but a party, the opposition, does not engage in obstructionism, especially at the cost of the nation.  Current circumstances call for prompt remedial action.  Therefore, throwing stones at the other party will not benefit the people of America.  Besides, such behaviour is childish.

As for President Obama, I am asking him to be ruthless.  No country should tolerate irresponsible naysayers, but all I hear from hardline Republicans is a constant “let them eat cake.”  They do not seem to care for the people.  Is that a dignified way to treat the citizens who have elected a candidate into office?

In a previous blog, I wrote that I didn’t think Marie-Antoinette ever said “let them eat cake” to the French, but “let them eat cake” is what the French heard, and they stormed the Bastille.  Systematic obstructionism is serious wrong-doing, particularly when a country, the United States of America, is on the brink of an economic disaster.  As I have written in other blogs, there is an enemy within.  America is its own worst enemy, except that markets have become global markets, which means that all stand to lose.  Wake up!

Finally, why am I not detecting in the statements made by the candidates to the leadership of the Republican Party the sense of urgency (not panic, urgency) Mr Carville expressed when he proposed firing and reshuffling in the current administration?  That is my second question.  When will you start expressing genuine concern for the ills of the nation and act accordingly?  I may not think firing and reshuffling are necessary, but I fully agree with Mr Carville that something drastic must be done.  That is why I am asking President Obama to be ruthless, in which my suggestion resembles Mr Carville’s suggestions.

It has always been my understanding that elected officials worked for and not against the good of their country and that, once elected into office, a President is everyone’s President.  President Obama is President of the United States, which means that he is your President.

—ooo—

© Micheline Walker
19 September 2011
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