Several days ago, one of Obama's mouthpieces on the web ran an article in support of his policies.
A friend of mine answered someone who posted it in one of the groups I'm in, and his reply was so well-documented and -written that, with his permission, I would like to share it with you. HR/Blue >Thank you for providing the link to the DailyKos article, M... > > Here are my arguments -- backed up in almost all instances by one, sometimes two or more, articles or comments that to me seem authoritative and correct, and not jimmied together for pure partisan purposes. I have not looked to healthcare in what follows, or to GLBT-Q issues -- in both of which areas Obama has been better (I admit) than on what is below. > > (1) As I posted earlier this morning, the US is NOW at war (covertly) with Iran, and has just caused the assassination of an Iranian official. In addition, the US has helped to create war in Libya since President Obama was inaugurated, see http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20045508-503544.html , and http://mojoe.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/08/24/7461438-jeremy-scahill-on-the-future\ -of-libyan-stability ; and has begun military intervention in Yemen during that time too, see http://stpeteforpeace.org/yemen.html . Obama has escalated Bush-begun wars in Somalia, see http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/02/world/africa/02somalia.html?_r=2 , and http://www.thenation.com/article/163210/blowback-somalia; in Pakistan, see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/washington/21policy.html , and Afghanistan, see http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/12/02/obama-30000-more-troops-afghanista\ n-summer.html ; and his government just granted Saudi Arabia (which uses these weapons to put down its own people and those in neighboring states who demand more democracy) $30 BILLION worth of new weaponry, see http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/u-s-finalizes-30-billion-weapons-deal-wi\ th-saudi-arabia-1.404461 . These are ALL Muslim countries, in addition to the naked aggression here detailed. > > He has started hostilities in Uganda. See http://spectator.org/archives/2011/10/31/obamas-new-war-in-uganda . > > He has, in addition, deployed special forces in 75 OTHER nations, see http://www.thenation.com/blog/obamas-expanding-covert-wars . He has strongarmed Colombia, in Latin America, to allow the US to build 7 bases there, see http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/10/30/us.colombia.bases/index.html . He opposes the socialist governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and elsewhere. He opposes the great democrat Jean-Bertrand Aristide, supporting the US overthrow of him. See http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/21/headlines/admin_confirms_opposition_to_ari\ stide_return . > > He appears to relish the title of world policeman, though he has no United Nations mandate unilaterally and arrogantly to police the world; see http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/has-obama-taken-bushs-pree\ mption-strategy-to-another-level/2012/01/06/gIQAHDImmP_print.html . > > Indeed he says he has ended the war in Iraq, and has turned many bases over to the Iraqis, but there is still an enormous and dangerous American military presence there, see http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/a-look-at-us-presence-in-iraq-after\ -troops-leave/ . > > He has more than once WAIVED penalties on foreign nations which do not observe the US's ban on child soldiers, see http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/10/05-3 . > > Under Obama the US defense budget has become bloated to be the largest in world history, greater (in 2010 numbers) than the TOTAL defense budgets of China, Britain, France, Russia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, AND 7 other large world powers, see http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/06/military-spending . > > He has augmented the Bush drone program, raining down destruction upon innocent civilians and military targets alike, see the articles on Yemen and Pakistan already cited above; see also http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/12/20. The Obama administration refuses to accept ANY oversight of the murderous drone attacks, see http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203899504577129014177012028.html . His drone attacks (EACH ONE MUST BE PERSONALLY AUTHORIZED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE US) have killed (or assassinated) US citizens, see http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/01/world/la-fg-awlaki-killed-20111001 , and http://www.salon.com/2011/09/30/awlaki_6/ . He has allowed Turkey to use US drones to attack the Kurdish minority, the largest group of self-identified people in the world without a nation of their own, see http://www.salon.com/2011/09/30/awlaki_6/ . He is APPARENTLY building secret drone bases in Africa, Arabia, and elsewhere, see http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-building-secret-drone-b\ ases-in-africa-arabian-peninsula-officials-say/2011/09/20/gIQAJ8rOjK_print.html > > These facts and figures seem much more like they came from George W. Bush. I see no difference between Bush's warmongering and the record under President Obama. While he may personally be for peace and make statements that sound peaceful, the record is directly to the contrary. What he DOES, and what he DOES NOT PREVENT IN CONGRESS, is what we should look at, not nice-sounding speeches. > > The US under Obama is warlike and has escalated world tensions and wars. > > (2) Let's look at civil liberties. Obama defends the intrusive pat-downs and body-scans we must endure at airports. See http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/20/obama.tsa/index.html?hpt=T2 . > > As you recognize, Obama has EXTENDED the Patriot Act, one of the worst pieces of intrusive, big-bad-government-power legislation the US has sadly ever passed, see http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/146173-obama-signs-patriot-act-exten\ sion-into-law , and has also signed the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) -- in quasi-secret on New Years Eve -- which authorized ANY president (which could be Romney or Gingrich or worse) to indefinitely detain ANY AMERICAN without trial or judicial process, see http://www.aclu.org/national-security/president-obama-signs-indefinite-detention\ -bill-law . (His signings statement restriction refers only to HIM, not to future Presidents, and in fact DOES NOT BIND HIM.) Those two acts of Obama alone make him the worst civil-liberties president since Harry S Truman in the 1940s-50s, and Truman had the guts to issue some vetoes, which Obama SAID he would do on the NDAA, but then BACKED DOWN FROM. > > In addition, Obama has continued Bush's illegal "extraordinary rendition" program and continues the use of the "state secrets" dodge in order to hide CONTINUING US governmental torture of captives and other gross human rights violations, see http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2009/02/obama-administr-4/ . The US under Obama has dropped 99 out of 101 cases of torture against the CIA and others, see http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/06/cia-exhales-99-out-of-101-torture-cases-\ dropped/ . Obama worked closely with Republicans to kill any probes into CIA torture, see http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/12/wikileaks-cable-obama-quashed-torture-in\ vestigation > > Whistleblowers have suffered more than ever before under Obama. See http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,768344,00.html . He wants Bradley Manning put in prison and has assailed Julian Assange and Wikileaks, see http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/19/assange-high-tech-terrorist-biden and http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/12/11/wikileaks-obama-idUSN1119044120101211. The FBI under Obama has greatly expanded its DOMESTIC surveillance, sort of like the Cointelpro we all opposed in the 1980s, see http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,768344,00.html . More than 2600 activists like myself have been arrested since the start of his administration, see http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12722 . The Obama FBI quickly calls demonstrators and protesters "terrorists." See http://www.progressive.org/mc092110.html. > > He supports the Bush wiretap program, see http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/07/16-1. > > He wants to take the guts out of the Freedom of Information Act. See http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-secrets-20111031,0,273702.st\ ory . He claims the right to pursue "terrorists" IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES, with or without their consent, see http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/16/us-defends-right-to-pursue-threats-no-m\ atter-the-country/ . > > His record on civil liberties has been openly declared by a major newspaper of Britain to be "abysmal." See http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/dec/23/obama-abysmal-rec\ ord-civil-liberty . > > I see no difference here from what we all criticized under W. > > (3) Let's look at the environment. Obama is all for nuclear power, even after the disaster in Japan, see http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2011/3/30/despite-fukushima-and-nuclear-pushba\ cks-abroad-obama-touts-m.html, and http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gRIJr2njr98FZuLpxqG0Fy28Xj6A ; he lifted the ban on deep-water oil drilling even after the BP disaster, see http://articles.cnn.com/2010-10-12/us/drilling.moratorium_1_deep-water-drilling-\ drilling-rig-oil-drilling?_s=PM:US ; and he somehow believes there is something called "clean coal" -- which we know to be a phony -- see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GehK7Q_QxPc . Under severe pressure from his supporters, he agreed to postpone decision on the ultradangerous Keystone pipeline ONLY UNTIL AFTER THE NEXT ELECTION, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GehK7Q_QxPc . > > His offshore oil program has been said to be a veritable disaster for marine wild life and the climate. See http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/11/08-7 . He supports mountaintop-removal coal mining, see http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/06/02-4. > > That is a miserable record, not unlike that of George W. Bush. > > (4) Palestine and Israel??? He staunchly supports Israel and disses the Palestinians; when UNESCO admitted the Palestinians, he took the US out of UNESCO. See http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/688795/palestine_wins_unesco_member\ ship..._and_obama_withdraws/ . He SECRETLY sold bunker-busting bombs to Israel, see http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g_fbHW-9pGfmTay0V9gyCNrmq2Fg?\ docId=CNG.d992cfcc9e648d8c70f329e5edb171b2.e1 . His government strongly opposes nationhood for the Palestinians, see http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/09/201191223127667411.html . > > In one of the greatest wimpouts ever, Obama abandoned his efforts to renew the Israeli freeze on new Jewish settlements in the West Bank, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/07/AR2010120707310.\ html , and as I posted yesterday, the rightwing Settlers have had a field day this past year in expansion and in strongarming the local Palestinians. > > He threatened US citizens who decided to travel to Gaza in support of the Palestinians with fines and incarceration, see http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/27/obama_admin_warns_of_fines_and . > > When the UN Security Council voted 30-1 to probe the vicious Israeli killings of folks traveling by boat to Gaza to support the Palestinian cause, the SOLE NEGATIVE VOTE WAS OBAMA'S REPRESENTATIVE. See http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=189690. > > Bush I tried to get out of the pro-Israeli trap, but these policies seem to me to be just like those of W. > > (5) In some of the most disgusting lies and evasions I can recall, Obama has greatly praised Ronald Reagan, calling him an inspirational leader and praising his welfare cuts, see http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/new-op-ed-obama\ -praises-reagan-inspiration-95-autobiography-obama# , and http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-01-23-ronald-reagan-president-obama\ _N.htm . > > (6) Unions? > --Obama praised the movie "Waiting for Superman," which trashes teachers' unions and promotes PRIVATE charter schools, see http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704584804575644630815574018.html. > --Obama wimped out on supporting important legislation for workers, such as the Employee Free Choice Act (Card-Check Act) -- he supported it as Senator, but was very silent as it failed in the Democratic-led Congress in 2010. He exerted NO leadership for his labor constituents, despite his promises. See http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/09/card-checks-efca-opinions-columnists_0210_richa\ rd_epstein.html ; http://workinprogress.firedoglake.com/2010/04/13/what-happened-to-the-employee-f\ ree-choice-act/ ; http://archive.truthout.org/0106091 ; http://www.peoplesworld.org/obama-administration-giving-only-verbal-support-for-\ employee-free-choice/ . > > (8) Let's look at his record on the economy, especially since you tout that as one of his best performances. > > --The consensus is that Obama's economic policies have FAILED. See http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/09/03/obamas_economic_policies_ha\ ve_failed.html ; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lloyd-chapman/obama-economic-policy_b_1175365.html ; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/obamas-economic-policies-_n_1174188.htm\ l ; http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-08-14/politics/30006442_1_top-economic-\ advisor-independent-voters-president-obama ; http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-12/economists-scoff-at-obama-romney-job-cr\ eation-commentary-by-ezra-klein.html . > --He supported the $700 Billion bailout that Bush wanted for the giant financial corporations. > --He agreed with Congress to EXTEND THE TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY, see http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-07/obama-confronts-resistence-from-democra\ ts-over-deal-to-adopt-bush-tax-cuts.html. > --He proposed a salary freeze on federal workers, which if enacted would save each year WHAT TWO WEEKS OF WAR COSTS, see http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704584804575644630815574018.html. > --His budget proposals have called for deep cuts in welfare and other support programs, not giving to those who need but taking away from them, while supporting defense contractors, see http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/01/new-op-ed-obama\ -praises-reagan-inspiration-95-autobiography-obama# . > --His new foreclosure plan would greatly aid the BANKS, at taxpayers' expense. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/24/foreclosure-plan-obama-harp-refinancing\ _n_1028554.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=776950,b=facebook . > > Obama does NOT seem to have done a lot successfully to fix the economy. > > These sources are to journals and reporters of upstanding reputation, for the most part. The upshot, Mary, is not a very good record, not very different on these major issues from Bush, not progressive or even supportive of New Deal programs for workers and the poor. He has proposed slashing social security, for goodness sake, but NOT raising the taxes on the wealthiest Americans and the huge companies that operate in the USA. He supports what big corporations want, and ignores what his own constituents want much of the time. That he will be re-elected is yet another statement about the wrongness of his policies, because the Republicans mostly support what he has done (above) but cannot find a worthwhile candidate to oppose him; they are no falling all over themselves to criticize "the worst in capitalism" and fall in line behind his policies. > > In solidarity, Wythe [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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