Is the Blogosphere Killing Activism?

I think it’s time that we take a hard look at some reasons why the American people, including ourselves, seem to be a collective bunch of do nothings. And, I am not just speaking of our X-Box, IPOD, expert computer whiz generation of children, but those of us who lived through the 60’s and 70’s during the Viet Nam era. Those of us who saw what really happened back then, and compare those times to today's world.

Thanks to freeacre and Murph, I have some reasonably reliable statistics to work from. In general, it appears that somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 million people visit various blogs while surfing the internet on a daily basis. That definitely has its upside; information is available to the masses that once was not. Those of us who choose to blog put out vast quantities of information, both good and bad, that would otherwise be unavailable. It ranges from wild speculation to sound; fact based, reasoned “news.” It covers the conservative view, the progressive view, and everything in between. It comes with a slant that does not exist in the Mainstream Media, for reasons that range from, on the one hand, the iron fisted corporate grip on the MSM, and on the other hand, to the general lack of oversight of blogs. You can see it all out there in cyberland. We bloggers often beat the MSM on stories that they choose to cover, sometimes by days. Most stories they don’t cover at all. So, a necessary service is provided. As Rockpicker stated, it inhibits the ability of our government to lie to us. Here is how Rockpicker put it, which is probably much better than I can.

“I will hope, on the eve of this supposed holy season, on the advent of the winter solstice and the newly dawned Fifth day of the Eighth Level of consciousness, (a time during each level when the big shit happens,) that Boosh will give a war and no one will come.

The aspect that guides our consciousness now, at this eighth level, is ethics.

Truth. Light. Ethics. Isn't it a nagging want, a hole in the side that seems to be bleeding our souls away, a need to be told the truth, straight- up, unsweetened and uncensored, that each of us deep down longs for, like rescued miners gasping our first clear air?

The Internet came into being, on queue, at the beginning of the Eighth level. It provides us a way to communicate, as we can all see this happening, even as it makes this circle possible. THEY can't lie any longer. Oh, they can try. But how effective have they been? And how is their effectiveness doing? THEY are failing, because each day more and more of us are seeing the light of truth. You can feel it happening. You can see it in the faces of the people around you. Our consciousness is changing, collectively.

So my hope for all of us, all of you who attend this small council fire, you thoughtful and holy keepers of the flame, and truly, all the rest of our brothers and sisters out there, whether hurling stones or shielding themselves from missiles, my sincere hope is that the ethical abrogation implied by joining Boosh in his murderous fantasy will overwhelm those human hearts involved, and true heroes, armed and able, will stand down, in courage, and say 'no.'”

Yes, our consciousness is changing, collectively. Yes, you can see it in the faces of the people around you. Truth, Light, Ethics. Yes, that is what we all want. THEY cannot lie to us anymore, this is true. At least it’s true for those who seek the truth, to those capable of tossing every third word that is spoken by those in positions of leadership into the garbage disposal. The internet is mostly responsible for this new way of communicating, this newfound well of knowledge that exists today, again for those who seek it. But, like everything else, it also has its downside.

Do they even care that they cannot lie to us anymore? Does it even matter? While undoubtedly reversing the dumbing down of the American populace, and the world populace, has it also created a virtual world of "desk potato" thinkers? Has it created a whining, sniveling bunch of “inactivists?” In terms of the Iraq war, has it prolonged the event and prevented the very actions that led, in a large way in my view, to the end of that conflict in Viet Nam? That being the real protest versus the cyberspace protest?

I have said on more than one occasion that I think we should have 50 million people sitting on Pennsylvania Avenue until we are completely out of Iraq and Booshco is thrown out of office. I absolutely mean that. I pointed out that in a relatively short amount of time, illegals were able to piece together impressive protests all around the country. At the same time, we are lucky if we can get a hundred Americans to show up for a peace rally, when our kids are getting killed at an alarming rate in a war that cannot be won. We can’t put more than a handful of people together to demand that the American President, who is obviously insane, and a few of his cronies be held to account for rewriting the constitution in order to cover their crimes. But boy, we're real good at talking about it here and in other places.

Is this the fault of the internet and the blogosphere? I think it partly is, and maybe more than partly. It is easy to find a blogsite where you are comfortable, pick a time that is most convenient for you, and let the world know what you think. Much easier than it is to take off work, travel to Washington, sit in the cold, and be threatened by arrest. But which is more important, and which is more effective? Though we all know that they could not possibly arrest 50 million people, we sit and do nothing to stop the travesty that is occurring in our name. Other than bitch and moan on the blogs, I mean. We are clearly doing that at a record rate. But, in the grand scheme of things, what good is it doing? Is it letting our newly elected Congress know that we are deadly serious about our wish to have true reform in D.C. and that we are deadly serious about bringing home our troops? Is it letting Boosh know that we are deadly serious about regaining the rights that he and his goons have stolen from us, and that we are also deadly serious about his getting our troops home NOW? I tend to think not.

I sometimes feel like one who is an enabler, and I don’t mean that in a good way. The Real Deal and similar sites may be no different than the neighborhood drug dealer providing a fix for the “jonesin” user. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what this site has accomplished and appreciate each and every one of you who visit here regularly, some many times per day. But, I can’t help but wonder, aren’t there better and more effective things that we could be doing? If no one had the “internets,” would we be marching in the streets or would we just add to those intellectual giants who are enthralled with who will be the next American Idol?

I don’t have the answers to these questions, but I do have my doubts about the overall impact of the blogosphere and its long term consequences. Like everything else, it has its positives and its negatives. I sometimes think that technology has outrun our ability to effectively deal with its ramifications. At a minimum, these are things that each and every one of us need to consider, and consider seriously.

Don’t worry; this is not the Death Knell of the Real Deal. We’re not going anywhere, anytime soon anyway. Instead, it’s meant as kindling that will hopefully lead to some inspired discussion.

Cyclone

A Merry Christmas to All

While I had planned a final post before Christmas, it just didn't get done in time. So, the Real Deal is shutting down for a brief holiday period. Obviously the site is still open to comments and conversation.

I want to thank each and every one of you who contribute to and support this site in whatever way you do, either small or large. Without all of you, this place would not exist. We, as Rockpicker so eloquently stated in a recent comment, do a small part in awakening the world to the problems that we both face and create. After the holidays, that contribution will continue. I will have a new piece ready and posted on Tuesday, December 26.

As an aside, I recognize that it is a gift giving time of year. I'm not sure whether you all can see the numbers of visitors listed at the bottom of the page, but it is nearing 100,000 folks. In reality, we exceeded that number a while back. But, due to my unfamiliarity with the technical aspects of this venture, and my technical incompetence in general, I inadvertantly reset the numbers on two different occasions within the first couple of months of the birth of this site. Some 25-30,000 numbers do not show up, so we will just use the 80,000 plus figure that is visible. As we move on through the next couple of weeks or so, keep an eye on that number. If you happen to be the person who logs on and the number reads 100,000, you are the lucky winner of a gift of highly suspect and questionable value. A Real Deal T-Shirt, absolutely free of charge! (woopee!) Should you be that person, send an email to me at:

cyclone@cyclonesrealdeal.com

Please put "free t-shirt" in the subject line along with size, a name and address to ship it to and I will get it right out to you.

We as a nation and world, face many horrific problems heading into the New Year, mostly self inflicted ones. We are on the brink of reaching/causing perhaps the greatest calamity in the history of the world, but ranting about such things can wait a few days. But Boosh, never fear, as the Terminator would say, I'LL BE BACK!

In the meantime, enjoy the Christmas season and spend time with those closest to you, read a book in solitude, or do whatever things make you the happiest. We all deserve some peace and rest, brief as it may be.

Please think of our TROOPS, who, due to no fault of their own, are stuck in some hell hole far away from home wondering whether or not they will ever return and see their loved ones again. Think of their families as well, as their holiday season cannot possibly be the same were the circumstances different.

Most of all, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS, or to those of you who do not celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense, enjoy a happy holiday season. See you soon,

Cyclone

Hey Iran, Here Comes Georgie!!

Word has it that the much anticipated Iranian invasion is planned for March 1. That generally means that it will happen a little sooner, but we'll see. The only thing that I see changing this is if Iran caves in to Boosh, but in my view chances of that are slim and it might not matter anyway. We've talked about this potentially happening for some time and there is no need to rehash old material, so this will be short. There are other posts on this topic on this site, so feel free to look through the archives.

The Fiction

As we are all well aware, one of the less talked about reasons for the Iraqi invasion was their threat of selling Iraqi oil using a currency different than the US dollar. Heaven forbid that a sovereign country be allowed to choose what currency they wish to deal in, but we all know that he who carries the biggest stick influences such matters.

In the last day or two, Iran has announced that they will be switching to Euros in handling all transactions within their country. On the surface, it would appear that they are making this choice to once again taunt the US and Boosh in order to further humiliate us, and him. This seems to be a popular sport among certain world leaders these days. But, as usual with this corrupt administration, it is not what it seems.

In what could be described as an end run around the United Nations sanctioning body, Booshco has essentially forced the Iranians hand in this matter. They have done so by quietly threatening negative “consequences” to any country that uses our phony US dollars to purchase Iranian goods, thus in theory cutting Iran off from all US dollars. So, what is Iran to do? Stop selling oil? Agree to be sanctioned at the sole discretion of George W. Boosh? Hardly. They did the only practical thing and decided that if dollars were not going to be coming their way, they must accept something for their goods. Euros just seem to be as good a choice as any.

This is just one more example of total incompetence on the part of this administration. I often think that sooner or later they have to do something right, but they continue to disappoint. You see, Iran would likely have soon made the switch to Euros or some other form of currency in the very near future without our intervention. They would have done so for the very reasons that Boosh would like you to believe that they are doing so now, solely to humiliate and spit in the face of the evil empire and its moronic leader. But, were Boosh to allow that to occur naturally, it would not look like he is the Decider. So, he has chosen this “back door” course. Forgive me; I don’t have my DSM IV handy. (For those unfamiliar with the DSM, it is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) But, when one forces something to happen that is soon to happen anyway, making said person look foolish in the long run for advancing the pace of an action that is already inevitable, and does it for the sole purpose of proving that one is a powerful person, I’m not exactly sure what the diagnosis is. I do know that it is in the book somewhere, but for now we’ll just use “idiot” as a reference point. So, again using Cyclone plain English, the idiot forced the Iranians to switch to Euros so that he can blame them for doing so even though they soon would have switched on their own anyway. Now that we have that sufficiently covered, we can move on.

The Sales Pitch

When Boosh speaks to the nation after the first of the year, he is going to say that he is sending 10-30,000 additional troops to Iraq, specifically the Baghdad area. Exactly where they will come from is anybody’s guess, but if I were in my late 40’s or early 50’s and in the Military Reserves, I might grab a copy of the DSM IV and start feigning signs of some mental illness found therein. Otherwise, I’m afraid I might find myself in the Iraqi Desert sometime soon. Yes, we are that desperate for troops.

Will the American people stand for sending more troops into Iraq so soon after an election where they stated loudly and clearly that they wanted our boys to come home? Well, sad to say, it doesn’t really matter. Because the new Democratic Saviors are already on record saying that they will support a military buildup in Iraq “as long as it’s very short term, like 90-120 days.” At least that is what Harry Reid and others soon to be in leadership have stated. Hmmmm, lets see, it’s almost Christmas now. Add 90-120 days from now to that and March 1 falls toward the outward edge of that time frame. Making a connection yet?

We’ve talked extensively about the massive naval buildup in the Gulf region, so we won’t go much into that again. Just suffice it to say that they are either there already or soon will be. So, add about 30-60 days to get some new troops into Iraq which happens to be right next door to Iran, (pure coincidence I’m sure) and you have some folks to keep an eye on things. They certainly aren’t really needed in Iraq; the Generals on the ground have already said so. We all, except Boosh and Cheney also realize that Iraq is a lost cause, but that’s a different matter. So, if the Iraqi’s don’t want them, and the American Generals don’t want them, could there possibly be another reason for getting them in the region? Again, Hmmmm.

The Results

We will not invade Iran on the ground, beyond using some special ops that are already in place. Oh, we might run a few more folks in there should things go badly, but otherwise, we don’t have the manpower to do so. For a superpower, we sure seem to have some problems with our military. Not too many years ago, say in the 80’s, the theory was that we had the people, weapons, and money to fight 2 ½ wars at the same time. That was always the benchmark, we felt safe as long as we could handle that. Unfortunately, we have proven that we are unable to handle an insurgency in one country of 25 million people, even with all of our soldiers going in and out like they are circling a drive-thru. We are also penniless, so that benchmark is nowhere near being met these days. And, barring a draft, it won’t ever be met again. So, what do we do?

We are going to bomb Iran to hell and back, or at least we think we are. My guess is that we will break out the new toys we’ve been dying to use, like the deep bunker buster bombs that will be necessary to even sniff the underground nuclear facilities that the Iranian’s have, or we think they have. A whole lot of military experts doubt that we know where the majority of these facilities even are. A lot of those bunker busters contain nuclear warheads. Surely, we wouldn’t do that, would we? I don’t know. We have nuclear submarines in the area, as well as other warships with nuclear capabilities on the scene. Why are they there if not to be used? We also have ships from half the countries in the world amassed in the region. Are they all there just for fun and games? Has Boosh finally amassed a coalition?

I will ask the same questions that I asked several months ago when I first said that we were going to attack Iran. It is becoming more apparent each and every day that we are the most dangerous country in the world, and we are led by the most dangerous pair of miscreants in the history of this country, maybe in the history of the world. Do we think that other countries in the world aren’t aware of this? Do we think that others aren’t aware that we are on our last legs, militarily, financially and morally? Do we not realize that we, because of the actions of our leaders, are the most hated group of people on this planet? Do we not realize that Iran, unlike Iraq, will fight back and fight back hard with weapons we have never faced before? And, most importantly, with who do the loyalties of all these other forces amassed in the Gulf Region really lie? We already know that we CAN’T be trusted; do we know that the others CAN?

Cyclone's Conclusion

Listen to what people have said, look at the timeline, do the math and come to your own conclusions. I have already come to mine, which follows.

George W. Boosh has lost his mind. The Iraq Study Group’s report finally snapped the rubber band that was long ago stretched to the max, the one connecting him to the last tiny speck of reality that existed somewhere deep in the recesses of his head. He is on an island, everybody is against him, Daddy joined with the pervert Clinton and turned on him, Cheney can’t be trusted, Rove is AWOL, all his other close advisors have jumped ship, he’s surrounded by traitorous folks from Daddy’s administration, his right wing religious zealot base has abandoned him, the liberal commies have taken over the entire Congress, “hey, can a guy get a drink around here?” Condi, Laura and the dog Barney are about all that’s left and Barney’s been acting a little strange lately, forget the legacy; let’s go out with a bang, whadda ya say?

God help us all,

Cyclone

The Box Boosh Finds Himself In

Oh what a fine mess we find ourselves in. If you have been wondering why Boosh is delaying his “speech to the nation” on whatever new course “he” chooses for Iraq, wonder no more. The cat is now out of the bag, and I will try to explain it to you.

A Call From the King

On November 22, 2006, the creepy VEEP Dick Cheney received a call ordering him to a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Though not many people on earth have the ability to tell Cheney what to do, much less when to do it, the Saudi Royal Family is the exception to this rule. This was not a request for a meeting, but an order for him to get his butt to Saudi Arabia, NOW. The King himself wanted to chat. Therefore, in a little less than 3 hours Cheney was aboard a private jet headed for Riyadh. There were no stops along the way, no itinerary listed, no public notices of the trip, nothing else on the agenda. You don’t even need a bag, he was told; just get your ass to Saudi Arabia. You won’t be here long. So he did go to the desert as ordered, and he did not stay long.

Upon his arrival, it soon became apparent that this was the Saudi version of taking Booshco out behind the woodshed. In no uncertain terms, Cheney was essentially told the following.

1) You invaded Iraq after we told you not to.

2) You deposed Saddam Hussein after we told you that the repercussions would be worse than any evil Hussein could possibly inflict on the Iraqi people.

3) You now have a book from the Iraq Study Group suggesting that you get out of Iraq and leave the mess you created unattended.

4) You WILL NOT LEAVE IRAQ.

So, should you ignore us again, these will be the consequences.

1) Your 80 percent plan that we hear you are considering will not be allowed to happen. (this is the plan floated that suggests that 80% of Iraq—Shiites and Kurds-- will be appeased, while 20%--Sunnis-- will be left out of the mix)

2) We will fully fund the Sunni insurgency already in Iraq.

3) We will send additional fighters into Iraq to help prevent the inevitable slaughter of the remaining minority Sunni’s that will occur should you leave.

4) We will drop the price of oil to limits unseen for many years, (ouch) thus taking the cash cow away from your big oil buddies and perhaps even putting them out of business in the process.

Now, get back on the plane and go pass the word to Boosh that you are not leaving Iraq in the mess it is currently in. We will not stand by and watch our Sunni brothers be sacrificed for what we told you not to do in the first place. Get it done, and get it done NOW. So Cheney did leave, and he did deliver the message to Boosh.

Meanwhile, Back At Home

Shortly after Cheney’s little trip to Saudi Arabia, on November 29, Nawaf Obaid wrote an editorial that was published in the Washington Post. Obaid was a Saudi “consultant” at the time, and wrote that Saudi Arabia would back the Sunni’s in Iraq should we leave and that they would then drop the price of oil. Though it is unclear whether the Royal Family had any knowledge of this article beforehand, (ha-ha) Obaid was fired immediately after it was published. Maybe he jumped the gun and put it in the press before the Royal Family had the opportunity to deliver the exact same message in person to Cheney, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anyway. The point is that what he wrote is exactly what they told Cheney they will do. Isn’t it shocking that the mainstream media never picked up on the editorial and barely mentioned the Cheney trip? Hardly, their corporations are some of the ones benefiting most from the obscene big oil profits.

Also, on Monday of this week, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Turki as-Faisal, inexplicably quit his post, basically without notice, and returned home. It was said that he “wanted to spend more time with his family,” along with some suggestions that his brother is ill and he may want to take over his post, even some rumors that he was fired. But, this is not how things are done in the diplomatic world. Ambassadors don’t leave mostly friendly countries essentially in the dark of the night without announcement, with no successor in place and without informing the host country of future plans. What this means in Cyclone English is that the Royal Family is pissed and they are showing that they are not playing with these idiots anymore. Now that we have laid the background, let’s move to the actions of Boosh of late.

Since the Cheney trip, many things have occurred in the world of the Boosh. The long awaited Iraq Study Group has announced its findings, a rather unpleasant result for Boosh. Side one of the box has been erected. Seventy three percent of the American people have said that they support the ISG findings, and want a way out of Iraq as soon as possible. Another wall goes up. Most long time Republican supporters of Boosh, both in and out of Congress have realized that the shit just ain’t working in Iraq and are demanding change immediately. Side three complete. Boosh has promised the American people that he will listen to many people and make a major speech (I can hardly wait) before Christmas announcing “the new way forward in Iraq,” something that the American people recently demanded at the ballot box. All four walls of the box are now in place. So, how does a Boosh begin to tear down the enclosure he finds himself surrounded by?

First, he lamely said that he will not be “pushed” into hurrying his speech, since it’s so profoundly important, (profound and Boosh should not be used in the same context, I know) so he delays it until after the first of the year. His reasoning is suspect at best, absurd in reality. Boosh said that he wanted to give new Defense Secretary Robert Gates time to study the ISG proposal. Since Gates was a leading member of the Study Group before agreeing to become the new Secretary of Defense, it is unthinkable that he is not familiar with what it says. He is, after all, a pretty smart guy.

Second, he spends a week or two running around interviewing everyone from retired Generals to White House cooks trying to find someone, anyone, who disagrees with the view that we should leave Iraq in a timely manner. Outside of John McCain and a few others, he’s not having much success at that.

Now, he is allegedly pondering following the McCain proposal of increasing troop strength though it is virtually unanimous that there is no military solution to the Iraq debacle. Sending in 40-50,000 more troops will not save the place, and we would have to scrounge to find that many troops to send. Some men and women would have to be sent to Iraq for the fifth or sixth time for this to be possible, and that is frankly unconscionable. Not that three or four such trips is any less revolting, mind you. He might find that the American people, who want us out of Iraq, might not take kindly to him sending more troops in.

What is a Boosh To Do?

Incompetence does not begin to cover what this man has done to this nation. He appears to be as worried about his “legacy” as he is about anything else. (I have an idea on how to save his legacy, but that is for another post) I wrote a very long time ago that he screws up EVERYTHING he touches, and that has not changed one iota. Iraq is the biggest disaster in American history; I don’t think that is even arguable anymore. His base has left him over this war, and those of us who consider ourselves progressives were never with him in the beginning. In short, this man is a mentally ill, dangerous imbecile.

I find the things that he says to be very telling. Just yesterday he said, and I’m paraphrasing here. “We will not leave Iraq until the mission is complete. The Iraqi people want to be free. How do I know that? Because the people spoke during the elections, while electing a democratic government.” Isn’t it interesting that he uses the voice of the people to justify staying in Iraq, yet totally ignores the voice of the people who allegedly elected him when they say it’s time to get out? He uses polls and opinions very selectively it seems, but never uses them when it involves the voices of the American people. Those voices are totally ignored, regardless of how rational they may be.

A while back Boosh said that “the people have spoken,” in reference to the US elections. That doesn’t matter in the least to him, but someone else has spoken as well, the Saudi Royal Family. And, trust me, the fact that they spoke carries a whole lot more weight than anything 300 million Americans could ever say. The threat of dropping the price of a barrel of oil to 1970 levels is unthinkable to Boosh and his buddies. This war that is about oil and nothing but oil, always has been and always will be. How many American lives are worth a barrel of oil? Sadly, we are finding out the answer to that very question.

What are the American People to Do?

Unless we do something drastic, we will not be leaving Iraq anytime soon, regardless of what the ISG, the military advisors, the generals on the ground, you, Cyclone, or God himself says. We will lose many more soldiers, tens of thousands more Iraqi’s will be blown up, and the end result will be the same. We will have still lost the war and the Middle East will never be the same.

It is time for a revolt in this country. A revolt of massive proportions. When Boosh refuses to follow the recommendations of every rational person he speaks to and continues a stay the course policy in a loser of a war, it is time to do something. When Boosh bows to the Saudi Royal Family and continues to kill both American kids and Iraqi citizens at the rate of hundreds per day, it’s time to do something.

Here’s what I say should happen. Let’s line Pennsylvania Ave. with 50 million Americans and refuse to leave until the last soldier is out of Iraq. We’ll call it the World’s Largest Tailgate Party. They can’t do anything besides lock a few of us up. Let the Saudi’s drop the price of oil, we’ll all benefit from that in the short term. In the longer term, it will force us to do what we have to do anyway, which is use our innovation to live our lives without the benefit of having foreign oil. We have the technology, we have the brainpower, and we have the manpower. What we lack is the willpower. Does anyone have any idea how to motivate 50 million people to leave their own little box that they’ve constructed for themselves? If so, please speak up. Time is short.

Cyclone