ofthisandthat
Weekly Letter to President Obama
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Copyright © 2010
ofthisandthat.org. All rights
reserved.
INAUGURATION, January 20, 2009
Drunk in its stale air
For two hundred years.
Fettered in mind and body,
The soul, the safe escape
To let me breathe the cries
Of my heart singing
Tears of mel-an-choly.
The tears flow free today
Washing the stains of blood
And sweat in brotherhood.
Raise the curtain then an'
Let the world look in
On this promised land --
We breathe free today.... almost.
--- Arshad M. Khan
We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.
--- Native American proverb
July 31, 2015
Mr. President: The United States pushed a vote in the Security Council this week with
the purpose of establishing an International Tribunal to investigate and try those
responsible for shooting down the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH-17 in the Ukraine.
The resolution was vetoed by Russia making it appear in a negative light and less
than forthright. In fact, it had already supplied all the evidence it had gathered to the
investigating Dutch -- the flight had originated in Amsterdam and Dutch citizens were
the overwhelming majority who lost their lives. The Dutch report is complete but not
released. Why not? They have been pressured by the US not to. Now why would we
do that and then try to set up a (kangaroo) tribunal through the mechanism of the UN
Security Council?
One other thing: We happened to have a spy satellite over the area when MH-17 was
downed. What possible reason is there for not releasing the data gathered? Must be
because we can't trust the Dutch!
Of course Wikileaks now tells us we have been spying on the Japanese for the last
ten years. Since we spy on just about everyone, including our own people, it made
little sense to keep Jonathan Pollard, caught spying for our friends the Israelis, in jail.
After all, he is a hero in Israel, and his life sentence seemed a trifle harsh anyway. So
he has been released. Back in Israel, he might even be given one of the new 300
apartments, authorized by the Netanyahu government this week, to be built in an
illegal settlement close by East Jerusalem. We have expressed concern?
Today, a news report that some settlers tossed a Molotov cocktail into a Palestinian
home in Nablus burning to death a sleeping toddler and severely burning a four-year
old sibling and parents who were hospitalized. A short while ago settler extremists
burnt the historic church of Tabgha on the Sea of Gallilee in northern Israel,
destroying its artifacts. The church is believed to stand on the site of the miracle of
the loaves and the fishes. More 'concern' and more 'concern'.
'We few, we (un)happy few, we band of brothers' might well describe the Republican
aspirants for the highest office in the land, although one doubts if Shakespeare would
have given them a line -- except of course, for Donald Trump. Falstaffian in brazen
braggadocio, with him we cut out the middle man; after all he is a gambling mogul.
The rest of them are just stooges for Sheldon Adelson, the other gambling mogul,
who happens also to just love our close ally Binyamin Netanyahu. He loves him so
much, he actually funds a newspaper available, and often sent, free to the Israeli
public (whether they want it or not and going by the election results most don't). The
sole purpose of this newspaper is the edification of Netanyahu and his wife.
Through their close ally AIPAC, Adelson and his Israeli protege already own Congress
-- the members become afflicted with Jack-in-the-box syndrome whenever Netanyahu
addresses Congress, jumping up to applaud every line. If any of the Republicans
(except Trump) wins the presidency, Adelson will own Congress and the Executive
branch. So out with the middle man; let's have a gambling billionaire who might even
be likely to put the interests of this country first without obligations to big funders.
As for the Democrats ... is there a contest?