25 Random Reasons I Hate Living in a 3rd World Country

1.  No national health care system. 

2.   Depressed economy that forces people to join the military for promised health care and education money.

3.  A federal government that sponsors torture overseas and within domestic prisons.

4.  Massive potholes in streets and highways that were once the pride of the community.

5.  A duopolistic political system that masquerades as a two-party system.

6.  Having a military that runs secret prisons.

7.  An education system that has for years warehoused multitudes of uneducated students and a government system that hides this fact and offers no explanation to anyone of the long-term ramifications.

8.  Auto pundits, media, politicians, and policymakers grapple with a downsized automobile industry while play-pretending that the electric automobile is not already functional and while also depending on everyone forgetting the EV1 existed.

9.  The military-industrial complex and the prison-industrial complex continue to suck up massive amount of financial resources while anti-government zealots don’t say a peep.

10.  A 14-year education becoming a norm, not because more skills are needed, but because the students no longer get educated in 12 years.

11.  The fact that it is cheaper for our government to kill us or let us die than to have to pay us our old age social security benefits or federal-guaranteed pensions.

12.  As massive government funds are doled out to financiers and industries, pundits holler about “socialism” while ignoring the fact that what is being practiced is “fascism.”

13.  No one calls for a parliamentary system which would enable the voters to toss out a malfunctioning federal administration.

14.  Eco-activists get 22-year prison sentences for burning down empty buildings while we have walking the streets a former President and Vice President and their lackeys who ordered torture, secret prisons, domestic spying, illegally invading non-threatening countries, and bombing and burning of buildings with innocent people in them.

15.  Bridges literally crumble into rivers.

16.  Tainted peanut butter.

17.  Reliance on cheap imported goods made by slave labor in foreign countries, ironically taking us back to our country’s slave ownership heritage.

18.  Honorable Members of Congress haven’t overtly told the public that the same members of Congress have spent all of the Social Security taxes over the decades on military spending.

19.  Nothing serious is done to stop global warming while our polluting habits continue unabated.

20.  Hearing incessant claims by people that the U.S. is a “Christian” country, yet the same people directly and indirectly support government policies that support military destruction and killing, while letting our own populace starve, go without health care, and lack education resources.

21.  Citizens, who after looking more closely at the 9-11 incident, say “I choose not to believe.”

22.   Allowing a roulette wheel of hate variously targeting “boogey-monsters” like illegal immigrants, gays and lesbians, African-Americans, Arabs and Muslims, and others.

23.  Allowing our brand of capitalism to kill the planet.

24.  Having a government claiming it is broke when people demand national health care, education spending, and other social services, yet pulling billions out of mystery orifices when the business community collapses upon its corrupt, inefficient self.

25.   Living with large numbers of people who hide behind a flag in an effort to escape from the inescapable truth that our country is “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.”

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Will Obama Bring Change to U.S. Policy in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan?

Two of the biggest issues waiting for President-elect Barack Obama are, first, the U.S. occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and, second, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  On both counts, we don't know exactly how the new president will handle these hot policy issues.  Obama's political stump speeches and pronouncements -- in typical, non-offensive political fashion -- are too vague to get a clear picture of his intended policy implementation.  The truth won't be revealed until he sets foot in the Oval Office.

While we wait for Obama to take office, America has a clear national leadership vacuum, as both foreign and domestic policy drifts rudderlessly toward January 20th. George W. Bush has been a presidential empty suit for eight years and now the whole suit has disappeared.  In the Gaza Strip in Palestine, the Israeli government is taking full and final advantage of the Bush Administration's 8-year hands-off policy in Palestine.  Obviously, the Israeli government doesn't trust campaign pronouncements either.

I am predicting that once Obama is sworn into office, he is going to meet highly visible American opposition to Israel's outrageous and obviously illegal military actions and activities in Palestine.  His supporters will be less tolerant of -- and more vocal about -- Israel's violations of international law and crimes against humanity as exhibited in Gaza over that last 18 months and more.  His supporters are going to want "change" in American foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine.  "Change" ultimately may be an albatross draped on Obama by his own supporters.  That's my prediction.

At the recent United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) General Assembly in Chicago, Palestinian-American Ali Abunimah addressed the issue of American foreign policy in Palestine and whether Obama may or may not bring "change" to the Middle East arena.  Abunimah's speech is provided below.  Americans should take the time to listen to these words in light of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and as we wait for someone to occupy the Oval Office.    

-- Rico Thomas Rico

              

Ali Abunimuh Speaking in Chicago

at the UFPJ General Assembly

13 December 2008

Oh, Canada

After hearing of the shoe-throwing incident in Iraq on the Sunday radio news, the very next news story announced that 3 Canadian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Six Canadian soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan over the last 10 days. A total of 103 Canadians have died there over 7 years.

The very night before, Christine Jones, the co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance (CPA), had addressed the American peace community in Chicago at the United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) General Assembly. Jones came with the news that the Prime Minister from Canada's current minority government is advocating that Canada spend $490 billion -- nearly a half of TRILLION dollars -- on defense spending over the next 20 years.

This proposal, Jones said, comes from the same government "mouthpieces" that say housing, education, and universal health care are unaffordable. Jones told the audience that "The reality is that (social spending) is utterly affordable. In fact, it is more than affordable. The problem is that our government -- all of our governments -- are being undemocratic with how they are choosing to spending our money."

I guess we do speak the same language -- and suffer similar injustices.

Our neighbor to the north talked passionately about the common peace issues shared by both Canadian and American communities. Furthermore, Jones explained that in 2010 Canada will host two major economic conferences, including the G-8, and the Olympics. She was very gracious in inviting UFPJ activists to come visit Canada in 2010.

Oh, Canada, look out.

-- Rico Thomas Rico

Christine Jones,

Co-Chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance,

Addresses the UFPJ General Assembly