FREE AT LAST!

GOOD RIDDENS! George W. Bush leaves Washington for the last time as this nation’s commander in chief .

By Glenn S. Reiner

THIS IS A TIME OF ELATION and hope for a resounding majority of Americans. It is also the beginning of what will inevitably become America’s greatest comeback .

Today will be remembered for Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th president of the United States, in front of a record-breaking crowd.

But it will also go down in history as the electorate’s signing of America’s second Declaration of Independence.

Our first emancipation was declared 232 years ago from the rule of Britain’s King George III. Today, we gained our freedom from yet another George – the one who incompetently and corruptly occupied the White House for the last eight years and left office with a overwhelming reputation as this country’s worst president ever.

It was on this date in 2001 that Bush’s predecessor, Bill Clinton, left the nation with its first budget surplus in three decades, record rates of new jobs created and — relatively speaking — friendly relations with most of our global neighbors.

Conversely, the Bush Administration legacy includes the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, astronomical unemployment figures and two wars — one which has been entirely unjustified from the start and has cost this nation in excess of $10 billion monthly for almost seven years, as well as 4,000 American casualties.

Our preemptive strike on Iraq almost six years ago, as well as our continued presence there, has also lost us the respect of most of our treasured allies, while intensifying dissension with perennial detractors.

The Bush White House’s legitimization of torture during its interrogations of Islamic prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, a clearly-defined violation of the Geneva Convention,  was America’s first in recorded history. The administration’s actions also constituted war crimes, which Bush and several of his subordinates could be called in front of the International Court in the Haige to explain.

The use of domestic spying without FISA Court warrants arrogantly breached the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of illegal search and seizures. Racial profiling of U.S. citizens of  Muslim decent following 9/11 defied another long-held American precept. These transgressions could very well be investigated and subsequently prosecuted by the new president’s justice officials.

Not only is this day one of redemption for the U.S, but has given rise to a global celebration as well — one that offers major change and hope – not to mention the reversal of heinous Bush policies.

No longer will the world have to put up with Bush’s ignorance, arrogance and self righteousness. They have seen the last of his “Either you’re with us or you’re against us” mentality!”

No longer will our president be the butt of jokes among world leaders and their respective citizenry — not to mention the media worldwide.

No longer will the nation collectively experience that prolonged feeling of depression that swooped over it like a stagnant storm cloud, one which felt as if would remain forever.

No longer will the affluent and Corporate America be given a free pass to treat its  middle-class workers as second-class citizens, continually giving them the royal shaft as these greedy bastards record exorbitant profits.

No longer will the country’s neediest — the impoverished, disabled, elderly and our veterans — be taken out like the trash and dumped.

This is why history will record today as America’s  second Declaration of Independence. It so clearly evokes the final words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I have a dream” speech:

“Free at last. Free at last. God almighty, (we’re) free at last!”

Attrocities Of New Millennium Frighteningly Similar To Those Of The 20th Century!

Elie Wiesal (standing) survived Nazi persecution in several concentration camps.

“……….How will (the 20^th Century) be remembered in the new millennium? Surely it will be judged, and judged severely, in both moral and metaphysical terms. These failures have cast a dark shadow over humanity: two World Wars, countless civil wars, the sensless chain of assassinations – Gandhi, the Kennedys, Martin Luther King, Sadat, Rabin – bloodbaths in Cambodia and Nigeria, India and Pakistan, Ireland and Rwanda, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Sarajevo and Kosovo; the inhumanity in the gulag and the tragedy of Hiroshima. And, on a different level, of course, Auschwitz and Treblinka. So much violence; so much indifference……” 

- Elie Wiesel

By Glenn S. Reiner

THE ABOVE EXCERPT from a speech given by Wiesel is extremely significant in that we have seen more of the same horrors described above during the first eight years of the 21st Century. Let’s face it: nothing has changed, and this is quite scary!

As Iran inches closer to a Nuclear weapon, so do terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, whose attacks on Israel have been bankrolled by Tehran. To be concerned the Iranians would someday sell the WMD’s to Islamic radicals is in no way out of the realm of reality.

These theological criminals’ misinterpretation of the Koran leaves them entirely fearless of death and believing a suicidal attack on innocent people in the West (“The great Satin”) would result in a one-way ticket to “Heaven.”

Meanwhile, several countries in Africa have experienced as much genocide as Hitler and Stalin facilitated during WWII. And now we have observed the second coming of pirates across the Atlantic Ocean who kidnap innocent people, demanding ransom for their safe returns.

While we advance by quantum leaps technologically, there seems to be a frightening spiritual decline. It is important to note spirituality and organized religion are anything but synonymous; Quite the contrary in fact!

As the Religious Right continues to ignore the U.S. Constitution, constantly attempting to impose their values on others and this country as a whole, Muslim extremists basically do the same in the Middle East — albeit in a far more violent fashion.

This is all far too reminiscent of the Inquisition and Crusades centuries ago.

Sadly, until this week, torture had become a part of the U.S response to enemy aggression since 9/11. Until the new millennium began, this vile practice was limited to severely-misguided rogue nations.

Even American citizens, themselves, had been subject to unlawful domestic spying and ethnic profiling under the FORMER, deceptive Bush Administration.

No doubt, new President Barack Obama has made his mission to not only rectify the Bush destructive actions, but to put as much as a dent as he can in bringing harmony to the Word. But that won’t change the multitude of global atrocities taking place daily overnight.

An old mentor of mine once said wars are never actually won; Rather, one side is temporarily stifled by another — only to wait for the opportunity for vengeance. History has shown us more than enough evidence to support this contention.

Realistically,  hatred and violence as well as intolerance have never produced long-lasting positive outcomes.

Only committed diplomacy and bilateral compromise has ever resolved any of the world’s problems. Such was the case in 1978 when then President Jimmy Carter negotiated the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel.  As a result, the former two perennial enemies finally found a lasting peace, both making major concessions to ensure it.

Subsequent peace agreements were consummated  between Tel Aviv and both Saudi Arabia and Jordan in 1981 and 1994, respectively.

_______________

Elie Wiesel is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. For more than six decades, the Jewish writer, professor, political activist and Holocaust survivor, has dedicated himself to world peace and justice.

Medical Marijuana Must Be Legalized — Now!

THE FEDS REMAIN IN DENIAL ABOUT CANNABIS’S MEDICINAL VALUE, CHOOSING INSTEAD TO CLING TO MYTHS PERPETUATED OVER SIX DECADES AGO!

By Glenn S. Reiner

NEXT TO PROHIBITION — which the government obviously learned little from — perhaps the most bizarre law on the books in the U.S. deals with the criminalization of marijuana, which has been predicated on complete falsehoods for the past 72 years.

Just a little history: In 1936, the Treasury Department created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics under the leadership of Harry J. Anslinger. The new bureau chief initially had no problem with cannabis consumption, which had been going on for over five millenniums.

Then a group of religious fanatics,  similar to those who inspired Prohibition, ran a propaganda campaign about the herb which finally got to him.

Anslinger eventually convinced Congress to pass the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which required the purchase tax stamps in order to legally possess the herb.

But in order to get the stamp, a user had establish possession of it,  which led to their arrests for not having the stamp. It was one of the most imbecilic Catch 22s of all time.

In order to convince Congress and the public of  marijuana’s ‘horrors,’ the bureau launched a propaganda campaign with a few movies entirely underscored by hyperbole. The most ludicrous, yet effective, Reefer Madness (1936), depicted pot-smoking college students as a bunch of drunken speed freaks. If you never had the chance to see  it, it could be viewed for free at

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6696582420128930236.

After the liberal Earl Warren Supreme Court overturned the absurd law 40 years later, then President Richard Nixon enacted a new bill prohibiting possession of cannabis in any quantity within 36 months as a component of the more comprehensive Controlled Substance Act of 1970.

Generally speaking, it is extremely difficult to change the belief system of narrow-minded individuals, which the federal and state governments have historically had more of its fair share of.

A few states have decriminalized possession of small quantities of marijuana, while 12 have legalized it for medical use. But the rest refuse to even look at recent medical findings, and the federal government could still prosecute you if the states won’t.

This occurred earlier this year in Los Angeles where the DEA busted several medical marijuana stores , despite those outlets were completely legal and sanctioned by the State of California. The agency has even gone as far as to threaten doctors who prescribe it with prosecution and removal of their licenses.

“Marijuana has been a medicine for 5,000 years,” says Dr. Donald I. Abrams “That’s a lot longer than it hasn’t been a medicine.”

Abrams,  an oncologist and director of clinical research programs at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the UCSF School of Medicine in San Francisco, is one of a handful of top-flight doctors in the country researching medical marijuana.

“The war on drugs is really a war on patients,” he asserts.

What is truly bothersome is the federal government’s sanction of alcohol and tobacco consumption, and it has  made a mint on the these two deadly substances with exorbitant taxes. Yet, it refuses to even look at the data that establishes pot as far less toxic.

To paraphrase political comedian and satirist Bill Maher, ‘There are nearly a half-million tobacco-related deaths each year and approximately 100,000 fatalities caused by alcohol consumption. But we have yet to see one person smoke a joint and drop dead.’

If there’s one lesson we should have learned from Prohibition, it’s that morality cannot be legislated! When alcohol was banned, the result was devastating: organized crime took over the trade, the product had far more toxic components in the bootlegged version, and underground speakeasys spread like the flu.

The result of the cannabis laws has proven to be quite similar, as millions have been busted and imprisoned since 1970. Consequently, several more prisons have been built to handle the exponentially larger inmate population.

This has led the states and federal government to spend an exorbitant amount of money, which could have been used for legitimate necessities: our infrastructure, an increase in police, more comprehensive health care — not to mention improved education for our kids — which has absolutely gone down the toilet for the last few decades.

If legalized, marijuana — most notably for medical purposes — could be controlled by the government, who can regulate the product and price while increasing revenue through taxes. In any event, the consumer would be paying far less than he/she current does at black market prices for a safer product.

So its easy to see that the natural herb’s criminalization has proven to be a total failure. It’s high time (no pun intended) for the government to realize this.

 

GOP MAKEOVER OFF TO BAD START!

This Can’t Possibly Be The Republicans’ Idea Of How To Attract Black Voters!

By Glenn S. Reiner

FOR CHIP SALTSMAN – who recently sent a  2007 parody song called “Barack the Magic Negro,” sung to the tune of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” to Republican National Committee leaders during Christmas –   to defend his bizarre behavior is absolutely mind boggling!

How could someone with so much political expertise and savvy even try to pull off something so suicidal for his party, especially now?

I can’t even fathom how he actually believed RNC members would find that imbecilic, racially-charged spoof of the classic Peter, Paul & Mary folk hit entertaining.

Saltsman is one of a multitude of candidates seeking the RNC chairmanship, which the committee is expected to name soon. No doubt, this clearly wasn’t the most intelligent strategy to secure the job.

This is a time when the GOP is desperately looking for ways to attract Blacks and young voters in future elections. It was only two months ago when the American electorate — highly fueled by the vote of those two demographic groups — evicted the Republicans from the White House while strongly diminishing their numbers in Congress.

Saltsman, a senior adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, as well as the unsuccessful manager of Mike Huckabee’s failed presidential campaign, left his party with a strike-one count in its quest for broader support outside the Bible-thumping Deep South and Plain States. How he could have thought this asinine stunt would gain his party brownie points with African-Americans or even favor with independents and moderates is beyond comprehension!

Believe me, it’s not my intention to psychoanalyze this human bastion of retrograde conservatism. That would almost certainly take a team of psychiatrists from Geneva.

Just the name of the song – “Barack the Magic Negro” – is so completely indicative of a mindset that has become increasing unpopular over the last 40 years. Just when was the last time you heard African-Americans referred to as ‘Negroes’? Certainly, those born since 1968 haven’t. And that encompasses two voting generations.

Unfortunately, Saltsman’s actions clearly still reflect a portion of the GOP’s thinking — particularly its right wing, although the party itself would never admit it.

Yet, the Republicans as a whole have shown little compassion or concern for the Black population in this country since the Lincoln Administration.

They have forever favored spending cuts and even the total elimination of federal programs that were designed specifically to help minorities earn a fair piece of the proverbial American pie, especially in the realm of education and vocational training. And how have these rotten souls preferred to spend those funds: on tax breaks for the wealthy and their greedy corporations.

The GOP wants to reinvent itself as a more tolerant, ‘Big-Tent’ party — at least on the surface. This is why many of its leaders quickly and publicly condemned Saltsman, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich – who could very conceivably be the party’s nomination for president in 2012.

South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson, another candidate for the RNC’s top spot, has even gone as far as to resign – begrudgingly I’m sure – from his exclusively white country club. Frankly, I didn’t even realize such clubs still existed in 21st Century America, even in the South?

One stark reality is the lack of success the GOP’s proposed face lift will have for at least a half-century. The damage already done has far too much depth and won’t be forgotten for quite a long time!

The vast majority of African-Americans in this country clearly don’t believe  Republicans are even capable of such a transformation – especially given their track record since the Reconstruction.

The antics of the GOP won’t play any better with the younger generation of voters, who have grown up in a society where biracial relationships and marriages have become commonplace. It is obvious these kids are far more liberal than any preceding generation since the highly-successful counter-culture youth of the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Unless the Grand Old Party — which has only shown itself to be old — puts a lid on loose cannons like Saltsman,  not only will it fail at any comeback attempt, but likely could fall into extinction!