Welcome To The Grand Illusion! - Part I

September 11, 2006 marked the five year anniversary of the "Attack On America". Events and gatherings were held across the nation to commemorate this tragic day in America's history.

The president and first lady attended ceremonies at Ground Zero, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon. The president addressed the nation later the same evening.

Rather than focusing on the events of that day, reflecting on the courage of, not only emergency personnel, but individuals, who happened to be working in or near the World Trade Center complex, who assisted in rescuing people. Instead of speaking of the common loss to all Americans in general, and those who lost friends and loved ones specifically, or discussing ways to bring more unity to the enormous division that has enveloped this nation, the president chose, as usual, to take the low road and spend the day making the case for his failed policies.

Far from being solemn and contrite on this occasion, the president chose, instead, to point out that, while there may have been some small errors and miscalculations, things were going according to plan. The other three horsemen of the Apocalypse, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rice, have been equally busy making the commentary rounds, informing America of the great job that this administration has been doing. On the previous day, on ABC's Meet The Press, Cheney said that they would do things "exactly the same way!". Welcome To The Grand Illusion!

Economic Impact

The cost of the war in Iraq alone, according to the information that I received at this site http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182 , is roughly $287,086,210.05 PER DAY! For most people, an amount this large is beyond their ability to comprehend. Over two hundred, eighty-seven MILLION Dollars a day that the American people and Congress were deceived into squandering on a war that the president, with the manipulation of facts and outright lies, argued incessantly for. Look at the second hand on your watch, and for every time it moves, the Iraq war is costing America approximately $3322.76. This figure, staggering as it may be, does not take into account the cost of the war in Afghanistan, the cost of caring for the, roughly, 21,000 military casualties and their families, or the cost of reduced income for the part-time reserve and guard units deployed in Iraq. All of these factors create a negative impact on this nation's economy.

While our president is busy empire building, and redistributing the wealth, from the many, to the chosen few, the nation's infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating. Every dime appropriated, by Congress, to the Bush regime to fight its practically endless Global War On Terror (GWOT), takes vital resources away from domestic programs such as, funding for the rebuilding of the Gulf coast after hurricane Katrina's devastation; money for upkeep of our Federal highway system; help for low income families for housing, health care, training, etc.; perhaps even funding for erecting a fence along our southern border to stop the influx of illegal aliens. With as many as 12000 aliens per day flowing across our border with Mexico, it is laughable to talk about the need of the federal government to invade American citizens' privacy, by illegally monitoring practically everything they do, in order to keep our nation more secure.

How Long?

According to the president, in his speech on the night of September 11, this "war on terror" is to last another 4 DECADES!!! give or take a year or two! Not considering any variable change, this GWOT alone will cost over 4 TRILLION DOLLARS, and will cost America between 40,000 to 50,000 lives, barring any major escalation of hostilities with all of the "terrorist nations" out there. I only bring up the terrorist nations because, today a country that is America's ally, might some day become a "rogue" state, in need of a little "dressing down" by then president George W. Bush Jr., or George III, or George IV...you get my drift? Case in point, most Americans, except those who tune in only to "FOX", have seen the picture of Saddam Hussein and Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands and grinning ear to ear in 1983. I guess that was before Hussein became the tyrant and madman that had to be removed from power in the interest of our national security.

Seriously, what idiot thinks that we can sustain a 44 year war on terror? The president said that we were entering into a war on terror, much like the "Cold War" which lasted from 1945 until 1989. Well, I stand corrected, only 39 years to go!

The fact is, this president never wants this war to be over. Faster than our forces can kill or capture, more "terrorists" emerge. We will totally bankrupt this nation, financially, morally, and spiritually, if we continue on this calamitous course. This administration has alienated America from most other nations, and can only attempt to manipulate them through fear and intimidation.

The time has come to put the brakes on this runaway administration. The courts have failed America, Congress has failed America, and now it must be determined if this nation's people will also fail Her. Take the time to do some research on the candidates running in the upcoming elections on November 7. It is imperative that we remove Bush's "rubber-stamp" Congress NOW! Republicans and Democrats alike have sold out America, but if you value what freedom you have left, do not place an incumbent back in our Congress. Show these traitors that the American people are through taking a back seat while this country is driven to destruction. We can do better, we ARE better than what this administration has produced thus far.