Israel ... The Most Dangerous Nation in the Middle East

Several rockets reach Israel from Gaza.  Israel responds with a massive, disproportionate bombardment

Israel is the most deadly threat to peace in the Middle East if not the world ... second only to the US.  The Palestinians have a right to defend themselves when their land is being captured and colonized by the Israelis.  The Palestinians are fighting Israel, the country that took their land and is continuing to seize more of their territory for illegal settlements on the West Bank.  Israel is breaking international law.  Israel, the only nuclear power in the Middle East, refuses inspections of its nuclear weapons facilities and refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.  Why does the US stand by without saying a word as Israel continues to seize more Palestinian territory and attack their other neighbors, such as Lebanon, without provocation, again and again and again?  OH.  That's how the US got its territory. 

Our popular press tells us that Iran is the problem.  Actually Iran, in the past 200  years, did attack and seize some Arabic Islands … once.   However that was during the reign of one of the US's favorite dictator's ... installed in a US led coup … The Shah of Iran.  Iran also allows inspections of its nuclear facilities.  Who do you fear the most?

Letter to President Obama - Don't Sacrifice the Entitlements

November 13, 2012

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

Please do not sacrifice Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security in your upcoming negotiations with the Republican members of the House of Representatives and those of the Senate.  You not only won the election on November 6^th, the voters overwhelmingly repudiated the Republican tax and budget plan, known as the Romney/Ryan plan.  Please don’t now install the Republican plan.  The plan lost. Their plan was repudiated overwhelmingly. You have more political capital than any president in near memory.  The voters want tax cuts for those making $250,000 to be rescinded.  We do not want the big three safety net programs touched other than to be enhanced.

Here in California voters passed an initiative that raised taxes on earners making more than $250,000.  At the same time sales taxes were increased.  This was done overwhelmingly.  The plan will raise $6,000,000,000 for schools.  You can do the same.  The voters also elected a “super majority” in both houses of our legislature.  You won the election.  Please don’t give away the crown jewels of progressive efforts.  We have your back.

Respectfully,

Dr. Stephen R. Concklin

 

Keystone XL Pipeline - Stop the Pipeline

Climate change is the most urgent crisis facing our world … the very survival of our children and grandchildren is in the balance.  Yet climate change was never mentioned once during the presidential debates.   The Keystone XL Pipeline, however, is a topic that was.  The pipeline is being built by TransCanada.  It has been sold as a means for job creation and for bringing more energy to the US.  Actually, the oil that will be forced at high pressure through the pipeline is not intended for the US.   And it won’t bring more permanent jobs to the US.  If previous TransCanada oil pipeline experience is any indicator, there will be plenty of clean up jobs at tax payer expense.

Will the Keystone XL Pipeline bring more energy to the US?  The truth is that the pipeline will deliver toxic Tar Sands oil to a refinery on the Texas Gulf Coast.  From there it will be shipped to South America and to Europe.  The pipeline is the means by which TransCanada plans to offload, right down the middle of our country, toxic tar sands oil mined in Alberta.   At this very moment the southern leg of Keystone is pushing ahead.  Family ranches are being seized in Texas.  But the worst part has to do with what will happen to the climate if this tar sands oil is burned.

James Hansen, the chief climate scientist for NASA, has declared that the burning of the huge tar sands oil deposit in Alberta will spell “game over for the climate.”  The Keystone XL Pipeline will be the fuse to a giant carbon bomb.   We have to think of our children and our grandchildren.   We have to urge the President to deny approval for the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.