Non-starters and local nonsense

First on the local scene. Jim Risch, our temporary and unelected governor, along with our Republican dominated legislature, in a special session on August 25th, are about to engage in some typical Republican tax reform. They propose to add 1 cent to our sales tax and thus will benefit mostly business interests and non-resident landowners that are not as subject to sales taxes. Only 40 percent of the savings will go to Idaho resident homeowners. Of course residents who do not own property will receive no benefits and will actually have their taxes increased. Risch has called for a simple up or down vote on this Republican plan. There is a Democratic plan that is far superior and would give the tax breaks to those who truly deserve them. This plan will not be voted on. In fact, it won't even be considered (even though a recent poll indicates that 70 percent of North Idaho residents would prefer it). Do you think that Arnold the Gropenfuehrer is more deserving of a tax break than Idaho residents? Is this really the way you want your government to operate? Enough is enough! Vote Democratic!

Now for non-starters. Bush began his announcement on the UN resolution by asserting that "Hezbollah started this." This indicates to me that either he is totally ignorant of the facts (and recent history) or he is deliberately feigning ignorance in order to load the dice against Hezbollah. I remind you once again that Hezbollah only came into being as a resistance movement against Israeli aggression (and occupation of Lebanese territory). At the moment Hezbollah is the only thing that is keeping Israel from completely destroying Lebanon and/or occupying it once again. Thus the idea that Hezbollah is the guilty party and should agree to disarm is so idiotic (and non-starting) that it clearly can never get anywhere. Dean, by the way, recently claimed the same thing - Hezbollah is guilty, thus indicating that he is every bit as uninformed and biased as Bush and the neocons. The next part of Bush's plan is equally as ridiculous. Hezbollah is to return the two Israeli prisoners immediately. Israel is not expected to release any of the thousands of Lebanese prisoners they have been holding for years. Then, there is to be a prohibition of any arms coming in to Hezbollah from the outside. Israel, of course, will continue to receive billions in American military aid - another non-starter. Then, there is to be an international peace-keeping force to protect Israel from Hezbollah - in other words an extension of Israeli control over southern Lebanon. And those ungrateful Lebanese are opposed to this fine plan. Can you believe it?

Bush keeps repeating that we have to get to the "root cause" of the problems. The root cause in his view is apparently the existence of Hezbollah. It is most interesting that no one who talks about the root cause ever talks about the root cause. I suppose that one could well argue that the root cause has to do with the English and American insistence on establishing a Jewish homeland in the middle of Arab lands in the first place. But the more immediate root cause certainly has to do with the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Syrian lands and their unceasing attempt to take over even more and more of such territory. This says nothing of their systematic daily degradation and humiliation of Palestinians. Until this can be seen as the root cause by the Isrelis and the U.S. there is simply no point whatsoever in talking about peace in the Middle East.

It ought to be clear by now, but doesn't seem to be, that Israel and the U.S. will not be able to bomb the Arab world into submission. And their attempt to do so will guarantee a thousand years of animosity and hatred. Israel, in particular, but the U.S. also, will never again (if they ever did) command the respect of the rest of the world (no matter how many bombs and missiles and nuclear weapons they possess). Let's face facts. Bush/Cheny and the neocons have blown it big time. Watch them squirm as they try to exist Iraq with their tails between their legs.