Attorney General?

With the financial crisis as serious as it is, it is perfectly understandable why the economy has to be the highest priority for the Obama administration. It is also very important for Obama to quickly (but thoughtfully) select his various cabinet members, especially Secretaries of Defense and State. These positions have a sense of urgency that cannot be denied. There is, however, another appointment he must make that I believe is of equal or even greater importance, but perhaps not quite as urgent, namely Attorney General. I have not heard a single word about this appointment, who it might be, when it might be, or anything else. Remember that Obama said on at least one occasion that when he was President he would have his Attorney General look into possible abuses of office, etc., and, if appropriate, take some action having to do with them. As there is no dearth of abuses over the past eight years, including crimes against our nation, the international community, and even humanity, this would seem to me to be an exceedingly high priority. I think this is even more true if we wish to re-establish our moral authority and relatively high position in the world of nations. I assume no attention has been devoted to this as yet because it is so potentially explosive an issue. It doubtless needs to wait until Obama is more established in his Presidency and does not appear to be motivated simply by revenge. If some action is not taken to bring our war criminals to accountability what message will that be sending to the rest of the international community? We cannot simply take the position of “letting bygones be bygones.”I fear there is a danger this could happen. We must not allow it to happen.

The largest problem confronting Obama, which his opponents never tire of bringing up, is that he will have no money to finance any of the commendable programs he has in mind. With the national debt at 11.4 trillion (I believe this is the right figure) this is, indeed, a formidable proglem. But as I have mentioned previously, there is a real possibility of saving an enormous amount of money by cutting back the national defense budget. Barney Frank has suggested a 25% reduction. As the national defense budget has only a marginal connection to actual national defense this seems to me eminently feasible. In fact, I doubt anyone would know the difference except the parasites that have benefitted for so long from this military/industrial/political farce. Whatever jobs were lost by this reduction could easily be made up with truly productive jobs in superstructure, green energy, education, and elsewhere.

There is another place where a great deal of money could easily and inexpensively be found: namely, by doing away with the completely failed, useless, and destructive so-called “war on drugs.” Like prohibition this has done nothing but create a large criminal class and fill up our prisons with non-violent offenders, incarcerated for what are trivial marijuana offenses. But it is not merely marijuana that should be legalized. All drugs should be legalized, and the drug problem should be recognized and treated as the medical problem it is, not as a political problem. Let the doctors and drug users deal with this as was always done in the distant past, and is currently being done in places like the Netherlands. Many knowledgeable and respected people, both in drug enforcement and others, have argued for years that drugs should be legalized. Even the ex Seattle Chief of Police has written a book on this topic. As the billions of dollars that have been spent on this have been basically wasted funds, and as the solution is so relatively simple, let us by all means rid ourselves of this unnecessary burden.

Barack Hussein Obama is going to be our 44th President. I think it is absolutely wonderful. And yet, I do not feel euphoric. I feel strangely comforted, as if I have just returned home from a long and unpleasant journey. I feel calm, I believe the worst of our problems may be over, or at least have a good chance of being over. The rage I have felt for so long has subsided, my trust in government has been renewed. It’s not really “happy days are here again,” it’s more like being in a snug harbor or snuggled under a comforter on a cold day, or safe in the arms of my father. I realize how silly this may sound but I don’t know any other way to describe the difference I feel when contrasting the coming Obama administration with the terrorist organization that has occupied us for so long. I know this may turn out to be nothing but an illusion, and Obama is not the second coming, and the problems are yet to be solved, but I sill have a sense of satisfaction and peace of mind that has been missing in my life for the past few years., starting with the bitter and unfair attacks on the Clintons and growing in strength throughout the Bush/Cheney nightmare years. In short, I guess it’s just a huge sigh of relief.

LKBIQ:

Opportunity for all means making taxes fair. I'm not out to soak the rich. But I do believe the rich should pay their fair share. For twelve years, the Republicans have raised taxes on the middle class. It's time to give the middle class tax relief.
Bill Clinton Announcement Speech, October 3, 1991


TILT:
All the great apes build nests in trees, except for gorillas, who build theirs on the ground.