"Stream of Consciousness...."


This is a year of lot's of firsts.

I can't remember a campaign starting so early.

I can't remember when there wasn't an incumbent.


I can't remember when each side had three contenders who were so awfully close.

Or a Primary date so early in the New Year.

There are lots of milestones in this Primary and Election Year.

And nobody seems to know what it means...


Many of the Talking Heads just seem to blather on showing how stupid they really are
or how inexperienced at politics or how biased....


What comes out of this is a real horse race.

There is a science to this whole thing to be sure but
I don't think everyone has mastered the fundamentals.

I think Edwards has figured out the Caucus system and I wish he would explain it
to the rest of us....

I still think Huckerbee is the most gifted when it comes to speaking the language of the people;

unfortunately, that masks a whole range of sins that do not fulfill what I believe is essential in a fair candidate who
will represent all sides...

The more I see Obama, the more I believe that he needs more seasoning before running....

Both Dodd and Biden deserve more recognition than they get...

and the jury's out on Hillary because maybe she's put more emphasis on winning than being honest...

I don't know....


I can't imagine anyone voting for a flip flopper like Mitt or the self professed war hero, Giuliani who never saw a conflict he didn't like.


I think Giuliani has taken the wrong strategy and I think he will pay for it.


That leaves McCain. He was smart to stick to his guns; I think it will benefit him in New Hampshire and he could pull a surprise win.


His Achilles heel, of course, is his adamant position on the War; it all depends how that goes over...

Otherwise, it's a crap shoot with a lot hanging on what happens in Iowa and New Hampshire.

I'll try to think about something else tonight and wait for the countdown beginning tomorrow to the Primary on Thursday.



Les Aaron

While we are all distracted by Iowa and New Hampshire, the action may actually be in tiny Norman, Oklahoma

With everyone seemingly preoccupied with what is happening during the Iowa Caucus and the New Hampshire Primary, nobody is taking notice of a little known conference being scheduled in Norman Oklahoma which may do more to affect the election outcome than the first two primaries…

What is known is that concerned representatives from both parties are converging on this small mid-west city to discuss the future of American politics.

It is the contention of the party’s representatives that if the key candidate is unable to control Congress, little will get done at a time when there is a closing window of opportunity where progress can be made on a host of issues.

The representatives claim that the candidate elected must be somebody who knows how to get results in a hostile Washington where both sides seem to find it impossible to get together.

But the speculation goes beyond the subject above to include speculation about whether this may be the opportunity that the Mayor of New York may use to introduce his third party candidacy.

Many feel that because none of the above are satisfied with the candidates being offered by either side, that Bloomberg may jump into to claim the mantle of leadership.

There is no doubt that with his experience and his deep pockets, should he decide to go forward, he could transform the election and become the candidate to beat!

Right now, this is all speculation; but those in the know are stirring the pot and we may be in for a big surprise come the second part of January….


Les Aaron
The Committee for Positive Change
hubmaster@aol.com

A New Year's Poem



A Poem for the New Year…


If We Could Only Exchange

A Dope on a Rope

For a Little Hope

As We Enter 08,

The Year That Will Hopefully

Change Our Fate...

What ARe OUr Hopes

For the New Year?

Would It Be to End the Fear?


To Anticipate Bees Will Be Swarming...


And Oceans That Won't Be Warming....


That men of Good Will Give Pause


And Find Faith in Our Democratic Laws...


That Compassion

Will Once Again

Come into Fashion

That Hatred and Wars Will Fade

That the Advantages of “Green” Will Persuade


That We Shall Some Day Think it Funny


That We Elected Politicians Because of Money….

That Our Children Will Discern

That there’s More to Life

Than What You Earn…

That the Middle Class

Will be rewarded

for its Labors

And that our leaders

Won’t Be Persuaded

For the favors!....


That People Will Rejoin

The Community of Man

And That Everyone

Will Be a Fan….


These are my thoughts

As we approach the New Year

In the hope

And Expectation

That We Will Not

Disappear

A People Gentle and Kind


Will Not Be Inclined,

Need I instruct,

To Hasten the March to


Self-Destruct!


By Les Aaron
hubmaster@aol.com
The Committee for Positive Change

A Little Hope….


Don’t you just admire those folks who have the gift of blowing things off?

Not only will they all probably live to three score and ten, but they will never know
what it means to stare at an empty bottle of aspirin or antacid and wonder how they will make it through the night.

These are truly the blessed among our society for nothing seems to bother them.

Meanwhile, turning on the news is enough for the rest of us to start pumping stomach acid….

They just seem to float along on their own cloud of indifference. The fact that nobody does anything positive about the environment doesn’t trouble them. They’re likely to think that “it doesn’t matter what we do, we’ll still have weather. Or when you mention corruption and skullduggery at the highest level: “Heck, that’s something that’s been going on for years, pass the booze.” Or the fact that Iraq was a whole manufactured War that we had no business being involved in? “Ah, we got to show those terrorists a thing or two….”
Meanwhile, they don’t give it a second thought.

These are the 70% of the Republican party who think Bush is doing a great job; who think that the New Orleans clean-up is going well and that we really don’t need all those trees in the west. They don’t worry about water shortages, rising tides, the plight of their neighbors, or whether the kids next store will have a turkey dinner for Christmas.

As long as they get theirs!....

Floating along, they are Teflon personified. Nothing sticks to them.

They just buried the kid next store who volunteered for Iraq. “ Too bad, but I got this cuticle that gives me hell.”

Or their neighbor who beats the kids and socks his wife. “Not my problem, compadre. And if he comes to knock on the door, he will be greeted by my Smith and Wesson.”

We may laugh about such behavior until you see it up close.

And then you understand why some kids are real monsters; why the lady behind you on the automatic check-out will pick up your change if you forget it; why kids go in and shoot up their old schools.

They were never taught the right way.

Given all the talk about values and spirituality, it seems that very few really practice turning the other cheek or helping out their neighbors or doing the right thing.

I would guess these are signposts like canaries in the mine who warn us that we’d better do something before things turn worse.

We are already near the tipping point in a number of areas….and perhaps we could do worse than a little soul searching, a little reform before we go around trying to tell the rest of the world what to do….

But as my icon, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, without hope there is nothing!

So we must hope and believe that our essential nature will come out before the final warning sounds.

And that we will resurrect our inner core, which will show us as kind and generous and thoughtful.

It is a stretch but, anyway, it’s a nice idea to cling to as we enter an Election year.


Les Aaron

117 Questions for the New Year:

As we approach the New Year with the Primary Season upon us and a president about to turn over to a new incoming president, it is time to take stock of the past two terms and to raise the questions that have been ignored, lied about, or gone unanswered in the past. If we are to regain any sense of what this country means, if we are to once again bask in our liberties, and our freedoms, we need to learn the truth.

So, I have gotten the ball rolling by positing one hundred questions that have been suggested by a government so wrapped up in itself, so concerned with its own agenda and covering up the truth, that they beg the attention of all of us.

These questions cover the whole panorama of government and include candidates for the top job as well as preeminent figures from the White House, included our selected leader.

So, let us begin:

1. Will you, Mr. Bush, acknowledge that you knew the truth about the report on Iran backing away from making nuclear weapons? If this information didn’t leak out, would you continue to pursue the rash course of War? ....

2. Did Mitt Romney’s dad really march with Martin Luther King? Was Mitt really with him?

3. Will candidate Hunter get the rest of his wall? And what does it mean to have a wall without a policy?


4. Will this newly appointed Attorney General support Bush or the truth?
It is sad that some of our highly educated officials do not understand that Bush is not a synonym for the truth. If this man’s judgments are a precondition to our ever trusting this government office again, should this consideration be uppermost in his thoughts?


5. What is the status of the NAU? Will the republicans ever fess up that it exists? That it is the government’s intention to circumvent the laws of this land in the pursuit of commerce worldwide?


6. Will the democratic leadership ever find the courage and the fearlessness to accept the idea that the only way we shall cleanse this infected White House is to initiate Impeachment proceedings against both Cheney and Bush?

7. Will Bush admit that he eavesdropped on millions without the approval of FEISA courts?

8. Will Bush ever admit to seizing American citizens and sending them to some third world nightmare for the purpose of torture?

9 Will the former Attorney General, Gonzalez, ever admit to misusing his office at the insistence of the White House and politicizing the Attorney General’s office to use Federal Prosecutors to pursue cases that he claimed involved democratic voter fraud—even though the cases were not only weak but political?

10. Will Scooter Libby ever admit being Cheney’s flunky to expose and embarrass Valerie Plame? Will the man ever be taken seriously again; or should he be?

11. Will the president ever admit that the whole manufactured conspiracy against Iraq was a Neocon fabrication—without legitimate proof or substantiation; that he and his administration tried to twist the truth to fit their prejudiced beliefs—regardless of the facts?

12. Will our legal system ever survive these abuses to its credibility? Will brave people emerge from the shadows and find their voice?


13. Will Bush 43 ever admit to passing along insider information that made the stockholders in Carlyle eminently successful? Will the Bush’s ever admit that they have dealt with Arabian’s who have mixed loyalty to the West in order to make ever bigger profits to feed their own interests? Does Bush & Company’s patriotism end when it comes to matters of their wallets?

14. Will Bush ever admit to accommodating his adviser—and the steel industry—by raising tariffs on foreign imports even though the steel industry took the profits and ran?—an adviser who represented the steel industry as lobbyist and then headed up the republican party? Do they not see these questionable acts as rife with conflict of interest charges?

15. Will Bush ever admit that he cares more about his own bottom line that the welfare of the people he is sworn to uphold?

16. Will Bush admit to never wanting to really release funds to see New Orleans rebuilt the way it should have been after the hurricane that dislodged tens of thousands of the poor of this once beautiful city; and the money that was then released was used to reward “friendly” contractors with loyalty to this administration?

17. Will Bush’s former legal council, Harriet Weiss, ever admit that she got her job by covering up for Bush during his Texas governor days?

18. Will Bush ever admit to lying about the challenges posed by global warming and fudging the facts to make it look as if Global Warming was not a serious threat?

19. Will Detroit confess that it did everything possible to avoid providing maximum gasoline mileage on its cars?

20. Will Rudolph Giuliani ever admit to not being the only one who did anything on 9/11? And will the truth ever emerge about the mistakes made in conjunction with this day that shall resonate with most Americans for all time?

21. Will the truth ever come out about all the questions that continue to circulate about 9/11—from the way Saudis’ got a pass to return home unquestioned even though seventeen of nineteen of the terrorists held Saudi passports; and why did it take over a year to launch a thorough investigation? And why was the most corrupt official asked to lead the investigation?

22. Will the Bush administration admit that it has been complicit in trying to control oil world wide for its ends?

23. Will anyone ever explain why Exxon-Mobil, the richest company in the world, gets tax breaks for exploration?

24. Will this White House ever admit that the reason it wanted to privatize Social Security was to reward its donors in the private sector?

25. Will the Bush administration ever admit tapping into money to be set aside for Social Security to compensate for its unwarranted tax cuts for the very rich?

26: Will the Bush administration ever acknowledge that it’s lame excuse for tax cuts for the rich, trickle down economic theory, is a canard and doesn’t work?

27.Will the Bush’s ever admit that they never did and never will care one whit about the plight of the Middle Class? And have attempted to destroy it with every opportunity?

28. Will the Bush administration ever admit being engaged in an endless war with the worker class to weaken the Unions by exporting jobs and manufacturing?


29. Will Bush explain why the White House touts protection and security and our borders remain porous?

30. Will Rumsfeld ever be brought to trial for sending our boys and girls off to be slaughtered without adequate armored transportation or body armor that was available at the time? And why did the GI’s have to pay for their own body armor?

31. Will the ex-head of the CIA ever be placed in front of a special prosecutor to explain how the White House manipulated the data to make it look as if Iraq was planning WMD?

32. Will Bush and the Pentagon ever admit that the only way that have reduced crime in Baghdad is by working deals with the various groups to buy their allegiance against the Jihadists? And that these protections will evanesce as soon as we back away from our mission in Baghdad and through-out Iraq? Everyone who knows anything about what is going on knows that we are doing business with the “bad guys” in order to keep the peace. Whatever happened to our moral rectitude?

33. Will Bush and Company ever explain why they only sent in ten CIA and special Ops officers to Pakistan to get bin Laden three months after 9/11? Was there a reason that he seemed to slip away on every single occasion?—at times when many of the CIA case officers agree that he was vulnerable and could have been captured? Was that by intent, Mr. President, for without Mr. bin Laden, you couldn’t argue your fear politics to win approval for moves that literally violate our Constitution? Isn’t it then true that we have already lost to terrorism?

34. Will “Bush ever admit that without bin Laden and 9/11, he would have continued to slide in the polls; that 9/11 made Bush legitimate even though he used the opportunity to sow fear and increase control and support for his flaunting of Constitutional rights?

35.What did you see when you looked into Putin’s eyes that convinced you they were our allies?

36. Will Bush and Company ever provide complete and credible figures about the dead and wounded coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan?

37. How can you tout the military and ask for their support when you have cut back on benefits for these citizen-soldiers every chance you had? What provision are you going to make for all the brain-pan injuries that returning GI’s must deal with in the months, years and decades ahead?

38. Why did you, Mr. President, wait seven minutes before doing something after he learned about the planes crashing into the WTC? Why did you then skip to New Orleans and then to Omaha instead of flying back to take charge? Where was that heroism that you flaunt so readily when it came to your own safety?

39. Would anyone like to explain what really happened with Bush’s participation in the National Guard and why he got a transfer out from his first duty station without fulfilling his commitment and going to another base where they didn’t have planes he was qualified on? Why did he still insist on cashing the checks he received even though he hadn’t completed the necessary course requirements in the allotted time?

40. Why did General Tommy Franks receive a medal instead of being punished for being so unprepared, so inaccurate on his projections of soldiers required, and so wrong about the length of the war? In any other war, they would have been immediately fired for incompetence. .

41. Why would we jump in to attack Iran when it was totally unwarranted and turn a blind eye to the needs of Darfur where innocent people were being slaughtered routinely literally in front of our eyes? Is this moral behavior that a spiritual man can walk away from which you obviously did?

42. Why do we allow the Chinese to send us bad food and toxic toys?

43. Why has Bush been allowed to appoint sinecures to all high positions and Cabinet posts? And then when they can’t do the job, the blame never sticks to him? Why? Are they being further rewarded for being good flunkies?

44. Why has the FCC Director been empowered to further consolidate the media in disregard of diversity and variety as indicated by original FCC guidelines?

45. Why has this administration been allowed to ignore the documents that helped found this country?

46.Why have we not restored habeas corpus a fundamental right of American citizens….

47. Why has no one said anything about the Executive’s grasp of power with no checks and balances?

48.Why did Congress accede to the president the power to conclude treaties under Fast Track?

49. Why were two Supreme Court justices not reclused in the election of 2000?

50. Why has the government allowed right wing talking heads to perpetuate their lies and innuendos and come down hard on NPR and PBS for allowing both sides to make their views clear? This is patently absurd since both of the stations listed above go out of their way to be fair in their assessments…

51. Why hasn’t there been a big push by government and the various scientific organizations in this country to go forward with “back-burnered” OSHA requirements on clean air and clean water?

52. If the government cannot show any tangible progress for No Child Left Behind, why don’t they review and change their policies? Why don’t they move forward with aggressive programs to educate our youth—especially those who in the urban areas who have been allowed to fall through the cracks?

53. Why is urban education virtually ignored while funding goes forward for the building of private prisons that mostly incarcerate minorities? The cost of educational funding is known to be far cheaper than the cost of prison; yet we fail to take appropriate action time after time.

54. What hasn’t the government followed the constitution and mandated the separation of church and state?

55. Why wasn’t there an immediate investigation into 9/11 as Roosevelt did with Pearl Harbor? What were we trying to hide?

56. What proof is offered that tax breaks for the rich help the economy? Why won’t this government admit what everyone already knows—that trickle down economics impact is a myth to help the rich!

57. Why won’t the government admit that the unemployment rate is a canard since most unemployed get benefits until they run out and then fall off the charts?

58. Why won’t the government explain its position on Immigration? Why does it keep its position under wraps as it plays both sides of the fence? Why is the burden for anti-immigration policy being jerry=rigged at the State level in order to compensate for the failings of government to take on this burden?

59. Why doesn’t the government admit that its attempts to protect our borders have been feeble at best?

60. How does this government intend to export 12 million illegal immigrants?

61. How could the government do so little so late for homeowners who stand to lose their homes as a result of ballooning mortgages? And do so much for the mortgage companies in allowing them to take advantage of buyers who could not afford the homes they were buying?

62. Why did this government allow its special interest groups to move their businesses off-shore?

63. Why are we spending more on weapons than the rest of the world combined?

64. Why are we spending so much on weaponry and at the same time so lowering our standards, that new recruits are poorly equipped to fill today’s technology mission?

65. Why has diplomacy been seen as the last resort after hostilities instead of before?

66. Why does Condolezza Rice say no to diplomacy when she doesn’t like the country or the leader; Isn’t that when we need diplomacy most?

67. What were Condolezza Rice’s qualifications to take on the responsibility of Secretary of State when the subject of her PhD no longer exists or is relevant to her job?

68. Why are Bush and Cheney allowed to claim Executive Privilege when it was original intended only to protect matters of the utmost security whereby releasing that information might jeopardize national security?

69. Why doesn’t the government demand sacrifice from the rest of the population to save on fossil fuels and wasteful energy practices?

70. Why haven’t we moved ahead with a greater sense of urgency to find alternative sources of fuels?

71. Why hasn’t this government demanded more wind and solar energy usage?

72. Why will we not allow those who commit torture to be identified and tried?

73. Why have we violated the laws pertaining to Posse Comitatus?

74. Why have we not gotten ahead of the Flu Pandemic threat? Why do we always practice too little, too late when it comes to the questions of the national health?

75. Why are we not participants in the Hague Court? What do we have to fear?

76. Why did the Justice Department hire without regard to experience or training ill equipped neophyte religious graduates to assume high ranking roles at Justice?

77. /Why haven’t Constitutional scholars descended on Washington for the violations to individual notions of privacy? Why is the president being allowed to jettison fundamental freedoms?

78. Why is the media threatened with review and/or denied access if it publishes a story unfavorable to the White House?

79. Why did the New York Times sit on a story about violations of privacy until after the elections?


80. Why didn’t the NY Times fess up about its reporters sitting on the truth about the media leaks that led to the downfall of Valerie Plame, a CIA Station chief compromised by a White House with revenge on its mind for the article researched and written by her husband, former diplomat Wilson, that cited that the entire business of Iraq conjuring up enriched nuclear weapons material seemed false and contrived?

81.Will Rupert Murdoch ever confess that the deal he signed onto was to print Gingrich’s book if he got the FCC to loosen up its rules about the same media empire buying up TV stations in a market where it already controls the newspapers….The FCC eventually gave Murdoch permission to expand its control of the media without hearings or debate.

82. Will the president ever adequately explain why New Orleans residents are still living in small trailers two and a half years after he promised to help them rebuild and why money allocated for that purpose has not been released?

83. Will the government fully explain why HUD chairperson, Christy Todd Whitman, told New Yorkers and the government that the air around the Ground Zero was safe to breath? Will those sickened by breathing the contaminated air ever find redress in Washington?

84. Will Cheney ever explain why all the original energy meetings were ‘closed door’ and have not yet been revealed even though he is and was an employee of the American people?

85. Will Cheney ever apologize for describing his office as the Fourth Branch of government?

86. Will the government fess up to why it is underwriting a new warplane at four times the price of the most recent all purpose fighter for which there is no serious competition?

87. When will the government admit that “water boarding” is pure and unalloyed torture?

88. When will the Bush presidency admit that drilling in the pristine north will upset habitat while only providing several million barrels of oil, a quantity that could be made up by simply directing Detroit to improve vehicle mileage?

89. With the current crop of GI’s carrying the burden of War, why have we failed to extend to them the equivalent of the WWII GI bill where GI’s can afford to buy a home and get a full education?

90. When will this government admit to discouraging advances in science to please its own right wing agenda?

91. When will this government realize that turning its back on science does not make it possible for America to maintain its technological edge?

92. When will government move forward with a program to clamp down on the misappropriation of funds at the highest corporate levels?

93. When will the government enforce legislation to assure that the middle class will share in the bonanza of profits accruing to the top ranks of corporations as a result of increases in productivity?

94. When will government admit to turning over tax monies to religious institutions and allowing these institutions to decide who should qualify for charitable support; this is in direct violation of the Constitution.

95. When will this government legislate to provide broader and more meaningful prescription drug benefits to the public?

96. Why has the government allowed the PMA to govern the price of prescription drugs?

97. Why are crack cocaine punishments treated so much more severely than conventional cocaine use violations?



98. Why are lobbyists allowed to write provisions of the law?

99. Why is the president allowed to write in portions of approved bills that he feels that he does not have to comply with?

100. Why is this government not in sync with most of the world when it comes to conforming to environmental legislation?

101. Why haven’t the voting machines been repaired so that they cannot be tampered with? Why haven’t the heads of the two voting machine builders—who have sworn to see the republican party reelected not brought up on charges for building machines that can be easily tampered with?

102. What has the government done in the last four years to improve justice and fairness at the polls?

103. Why are districts being allowed to consider voting their own preferences in national elections when in the past, all votes went to the leading candidate in that state?

104.After failure after failure at every decision you have implemented, after a loss of jobs, a loss of more than 3000 of our young and brightest, after the highest number of foreclosures in history, after the greatest economic disparity on record, after competitive losses in science and technology, what can you imagine your legacy to be?

105. Do you really believe that people will accept the notion that those who don’t agree with you are any less patriots than you are?

106. How can you act like the archetypal patriot when you failed to even fulfill your National Guard requirement which gave you a pass from active service?

107. Doesn’t your sense of absoluteness cause you to question all those you put to death in the electric chair when you were governor in Texas?

108. Do you believe in the Divine Right of Kings; don’t you feel that we should have a monarchy instead of a government founded on documents that state cogently that nobody, not even the president is above the law?

109.How do you sleep at nights knowing that your personal agenda of creating a war against a sovereign country for no provable reason has resulted in the loss of more than 3,000 young people and tens of thousands of injured…

110. Don’t you ever feel over your head making decisions that call on experience, a knowledge of history, compassion, cultural background, and an incisive mind—none of which you possess?

111. How do you hold your head up knowing that your policies have continued to cause illness and disease when you could have pushed for alternative energy programs?

112, Good leaders in history deal through their infinite wisdom; you deal through bullying. Doesn’t that bother you?

113. Doesn’t it sit badly with you that nobody respects the way you think, how you govern and what you are out to accomplish?

114. Doesn’t it eat away at you knowing that you have the lowest standing in the polls for any recent sitting president?

115. How has reading John Paul Satre and Shakespeare impacted your decision process?

116. Don’t you think that the people know that the subtext behind your wars serves to distract critics of your failure after failure in every other venture you have engaged?

117. Mr. president, don’t you feel at least guilty for allocating 264billion dollars for the anti-missile system that has never worked and only given the appearance of performance when those monies could have funded good educational initiatives like building more schools, hiring more teachers, or providing pre school and after school programs.

And when you finish these, Mr. President and your flunkies, we will be sure to have another 117 more…


Les Aaron
The Committee for Positive Change
hubmaster@aol.com

Subject: A Christmas Tale

It was a fine Christmas by most standards.

Jen and Michael arrived at Kathy's house on Saturday morning after a drive from Long Island.

Jen's three kids paired off with Kathy's three kids and the tone was set for the entire holiday.

Grandpa was lectured not to watch any violence because it would do harm to the kid's psyches.

That was disappointing because I was just getting to the climax of Brazil which is chock a block with violence but at such a sophisticated level that you would really needed to be educated as to the back and forth of this dark, dark comedy that combines "1984 "with Monte Python....Of course, suprisingly, no one could have performed the role of "torturer" better than Michael Palin, the man inscribed in memory from a Fish named Wanda.

So i turned off the set about a minute before the dart shooting game came out of the box and the kids were traipsing around the room indulging in calls for vengeance and aiming these minute darts so that they hit and compressed the brain or collapsed an artery.

All in good fun, of course.

As i said, it was a textbook Christmas, more of a Chevy Chase variety, but it was fun, even to the point where every single appliance was on at the same time, that my son in law decided to try out the new supervacuum from England that was so powerful it was colored yellow....and caused lights all over Washington to blink for a moment in silent homage....

This happened, of course, in the middle of a kind of adult combat going on on the big screen between the fathers and their latest video slaughter game in the living room and a minor skirmish going on inside between the four year old and his seven year old brother who never found a war or violence game they didn't like even though their parents outlawed them. Clearly, outlawing was a discretionary decision in the annals of family history.....

The little baby girl was running around the house yelling "wait up, guys..." and every few minutes flipped her hip out and smiled as if waiting for lthe retinue of photogaphers and autograph seekers to catch up. It seems that Ava Grace was the appropriate name for the starlet to be.

Meanwhile, the eldest gal strummed away on the computer banjo contest while the youngest girl, Ms. Affection, who cannot pass her grandpa without planting one on him and telling him how much she loves him, played like a nice child with her own computer. It is entirely not unusual to have not only a house full of people where each has his own computer that compliments the downloads from the mother of computers that held sway in the living room resoundingly playing back classics downloaded from Minnesota Classical Radio that was committed to Christmas fare all day long.

I can't remember everything that we did beyond eating and drinking but it went on all day and all night for four days.....I thought i had actually been adopted by some Middle Eastern family that celebrates a good time from Solstice to Solstice.

Ater the Mexican beer and the California merlots, and other French wines, my recall is a little foggy.

I don't know whether the kids got every single toy they thought they wanted but we came close. A power surge rocked Washington as the hands on the meter spun around gaily in putting together the power charges for next month in anticipation of a new user record.

A scene repeated every holiday.

I guess being a Depression kid there were too many images of my own impoverished Christmas....which typically turned out to be a good time for getting your underwear and a new tie for school from one of the rich aunts. Up until my teens, I had thought Christmas was a retail underwear event....

Only my uncle Felix knew what a kid wanted most, and through my short exposure to him, I gained most of my toys which I still have locked away in boxes to give to the kids some day. I still have the Lionel trains, the Erector set; I've lost the cowboy guns and the big rabbit with the cowboy hat and the six guns who looked like he could knock you over if you got in his way.

I guess the Lionel trains are collectors items by now even though I had a modest set.

There were not many toys in those early war years or in the Depression years before.

The rich kids got lead casting sets to mold their own soldiers which would have sent mothers screaming today.

The rest of us made do with our imaginations! and whatever we could scrape together.

In comparison with my recollections, the surfeit of gifts that washed up in front of that tree seemed somewhat stunning even at this late date when I thought of the many doing without in our land of plenty!.... Something hard to remove from the frontal lobes when your dealing with generosity and a nagging guilt. (Of course, guilt was a way of life for some in my generation. No matter what we did, it never seemed good enough for our parents then who were on a rank with Lord High Executioner...)


This was to be my big preview as Santa and I didn't want to screw up.


I felt pretty professional with the idea inasmuch as my town offered me the job at 25 dollars an hour; not shabby. I didn't take it because
I had just come out of some problems with the immune system and the doctors didn't think it was a good idea.

Christmas Eve, after their evening snack, and exhausting themselves on the room full of games enjoyed by one of my two favorites, Nicco, they scurried to bed but not after leaving cookies for Santa and a snack for the reindeer.

I got all dressed up and got some high fives for being the best Santa to grace their home in some time (and the only Santa!) and upon the signal, walked out in the rear of the house. With the flood lights on, and Gerard and Michael waking the kids, they all stared out kind of in awe. I have to admit that I acted out a Santa that knew where he was going and who was naughty and nice much to the joy of everyone. The critical boy said to the eldest child, "weird." And I guess that kind of summed it all up.


In the morning after we, the parents and grandparents stayed up too late for good sense, and indulged in Brioschi and headache remedies, we had to be there bright and bushy tailed when the munchins descended, Ava waiting for her retinue to catch up.

From that moment on, all attempts at organization and cohesion collapsed, and what began as a perfectly orderly descent from the lofty stairs, quickly descended into pure chaos.

I only retained little snippets of it but I remembered the quantity of batteries of all sizes and shapes that seemed to descend out of evereywhere and the screwdrivers and wrenches needed to assemble the most convoluted and recondite contraptions ever imagined by man. These profusion of pieces and parts ready to get assembled with batteries installed wouldl have overloaded NASA.

Fortunately, everything worked.

Santa was not hung in effigy.

And the holidays were deemed the most successful since the years before.

The measure: The level of the kid's exhaustion. But, fortunately, for the kids, there was always that proverbial second wind which seemed to last longer than the last hurricane....

The only downside was my nagging moralism that at every turn tried to get the kids and their parents to think of those less fortunate.

It seemed to work quite well this year.

Jen was taking care of a Christian family and my eldest daughter had done things for the kids in school who had disabilities.

Perhaps we shall want to do more next year. I know I do.

Perhaps adopt a family or a veterans family which would seem to be more meaningful than all the kids gifts that the kids always tire of in good time.

We used to try to do something like that when the kids were small and judging from the conversations, my daughters had not forgotten the good feelings that came from helping others.

Otherwise, I had my stomach sending signals to my head that I had again violated the sacred understanding that we arrived at the year before during the entire three hours it took me to drive home in the rain.


It was fun but I was glad to be going home.

The Need to Come Together And Stand Tall!

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about who are candidates are.

In my opinion, whomever is nominated has to be better than the best that the opposition can offer….

And while we have remarked at length about our subjective views of the Primaries, the fact remains that we cannot forget that whomever takes over, we have to support them in order to see a liberal and progressive agenda.

It has been a long time since I felt the optimism of a democratic administration.

I would like to do so again in my lifetime.

But what worries me is that everyone is so cocksure it’s going to be a democrat.


Why?

Before this whole thing is over, the democratic candidate, whoever they happen to be, will be through Hell in terms of attacks, groundless charges and the rest that the republicans and the ‘talking heads’ can conjure up.

The dirty tricksters have not disappeared; just gone underground til they need to reemerge with their bags full of money and their attack machines revamped.

I am worried.


The minister from Arkansas is good!

The best.

And don’t let that down home pitch fool you, he is as sharp as they come.

And he’s no pacifist. Whether he’s a zealot is yet to be seen but he struts his faith a little too much for my liking.

In any event, it is very easy to get lulled into believing that the democrats are entitled.

They are not.

We shall have to earn every vote.

Judging from the past, the party does not adapt to reality very well. It is slow to fend off adversity; believing that its message will get through.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I hope we are capable of coming together –whomever is the choice—to hand the cabal in power the comeuppance it deserves.

And that will only happen when each of us realizes that we have a stake in the outcome.

The very best to each and every one of my political friends this tumultuous season.

Best wishes and “Happy Holidays”


Les Aaron

Does Your State’s Five Year Land Use Plan Consider You?

This may be one of the most important editorials you ever read.

Whatever state you live in, chances are that land use decisions are being made without your knowledge—decisions that can have a deleterious and harmful effect on infrastructure, housing, the environment and global warming.

Our own state has a five year plan that can change the life style of all the people who have moved here to retire, or just enjoy the fresh air and clean water.

But what none of us anticipated is a surging population, over development, a lack of infrastructure and an impact on the environment that just may kill the Golden goose…

In our own case, a disparate group of ten or more different organizations realized that if we didn’t act, and act promptly, we would have no say in a five year plan that did not represent our best interests.

I pass this along to you as a cautionary note so that you don’t fall victim to your state’s own five year plan that considers the needs of the polls, the developers, the government—everyone except the needs of the people!

Here’s my open letter to the powers that be:



An Open Letter to Land Use Planners and concerned citizens:

I was invited to take part in the Comprehensive Land Use planning meeting last week in Dover because of prior backgrounds in activism and planning.. I was surprised to discover that the Comprehensive Land Use Plan has not generated as much discussion or debate as one might imagine considering that the plan covers land use and related considerations that will impact the future of Sussex County. I am also quite disappointed in the lack of editorial coverage of the subject which is of so much importance to those of us who call Sussex County home.

Nevertheless, between a dozen and twenty activist groups representing a broad cross section of people living in Sussex County and concerned about the subject matter of the plan and its inclusiveness, did manage to show up. Mostly, they were concerned about the plan’s failure to discuss or treat in detail subjects like high density building that has resulted in overcrowding, challenges posed by air and water problems, inadequate infrastructure and other environmental concerns of the County that many believe are not adequately being addressed in the plan..

Interestingly, during the committee session no time was afforded to any of those considerations—it seemed simply like a pro-forma presentation designed to expedite acceptance; not as an opportunity for questioning or fine-tuning said plan. At the end of the meeting, a spokesperson for the various citizen groups requested ten minutes to make a statement and even that had to be approved as an “exception” by the Lieutenant Governor.

The lack of critical discussion of the various points of the “plan” was surprising and disappointing. It should have been viewed as an opportunity, at the very least, to make sure that the plan was the best it could be. But that wasn’t the case.. This is too important, I thought, to be relegated to rubber stamp consideration. Our government should be better than that.

What most of us were witness to was a “trust me” kind of scenario with large gaps and no critical analysis.

As a consequence of these factors, what we are left with is a plan that most of us don’t know, don’t understand and can’t equate with the need. Part of that has to do with the fact that there has been very little effort made to make the plan a document that enlightens, that derives from fundamental needs and is replete with the features that most of us would agree is fundamental to a sound plan.

Without discussion, without debate, without explanation, one could easily assume that said document could easily be misinterpreted for a distraction that limits discussion on the critical issues of overcrowding, a lack of infrastructure, poor air and water quality and the scientific issues surrounding global warming that virtually every scientist has said is something that concerned citizens in coastal communities must consider.


In this entire plan, nowhere does it say that the reason people come to Delaware in the first place for air, water and less crowding. . Overdevelopment, as sure as night follows day, without adequate planning, will reverse the past progress the State has made and kill the Golden Goose, turning Southern Delaware into a thousand other places that are trying to find their way back from unplanned overdevelopment. This is the unwritten scenario that accompanies this document..


. What the local pols have failed to consider is that good, realistic planning that provides for green areas and infrastructure is actually GOOD for the long term interests of the County and the area.

As a planner who usually tends to deal with business and industry plans, I was asked to participate at the review of the updated Land Use Plan for Sussex County at the meeting in Dover on the 12th of December.

As a result of that meeting, I came away with the following fundamental observations:

Aside from the fact that a goodly amount of work has been involved in selling us on a document that poses as a plan, there are critical gaps in content and explanation that detracts from the aims and purposes of a serious plan.

The Plan, per se, is not really a plan but a document full of explanatory charts and statistics; it is a weighty compendium of information that seems to suggest that the County and the State have taken the initiative in doing everything possible to conform to the Green Delaware plan with green areas, protected marshlands, and all of the elements that will continue to help the County grow in the right direction.

But if they arrived at that assumption, they would be wrong.

Because there is nothing in the plan that tells us that objectively, analytically and with the appropriate justification. Therefore, we are left with a questionable document that has neglected traditional plan elements that provides all of the detail needed to make an objective analysis; therefore, because it does not incorporate the fundamental elements of a plan, that it is missing most analyses and justification, goals, priorities, an assessment of current condition, methodologies, milestones, lines of responsibility, it is less a plan and more a document of fact.

The litmus test being that if we are put to the test, how do we know that the ‘actions’ spelled out in this document are in our best interests? And what is the connection of all of the data to the targeted objectives? How does this data suit our objectives? And what does it all mean?

Part of this has to do with the layout and design of the document which to many seems largely difficult to follow or understand nor well thought out as to what constitutes the logic and comprehensibility of a coherent plan.

A good plan does not attempt to obfuscate, but clarify so that all participants—whether new to the process or otherwise—can read the plan and find themselves on the same page… Anything less intimates an ulterior motive

A good plan should connect the dots; it should carry a reader forward from the mission, objectives, methodologies, milestones, timelines, etc. through to the conclusions without having to use guesswork

PLANS are supposed to be more than an agglomeration of “actions” taken for an unclear end that is not satisfactorily explained…


It would seem to this casual observer, that the “plan” should go beyond listing discrete (separate and independent) purchases. These are listed with no accompanying references or information; therefore, we, the readers, are expected to intuit how each “action” satisfies the goals of the plan; or why each action was made or included in the first place; or somehow divine how and why that action was made instead of other actions; nor does it explain how each specific “action” satisfies the overall objective—we may not be able to answer that in any case but an effort should be made; otherwise, we are left with the perception that our government officials are saying this is the plan, take it or leave it.

This “wild, wild west” approach to planning, per se, which seems to have largely infected County politics, may satisfy the tyro planner, but in reality, it does not begin to meet the needs of the concerned citizen and voter; in this case, one cannot help feel that you are supposed to buy into what the plan says is being effectuated, without understanding why. .

More specifically, there are no justifications, no rationales; no explanations to enhance understanding; there is no way to say suggest that if b follows a that c should follow b; that is not clarified to the satisfaction of the reader—especially the first time reader leading us to wonder what scheme does this plan follow?

Most plans seem to evolve from a specific need or set of needs; a mission statement or set of goals followed by a rationale; in this case, it was the generic case of setting aside land, which by itself does not seem a bad thing, but what it accomplishes and how it fits into a larger purpose is not clarified and, thusly, is suspect of being a smoke screen that conceals the overcrowding, and other problems that will face the county over the life of the plan.

The “plan” would have been more meaningful if it flowed out of defined “needs”; nor was any effort made to explain this critical omission….What are the needs?; What are the priorities?---that is never clarified and these should be established and explained among the very first pages of a coherent plan

A typical plan begins with the goals that evolve from “needs” and then go on to establish hierarchal priorities….Looking at this “plan,” it is virtually impossible to find the linkages to the appropriate questions…

The next step in many plans then is to list “how” and “when”--the methodologies essential to accomplishing the plan and a time line for its accomplishment; without a time line, there is just drift. Why wasn’t this sounder, scientific approach adopted instead of just listing property actions and maps?

It would have been additionally helpful had the authors provided milestones along the way so that progress could be charted.

The methodologies should focus on strategies and tactics which seem to be totally missing here; how specifically do we intend to achieve said objectives along what timeline and why?

Nor did we find any indication of responsibilities: Who was responsible for each step in the plan? A plan should have direct line responsibilities. If goals are not met according to the plan, there should be a reason. There is no evidence that that is the case here.

This agglomeration of facts also doesn’t inform the reader of how much each “action” fulfills the goals and objectives of the plan; without such detail, the plan is little more than just a listing of actions taken on behalf of a plan that is not fully realized.

Nor should a plan be treated as if it is cast in concrete; change is a vital part of day to day living and provision for change should be included in the document; if there are new opportunities, new challenges, they should be allowed for in any meaningful document that is supposed to remain viable over time… I didn’t see any reference to that fact or provision for such actions…

A comprehensive land use plan for Sussex should take into consideration local, state and other needs…whether it does or not is not made clear

Nor is a rationale for setting aside land to meet certain priorities explained; it is nice to set aside land for green areas but in what context; what does it mean in terms of satisfying a real need? Will we be better off for it?

A comprehensive plan should include the current challenges ranging from global warming to clean air and clean water

More specifically, the plan should consider the challenges facing Sussex-- from a lack of infrastructure to a way to deal with population growth, ie. better highways, improved sewers and better quality water

It should also deal with the fact that with an ageing population, it should incorporate planning to build business and industry in the southern part of the State…

At the same time, it should incorporate ways to assure that vacation-seekers and retirees who have made Sussex the fastest growing county continue to see Delaware as a good place to live; this would mean preserving those things that attracted outsiders to move to Delaware in the first place—like good air and clean water….

The failure of the present document to connect the dots so that reading it allows you to see how the need is being fulfilled according to realistic goals and expectations detracts from the plan’s objective value and creates a kind of fuzziness gap that seems to be amplified when it comes to specific actions. Why are they being taken? What do they mean as previously stated….

These are mainly preliminary observations and reflect concerns by concerned citizens that not enough thought or vision is evidenced from what is currently passing as a plan that will impact what happens in Sussex over the next five years. With the multiplicity of challenges we face, not enough credit is given to this document as a living piece of legislation that will set the tone for the next five years. It seems that there is a real need for a permanent commission to rework priorities according to the need of the County, the State and even Federal objectives and view the document, per se, as a changing document that operates off of priorities that have yet to be defined and solutions yet to be envisioned.

Despite the wealth of statistics, charts and the use of color and fancy presentation, it is a document that not only lacks vision, it is inadequate to the goal intended. .

Les Aaron-Friedlieb
The Committee for Positive Change

WHO SHOULD BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT?

Shaping the Primary Decision


Ever since Big Al made it clear—or as clear as he was going to make it under the circumstances—that he was not going to commit to a 2008 race for the White House, I did two things: I became impossible to live with, which I was anyway, and I got out my Sherlock hat and my antique magnifying glass to find the best candidate..

I was going to check out my choices with a fine tooth comb.

But it was not going to be easy since no one made me tingle or throw myself on the ground in reverence, it was clear I had to find the candidate who best matched what I had in my heart and, two, was a good bet overall to come in strong in the early primaries.

Not an easy task!

And I’m not sure why: Do we have a surfeit of great talent? Or does each one come up short?

Something I’ve been pondering since this whole popularity contest began.

To satisfy the second part of my criteria, I had to say good=bye, Joe Biden, Governor Richardson, Senator Dodd, Congressman Kucinich—worthy candidates all; but you don’t have a Chinaman’s chance considering your lack of movement in the latest polls….

So, then what?

The trouble was that I was not thrilled about anyone…proving that I either set my standard too high or I was just being a collective pain in the backside.

Nonetheless, I kept bouncing back and forth among candidates reading everything I could devour and changing horses almost every day, yet backing neither.….

One caveat: I didn’t want to be stirred by non-objective blather; there was enough of that already.

First of, I decided that I was not going to vote on an inexperienced candidate no matter how personally uplifting, charming and cleaver, whose principal experience did not rise above saying “present” at over one hundred roll call votes.

Therefore, I was left with the choice of Hillary or Edwards.

Neither was a clear choice for me.

Sadly, no matter what Hillary claims, there is little evidence in her questionable recall on matters that she has a history of coalition building or bills that show Hillary’s name as co-sponser; that’s after seven years. So goodbye to that argument; it’s just not convincing.

And it seems to me, to effectuate the kind of change that I feel is necessary, I want someone who represents me who is less the “glad-hander” and more the fighter.

And there are questions—perhaps more questions than I have of any other candidate.
That’s because Hillary has not satisfied me about where she stands on Foreign Trade, Fast Track, NAFTA, Corporatism, jobs, Immigration, Green Cards or the ubiquitous lobbyists. Is she for them or against them?. And what does she propose doing about them?

To the devoted fan, I say, “yes,” she has addressed these questions but there is a difference between addressing these questions and answering them satisfactorily.

Nor has Hillary convinced me of her insight or perspicacity when she obliged Bush a second time and supported a nonbinding resolution to target the Iranian Imperial Guard—a first step towards armed intervention in the affairs of another country. Didn’t we already learn that lesson?

As a result, she is either being too zealous, too eager to conform, or naïve and capable of being manipulated or simply duplicitous by not leveling with us. Either way, she has conjured up massive question marks.

Jumping over to Edwards, there are lots of things I don’t like about Edwards, too. And I’m willing to admit that it comes from observing his performance during the 2003 visits to New Hampshire. I found him to be to be over-eager—too anxious to be whatever you wanted him to be; kind of Romneyesque.

He seemed, at the time, like the rich kid who never had to worry about carrying his weight.

Not true, I learned.


What was true, however, was that Mr. Edwards was the perennial light weight on the issues.

In all fairness, the Edwards of today bears little outward resemblance to the Edwards of 2003.

He has boned up. And he is serious now.

Although I admit that I still don’t know whether he is my “populist” fronting a savvy opportunist.

What does impress me though is that he doesn’t need the money. And, two, he is now painting on a broader canvas showing a growing degree of understanding of the needs of the people and the country. .

And in many respects, he has achieved a level of gravitas missing from his 2003 clone.

I am pleased, however, about one thing: He is a fighter. His background shows that.

But, on the other hand, I am worried that he seems a loner; not a coalition builder.

But all things considered, he is the only leading candidate who is focusing on the middle class, which to me far outshines any other issue because we all know that whatever happens, we will be leaving Iraq.

There’s another factor: And that is that in my estimation, and after looking at the polls, that I suspect that he is the only democratic candidate who can win not only in the north but the south as well.

I see in Edwards an opportunity to win after eight years of renegade policies, “with us or against us” diatribes, lies, smoke and mirrors and the most corrupt practices ever foisted on the American people. All of this is an anathema to good government and democracy.

And I want someone up there with my imprimatur who can EAT THEM ALIVE!!!

Therefore, I am willing to bet the store on John Edwards and I will cast my vote for John Edwards for president.

Les Aaron\
The Committee for Positive Change.

Athat’s Primary… Primary



It’s hard to believe that what sounded like it would go on forever, is rapidly approaching the finish line.

Less than a month is all we have left to either celebrate our candidate or cry our eyes out.

It may be time to ask whether we’ve done all it was possible to do to help our candidate. Or we might even go into a period of self doubt where we review and review our decisions ad nauseam. Either way, the deed is nearly done; the cast of characters all but decided.

Nevertheless, like the Greek play, there is always the possibility of a last minute bit of information, a charge by one candidate against another, or a late-breaking story that can change our perceptions on a dime and make it a whole new ball game.

And there is always the hint of some star in the wings waiting to become the deux ex machina of Primary Day 2007.

In lieu of that, we may want to review the field of candidates trying to dope out who the real finalists are despite the wisdom of the polls.

Yes, it looks like both Obama and Huckerbee at this particular point in time are the leading lights in each party; but only by the slimmest of margins—the margin of error in most cases.

The biggest question mark facing each party is whether these two will emerge as the principle contenders or that perhaps one or both might fall to the onslaught that typically assails front runners i.e. Howard Dean’s unfortunate experience when he was unbelievably toppled by his un-presidential sounding scream.

What will happen come January?

Clearly, the pundits agree that it would be hard to gain traction if you are not among the top three candidates in your party in the first three rounds—i.e. Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

For Hillary, Iowa was a wild card to begin with. Edwards had been spending time there for years since the 2004 election. And Obama has worked the Iowa crowds for some months and had the additional advantage of having lived next store.
No question, in much the same way Mitt Romney stands to benefit in New Hampshire as a result of his being Governor in neighboring state, Massachusetts.

McCain also did well there four years ago for his straight talk that voters still remember. And he might be the surprise de jour. Or it could be Ron Paul who seems to have come from out of nowhere to discuss his platform that has seemed to ignite the Internet crowd—a libertarian who wants to see an end to taxes and government!

If the results turn out to be a mixed bag, it’s anyone’s guess who is going to emerge from the spotlight since Rudy’s chances seem to have been sliding since the revelations about his fall from honor regarding his Hampton antics and saddling the police with watch dog responsibilities. .

It seems that the only the Governor from Arkansas and the Senator from Illinois are emerging relatively unscathed but even they are starting to attract the flack that accompanies front runner status.

For the Governor, it had to do with things like accepting gifts while in office or furloughing know criminals who went out to commit crimes again. For Obama, it was his ambitions to be president while he was in the womb and some silly nonsense about his drug use as a kid.

This kind of stuff may not stick to either but it shows the climate of desperation that suffuses the last days leading up to the Primary.

And when it is all over, the winner gets the opportunity to face off against his or her opponent and go over the same territory for another eight or ten months ‘til the election with lots of mud-slinging and all the rest.

If anyone thought that the Triathlon was demanding, someone should try running for president from the very beginning. All of this to take on a job that is totally thankless and not respected by the vast majority of people.

Clearly, some one who joins the race as sport must have nerves of steel and a cast iron ego. Some might even say that if a psychiatric test for president was a requirement, no one would pass….

And in some odd way, that makes sense to me.

In the meantime, the rest of us can’t wait to see the lions devour the Christians or vice versa….





Les Aaron
The Armchair Curmudgeon
For the Committee for Positive Change

Déjà vu


I hate to bring this up but I am having flash backs.

In the eighties, I was involved indirectly with what had started out as a dream and turned into a contentious nightmare, the Rainbow Coalition. The Coalition attempted to put a happy face on politics representing the diversity and different perspectives of people across the land. It was an experiment that up til then had little precedent..

At the beginning, we were all idealistic liberals and democrats working together for a perfect party. The general direction of the party was to entertain change for the party bringing people of color the measure of equality they sought.

In the early days, the Reverend Jackson, who was the titular head of the coalition, seemed to be the ideal candidate to take the place of the revered Martin Luther King.

Then things started to take on a life of their own.

The candidate seemed to line up with radical Black Islam….

And then Jackson made some unfortunate remarks and failed to redress them, actions that were not wasted on their liberal support base—causing them to fall away from the “coalition.”

At the same time, White Protestants and Catholics started to think that the Democratic party, the party they had grown up with, no longer looked familiar or represented their interests; thus, the Reagan democrats.

It took twenty years for some of them to drift back; most, have filled the ranks of “independents.” And never rejoined the democrats.

It is hard to believe that such an honorable purpose had turned bad so early in the political game.

Why do I bring this up?


What is particularly a concern of mine today is not the candidate, it is the voter.

The question that will decide the candidacy of Obama is whether the electorate has grown and matured sufficiently to consider a new type of candidate, a man of color, a man who thinks and acts differently than most candidates, a man who wants to get beyond our own limitations and circumscribed view of the world..

We know the problem is not with Obama; it is with us.

That is the real bedrock issue.

We know that the South drifted away from the Democratic party after Johnson pushed through his civil right reforms.

My concerns, based upon the charges and counter charges among the candidates and the prejudices of the voters have surfaced and it is clear that the values, spirituality and other non-political issues have taken center stage again.

Therefore, if we cannot rise above the religious and values issues, how can we be expected to deal with color as an issue and so many willing to believe that the world began with Jesus.

If Obama wins the primary, we may find ourselves immersed up to our necks in the issues of the fifties.

During one debate at a church in Brooklyn, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and I shared the same few seats.. Jackson was scheduled as the keynote speaker.

I was so awed that such a man of peace would participate in this wonderful experiment but at the same time worried that perhaps mankind was not ready for such a test. We were already seeing signs of fragmentation in the ranks.

Events later proved me right.


The question continues in my own mind: Are we ready to embrace the man and ignore his faith or his color or his creed?

Not from what I’ve been hearing…..

Les Aaron
The Armchair Curmudgeon

The Putin Legacy


According to Russian rule, the premier cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.

But it is also clear that Putin is not quite ready to give up the reins of power; in fact, it seems that his ambitions to run Russia for the foreseeable future run deep.

Putin has always been somewhat of a mystery, a sullen man who seems beset with an inferiority complex towards the West.

But is that the case today? And what if any is the role of Bush in the shaping of the Russian premier?


In the past, historians tended to see history as played out in discrete events, the chicken or the egg.

But now the view of history is changing. More progressive thinkers are looking at the influence of other things on the events that shape history. For example, the impact of the eruption of a Javanese volcano in shaping the Roman fall. And there are many other such scenarios.

In the case of Putin, one may wonder whether Bush played into what has become literally the elevation of Putin as the savior of the Russian people from a Bush-led attempt to assert western hegemony?

Today, this natural suspicion of Bush’s motives has in turn led to broad-based support for Russia’s bad boy, Putin. But, today, Russia’s role has changed with its control of major resources like gas and oil on which most of Europe is dependent for its energy. Putin no longer has reason to keep his ambitions for Russia under wraps.

This has allowed Russia to rebuild its infrastructure and create a base of wealth for the first time since the Cold War. Nor has Putin been shy about his predisposition to act as counterbalance to the West’s attempts to isolate the Russian giant.

Nontheless, this does not resolve what happens to Russia next. As we know, the obvious path is to appoint his choice of follower as the next premier which is likely to happen. (This was, in fact, announced today.)But down the road, it is not unlikely that Putin will manage to stay close to the seat of power and that his growing confidence and sense of power will invariably serve as a counterweight to further initiatives by the west to secure their power base in the Middle East.

We have not heard the last of Russia’s intentions. But we should not be surprised if Putin enhances his standing with middle eastern leaders who no longer see lining up with the west as being to their advantage.

Obviously, this can only further complicate a situation that is in danger of gaining speed as it continues its slide down hill. Or need we remind anyone that preemption and the casting away of long held and respected treaties does not do much to erase Russian suspicions of our motives….Or that Russia’s vast inventory of nuclear weapons can be retargeted in minutes….

Les Aaron
The Armchair Curmudgeon

The Putney Swope Factor.

Years ago, there was a cult movie called Putney Swope.

It was about an advertising agency with a very competitive board of directors that loses its president in the middle of a board meeting. In the rush to appoint someone who would offer the least threat, the board members vote for what they assume to be the least qualified candidate, Putney Swope, the shuffling mail boy.

And, hence, Putney becomes president. At the beginning, Putney is a docile Step n’ Fetchet type who goes along with the crowd. After he becomes president, he goes through a mega shift. In the first scene after the election, the office is packed with other minorities, jangling chains and walking the walk.

While the idea is funny and immediately appears to be insulting to minorities, the concept is broad enough to be inclusive of anyone who has differences either of race, gender, geographical orientation, religion, mind-set, etc. It could apply to a cowboy, a Mormon, a southerner—especially a Southern Baptist, a woman or a black candidate. How do they think? Will they bring their differences to the table? And their jobs?
Admittedly, this sounds as biased as hell but just look at what happened with the election of George Bush. None of the talented, qualified people who were available and would have elevated each important appointment was replaced by sinecures, totally unqualified for their assignments but hired only for their loyalty to a la Bush, maverick, cowboy and government hater.

We should not only know as much as possible about the candidates but what their intentions are for good governance or self-adulation and fulfillment? Whether the appointments they make will enhance the public good or legitimize special interests.. We need to get into their heads and decide how their thinking as it pertains to vital appointments will influence their tenure.

I think this would go a long way in resolving the doubts that many of us voters have about the candidates.

Are they likely to bring in their own sinecures, inexperienced people unqualified to hold down their jobs. Will Giuliani if he wins bring back Bernie Keric? Will Edwards appoint a bunch of good ole’ Southern boys from Carolina? Will Tom Tancredo gather around himself a bunch of Islam-haters? Will Hunter embrace other Immigrant haters as part of his one note campaign turned into a presidency?

In this context, I cannot help but think of Carter’s first appointments which showed that he was no Kennedy. He appointed Burt Lance and the rest of his Southern Presidential team instead of the “best and the brightest” as Kennedy did where he demonstrated virtually immediately that he was not threatened by strong candidates in each critical appointment. That took courage! Will our new appointee show equivalent courage?
Questions that may help us decide who is best qualified to run this country.

These are serious issues to think about and have not been given enough attention by voters in trying to assess the candidates and their qualifications. It seems to me quite natural to ask who do the candidates look up to, what are the nature of their best appointments to high level, critical jobs. We don’t want another Brown handling FEMA.
We don’t want another Interior Secretary who says its okay to grant licenses to foreigners to despoil the west to satisfy the Exxons of the world.. We don’t want another FDA chair who fails to recognize his obligation to keeping foods and toys from entering this country that are not safe or reliable. And on and on.

I have always wondered why the descriptive terminology “Putney Swope” had not entered the lexicon and perhaps this is the time to revive it.

Les Aaron
The Armchair Curmudgeon
Hubmaster@aol.com

GW….No, not Bush; Global Warming Redux



Okay, what does it take to get the message?

We’ve had unnatural storms in the Pacific Northwest; Hawaii’s most populous island is flooded; raging storms have virtually taken out New Orleans. When will New York, Miami, Baltimore and Washington get it?

The mantra should be target Global Warming.

All of the major cities should get together and demand a crusade to eliminate this threat to not only coastal cities and low lying areas but hurricane prone areas, flooding areas and other regions of the country susceptible to earthquakes and other events caused, either directly or indirectly, by Global Warming.

Think of this as a prelude—a warning to get us off the dime; to motivate our spokespeople to start talking the talk. Not as a time to wipe your brow, and say, “Wow! Weren’t we lucky this time….”

We can’t afford that.

We know worse times are coming and what have we done?

Have we built retaining walls around New York City, Washington or Miami?

Have we done anything to protect low lying areas.

Are the hurricane sensitive areas any less vulnerable?

Hell, no.

And to ignore these problems is tantamount to a criminal act.

We need to form a citizen army that’s going to go after government and get them to bite the hard bullet.

We need a crusade for alternative energy; we need a crusade to cut dangerous emissions laden with heavy metal effluents that poison the air and the water.

We need to get cracking.

There are no more excuses.

There is no greater certainty.

If we don’t act, what we see happening today in Oregon and Washington will be just like a hint of what’s coming down the pike.

If we act for no other reason, we should recognize our own commitment to self-interest.
If only for Darwinian reasons.

Remember, the dinosaurs weren’t as dumb as we made them out to be….

And they didn’t make it.

Will we?


Les Aaron

An Open Letter to Mitt



Mitt:



Hello, is anybody home?



We recognize, Mitt, that you are ambitious.





And that you have enlisted your boys in an enterprise equally

as important as if they were in combat by your own admission and that's to get you elected.



We know that you want to serve America.



And in order to do that you have demonstrated your willingness to jettison all of the previous stands you have made about women's rights and the rights of gays to enter into contracts to protect each other and the decimation of illegal immigrants. Mitt, you have successfully covered all of the bases that satisfy the interests of your bigoted supporters.



And we know you are a religious man who puts his own religion over the Constitution.



After all, we know you report to a higher authority.



But Mitt, you have also shown yourself to be so ambitious that people are not sure whether they can trust what you say. In fact, you seem to change your views so often, that we find ourselves with our heads spinning after listening to your rhetoric.



May I suggest one thing: That you go back and rethink this whole thing about running for president.



The fact of the matter is that you've gotten the Constitution a little screwed up in your interpretation and you are seemingly too eager to back a war that there is no justification for.



Look around yourself, Mitt.



Do you really see anyone who really wants to continue this senseless war?



Do you see anyone who feels that we belong in the middle of a Civil war?



I know you don't have anything personal at stake here since you haven't volunteered your boys to do some of the heavy lifting for their country.



It's always easy when you have money to let the other guy do it but before you zealously get behind a continuation of failed policies, you should really think it out.



Otherwise, you begin to reveal yourself for the amateur that you are and come off like an overly ambitious upstart with little depth or dimension.



See what I mean?



And when it comes to women's rights, Mitt, you were right the first time: Women deserve to decide their own fates as do gays. This is not the business of government, Mitt, and you should know that by now.



Maybe Mitt the world will be ready for your brand of flag waving and zealotry in another twenty years..



Hopefully, when I won't be around to see it.



Les Aaron




The Committee for Positive Change
The updated Christmas Book List is Available as a free download.
Please contact me for your copy
Enjoy your selections knowing that twenty percent of all profits go to funding the work of the Committee for Positive Change. Last year, we helped the environment, fought global warming, petitioned for Alternative Engery, pursued environmental programs, worked with local and national environmental organizations; supported Veterans groups; Enlisted in various anti-war programs with Move-On and others; fought for clean politics and worked to
make people aware of their rights and freedoms under Constitutional law.

Our Modest "Heroes"



Did anyone watch CNN’s Larry King show last night?

It was a wonderfully inspiring story of how this young man, with heart and compassion, felt the need to give something back.

Unlike many of his peers, he showed that he is heads and shoulders above all of his peers who seem to spend most of their time earning headlines for driving drunk or taking drugs or neglecting their kids.

Here was an inspiration!....a young man who hesitated to take credit for anything.

Yet, he is hoping to remake New Orleans as it was with refinements that will make it easier for the original inhabitants to “come home.”

This won’t be easy. The Parish was destroyed virtually and few original residents have been able to return after the destruction of hurricane Katrina.

Many of these people have had to move to Texas and Alabama and many are still living in tiny mobile homes.

Brad’s idea was to bring together some of the leading minds to design an inexpensive home that will be “green” and reproduced inexpensively throughout the area.

He also had a wonderful idea that he displayed all over this decimated area that he said was inspired by Christo with his wildly memorable festivals of life that brighten and inspire. Like wrapping an island in beautiful silks or what they did in Central Park by putting up gaily colored portals throughout the park.

In Brad’s idea, which he put up the funds for, renewable “green materials” colored an inspiring pink were used to simulate a city of pink houses that were lighted at night by solar power that will eventually be used in the permanent homes to come.

It was most inspiring to see this wonderful idea executed as an inspiration that this idea will be realized, that the homes will be built and that people will return to their homes.

This seemed never in doubt.

To make it happen, Brad admitted somewhat reluctantly that he had funded the project with a five million dollar investment.

Brad’s enthusiasm is contagious and as he talks in a somewhat shy and hesitant way, his goodness as a person shines through.

When you watch him, you wonder where are all the other big mouths who do little for anybody else that does not involve profits. Where is this administration? Where are the Donald Trumps with their self aggrandizing ways?

It is good to see that Brad and his activist are such wonderful role models for the rest of us, making a difference with their money and living lives of serious intent.

It is good for the rest of us that there are such people.

And there are many more who may not come from wealth but are still doing their part in ways that we seldom hear about. Watch “Heroes” tonight on CNN at 9:00 eastern.

Les Aaron
The Armchair Curmudgeon

hubmaster@aol.com

The Price You Pay For Playing the Game

“When you play the game, you takes your chances…”

I got this sage bit of advice when I was too young to appreciate it.

But it holds true today as it did in my early years.

And it applies to candidates as well as others involved in some kind of stretch.

Nobody probably knows this better than Hillary.

In an effort to look presidential, she gambled on the hawk side.

And now she must be prepared to pay the price for following Bush by voting for his nonbinding resolution that might lead us to the Third World War.

That’s the breaks!

If you want to run with the boys, you takes your chances….

Fortunately for the other candidates, none of them were strident about the hard line on defense. None followed Bush down the primrose path for the sucker punch.

And while today, Bush intransigent nature and his willingness to lie to further his agenda has reached the point of no return. The bottom line is that nobody’s buying it.

What will be the “fall-out!”

One suspects that after living in fear for the last six months or so, most of us will say “enough is enough,” we are tired of the lies so that you can make war….so that the industrial military complex can boost its stock, so that the oil companies can lay claim to more in the ground reserves.

No! The average guy on the street does not want to take it any longer.

And they are mad.

Good bye opportunities for Republican candidates. They, too, have blown their wad by sticking with Bush through thick and thin. And I can’t muster much pity for a Giuliani who has discovered in War what he perceived to be “deux ex machine!” Surprise. Surprise. And maybe we’ll shake out Tom Tancredo, the lunatic who is ready to bomb Mecca and Medina. And maybe Mitt will get dizzy from spinning so many stories…
The only one I truly feel sorry for is McCain who simply doesn’t get it any more….

But the “fall out” will not miss Hillary in this instance.

But she knew she was playing a high risk game going in.

On the other hand, she may have earned enough credibility where her hawkishness may not count for a hill of beans among the mainliners. It does count among the liberals and the left.

The last act is yet to be played out.

And all we know is that Bush is now lying mortally wounded; he just doesn’t know enough to fall down.

Les Aaron

Who has the last word with Congress? Us? Or the Lobbyists?


What I would like to know is who gave congress, both democrats and republicans, the right to decide among themselves that they would not go forward on Impeachment proceedings.

I have heard this from a number of government sources and the fact that nothing has happened with Dennis’ bill convinces me that there is a back door deal that was made on this issue without congress consulting its constituents.

Doesn’t anyone realize or care that the King’s Warrants which led to involuntary search and seizure led to the American Tea Party and ultimately the war between us and our overlords; do they not realize that violations of the Fourth Amendment is the same thing but perhaps even worse because we don’t even know they are doing it.

And what about all of the other Federal crimes covered by Executive Privilege that is being let stand or the politicization of the Justice Crime.
Any of these constitute reason for Impeachment.

If we don’t do anything, what is worse is that these violations will become precedent to be repeated and exaggerated by some other president who also cares not a whit for the American citizen.

It is time to let our representatives know that they cannot get away with making unsavory agreements behind our back that is not in the best interests of the electorate.

We cannot let dishonesty, treachery, and constitutional abuses stand.

We cannot turn away from torture, habeas corpus, signing statements, abuse of individual rights and call ourselves a free society that is democratic.

This cannot stand and we must not allow it to stand.

This warning should go out to both sides who have conspired to allow injustice to stand.

Our politicians have violated our rights!


Les Aaron
The Armchair Curmudgeon

The Committee for Positive Change

Republicans getting creepier and creepier….


The next time, I will prepare popcorn and jelly apples because it was the closest thing to a side show. Barnum would have been proud. He got the suckers to line up to listen to some of the worst drivel I’ve ever heard.

Could you have watched the Republican debate last night without feeling that Torquemada was looking over your shoulder to see whether their responses were simpatico with those hard line Republican onlookers. Whatever your feelings, the fact was that most of the candidates with perhaps the exception of McCain and Huckabee looked mean-spirited and fumbling. Huckabee was clearly the winner for his conservative but compassionate views while Romney and Giuliani would have done well as Gestapo chiefs interrogating each other badly. What became clear is that this brand of republicanism wants to know you from the inside out. They not only want to know you they want to control your reproductive rights, decide who you might marry while looking over your personal records and once your fetus matures, send him or her off to war while not worrying a whit about caring for them if they should become incapacitated. This is sad beyond words and keeps one reminded that the typical republican solution for the less fortunate are prisons, the new growth industry. Forget about paying for the child to get an education that would keep him or her from going to jail in the first place.

But those are the contradictions that come to mind when you analyze republican positions over the last eight years or more. They worry about the fetus until it comes to term; than the parent and the child are on their own. This kind of illogic flows through republican veins of ice.
Meanwhile the front runners looked like imbeciles trying to explain their positions on questions ranging from whether they believed the bible to their positions on Iraq. A quick view convinced one that McCain would use government to continue the war in Iraq to keep the boys believing that we are winning. (A whole other issue.) Giuliani would use government to create more Iraqs. Tancredo would use government to bomb Mecca (earlier comments). Romney would use government to eliminate Muslims from office (his comment not mine). Hunter would use government to build longer walls and Paul would eliminate government altogether while Thompson didn’t seem to know what government is all about. Perhaps that is unfair but one could not get over the fact that of all the candidates, Thompson’s words seemed less than memorable although he does come off as balanced as fairer than he’s been portrayed. On the other hand, Huckabee wouldl invite the children of Islam in and send them to college with your tax money, a mixed bag but earned credits for compassion.

Overall, if any of these guys get in, I think it will be time to scatter to the high ground preferably in places far, far away from the bastions of muddled thought.
Otherwise, it was an exercise in fun from the git-go. Fun that could unfortunately ugly for you and me and the rest of mankind if these guys ever get to play on a real stage.

Say your prayers. Better yet, see the rerun on Saturday night and get motivated.

Les Aaron

hubmaster@aol.com

The Committee for Positive Change

The light that’s breaking through….



You know, I know that I bitch and moan a lot about the injustices in the world and perhaps travel has exacerbated my views and my cynicism about how we seem to be failing those less fortunate in our own country and then finding a way to seemingly rationalize it.

To me, it’s personally maddening and I think it comes from the corrosive selfishness that’s inherent in the capitalistic system; yet it wouldn’t be fair not to mention the fact that there is a growing cross-current that may change the Enron philosophy into something worth talking about.

Many young people are making commitments and doing wonderful things that are largely ignored or unheralded because they are not simultaneously making tons of money or writing big contracts which seems to be the milestones that we worship.

I must applaud CNN for trying to do something about it with their heroes program which will be held Thursday evening at 9:00 PM which will shed some recognition on who these people are and the kind of work they are doing.

The idea was borrowed from the English who have something similar every year for Brits; this will, instead, be worldwide. I invite you to mark it down on your calendar.

According to the introduction tonight, it is far reaching. It ranges from kids who get people to sign up to be donors of bone marrow to young people who are building electronic power stations on a very small way in out-of-the-way very poor communities of Nicaragua.

On another program this evening, they talked about a scientist who has devoted the second part of his life to ensuring that most children in the world gain access to a pc to involve themselves in the larger world was wildly inspirational.

People of great wealth are now finding their satisfaction through charity and helping others, too. . Bono immediately comes to mind as does Bill Gates who I used to detest as slowing down the growth of the computer business. Bill, but your generosity on behalf of the needy has earned my respect. I applaud what you are doing.

But the needs run deep and without looking too hard there is much work yet to be done. What we have learned from all of this is that you don’t have to be a billionaire to have an impact. That giving means offering your time, having a vision and being satisfied with making a dent to change the lives of people for the better!.....

Watch the Hero’s Show on CNN Thursday at 9:00 PM Eastern.

Thanks,

Les Aaron
The Committee for Positive Growth

Please note: the updated Christmas book list is out. Send for your copy.
It supports our charitable work.