Pots and Kettles

He criticized China for increasing military spending despite the absence of a threat from another country
[…]
Rumsfeld said the Pentagon's annual assessment of China's military capabilities shows China now has the world's third-largest military budget, behind the U.S. and Russia.
from The Associated Press
Saturday, June 4, 2005

U.S. officials have said they are worried that Chavez's dominance of his country's courts, military and other state institutions, combined with his government's persecution of political opponents, puts Venezuela's democracy at risk.
from Reuters
Sunday, June 6, 2005

Two fascinating looks at the delusional bush administration. The bush borrows us into bankruptcy (a large share picked up by China) to finance his obscene wars. Over 50% of his budget request goes to the military. This is separate from the comparatively paltry amount for veterans’ benefits. As a country, we devote more of our resources to the military than the next 20 countries combined. And the plain fact is, the US can already destroy any country it decides to. And still he wants to develop new nuclear weapons.

We watch our children sent off to fight in bush’s obscene wars, but, if they lose the life lottery, we don’t see them come home. They are sneaked home in their lonely coffins on their way to their lonely graves, mourned only by their families and a small circle of friends. A waste. A heart-breaking waste.

As for the second piece of drek, it’s a good description of the US, as it is under the president bush. I find it cold-heartedly cynical and hypocritical of the bush administration to be criticizing any country for what it does itself.

The president bush has lost all moral authority to speak to anyone about right or wrong. His wars continue; his corporate allies continue to trash the environment and screw their workers and shareholders; the media have become ass-lickers; and his Congressional allies continue to trash the Constitution. All of them blinded by their lust for money and power, and led astray by the voices in their heads.

So, the question is this: Do we continue to allow this group of maniacal petty despots to destroy America? Do we allow them to destroy our children’s futures? Do we just sit on our hands and watch this destruction engulf us?

We need to decide what kind of America we want. We need to decide now, not in 2006 or 2008. Now. And if we want a change from the bush nightmare America, we need to be working for it now.