Former Vice President Dick Cheney hasn’t been able to shut up since leaving the Office where before he was vocally mute—though one must acknowledge, powerfully effectively politically in the Bush regime’s war efforts. Now, Dick says U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraqi cities by Tuesday may mean more bloodshed as insurgents are somehow waiting in the wings for our soldiers to exit, before coming in and causing untold mayhem: “One might speculate that insurgents are waiting as soon as they get an opportunity to launch more attacks,” he argues.

Iraqi leaders claim their own armed forces are ready to take the helm of their own internal conflicts, and U.S. reinforcements will remain for added protection and training. Yet somehow Cheney’s got so much to say. And, usually one who has so much to say has earned the right; and Dick, you have no right.

shhhh.

(REUTERS photo)

Marines in prayer in NC. (AP Photo)

This week our troops will begin marching out of Iraq and related war-ridden cities abroad; and, some will even return immediately home to the States and to the land for which they have so bravely fought.

To them, one and all, I extend a welcome hand and a foreboding nod. The reason behind the hand seems to go without saying. The nod, well, that too seems rather self-explanatory.

What exactly are they coming home to? Try as he might, not even President Obama has been able in his first months of office to alleviate what the Bush administration spent eight years perpetrating…

Of course, a contingency force of US troops will remain in Iraq in advisory capacities. But, every soldier that can return home to his or her family is a good thing.

Though Michael Jackson passed away just yesterday, it hasn’t quite set in yet…

My childhood bedroom, and subsequently my college dorm room (all four years) were literally shrines to this man, this legend.

My Michael, that’s how I always thought of him. But I know we all took him into our hearts, but his music, his vibe, his soul even, he shared with the world. And, he was taken away from us all, so suddenly. Now, I’ll think of a him as a beautiful flower. But not one that withers away and dies, but is simply reborn from its core, forever showing us its brilliance.

As the political writer, I note that President Obama is said to have sent his condolences to the family, but this isn’t about the Prez today really.

It’s about ‘My Michael’.

President Barack Obama came out swinging against criticisms that he was too mild in his reaction to not only the protests in Iran, but said government’s brutal crackdown on innocent citizens.

Initially claiming he didn’t want to be seen as meddling in this foreign affair, during his first White House Rose Garden press conference today he made it clear that as the supreme leader of the United States, he has a final say: “Only I’m the president.” This strong comment was made in direct response to such leaders as Senator John McCain, only one of several elected pols attacking the Prez for an alleged weak and passive response on this global human rights issue.

Pointedly, Obama added that the world is “appalled and outraged” by Iran’s crackdown on citizen dissent. Yes, the incumbent did wait a few days to take this stand, but when governments reportedly murder innocent victims because they have opposing voices, perhaps like France’s Nicolas Sarkozy and other major leaders, Obama had no choice but to step up his game.

To date, Post-election death tallies in Iran range upwards of 10.

I am so not very pleased with the Senate’s unanimous passing of this resolution apologizing for slavery. This sorry too-little, too-late effort has now been sent to the House, however with no authorization of reparations for the descendants of this grim, inhuman stain on American history.

I, in fact, admit some sorrow for my own anger. As a descendant of this bondage myself, this pain has meant a seeming eternal spiraling of darkness in the lineage of my own family (not unlike millions of others). From slavery to lynchings to Jim Crow to unequal opportunity to all of the descending hateful fallout, the United States has to offer up just a little bit more than a pitiful apologetic resolution… And even then, you see, that too would never be enough.

There are some trespasses against humanity that simply must be made right.

(Image courtesy mrhinton.org)

AP photo

“We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.”—Martin Luther King Jr.

They say a picture is worth a thousand…well, as Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds steadfast to his reported re-election, tens of thousands take to the streets. These demonstrators say they are not out for revolution, but reform. They simply want their votes counted in the election where the incumbent allegedly “won” by a sweep over reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Of course, protesters disagree with the count.

In addition, there have been beatings and and reported deaths by the very hands of the police. These folks want change. And, the price they will pay is great, but as history tells us, it is well warranted.

(AP photo)

During these depressed economic times, strifes of protest in Iran, and healthcare reform debate that’s becoming nearly as sickening as any illness imaginable, it’s nice to witness peace of mind—celebration even.

Thus, the NBA world champion Lakers rolled into the L.A. Coliseum this afternoon to celebrate the virtues of their ways. To say the least, it gives one pause in this era to see some 95,000 people smile in unison.

Just for a moment Beyonce’s now poignant question of can you pay your bills, your telephone or automo’ ‘bills became just an afterthought. To borrow another musical world assessment, as Ice Cube might say today, it was a good day.

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was reportedly re-elected by 63% over pro-reform candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Therefore, supporters of the latter have taken to the streets in angry protest, claiming alleged fraud in the ballot counts in various Iranian cities.

Believing the election was stolen from the so-called ‘youth-preferred’ candidate, thousands of demonstrators chanted “We want freedom” and “Death to the dictatorship!” at police, who sometimes reacted rather violently to quell the crowds.

The Obama administration released a statement saying it would “Continue to monitor the situation closely, including reports of irregularities.” And, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. sincerely hopes that this election, and its startling results, reflect the “genuine will and desire of the Iranian people.”

Further, there are those who believe the reported Ahmadinejad victory may mean future foreign discord for our own country. “This election was neither free nor fair and the world is more dangerous with Ahmadinejad as President of Iran,” according to Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL).

Americans historically are not wholly unfamiliar with political strife and violent protest. And, as we watch this incredible election implode overseas, one wonders if nations and their citizens ever really learn the lessons of the past…

(AP Photo)

The very first Guantanamo Bay detainee has been brought to the Unities States to stand trial in Federal Court as per President Obama and his pledge to close the Cuba-based military prison camp. Of course, the incumbent has drawn much criticism from the right, who claim bringing these kinds of “terror” suspects into our homeland, and housing them, even within the confines of our super-max prison facilities, would ultimately mean danger to our citizens.

Despite this outcry of fear, Tanzanian Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, accused of taking part in the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya, has been removed from Gitmo and transferred to the MCC (Metropolitan Correctional Center) here in New York; Ghailani’s alleged involvement in the plot cost 224 persons their lives.

“Our priority must be to keep America safe, and it defies logic to put the rights of some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world before the safety of Americans by bringing them onto American soil…” said Representative Eric Cantor (R-VA). Point well taken, Mr. Cantor.

However, if it is truly our mission—as a nation— to move past fear and try these detainees in a fair and legal forum, what choice do we have except, as Obama has professed, to bring them home?

Survivors at Buchenwald--photo courtesy Scrapbookpages.com

As part of his tour of the Middle East, President Obama paid homage to the thousands that died at Buchenwald. This concentration camp was part of Nazi Germany’s strong, barbaric reign, ultimately leading to the murders of all those innocent Jews during the time of the Holocaust.

The President toured the site along with survivor Elie Wiesel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, each of them strategically placing roses along the trail in deference to the tragedy. Still of course, there are the most cryptic of cynics that insist the President’s non-inclusion of Israel during this otherwise thoughtful jaunt was a slap in the face to the Holy land. This, despite his long ago noted acknowledgment that he believes in the sovereignty of that state also.

With that in mind, the Prez’s historic earlier speech in Cairo, Egypt before the “Muslim world” was far from an affront, but rather another of his heartfelt pleas for world peace and unity.“So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end,” the President told all those who would bear witness to his words at Cairo University.