Dr. Rumsfeld -

Baghdad, Iraq. The American University of Iraq. Former Secretary of Defense Donald H. "Rummy" Rumsfeld was awarded two honorary PhDs today. One in quantum mechanics, and theoretical physics and the other in Poetry here at the American University in Iraq.

In one of his explanations of why we were winning the unnecessary war we started against a small 3rd world country (with a poorly trained and poorly armed military) which is to say why we were winning a war we could logically be expected to be winning, Rumsfeld postulated the existence of three universes -

The Known Known,
The Known Unknown, and
The Unknown Unknown.

His work also postulated by corollary the existence of a fourth universe, the Unknown Known universe.
The first two are universes everybody knows (or doesn't know) about.

1 the known universe that we know about - that's the known known.

2 the unknown universe we know we don't know about - that's the known unknown.

But remember, Rummy was part of the non-reality based administration. This unreality based administration, also known as the surreal administration, some even say the unConstitutional Administration. For him there is also

3) the unknown universe we don't know about - the unknown unknown.

And this work also postulates the existence of a fourth universe - the known universe we don't know about - the unknown known. You might think this is related to the unknown universe we know about. And you might be right.

Who knew?

As noted, the war in Iraq is a war we could logically expect to be winning - except when you factor in facts on the ground, i.e, "factors" such as humanity, discipline, pride and passion on the part of "the enemy" that planners don't like to factor in. The enemy, you see, isn't supposed to love freedom unless it's freedom to sell us their oil and be occupied by us. And the fact that our armed forces were less than they would have needed to be to completely occupy the country and suppress resistance, and our army wasn't as well equipped at it should have been either, but as Rumsfeld once said, "You go to war with the army you have." (And as Bush and Cheney once might have said "You don't go to war if you can get out of it.")

<http://www.slate.com/id/2081042/>

The Poetry of Donald Rumsfeld

From Slate - Donald Rumsfeld, the Poet. Who knew?

The Unknown
As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.

—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing

NPR Interviews Republicans On Obama - They Like What They See

National Public Radio, NPR, interviewed Steve Leich, who voted for Obama, and Reeves Brown who did not (click here). They like what they say and say "Obama is Presidential." I agree with the Republicans on one fundamental point: I also see Barack as "Presidential," meaning strong, decisive, focused, disciplined, tough, well educated and very, very smart. In these last two qualities, well educated and very, very smart, I see Obama as towering over his predecessor.

As a liberal, I hope to see the President invest tax revenues in rebuilding the country: the physical infrastructure of the roads, hospitals, factories, schools and parks; the intellectual infrastructure of an educated citizenry; and the philosophical basis of America - the rule of law of the Constitution.

I disagree with Brown and Leitch where they believe Obama's economic policies will create debts for their children. I hope and believe that the economy will grow under President Obama and that I will climb out of debt, build wealth and help my children. As far as I can see, Bush's domestic policies were as big a disaster as his defense and foreign policies. The Republican sacred cows of deregulation and neoconservative unilateralism, and the Bush dogma of absolute power in time of war, which was previously considered unconstitutional, have led to the unmitigated disasters in FEMA's response to Katrina, warrantless wiretaps, the war in Iraq, and the ghost towns of Wall St., Main St., American factories and towns.

President Kennedy said "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" and asked us to send a manned mission to the moon and back, safely, in 10 years. Obama must echo Kennedy's call to move from selfish greed to altruistic service. Rather than a ship to the moon we must rebuild the ship of state and spaceship Earth and sail on to the future.

Don't Believe; Try to Understand

Take 5 Questions,
Seek 25 Answers,
Apply Logic,
Use Thought:

The Scientific Method.

The Republicanista Garbage Must Stop

I am shocked and dismayed, but not surprised, by the actions of high ranking Republicans. Ken Blackwell, candidate for RNC Chair, urged people to oppose Obama's reinvestment and stimulus plan. Not on it's failing, but because, according to Blackwell, “it could create a major electoral advantage for Democrats" (click here). John Bohner, House Minority Leader, is toeing this line with his opposition to the Democrats' proposed stimulus plan (click here). Republican Senator Arlen Specter opposes the confirmation of Eric Holder for Attorney General ostensibly because of the Rich pardon, but really because Holder acknowledges that waterboarding is torture, and Holder opposes torture, and could hold Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld Rice, and Rove to account (click here).

Two Million people attended President Obama's Inauguration in Washington. An estimated 38 million televisions and 8 million computers were tuned to the event, which probably means 100 million watched the Inauguration in living rooms, classrooms, conference rooms, offices etc. across the country. Regardless of the number of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who watched or were there to wish Obama and America success; opposing the President because his success will mean your failure at the polls, opposing his nominees because they oppose torture; these are what I would expect of Stalinists and Sandanista, not Americans. This “Republican-ista” garbage must stop!

What Would Hannah Say?

Hannah Arendt, the German-Jewish political philospher, pictured above, coined the term "The Banality of Evil" to describe Eichmann and the bureaucratic manner in which the Nazis committed genocide.

What would Arendt say about the Israel – Palestine wars? It is fitting to ask since the Palestinians and their supporters argue that the Palestinians should not be “punished” for Europe's war against the Jews, they compare Israel to Nazi Germany, and some say “the 4,000 rockets fired by Hamas into Israel since Israel’s 2006 withdrawal from Gaza don't do that much damage, therefore Israel should ignore them or respond proportionally.”

Would Arendt criticize Israel for retaliation against Hamas, the government of Gaza? Would she observe that Hamas' patron, Achmadinejad, denies the Holocaust and yet wants to finish the job?

Golda Meir, pictured below, said "We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us." Arendt would notice that the Palestinians, who elected Hamas, do not use their weapons to protect their children. Rather, they hide their weapons behind their children.

Arendt would quote Golda.

Israel v Gaza

Just when things were looking good - Obama wins by 8 million votes and 28 to 21 states, the EPA promises to regulate carbon, Franken wins by 200 votes, a Democrat wins Staten Island's Congressional seat, other Democrats, including some very progressive, win races all over the country - harsh realities come knocking like the grim reaper at an earthquake in a third world country. The stock market loses 1/3 of its value, real estate foreclosures skyrocket, and home values plummet, the Arabs and the Israelis start shooting each other, again.

Actually, they never really stopped. Hamas launched 7,000 Kassam missiles against Israel since Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Fortunately most of these Kassam rockets haven't killed very many people - not because Hamas doesn't want to kill Israelis - but because Israelis live - eat, sleep, and play - in bomb shelters. Still, while I think this proves that peace is up to the Palestinians, because Hamas seems impotent and the Israelis respond with massive force, and are defended by George W. Bush and the Neo-Cons, the anti-Israel left buys into the claim that Israel is the aggressor.

Israel, according to the anti-Israel left, used "the pretext" of Hamas breaking the cease-fire in order to bomb the crap out of Gaza and invade. They ignore several inconvenient truths:

• Hamas is the government of Gaza,
• Hamas publicly executes criminals suspected of collaborating with Israel by shooting them in the head,
• Hamas, like Hesbollah, locates weapons caches and missile silos in apartment buildings, schools, and mosques,
• Hamas executes men for the "crime" of being gay and women for the "crime" of being raped,

Both sides have grown incapable of trusting the other. They must be separated and held apart. This could be a U. N. Mission. But when the U. N. stands there and allows Hamas to fire rockets from schools and hospitals, they become culpable, responsible for the violence their mission ought be to prevent.

Personally, I would like to see Iisrael withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank and a bilateral cease fire between Israel and Gaza. I see de facto states in the West Bank and Gaza; I would like to see de jure states that recognize the rights of all; male, female, gay, straight, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Moslem, and athiest. And that state or those states, along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria must recognize Israel.

If a crazy man points an ineffective gun at me, and I shoot him dead, did I not act in self-defense? When you're staring down the barrel of a gun you don't ask yourself if the shooter is competent or the gun works.

The fact that the 7,000 rockets Hamas fired into Israel in the past few years haven't killed large numbers of Israelis is because Israelis live in bomb shelters and Hamas lacks high tech rockets and good intelligence, not because Hamas doesn't want to kill Israelis. They have the intent. They lack the capability.

Hamas, Hesbollah, and the Palestinians had nothing to do with the Holocaust. However, every Israeli with a parent, grandparent, or in-law with the misfortune of being born in Europe has lost cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, siblings, or grandparents in the Holocaust. The Israelis react strongly. How can they not? Beginning 70 years ago the Nazis and their collaborators tried to kill them all - and killed two out of three of the Jews of Europe. The Americans did not allow them in. The British did not allow them refuge into Palestine. The French handed them over to the Nazis. The Poles killed Jews of prewar Poland who survived, and staggered home from the camps or the woods. While the Palestinians had nothing to do with the Holocaust, Achmadinejad, who funds Hamas and Hesbollah, denies that the Nazi Holocaust occurred, while simultaneously calling for another shot at finishing the job Hitler started.

So again, if a psychotic points a gun at me, am I supposed to wait until he shoots first? And if he shoots first and misses, or his bullets bounce off a bullet-proof vest, or the air-raid shelter in which I sleep, can you blame me for shooting back? And if I get him right between the eyes, well, don't point a gun you don't intend to use.