Conservative Columnist Cal Thomas: Out Of Control And In Need Of An Education.

Cal Thomas's editorial published in the Times Picayune of 8/27/14 titled, "How Would President Obama Respond To An Attack On Homeland" makes a good case that he himself is desperate to wound the President he hates.  What chaps Thomas and the conservatives is the fact that the President has kept the country and its people safe and has kept our men and women in uniform out of unnecessary wars unlike the previous administration. 

President Obama's record as to what he would do if our homeland was attacked has already been established and is public knowledge.  The homeland was attacked on 9/11/01on Bush's watch.  When Obama took office he made it his top priority for the CIA to bring Bin Laden to justice and he did just that so he has a record.  Our drone strikes against top AlQueda leaders have brought many of them to justice also on Obama"s watch. 

When our homeland was attacked on 9/11 Bush spent our resources on invading Iraq who had nothing to do with the tragic events of 9/11.  To make matters worse a few years later Bush said publically he did not know where Bin Laden was hiding and did not think much about him at all.  Paul O'Niell, Bush's Secretary of the Treasury said in his book, The Price of Loyalty that 10 days inn and it was all about getting Iraq. 

Thomas talks in the article that the public and vigilantes could rise up and take matters into their own hands if government fails to act.  That is his unAmerican way of trying to plant the seed of division that the President would not discharge his responsibilities. 

Thomas has a big problem as a human beign.  Something must have gone wrong in his life and as a result has a hard time coping.  Wanting to see the President and the country fail must some how make him feel redeemed.  To make matters worse he says and I quote, "What will the current President do when the next attack comes?  Will the public take matters into their own hands and fight back?

That is a very disturbing statement for an American journalist to make concerning the President of the United States, expecially when it comes from a journalist with hatred in his heart.  The President safety record speaks for itself on defending the homeland.  Thomas, like the conservatives in congress failed in their attempt to make Obama a one term President so they are doing what ever it takes to discredit his two terms in office.  They have nothing positive they can point to concerning the Bush 43 administration so they have to take it out on the President.  Cal Thomas lacks the courage to be a serious journalist.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by John Lucia

Another Preventable Gun Death

This time it was a gun range instructor in Arizona who was shot and killed by a 9 year old girl he was giving instructions to for operating a UZI, a military weapon that does not belong in the hands of civilians.  The young girl was taking lessons how to fire the UZI.

How could adult parents allow a daughter so young to handle such a weapon even on a gun range under supervision?  And how could a gun range operator allow such a young girl to handle such a weapon?  What is going on here?  Are we becoming a Macho society that thinks guns identify who we are.  Does the second ammendant rights triumph over people's responsibility to society?

The NRA is on record as saying, guns don't kill people, people kill people.  I wonder if they now believe their favorite statement is valid.  Because of the reckless behavior of the parents, the range operator and the NRA's attitude toward guns, I wonder how this incident will affect this 9 year old girl's future.

I wrote a previous commentary that some one will one day challenge the second ammendment in court.  Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.  Reasonable people could make a difference concerning this issue and minor children's safety should be the first rule of raising them.

Perhaps this sad preventable accident will change the Macho culture that has taken an awful toll on innocent people's lives.  Do parents and the gun lobby really believe a pre teen ager must learn how to use a UZI to protect herself when she grows up to be a young lady?  If so, that is reason to believe that the manufacturer's of such weapons should only be sold to the military.  Just think, a pre teen ager is not allowed to go into a bar and order an alcoholic drink, but can use a killing weapon on a gun range.

Understanding the past is still the key to a better future and when it comes to guns in the wrong hands we have yet to learn from the past.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Exxon Mobil's Impact Study

According to a Times Picayune article dated 8/27/14 Exxon Mobil commissions an economic impact study from LSU's economist Loren Scott every three years.  The latest study illustrate the effect Exxon Mobil has made on the Louisiana economy in 2013.

The self serving study reveals Exxon Mobil paid $144 million in taxes to the state and $84.4 million in sales and property taxes to East Baton Rouge Parish.  Employed 5938 plant workers and contractors and made $46.3 million in payroll for the year.  The study included all 4 plants in the Bator Rouge area and the Port Allen lubricants plant.

The study is incomplete because it fails to tell the people how much damage Exxon Mobil's operations have cost the state with the environmental damage from their drilling, production, pipe line and other operations over the years they have operated in the state.

Exxon Mobil seems to have the attitude we pay all those state taxes so why should we clean up our own mess?  The people of Louisiana won't see Exxon Mobil or any other oil company in Louisiana step up to the plate, admit their guilt and start the process of taking responsibility for the damage they caused.

Louisiana companies who are smaller than Exxon Mobil who pay less taxes and keep our environment safe contribute more to the state and its people.  Self serving studies such as this one is designed to influence the people of Louisiana to look the other way while the environmental damage continues.


This commentary written by John Lucia

ISIS: Are They Really A Threat To Our National Security And Are They Really That Powerful?

This writer has doubts about both.  They certainly are a problem, ruthless, vicious and maybe the worst among terror groups but their military armaments are limited compared to the United States.  The news media and some in congress talk as if ISIS is ready to march on America and plant their flag on the White House lawn. 

ISIS has taken advantage of two country's who are split and in disarry, Syria who is into the third year of their civil war and Iraq, a country divided among religious lines with a Prime Minister who helped divide the people.  (he is now no longer in that position)  Both country's problems created a vacuum that ISIS was able to take advantage of.  Syria's military is tied down in that civil war fighting multi rebel groups and don't have time for ISIS.  Iraq's factions are fighting against each other and their military is not in a fighting mood.

President Obama rightly concerned that things could get out of hand and affect Americans in that part of the world if ISIS is not stopped.  This writer is confident the President will take the right action along with our allies and confront ISIS.  If Iraq's new Prime Minister unites his country that alone will go a long way to help the situation against ISIS.

Saddam and Iraq were said to be a threat to our national security even if he had no WMD but the Gulf War of 1991 proved he was not.  Unfortunately our country does have people in high places who over blow threats from time to time.  Its nothing new.  And that is why it is so important for our country to have serious leaders who have understanding in order to make the right decisions.


This commentary written by John Lucia

Why The United States Needs Serious Elected Officials.

Internationally, it is a dangerous world that the United States needs to operate in.  Domestically, we are divided on the most simple problems that we know can be solved by simple answers.  Passage of an increase in the minimum wage is a great example.  We know for a fact that raising the minimum wage in the past has never harmed the economy or has it been a job killer.  It has been a positive for both but still no movement on the subject matter 20 months after President Obama asked congress to act.

The United States is dealing with major and minor problems of a serious nature around the world, especially in the Middle East.  Those problems can only be addressed by "serious" elected officials who have a true understanding of the problems and the wisdom to make decisions that may not be popular.  We have too many elected officials whose only answer is confrontation and war.

Our country does not always see eye to eye with our allies and vise virsa.  Both have different ideas as to how mutual problems should be addressed.  Successful answers in the past may not solve present problems.  "Serious" people are needed to recognize that.

We have too many elected officials in Washington who are in politics only to change things because of their ideology and not to benefit the country or its people.  Understanding is lacking and misleading statements and falsehoods are deliberately passed on as facts.  They lack the "seriousness" that is needed to address the issues.

How the United States deals with the problems and issues at home and abroad are best dealth with by those officials who do not have an agenda, have a true understanding of the issues and who are "serious" and committed to solutions that truly answer the problem that is in the best interest of all.  "Serious" officials are also needed to recognize when it is in the best interest of the United States to keep out of harms way.

President Kennedy said our problems are man made and therefore can be solved by man.  He also said we all live on the same planet and breathe the same air and that we are all mortal.  Political leaders who are "serious" and have understanding can easily relate to those words of wisdom.


This commentary written by John Lucia

President Obama and The Middle East

Our Commander In Chief has his plate full at the present time with foreign policy decisions concerning the Middle East, especially Iraq, terror threats in general, Isis and those inside and outside of congress who think every decision the President makes is wrong.  The negative voices will become even louder before the November elections and the 2016 Presidential election. 

So far the Commander in Chief has made the right decisions and his mindset of being deliberate in his thinking has served our men and women in uniform and our country well.  The negative voices who said the President reneged on his line in the sand concerning Syria's chemical weapons were dead wrong.  It was the President working with our allies and the U.N. that brought about Syria not only allowing international inspectors inspect their stockpiles of those WMD but also destroying them.  Syria knew if they did not go along with this President Obama would act.

On Iraq, the negative voices wanted the President to act against Isis and those making trouble before the Iraqi military could prove their worth in defending their own country.  Those voices also wanted the President to act even though the Iraqi Prime Minister was a big problem for his own country.  President Obama wisely orated that Iraq needed new political leadership that would be inclusive of all Iraqis that would be necessary to unite the country and fight Isis. The President also publically said it is up to the Iraqi military and its people to defend their own country. 

The President's push for new political leadership in Iraq worked.  The President also ordered U.S. air strikes on Isis positions that also worked.  Those strikes will continue and may be expanded according to administration sources.  The President has also continued his policy of no U.S. ground combat role in Iraq which the negative voices are clamoring for.

Retired General Lawrence Korb an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and a former Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1981-85 during the Reagan administration said it all recently on MSNBC when he said he likes the Commander in Chief to be deliberate in his thinking and actions concerning what is taking place in the Middle East with Iraq and Isis.  The general understands all too well it is not in the best interest of the President to rush to judgement before having the big picture and all the facts.  Being a military man, General Korb knows how our men and women in uniform can pay a heavy price for bad decisions that are not thought through.

This writer pointed out here in "PolitiDose" on more than one occasion that the U.S. does not have to invade and occupy country's in the Middle East to defeat terrorists.  The U.S. has other means to do so and the Commander in Chief should continue to be deliberate in his decisions, especially in that part of the world. 

There was a time when members of congress stood tall and backed the Commander In Chief on foreign policy.  That all changed with the unAmerican conservative ideology that the republican party practice today.  The Commander in Chief deserves better from members of congress.


This commentary written by John Lucia 

The News Media: A Followup Story

When congress returns to Washington in September they will have two months to the November elections to do something productive for the people of America and the country.  They themselves say nothing will be done until the November elections are over.  If the news media continues to interview the same old 10 or 12 members of congress over and over as they usually do, nothing will change for sure.

So this writer suggest to the news media that they break with the past and interview other members of congress so the people will hear a different view and perspective on the issues and not the same old worn out rhetoric.  It would also help greatly if journalists were competent on the subject matter they talk about to flush out the nonsense political talk back. 

War and National Security are areas where the American people deserve the views of other members of congress.  We know how wrong the current view has been and their only answer has been war with American troops on the ground leading the way. 

I am mindful of the fact that when Bill Clinton took office as President, members of congress found out that he knew more about the federal budget than they did themselves despite their many years of dealing with the budget.  That of course is one of the resons why the country's fiscal house was in such good shape when he served.  Journalists need the same knowledge of the subject matter they speak of and ask their political guest.  That is what is needed in todays world of political spin.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

Another First For "PolitiDose."

The Huffington Post carried a story on 8/19/14 concerning Senator John McCain and how he has been wrong about almost every thing but is still giving voice by the major news media on a regular basis.  And if that sounds familiar its because you read it hear first in "PolitiDose" Your daily dose of political commentary.

This writer has taken it a step farther in past commentary and pointed out that the news media, especially the Sunday talk shows interviews the same 8 or 9 members of congress over and over and the people are fed only their views.  Yet there are over 400 members of congress and the people are never exposed to the views of the many.  John McCain and Lindsey Graham are the favorite of the news media and Graham has been wrong just as much as McCain.

MSNBC and CNN have interviewed other members of congress a few times (not nearly enough) and they always make more sense than McCain or Graham and the usual regulars.  The people need to hear those other voices.  Is there any wonder why the people are ill informed?

What is it the news media does not understand about its own business?  Their mission statement is to "inform the people."  Is that too difficult to understand?  They failed to learn their lesson during the run up to war with Iraq when they bought Bush's WMD fairy tale and then tried to down play those voices who disagreed.  Is it any wonder we now have a social media, thanks to the internet, that spreads falsehoods even in important issues facing the country.

Like congress, the news media lacks "serious" journalists who understand the value of informing the public and why our forebearers had the wisdom to protect a free news media.  They have also failed to learn that the key to a better future is understanding the mistakes of the past.


This commentary written by John Lucia

Columnist George Will's Editorial: Another Fairy Tale To Sell The American People.

Will's editorial of 8/17/14 in the Times Picayune titled, "Inversions Boost U.S. Economy" is another conservative attempt to influence the people to disregard facts.  Will writes that American companies merge with foreign companies and then move their headquarters to that foreign country to avoid paying income tax to Uncle Sam strenghtens the U.S. economy by increasing the after tax profits that leaves more money for investment and wages for U.S. workers.

But the facts are those after tax profits are used to give larger bonuses to CEO's and executives and not to the average worker.  In the book, "13 Bankers" it was pointed out that median income under Bush 43 declined from $52,500 in 2000 to $50,300 in 2008, a loss of $2200.  And the Bush tax cuts reduced Corporate America and the wealthy's tax bill the most.  So those excess after tax profits did not go to the average worker.

The Clinton administration raised taxes on Corporate America and the wealthy and real median income grew by $5,825, an increase of 6.5% and was the longest consecutive 5 year real wage growth and increace since the 1960's.  It declined 4.3% during the Reagan-Bush  years. (National Economic Council 6/00)

All the latest economic reports given to the public over the last 5 years indicate the disparity between median wage earners and the wealthy and corporate America continue to favor the latter by a wide margin and median income has been at a stand still for many years.  The Reagan and Bush 43 tax cuts for corporate America and the wealthy allowed the top 2% to flourish.  The Clinton administration raised their taxes and the best economy, job creation and median household income happened on Clinton's watch.  Clinton also balanced the federal budget while Reagan and Bush 43 failed to do so for all 16 years they served.

Will indicates in his editorial that American corporation are holding $2 trillion in corporate earnings abroad to avoid taxation by the U.S.  Not only do they enjoy all the tax exemptions and loop holes in the U.S. tax structure, they still do not believe in paying their fare share.  And they are the ones whose income tax has been reduced the most since WWII. 

Yes, my fellow Americans, conservatives like Will and those in congress have taken it upon themselves to be the spokesperson for Corporate America and the wealthy.  Trickle down economics is still a fairy tale and as Warren Buffet always says, paying U.S. income taxes is no obstacle for a company to be in business and make a necessary profit.  And that really says it all.


This commentary written by John Lucia.



This commentary written by John Lucia.

With Congress On Vacation, The News Has Been Civil And Quiet.

Since Congress left town watching the news has been more enjoyable with the exception of the conservative news media.  With congressional leaders at home they are not in the news with their usual ranting and raving about every thing they can think of.  The news on the current situation in Iraq has been calm. 

Just think how it would be so much more enjoyable if congress had done their work and job on those pressing issues the country faces before they went home.  That would have been ideal but congress thinks we ask too much of them.

The real sad part about when they return to Washington is the U.S. House has very few work days scheduled before the November elections and they are on record as saying they do not plan on taking up any major legislation until after the elections.

There was a time when congress would give the President an up or down vote on his agenda.  After all, the President is elected by the people in all 50 states, no so members of congress who represent only one state and in the case of the U.S.House, only one or more districts.  That all changed with the newly found unAmerican conservative ideology of the republicn party and has gotten worse with the advent of the Tea Party republicans.

And make no mistake, the people have not yet heard the last talk about impeachment or shutting down the federal government again.


This commentary written by John Lucia

Will The Southeastern Conference Continue Its Dominance?

Probably not much longer because of the recent expansion of the SEC and if there is any additional expansion that will make its decline more severe.  SEC teams have contributed at times 5 or 6 teams in the playoffs in basketball and baseball and several football teams in the top 10 and the bowl games.  And that has been going on for some time.

But the fact is expansion has hurt pro ball and college ball and the play off system is bloated.  Major league baseball started its decline when it expanded in 1961.  Pro basketball and football declined also after expansion.  The two teams that were recently added, Missouri and Texas A&M will now be able to recruit those high school prospects from their own states who in the past went to other SEC schools in order to play in the SEC.  They will also be able to recruit players from SEC schools who want to go out of state to Missouri or Texas A&M but still be able to play in the SEC.  The problem will multiply if more expansion comes about.

Expansion delutes talent and does nothing to make teams competative.  It is good for the pocket books of the SEC and the schools but what does that have to do with competition?  And the kicker that has to be added is college players leaving early to turn pro.  There is only so much top talent out there and when you have to fill your roster with marginal players, that is trouble. 

The coaching staffs in the SEC have complained how scheduling SEC games among its teams have become a big problem.  Expansion will make that problem worse.  LSU's coach Les Miles thinks the SEC scheduling is unfair.  There is so much money in college sports that the powers to be has lost sight of the sport itself.  That is why the NFL is thinking about adding two more teams to their playoff system.

College sports deserve a better fate.

Note:  More than half of the teams in pro football and basketball finish the season with a loosing record and that has been going on for many years now thanks to expansion.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

The Destabilization Of Iraq Continues Eleven Years Later

The invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 over WMD that did not exist and the over throw of Saddam broke that country and it was President George W. Bush who gave the order to do so.  That left the problem to fix Iraq to the next President who happened to be Barack Obama.  There was no more Saddam to keep the terrorist groups out of Iraq like he did and now those terror groups are stronger than ever.

The recent decision by President Obama to drop needed aid to those civilians in Iraq that are being punished by ISIS, the worst of the terror groups in Iraq was the right thing to do.  I also think Obama's decision to use American air power and support the formation of a new government in Iraq and urging the Iraq military forces to stand up and fight for their country was the right thing to do.

The President's reluctance to commit American ground forces to the middle east is a sound policy decision.  We have been there in the past, done that, suffered heavy casulties by terrorists and not the country's military who were supposed to be the threat.  Terrorists can always fade out, then come back in at their own choosing and keep American's ground forces there forever.

The solution is a political one in Iraq and the middle east.  We know that because two thousand years of war has not brought security to that troubled land.  The leaders of Israel have yet to learn that.  Bush did not and he is still in denial.  So far President Obama has learned that and that troubled countries have to step up to the plate and be willing to do all they can to resolve their own problems.

American leaders have to rethink how our country reacts to trouble spots in the middle east, especially when our military trains other countries military like we did in Iraq and are still doing in Afghanistan only to see their military cut and run when challenged by the terrorists, even to the point of given up their weapons.  How many times or how long should Americans be expected to sacrifice for another country and its people that are not willing to sacrifice themselves for their own country and its people.

The final chapter on Iraq has yet to be written after 11 years and how much longer it takes is anyones guess.  Hopefully President Obama will continue to seek the wisdom necessary to make future decisions concerning our country and our men and women in uniform who have been at war long enough.


This commentary written by John Lucia

The Upcoming Congressional Elections

In less than three months voters in America will vote on members in both houses of congress.  Conservative journalists and the republican party in Louisiana are predicting the republican party will elect enough republican members in the U.S.House and Senate to give them control of both houses of congress.  Therefore it will be the republican party who will controll the political agenda in 2015 and 2016, the last two years of Obama's Presidency.

The last time both houses of congress was controlled by the party occured during the first six years of the George W. Bush administration.  For those in Louisiana and the nation that remember the past, those first six years was a prelude to the great depression of 2008.  It was a time when President Clinton's balanced budgets and surpluses were turned into deficit spending and debt in Bush's very first fiscal year and for all 8 years he was in office.  It also reversed the greatest economy of the 20th century.  It was also a time that gave the country and its people the invasion and occupation of Iraq over WMD that did not exist and destablized the country.  It was also a time when Bush and the republicans tried to privatize social security.  It was a time when the worst foreign terror attack on U.S. soil happened in 2001. 

It was a time of no action on health care for the uninsured and no action on immigration reform.  It was a time that republicans passed a $400 billion prescription drug benefit that ended up costing the taxpayers over $1 trillion and was paid for with deficit spending.  It was a time when ideology trumped policy and facts and where personal attacks replaced civility.

Voters would do well to remember the failed past of the republican party, especially since the economy and job creation is back on track and federal deficit spending is being reduced in a reasonable manner.  The country and people of Louisiana do not need another republican party in control of both houses of congress
that govern by ideology and who are already on record of saying they would not balance the federal budget for another 10 years.  And Louisiana does not need a republican party who is always trying to pass blame off to someone else.  Yes my fellow Americans, understanding the mistakes of the past is still the key to a better future.


This commentary written by John Lucia

The Louisiana Republican Doctors In The U.S. House: Do They Really Make Any HOUSE Calls?

Every time I hear a republican repeat their call to defund and or kill the Affordable Care Act, especially when it comes from a member of Louisiana's delegation that serves in the U.S. House, I am reminded of a Times Picayune article published in November 2008 (almost 6 years ago) by staff writer Bruce Alpert.

Part of the article is about Louisiana Reps. Bill Cassidy and Charles Boustany's strong views on how to reduce the number of uninsured Americans and want to share them with President Obama before he unveils his legislative package.   Cassidy and Boustany are doctors and are presumed to know a little about health care especially the way they talk.  Cassidy is running for Mary Landrieu's Senate seat and his commercials show him in his doctors coat.

After going back and reading the article I wonder if those two doctor republicans have ever made a call on their majority party in the House and give them specific examples how their party could come up with a health care plan of their own to introduce to the people.  As of this writing they and their party still have no health care plan to replace the ACA.  So as doctors, Cassidy and Boustany are batting zero for their own party.

In fact Louisiana's representative John Fleming also serves in the U.S. House and is also a doctor.  Thats three Louisiana doctors serving republicans in the U.S. House who have not been able to articulate a health care plan for their party to rally around and introduce to the people.  How many years does it take?

This writer would like to see Mr. Alpert write a follow up article and ask the three doctors what they specifically recommended to their own party concerning a health care plan for the uninsured.  If they did talk, their republican house members must have not listened. 

Or is it the doctors did not even make HOUSE calls?


This commentary written by John Lucia

Louisiana's Steve Scalise, The New House Whip But The Same Republican Party Failure.

The republican controlled U.S. House passed a $694 million bill for additional funding to deal with the influx of immigrants from Central America.  That was less than the $3.7 billion request from the President and the $2.7 billion proposed in the Senate that was blocked by the republican's in that chamber.  The first bill the House took up was pulled from the floor because of the republicans own opposition to passage. 

Washington Post columnist Chris Cillizza wrote Scalise had the worst week in Washington for having the first major bill he was in charge of fail.  Scalise tried to put his best face on with self serving comments that has become the trademark of he and his party.  The legislation that finally passed will go no where and Scalise knows it.  He also knows it does not address the problem and is just another piece of proof how the republican party continues to oppose anything the President proposes.

Scalise is still trying to sell the notion that the immigrants from Central America means the border need to be secure.  But as pointed out the border is more secure under the Obama administration with more Border Patrol Agents than any time in the past 30 years.  It is also a fact that the immigrants from Central America are turning themselves in at the border to the Border Patrol and are entering mainly thru one check point along the border in the Rio Grande area. 

Contrary to what Scalise and his party says, the President did not ask for a blank check to handle the problem, he asked for $3.7 billion.  The democrats in the Senate were willing to scale that back to $2.7 billion but republicans in that chamber blocked the vote.  The $694 million passed by the house confirms what the President said, "The House wanted to check off any block so they could go home."

The bill the House passed also cancells the 2008 legislation which provides for an orderly way to process immigrants from Central America.  President George W. Bush signed that bill because he thought it was a good bill and did not use his veto power.  Scalise after being elected Whip of the U.S. House said he and his party were ready to work with the President.  That he did not do with his very first piece of legislation.  In a previous commentary I said Sincerity was always subject to proof.  Well, so far nothing has changed.


This commentary written by John Lucia.

The U.S. Economy, Job Creation and Outlook For The Future

The U.S. Labor Department announced that the economy created 209,000 jobs in July, the sixth straight month of job creation over 200,000.  The unemployment rate ticked up to 6.2% from June's 6.1%.  The increase was attributed to the fact that 329,000 who were without jobs reentered the job market and was seeking employment once again.  The Labor Department does not count any one as unemployed if they drop out of the labor market.  Those that reentered the job market is seen as a positive for the economy.

The department also said the economy is expected to sustain its strength into 2015.  The economy expanded 4% in the second quarter and is expected to grow 3% in the second half of the year.  Manufacturing is expanding and consumer spending is rising. 

The positive signs of steady growth is strenghtening and President Obama said our engines are rivving a little bit louder.  The stimulus passed by the democratic controlled congress in 2009 is working and moved the economy forward once it took hold.  And five and half years after the great economic meltdown of 2008, the republican party in congress is still sitting on their hands doing nothing and keeping their promise of opposing every thing President Obama puts forth to continue the recovery.

The progress being made comes as no suprise to this writer because of precedent.  Some thing I wrote about here in "PolitiDose" since the President was elected.


This commentary written by John Lucia. 

Israel, Palestine And Hamas: Will This War Be Any Different?

The present war between the three is a repeat of the past, attacks and retallation from all sides and the placing of blame on each other.  It is a rerun with no end in sight because their wars have never produced a political settlement that all party's could live with and in peace with defined boundaries.

The fact that Israel can and does use its military might with impunity and has not brought Palestine or Hamas to the peace table leads one to believe a political settlement is the best and only option.  Everyone knows that but has to be reminded.  There are so many innocent men, woman and children being killed in their wars one would think that alone is a battle cry to come to the peace table and resolve never to let that happen again. 

President Obama needs to rethink the United States relationship with Israel and Palestine.  It should not stay on the same track it is on now.  The leaders of Israel and Palestine can not be trusted and both are capable of drawing our country into a conflict of their own making.  One thing is for sure, America should never again send our troops over there as peacekeepers and should for ever remember the Marines that were killed in Beirut in 1983 in a massive truck bombing.  241 Marines died that day.

This writer has written several commentaries in the past concerning both the subject matter and how learning from the mistakes of the past is still the key to a better future but the party's in the bible lands have yet to learn.  The mentality of those who use innocent civilians as human shields and those who believe there is no distinction both wear black hats.  Leaders are expected to have moral courage even during war.  Is there any wonder why there has been no political settlement?

President Kennedy always thought about the innocent children who paid the ultimate price in war and who never had a say in the matter.  Too bad there are so few leaders today who feel the same way.  President Obama needs to speak out against the lack of commitment from both sides to take the first step necessary for peace.  It should not be business as usual and the extension of the status quo.


This commentary written by John Lucia