It's official. The much-feared government shutdown has begun. All because Congress couldn't get their act together and pass a continuing budget resolution by the October 1 deadline. They have gone way too far this time. And we are all paying a heavy price for it.
The most blame lies with the Republican Party, especially the Koch-funded Tea Party members. Wanting desperately to repeal, defund, or at least delay Obamacare, among other demands, they insisted on playing chicken with the economy because they didn't get their way. Led by John Boehner and Ted Cruz, they refused repeatedly to pass a "clean" bill to fund the government for even a few weeks beyond October 1. Well into September 30, they made one outrageous demand after another as a condition for passing a continuing resolution. But the Democrats are not entirely innocent either. They let it get to this point for quite some time now, and even took the weekend off knowing a shutdown was likely imminent. And when Boehner offered a surprisingly reasonable 11th-hour request to allow the shutdown to be avoided if 1) only the "individual mandate" part of Obamacare would be delayed by a year and 2) Members of Congress would not get any healthcare subsidies, the Democrats (led by Harry Reid) still refused, and Obama still threatened to veto it. Of course, the Republicans then punted again, and still refused to even allow a House vote on a "clean" bill. Despicable! Why both sides couldn't come to a compromise is beside the point. The real issue is that shutting down the government just because you don't get your way should NEVER be done, period. And the longer the shutdown lasts, the more damage is done to our economy and society at large.
But it appears that an even bigger fight is on the horizon. We are just weeks away from defaulting on our national debt if the debt ceiling is not raised in a timely fashion. Such a default would be unprecedented and would likely lead to another Great Depression. And if Congress's current unacceptable behavior is any indication, we are in for a VERY rough time ahead in the weeks to come. They are essentially putting our nation in distress, hence the inversion of the American flag on the TSAP blog.
Thus, the TSAP hereby gives virtually all 535 members of Congress (regardless of party) a vote of "no confidence", and we will take their government shutdown to imply the resignation of such members. We encourage every reader of this blog to sign the following petitions:
Dear Congress: We Accept Your Resignation
No Pay for Congress During Shutdown
Minimum Wage for Congress
Let them know that We the People have had ENOUGH of the gridlock, grandstanding, backstabbing, corruption, venality, follies, lies, recklessness, childishness, and otherwise outrageous behavior of Congress. And we will support a primary challenge to ALL of them, with the only exceptions being Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. If we weren't clear, we'll say it again:
YOU'RE FIRED!!!
So what's the opposite of "progress" again? You guessed it.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
WWIII Averted, For Now
It looks like the United States, Russia, and Syria have reached a diplomatic deal that would stave off war for now. Syria would have to declare, turn in, and destroy all of their chemical weapons in short order. Of course, doing so during an active civil war would be a lot easier said than done, but this is a good first step toward defusing a ticking time-bomb in a volatile region and preventing a wider war. Though long-term success is far from certain, such a deal definitely reduces the risk of World War III from happening in the near future. And it may increase the chances of a cease-fire in the not-too-distant future.
The True Spirit of America Party believes that there is no military solution to the crisis in Syria, and that violence will only beget more violence in the long run. While there is mounting evidence that the Assad regime and their lackeys are responsible for at least some of the chemical weapon attacks on civilians, it is also clear that both sides have a ton of innocent blood on their hands. Those who have committed such horrific atrocities need to be brought to justice, but bombing Syria will clearly do far more harm than good overall. What may start out as a "limited" air war can quickly turn into another Iraq or Vietnam, or worse as Syria and possibly other countries (i.e. Iran) or Hezbollah fight back, other countries get drawn in, and the Al-Qaeda affiliated rebels attempt to take over the failed state of Syria. At best, we would be killing a couple hundred or thousand people (inevitably including civilians) just to make a point, and end up likely repeating it in the future as the bloody civil war continues unabated. At worst, we risk igniting WWIII, the road to universal slaughter. And on balance of probabilities, history suggests that once we start such a war, contrary to our president's wishful thinking, we would have little choice but to put countless boots on the ground for the long haul (years or even decades), and thus be stuck in a serious quagmire for the foreseeable future. (Where will we get all those extra troops from? Shhhh...don't say the D-word!) Unless of course America resorts to using nukes, which would become the worst (and most hypocritical) atrocity that our country has ever committed in its entire history, except perhaps the attempted genocide of Native Americans.
So does that mean America should turn a blind eye to the horrific mass murder of innocent civilians? Of course not. That is a false choice that the hawks like to throw out there, and other options still remain. By all means, we should continue to work on stopping the violence via diplomatic means in conjunction with other nations. We should increase humanitarian aid to the people of Syria. We should also do our part to take in the large number of refugees that the Syrian civil war is creating. All of these things would at the very least take the edge off the crisis, and may even bring lasting change. And as soon as it is feasible, atrocity perpetrators on both sides of the conflict should ultimately be brought before the International Criminal Court so that justice is served. But war is not the solution--it is part of the problem. Just ask any survivor of the numerous Middle Eastern wars of the past half-century. Killing to stop the killing will only lead to more killing, and too much blood has already been spilled in the 21st century alone.
The True Spirit of America Party believes that there is no military solution to the crisis in Syria, and that violence will only beget more violence in the long run. While there is mounting evidence that the Assad regime and their lackeys are responsible for at least some of the chemical weapon attacks on civilians, it is also clear that both sides have a ton of innocent blood on their hands. Those who have committed such horrific atrocities need to be brought to justice, but bombing Syria will clearly do far more harm than good overall. What may start out as a "limited" air war can quickly turn into another Iraq or Vietnam, or worse as Syria and possibly other countries (i.e. Iran) or Hezbollah fight back, other countries get drawn in, and the Al-Qaeda affiliated rebels attempt to take over the failed state of Syria. At best, we would be killing a couple hundred or thousand people (inevitably including civilians) just to make a point, and end up likely repeating it in the future as the bloody civil war continues unabated. At worst, we risk igniting WWIII, the road to universal slaughter. And on balance of probabilities, history suggests that once we start such a war, contrary to our president's wishful thinking, we would have little choice but to put countless boots on the ground for the long haul (years or even decades), and thus be stuck in a serious quagmire for the foreseeable future. (Where will we get all those extra troops from? Shhhh...don't say the D-word!) Unless of course America resorts to using nukes, which would become the worst (and most hypocritical) atrocity that our country has ever committed in its entire history, except perhaps the attempted genocide of Native Americans.
So does that mean America should turn a blind eye to the horrific mass murder of innocent civilians? Of course not. That is a false choice that the hawks like to throw out there, and other options still remain. By all means, we should continue to work on stopping the violence via diplomatic means in conjunction with other nations. We should increase humanitarian aid to the people of Syria. We should also do our part to take in the large number of refugees that the Syrian civil war is creating. All of these things would at the very least take the edge off the crisis, and may even bring lasting change. And as soon as it is feasible, atrocity perpetrators on both sides of the conflict should ultimately be brought before the International Criminal Court so that justice is served. But war is not the solution--it is part of the problem. Just ask any survivor of the numerous Middle Eastern wars of the past half-century. Killing to stop the killing will only lead to more killing, and too much blood has already been spilled in the 21st century alone.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
To President Obama (and Congress): Do NOT Attack Syria!
The True Spirit of America Party would like to let President Obama and Congress know that attacking Syria is a foolish, reckless, and morally bankrupt "solution" to Syria's growing civil war. While we wholeheartedly condemn the atrocities committed by the Assad regime, we still do not believe that the United States should go to war with Syria. And here are the top ten reasons we oppose it:
10) Most of our own allies, including our staunchest ally of them all (the UK), oppose such action.
9) Going it alone unilaterally worked so well in Iraq, didn't it? Oh wait....
8) We risk another quagmire like Iraq, or worse. Air strikes alone would not solve anything, and would be like fighting fire with gasoline. A full-blown ground invasion would indeed effect regime change, but it would create a dangerous power vacuum like in Iraq. We may have won in Iraq, but it was a Pyrrhic victory, and one more such "victory" will likely be America's undoing.
7) We risk a far wider war than we are prepared for, possibly drawing in other countries such as Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Jordan. Perhaps even Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Russia. WWIII is a definite possibility!
6) Many of the rebels are affiliated with Al Qaeda, and perhaps other terrorist groups as well. Do we really want to inadvertently help them get into power over there?
5) We are still not 100% positive that the Assad regime was responsible for the chemical weapon attacks, since some rebels have supposedly admitted to "accidentally" doing it themselves. (That being said, we do know that the regime has deliberately killed countless innocent civilians over the past two years by conventional means)
4) Intervening in civil wars, at best, creates a temporary pause in the killing. At worst, it adds to the killing. There is really no military solution to the Syrian crisis, and killing a few hundred (or thousand) people just to make a point is probably the most morally bankrupt option of all.
3) America is not in a position for yet another war of choice. Now is definitely NOT the time to risk so much blood and treasure. Focus on rebuilding OUR nation instead. America needs to stop policing the world, mind our own business, and retire from that position now.
2) Syria is really not a credible threat to the security of the United States or its interests. They are NOT a clear and present danger to us.
1) Above all, a preemptive war of choice, absent an imminent threat to us or our allies, is always immoral, and two wrongs don't make a right.
We hope our leaders heed such advice before they decide to cross the Rubicon. Otherwise, this may be America's last war, and not in a good way. History speaks for itself.
10) Most of our own allies, including our staunchest ally of them all (the UK), oppose such action.
9) Going it alone unilaterally worked so well in Iraq, didn't it? Oh wait....
8) We risk another quagmire like Iraq, or worse. Air strikes alone would not solve anything, and would be like fighting fire with gasoline. A full-blown ground invasion would indeed effect regime change, but it would create a dangerous power vacuum like in Iraq. We may have won in Iraq, but it was a Pyrrhic victory, and one more such "victory" will likely be America's undoing.
7) We risk a far wider war than we are prepared for, possibly drawing in other countries such as Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Jordan. Perhaps even Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Russia. WWIII is a definite possibility!
6) Many of the rebels are affiliated with Al Qaeda, and perhaps other terrorist groups as well. Do we really want to inadvertently help them get into power over there?
5) We are still not 100% positive that the Assad regime was responsible for the chemical weapon attacks, since some rebels have supposedly admitted to "accidentally" doing it themselves. (That being said, we do know that the regime has deliberately killed countless innocent civilians over the past two years by conventional means)
4) Intervening in civil wars, at best, creates a temporary pause in the killing. At worst, it adds to the killing. There is really no military solution to the Syrian crisis, and killing a few hundred (or thousand) people just to make a point is probably the most morally bankrupt option of all.
3) America is not in a position for yet another war of choice. Now is definitely NOT the time to risk so much blood and treasure. Focus on rebuilding OUR nation instead. America needs to stop policing the world, mind our own business, and retire from that position now.
2) Syria is really not a credible threat to the security of the United States or its interests. They are NOT a clear and present danger to us.
1) Above all, a preemptive war of choice, absent an imminent threat to us or our allies, is always immoral, and two wrongs don't make a right.
We hope our leaders heed such advice before they decide to cross the Rubicon. Otherwise, this may be America's last war, and not in a good way. History speaks for itself.
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