Conservatives: Osama Bin Laden’s favorite Americans?

This video is from Thom Hartmann’s show that took place on January 6, 2010.

Thom makes the point that, with his nationally televised address to the nation on July 15, 1979, President Jimmy Carter set America on a course towards ending its dependency on foreign oil. Thom adds that this country was just a year away from ending the importation of oil from the Persian Gulf.

What type of world would we be living in today if that effort had been successful? Unfortunately we will never know. And why is that? Because Ronald Reagan came into office the following year and the big money that came from oil compelled him to rollback Carter’s energy policy and send this country down a path that is costing human beings their lives and the American taxpayer massive amounts of money to this very day. 

As Hartmann succinctly points out, Reagan’s policy made this country more dependent on Mideast oil, dictating an American presence in the Middle East that led to the emergence of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda as social and political forces in the Middle East.

Notice that Thom’s guest- Dinesh D’Souza, former policy analyst for Ronald Reagan- tried to make the argument that America was only interested in establishing “stability” in the Middle East, which Hartmann easily shot down with some history points, particularly the U.S. government’s involvement in overthrowing the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953. This took place not long after Iran’s Prime Minister (Mohammad Mosaddegh) decided to kick American oil companies out of the country and exclusively control and benefit from the resources of their own land. 

Bin Laden’s stated goal is to “bankrupt America,” which he is pretty much succeeding in doing in collaboration with conservative and corporate profit-driven forces in this country. If Bin Laden is astute enough to recognize how easily these forces can be manipulated to the detriment of American citizens, then it’s imperative that we become even more astute…

How the Iraq War Ruined the Economy

Here’s a snippet of a presentation by the Nobel prize-winning and world-renowned economist Joseph Stiglitz, touching on some key factors regarding how the war in Iraq has impacted the U.S. economy.

The point that he makes about how the war had an impact on the futures market is not something that is normally brought out during conventional commentary. It’s just nice to hear a little analysis that is not dripping with political expediency…

Wow, did I actually just see that on a mainstream talk show???

It’s been my experience that rarely do you see radical analysis of the political landscape take place on mainstream news or talk shows. In this country we’re usually subjected to just enough constipated conversation, distorted debate, and contrived conflict to allow us to happily wallow in our ideological or indifferent or indecisive slop.

That’s why when I saw this segment of Morning Joe earlier today it was somewhat refreshing.  It was both delightful and depressing, as well as politically incorrect, commentary on just how ugly, dangerous, and destructive politics can be. For all of us.

Regardless of your politics, Dylan Ratigan’s “rant” raised questions that it wouldn’t hurt to have answers to:

What is the difference between Wahhabism and Islam? And if there is a distinction, why isn’t that distinction being made by the U.S. government and in the mainstream media, or by Muslim leadership, when those wars are being discussed or analyzed during public discourse?

Why is the U.S. at war against Iraq and Afghanistan, and not Saudi Arabia, where the majority of the 9/11 hijackers originated from, which was acknowledged by Saudi Arabia?

What exactly is the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi governments?

Whether you are Republican or Democrat or Independent, conservative, liberal or progressive, whether you are Red, White, Blue, Black, or Green, there are certain questions and answers that should be standard requirements for debate just as driver’s licenses are required for us to drive.

After all, it’s all about the common welfare of Americans and saving lives- especially those of the soldiers and civilians in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan- isn’t it?