Written by Dana L. Stewart   

Benghazi and Bundy, Corporatism and Capitalism .

It is time to put "Benghazi", and related foreign and domestic issues, into perspective. The Republican assault on the State Department is unprecedented and disloyal. There has been nothing inconsistent whatsoever in the White House behavior and public statements. There has definitely been an expensive waste of time and money by Darryl Issa's drama-queen kangaroo courts. That there is a scandal was a completely made-up figment of the Romney campaign's muckraking Koch-fueled imagination. And because there is no scandal, there is no cover-up! The scandal is, the very un-American undermining of the missions of the President, the State Department, and our Secretaries of State! Both Secretary Clinton, and now, Secretary Kerry. FOR SHAME.

Here are a few facts to always be noted during any discussion of Benghazi:

1. The Defense Department budget has tripled in the past 15 years, while the State Department has had it's budgets slashed. This is where the fault lies. Foreign and humanitarian aid is opposed, even though it is a tiny part of the budget and our best and most powerful tool.

2. The war-profiteers' contractors (including oil) were paid triple than military personnel for the same jobs, and replaced the snappy, happy Marines that once guarded the Embassies, This began with the ill-fated and unfunded GOP wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (The war-hawks in Congress want us to pay for those wars with our food stamps! Oh sure, that works.)

3. Five Trillion Dollars is what we have paid for these wars, so far. What if we had spent that money to "solarize", rather than to pulverize, Iraq and Afghanistan? We can manufacture millions of rooftop solar panels, inverters, etc. right now, to shield ourselves from the stranglehold of the 4Fers - the Filthy Fossil Fuel Folks - and balance trade deficits by shipping them to Ukraine and the EU, Asia, and worldwide. Millions of green jobs of every skill level could be created, and we cannot be held hostage by Putin, or any other, Oili-garchy. They cannot drill without spills, and they do NOT know how to clean up their poisons! Water is far more important than Oil. The 4Fers can make green by going green – not by going to war over it.

“I’d put my money on the Sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” - Thomas Alva Edison, 1931.

It is time to give power to the people, rather than continually giving it over to the already too powerful. We have a right to clean Air, Water, and Food. The wealth gap is at an all-time high, especially for the 4Fers, the wealthiest corporations the planet has ever known. This leads to lies, crime, and corruption at every level. It certainly does NOT lead to jobs. That’s a lie. We certainly cannot allow the Keystone pipeline or the merger of Exxon-Mobil and Russia's Rosneft, the world's largest oil companies! It would be the death of us - and the entire planet - as they continually pay hacks to deny decades of Climate Change science. This is a vital, urgent matter of Food and Fuel Security, National Security, and Global Security.

Peace = Prosperity, War = Poverty. Simple.

We can be energy independent at war-time speed with Rooftop Solar and Biomass fuels (Biofuels) from Wastes - not Food. It is UNNECESSARY to mine, drill, or grow our fuel sources. Go organic and ban the GMO Frankenfoods (eugenics on the single-cell level) from the monstrous Monsanto and the PCP thugs – the Petro-Chemical-Pharmaceutical thugs. Big Ag is Big Chem. It takes 9 tons of petroleum to make 1 ton of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides! Biologically augmented organic compost is cheap and easy. The all-of-the-above energy policy is bogus.

The Military-Industrial complex has morphed into the MIFEM complex –
The Military-Industrial-Financial-Energy-Media complex.
This used to be known as the "Fifth Column" in World War II. Like PTSD used to be known as "Shell Shock". And the Republicans have gotten Orwellian double-speak down to a science! They blame and accuse others of what they do themselves. Black is White, Up is Down. They lie…incessantly. And about everything - ad nauseum!

We did not go into Japan and Germany, arm them to the teeth, and train them further. We helped them to rebuild their war-torn countries. Now the Pentagon is the NRA to the world - arming every side of every conflict. Those arms are always turned against us. This is insanely evil. While at home, the Banana Republicans are turning us into a Banana Republic, by arming every violent idiot in the country. We must have background checks, training and licensing for guns - just like for cars. We are sick of hearing about mass murders. Weapons of war have no place in civilian society. Enthusiasts can go to hunting and shooting clubs.

Then there is Cliven Bundy.
The GOP in the States, in the Senate and the House, Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Drudge, Savage, Beck, and especially, Sean Hannity, have gone so far as to be shockingly seditious.
"se-di-tion n. incitement of public disorder and rebellion against a government." - The Random House Dictionary.
There could be a whole glossary of terms that are erroneously bandied about and can be clarified - try “liberal”, “socialism”, “fascism”, etc. It helps, as it’s edifying to the electorate, and we must have well-informed voters.

The 1st Amendment has many wise limits, The arrogant, ignorant incitement to riot and armed revolt is unfounded and unlawful. You cannot yell "Fire!" in a crowded gun show. And, nowhere does it say that money is speech or that corporations are people. That is a warped, corrupt legal definition by the "Corporations" United decision, and overturning a century of legal precedent, by the partisan, corporatist, Roberts faction of the Supreme Court.

Also, in the McCutcheon decision, we have gone from "one person, one vote" to "one dollar, one vote". This is not Merit-based Capitalism, it is Sociopathic Corporatism. The 4Fers buy politicians, and they do not care who or what is poisoned or killed on their path to profits. Private profits at public expense, and to Hell with the public good. That’s what Pope Francis was talking about. If a budget is a moral document, the Ryan budget is morally bankrupt.

Are we also supposed to pay for the 2nd Bush-Bank-Bailout-Mortgage Fraud scam with our health care?! Wasn't that debacle led by AIG - an insurance company?! Does the GOP think we would allow biologically ignorant politicians and ideologues to make our medical decisions?! What are the "Personhood" and "Human Life" rights of rape and incest victims, abandoned families, life-threatening conditions? What are the Privacy rights? What are the responsibilities and accountability of "unwed fathers" and batterers? There seem to be as many virulent misogynists as racists in the GOP.

Same with the 2nd Amendment - it says "a well-regulated militia". We have that. It's called the United States Armed Forces, and law enforcement. What showed up at the Bundy ranch was an unregulated militia. They were the "lawless jack-booted thugs"! Not the BLM. Where are they to oppose the illegal, bought-off, eminent domain theft of the Keystone pipeline on ranchers' and farmers' land? The 4Fers again. The Petroleum Institute lies about it in their ads, as well as about poll numbers.
It's all connected.

President Truman said it was treasonous for war-mongers to shill for war-profiteers. How dare the propagandists have the declared war criminal, obvious war-profiteer, and torture promoter, Dick Cheney, on our public airways for his opinion?! It appears that the GOP cannot win anything on merit. They have to lie, cheat, steal, and rig elections in order to win. It's un-American. We must be informed, and we must vote! Democracy is not a spectator sport.

As Military and Diplomatic brats since the 1740s, our family is outraged at the attacks on our services by the GOP. We were a family of Teddy Roosevelt Republicans, and everyone liked Ike! He had a 90% tax rate for the rich… We no longer recognize the party because it has been hijacked by the Koch-fueled Tea Party, and Republicans now seem to have Stockholm Syndrome. The Diplomatic Service is the most effective weapon in our arsenal. No one can out-negotiate us. Meanwhile, bloodthirsty Republicans are clamoring for war. That is known as a "belligerent nationalism", and undermines our democratic governance. Be aware. Take action. Go Solar, Go Organic. Vote.
- by Dana L. Stewart, www.abccgreentechs.com