“Good night. And good luck.� (To us all.)

[Guest guest]

'Rather than creating a pristine reservoir of

democracy in the heart of the Middle East,

the Bushites simply metastasized the cancer of Islamic

fascism, which is now spreading out of control.

It's no longer about Iraq, or Iran, or Syria.

Now it's about Islam.

It's the Crusades, in reverse. '

 

Raconteur at Large

Stephen Pizzo

 

March 7, 2006

 

I love writing. And for the past couple of years I

have particularly enjoyed writing this blog.

 

But I think it's time to hang it up.

 

Why now? Because friends, It's all been said. It's

been said and said and said again. What's more to say?

Back in the days when things were less clear I

convinced myself that all this key-pounding served a

social-evangelical justification. But hell, anyone who

doesn't get it now ain't never gonna get it.

 

So who am I writing for every morning? The choir.

Those who already get it. I seriously doubt that

anything I write these days changes a single mind.

 

That's one reason I've decided to knock it off for a

while. I've said everything that I believe needed

saying – and in most cases, more than once. I've

become a broken record.

 

But something else has weighed on my mind lately. A

sense that much of the damage this administration has

done to our country, and indeed, the world, may well

be irreparable – at least by any political process.

Tipping points have been reached. The Bushites have

set in motion monumental forces that will now play

themselves out, controlled solely by forces of chance

and nature. Those who claim that's not so, pointing to

the steering wheel tightly clutched in their hands,

fail notice a key point -- it's no longer connected to

the steering column.

 

The economy – domestic and worldwide -- is now so

saturated by fraud, waste, greed, excess and

self-serving denial only a monumental reckoning can

set things straight. An economic system, like our

physical environment, depends on countless critical

interdependent sub-systems. When those systems are

abused to the point of collapse, the entire system

" adusts, " and there's hell to pay.

 

When an economy “adjusts†on its own to purge abuse

and excess inorder to set things back to a reasonable

balance, there's hell to pay. The only question is how

much hell. If we're lucky balance can be returned by

just the collapse of a sector or two of the economy.

If we are unlucky we get a cascade of collapses lose

the entire enchilada. I've been writing about

business for a quater century, and I have never seen

so much abuse, so many imbalances, such concentrations

of debt and risk. (So, in case you're wondering, I'm

not feeling unlucky.)

 

America's image and standing in the world has been

obliterated And what bad timing. The world is poised

at the edge of one of those pivotal moments in history

when everything we value seem to be at risk. In the

past at times like these, the world would look to

America to use it's diplomatic capital to set matters

right again.

 

But American has no diplomatic capital left. None.

Zippo. Zilch. Not one red cent. It was all squandered

by this administration. Not just squandered, but

squandered with the kind of arrogant relish and

swagger one finds only the fascist mindset.

 

Now no one in the world believes a thing we say. We've

lost their trust, and more:

 

lost, the trust that, while a superpower, America has

no imperial ambitions.

lost, the trust that, while America might angle for

diplomatic advantage like any other nation, at least

America would never mislead the world into war.

lost, the trust that, while other nations may only pay

lip service to the rule of law, America keeps that

light burning brightly.

lost, the trust that, while other nations might flaunt

human rights, at least the US can be counted on to

expose abuses and will always represent the gold

standard for human rights.

 

It's all gone now.

In five short years 200 hundred years of reputation,

political capital, diplomatic leverage and just plain

trust, were flushed down the shitter by this

administration. An administration that shrouds even

it's most innocuous deeds in dark secrecy; that

reflexively lies, even when the truth would serve them

better; that denounces mistreatment of prisoners,

while mistreating prisoners; that trumphets the

sanctity of a free press aboard while lying to,

threatening and bullying journalists at home.

 

It's all gone now – America as the honest, Ameica the

dependable, America the fair and balanced, America the

icon of democracy, the rule of law and freedom.

Gone. All gone, or on the way out.

It will take decades of honest American governance to

repair the damage these morons have done in just five

years of jackbooted governing.

 

Then there's Iraq, which is an irreparable mess. It

was a mess before the Bushites invaded. All this

reckless war accomplished was to stir up vintage Iraqi

crap that had long ago settled to the bottom of that

tribal cesspool. Rather than creating a pristine

reservoir of democracy in the heart of the Middle

East, the Bushites simply metastasized the cancer of

Islamic fascism, which is now spreading out of

control. It's no longer about Iraq, or Iran, or Syria.

Now it's about Islam. It's the Crusades, in reverse.

The entire region is up for grabs. And the grabbing

-- already underway -- will be very, very ugly.

 

I have nothing more to say about any of that. Not

because none of it matters, but because it's too late.

It's all been said -- and done. Nothing I can write

now can save us from the consequences. The fat is in

the proverbial fire. It's consequences time. The point

of no return has been reached. We are now all

passengers on George W. Bush's Consequences Express.

A price will now be exacted. And forget about trying

to cut a deal. It's too late for deals. The price we

will pay for letting all this happen will reflect the

costs incurred, and not bloody cent less.

 

 

I don't much relish the idea of covering that funeral

day in and day out for, who knows how long. Which is

why I am going to ground for a while – scurrying down

my little cozy country hole, armed only with some good

books, a few cases of moderately priced brandy and my

blankie.

 

I need time to think, time to read the thoughts of

writers smarter than I am. Time to reflect. Time to

get some distance and perspective. And yes, time to

let the consequences play out as they must and let the

dust settle.

 

I'll keep the email addresses of those who have

d and, should I have a thought worth sharing

I'll drop you a note.

 

Until then -- “Good night. And good luck.†(To us

all.)

[Guest guest]

I sadly have come to the same conclusions. Another election cant fix what is

wrong with America or the world post Bush/ Wolfowitz’ New American Century.

 

The only irrational and strange hope I cling to is that God or some natural

cataclysm will intervene and remove the evil slime from this planet. Across the

sea, I am sure there are folks thinking the same. Suffering is universal.

 

It is sad. I am reminded of those who failed to leave Germany in time; and fear

the consequences to those of us who have criticized this developing nightmare.

 

As we spin out of control into devastation, there remains only the future and

what we may create from the ashes.

 

May we learn from our mistakes.

 

Michael

 

 

 

 

On Behalf Of dar

Thursday, March 09, 2006 4:15 PM

9 AltMed

“Good night. And good luck.†(To us

all.)

 

 

'Rather than creating a pristine reservoir of

democracy in the heart of the Middle East,

the Bushites simply metastasized the cancer of Islamic

fascism, which is now spreading out of control.

It's no longer about Iraq, or Iran, or Syria.

Now it's about Islam.

It's the Crusades, in reverse. '

 

Raconteur at Large

Stephen Pizzo

 

March 7, 2006

 

I love writing. And for the past couple of years I

have particularly enjoyed writing this blog.

 

But I think it's time to hang it up.

 

Why now? Because friends, It's all been said. It's

been said and said and said again. What's more to say?

Back in the days when things were less clear I

convinced myself that all this key-pounding served a

social-evangelical justification. But hell, anyone who

doesn't get it now ain't never gonna get it.

 

So who am I writing for every morning? The choir.

Those who already get it. I seriously doubt that

anything I write these days changes a single mind.

 

That's one reason I've decided to knock it off for a

while. I've said everything that I believe needed

saying – and in most cases, more than once. I've

become a broken record.

 

But something else has weighed on my mind lately. A

sense that much of the damage this administration has

done to our country, and indeed, the world, may well

be irreparable – at least by any political process.

Tipping points have been reached. The Bushites have

set in motion monumental forces that will now play

themselves out, controlled solely by forces of chance

and nature. Those who claim that's not so, pointing to

the steering wheel tightly clutched in their hands,

fail notice a key point -- it's no longer connected to

the steering column.

 

The economy – domestic and worldwide -- is now so

saturated by fraud, waste, greed, excess and

self-serving denial only a monumental reckoning can

set things straight. An economic system, like our

physical environment, depends on countless critical

interdependent sub-systems. When those systems are

abused to the point of collapse, the entire system

" adusts, " and there's hell to pay.

 

When an economy “adjusts†on its own to purge abuse

and excess inorder to set things back to a reasonable

balance, there's hell to pay. The only question is how

much hell. If we're lucky balance can be returned by

just the collapse of a sector or two of the economy.

If we are unlucky we get a cascade of collapses lose

the entire enchilada. I've been writing about

business for a quater century, and I have never seen

so much abuse, so many imbalances, such concentrations

of debt and risk. (So, in case you're wondering, I'm

not feeling unlucky.)

 

America's image and standing in the world has been

obliterated And what bad timing. The world is poised

at the edge of one of those pivotal moments in history

when everything we value seem to be at risk. In the

past at times like these, the world would look to

America to use it's diplomatic capital to set matters

right again.

 

But American has no diplomatic capital left. None.

Zippo. Zilch. Not one red cent. It was all squandered

by this administration. Not just squandered, but

squandered with the kind of arrogant relish and

swagger one finds only the fascist mindset.

 

Now no one in the world believes a thing we say. We've

lost their trust, and more:

 

lost, the trust that, while a superpower, America has

no imperial ambitions.

lost, the trust that, while America might angle for

diplomatic advantage like any other nation, at least

America would never mislead the world into war.

lost, the trust that, while other nations may only pay

lip service to the rule of law, America keeps that

light burning brightly.

lost, the trust that, while other nations might flaunt

human rights, at least the US can be counted on to

expose abuses and will always represent the gold

standard for human rights.

 

It's all gone now.

In five short years 200 hundred years of reputation,

political capital, diplomatic leverage and just plain

trust, were flushed down the shitter by this

administration. An administration that shrouds even

it's most innocuous deeds in dark secrecy; that

reflexively lies, even when the truth would serve them

better; that denounces mistreatment of prisoners,

while mistreating prisoners; that trumphets the

sanctity of a free press aboard while lying to,

threatening and bullying journalists at home.

 

It's all gone now – America as the honest, Ameica the

dependable, America the fair and balanced, America the

icon of democracy, the rule of law and freedom.

Gone. All gone, or on the way out.

It will take decades of honest American governance to

repair the damage these morons have done in just five

years of jackbooted governing.

 

Then there's Iraq, which is an irreparable mess. It

was a mess before the Bushites invaded. All this

reckless war accomplished was to stir up vintage Iraqi

crap that had long ago settled to the bottom of that

tribal cesspool. Rather than creating a pristine

reservoir of democracy in the heart of the Middle

East, the Bushites simply metastasized the cancer of

Islamic fascism, which is now spreading out of

control. It's no longer about Iraq, or Iran, or Syria.

Now it's about Islam. It's the Crusades, in reverse.

The entire region is up for grabs. And the grabbing

-- already underway -- will be very, very ugly.

 

I have nothing more to say about any of that. Not

because none of it matters, but because it's too late.

It's all been said -- and done. Nothing I can write

now can save us from the consequences. The fat is in

the proverbial fire. It's consequences time. The point

of no return has been reached. We are now all

passengers on George W. Bush's Consequences Express.

A price will now be exacted. And forget about trying

to cut a deal. It's too late for deals. The price we

will pay for letting all this happen will reflect the

costs incurred, and not bloody cent less.

 

 

I don't much relish the idea of covering that funeral

day in and day out for, who knows how long. Which is

why I am going to ground for a while – scurrying down

my little cozy country hole, armed only with some good

books, a few cases of moderately priced brandy and my

blankie.

 

I need time to think, time to read the thoughts of

writers smarter than I am. Time to reflect. Time to

get some distance and perspective. And yes, time to

let the consequences play out as they must and let the

dust settle.

 

I'll keep the email addresses of those who have

d and, should I have a thought worth sharing

I'll drop you a note.

 

Until then -- “Good night. And good luck.†(To us

all.)