I am contemplating the current set of American Values. From what I have seen of current history, they would appear to be:

Strike First and Strike Hard.
Lie, Lie, Lie.
Cruel and Unusual Punishment is OK.
Kick a man when he is down.
Win at any cost.
The Ends justify the Means .*
Compromise is for sissies.
No need to support your neighbors in need.
Spurn your friends who disagree with you.
Don’t prepare for the future. Be a Grasshopper, not an ant.
We will Protect you, at any cost, whether you like it or not.
If you’re not with me, not only are you against me, you are for my enemies!
Everyone is my enemy.
The Individual is supreme (except when that individual interferes with corporate or governmental priorities.)

These are not the American Values I grew up with, not the Values I learned in my youth. Did I grow up in some warped, white-bread America where fair-play, level playing-fields, and the Bill of Rights were the guiding lights of American Values? Where self-reliance and self-determination were bulwarks of personal responsibility, but not the sole supports? Where compromise to reach common goals made society work and easy to get along with?

*I always have a problem with “The Ends justify the Means” value statement. Just what or when is the Ends? Is it when Mankind is extinct? Is it when Earth gets swallowed up by the Sun? Is it the Heat Death of the Universe? Is it “The Rapture”? Just when is the End?

There are other recurring American Values that still seem to survive, like:

Feed at the Public Trough
Share the wealth with your supporters.
We’re #1! We’re #1! We’re#1!

Actually, those values seem to be universal and not just American. Americans just do it better!

I’m sure it was mentioned at the time, but, in my own oblivious way, I completely missed it. I didn’t realize that George Bush was a Nick Cave fan!

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS LYRICS – Bring It On

So bring it on, bring it on
Bring it on
Every little thing
Bring it on
Every tiny fear
Bring it on
Every shattered dream
And I’ll scatter them into the sea

I heard this come around on my iRiver last night and I smiled.

Uh-oh. I checked around a bit and found out Bush said “Bring them on”, not “Bring it on”. Nevermind.

I was just browsing around the CIA Factbook and came up with some interesting numbers. lets see how this comes out:

The Population Numbers are July 2005 estimates. X Cameral refers to how many legislative bodies there are. And I used the number of seats in the lower house for the overall representative number. and the final column notes how many citizens each representative represents, in thousands.

Interesting to note that Russia, that hotbed of democracy, has fewer citizens per representive than the US. Indeed, all but India have a more representative democracy than the US. And with India pushing 2 million citizens per representative, I don’t know if they will last much longer, as a democracy.

I threw the European Union in just to see what their numbers look like. The CIA reports that the Euro Parliament doesn’t make the major decisions; that’s for the Council and it is something different.

Once again, I call to make the US a more representative democracy, and bring us the the point where we have at least 1 representative for every 100,000 citizens.

Comics and Editorial Cartoons: Ben Sargent on Yahoo! News

Ben Sargent makes a telling point.

Dear Senator Allard,

I understand that you were one of nine senators that voted against an amendment to a Defense Appropriation bill (HR2863). This amendment (1977) was submitted by Senator McCain and called for the humane treatment of prisoners by our Defense Forces.

Frankly, Senator, I am ashamed that you would vote against the humane treatment of prisoners.

It is the duty of Congress to provide guidelines on the “Rules of War” to our military. It is not only the duty of Congress to declare war, but it is the duty of Congress to provide oversight on how the executive branch is managing our defense forces, especially in times of hostility. Since Congress has not declared war recently, I am hesitant to call the activities in Iraq and Afghanistan ‘war’, although it sure looks like it from here.

I understand that some of the President’s staff have opposed this amendment because it might restrict the President’s pursuit of war. The President’s pursuit of war should be restricted, especially if that pursuit leads to the inhumane treatment of prisoners. Congress should take the Executive Branch to task for their continuing mistreatment of prisoners during our current overseas military adventures.

You represent the State of Colorado in the US Senate, and, by extension, me, as a citizen of the State of Colorado. I believe you have failed in your duties. I have not run into a fellow Colorado citizen that supports the inhumane treatment of prisoners by our military. Most have been thoroughly disgusted by the pictures and reports that have come out of Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities.

This is not a Republican issue nor a Democrat issue. This is an American Issue and you have not only failed your state but your country.

Sincerely,