The New Opposition: Republicans Take Minority Role in Two-Party System

Alex W    

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The Republicans are suddenly worried about spending our grandchildren into inherited poverty, but why the sudden change of rhetoric? Are they getting back to their small government roots, or are they just in a position to complain now that they’re in the minority? The Republicans have taken the role of the opposition minority party and so far, it seems like they’re much better at it than the Democrats.

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Outsourcing War: American Mercenary Forces Exploit Remnants of Old Dictatorship

Alex W • Operation Itch Contributing Writer 
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A subject that has always interested me is the continuing effects on society of having lived through a dictatorship or totalitarian rule. This is an important topic for the United States, because we live in a society that has supported dictatorships for many years, and as nations are emerging from the turmoil inflicted upon them by the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. during the Cold War, we’re starting to see the long-term effects. We need to pay attention, and avoid continuing to cause these problems for future generations.

One obviously can point out that today we reap what we sewed; World War II fractured the Middle East, because of its oil, the U.S.S.R. tried to take advantage of it, we armed the militant fundamentalists to fight them, and then we tried to gain control of the oil for ourselves. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably heard the arguments.

What I’d like to focus on now is the condition in South America, where the U.S. took similar action against the spread of, in most cases, democratically-elected governments which we considered a little too pinkish. The military dictatorships we helped financially and in some cases militarily tortured and killed thousands in the name of fighting terrorism. An entire generation in several nations were in very real danger. The crimes punishable by death in clandestine torture chambers varied from being a militant revolutionary, being a communist or socialist, or simply going to college or helping the poor.

I’ll save my comparison of the long-term effects this has had on society and the adamant human rights organizations that came out of this to what may happen in the future due to the new U.S. torture and detainment policies for a later date, but you can expect an article on it. For now I want to address the issue of the stagnant throwbacks which remain sympathetic to an overthrown dictatorship.

Holy Wars and International Lawlessness

Alex W • Operation Itch Contributing Writer 

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From Alex: A video containing my opinions on the relationship between current developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict and the international political climate and the long-lasting negative effects of the rhetoric and false logic used to justify American aggression and war crimes. Visual material is from a variety of different sources; these are current events portrayed in a manner I believe to be consistent with fair use. Update: Barack Obama, immediately following his inauguration, has started to reverse some of the illegal policies of the previous administration, but has not taken a stand against the use of white phosphorus or uranium “bunker busters” in civilian areas.

American in Exile Part II

 

Alex W • Operation Itch Contributing Writer
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note:  This is the second part in the story of the events leading to my exile from the United States of America. Read part 1

 

In the last segment, I described as briefly as possible the inherent difficulty in working for an extremely low wage, maintaining a long-distance relationship, and saving up to move to another country at the same time.

My fiancee and I began doing the paperwork necessary for me to move to Buenos Aires and to live and work legally in Argentina. While I started working on getting my passport, she called the immigration office to find out what procedure we had to go through for me to become a permanent resident after we married. All I needed, she was informed, were my passport, birth certificate, a clean criminal record, and, of course, a little money for the paperwork (the equivalent of about $100).

I had never lived outside of Kansas, so the proper organization to turn to for my certified criminal record search was the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). Luckily, I was able to get a copy of my birth certificate from my parents, who I don’t have the best relationship with and asking for favors is kind of a slow process, but it wasn’t too much trouble. I sent the paperwork for the criminal record search (along with the $30 money order) and turned my attention toward getting my passport.

Feliz Navidad from South America: Snowflakes In Hell

Alex W • Operation Itch Writer
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Now, if you passed geography in junior high school, you are probably aware, if you think about it, that it’s coming up on summer here in South America, and it’s been a hot one so far. But with Christmas coming up, I’m eating junk food out of a package with a picture of Tigger and Winnie the Pooh wearing scarves and throwing snowballs at eachother. But it’s not imported, it’s a product made right here in Argentina.

Christmas is a funny holiday. I never really thought so much about why, but my family always celebrated Christmas despite the fact that they are not religious. I’m an agnostic (or shall we say a non-practicing atheist?) but I still celebrate Christmas. It’s a holiday, holidays are nice, and if you’re not religious, you don’t get very many holidays, so forgive me, religious folks, if I just take one of yours without asking. I mean, you guys just invented Christmas so you wouldn’t look so weird to the Pagans, anyway. (“What’s wrong with these people? They don’t celebrate the harvest OR the solstice! By Thor, what a bunch of weirdos.”)

Will Barack Obama Strike the Last Nail in the Coffin of the American Labor Union?

Alex W • Operation Itch Contributing Writer
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The executive branch went forward with the automaker bailout without Congress’s approval. The Republicans in Congress demanded that union wages, benefits, and pensions be reduced in exchange for bailout money, and the United Auto Workers refused to cooperate.

The executive branch gave the same requirements, but instead of being a prerequisite, it’s a vague requirement they have to meet by the end of March. They have to prove to the Obama administration that they have made the necessary changes to return in time to profitability, and if he uses George W. Bush’s criteria, the necessary changes are reducing union wages, benefits, and pensions to match the foreign automakers with U.S. factories. Barack Obama has left it unclear what he plans to do, stating that he agrees with and respects the president’s decision, but also saying that the brunt should not be exclusively on the workers.

Indecent Proposal: A $1 Salary and some Good Old-Fashioned Union Busting

Alex W • Operation Itch Contributor   
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The big three automakers have been telling a rather convoluted sob story for the past few weeks, spending an unknown amount of money on a campaign to convince the people and policymakers of the U.S. that they desperately need money or they will collapse, bringing down the economy and creating a ripple effect destroying the livelihood of countless people. Now that the UAW and Republicans in Congress have successfully broken the deal, perhaps their money would have been better spent elsewhere.

At the same time, they’ve been trying to convince their shareholders that they will bounce back, with or without the federal bailout, and that they’re going to return to profitability and that they are a sound investment.

Note that GM CEO Rick Wagoner says he’s looking forward to reading all comments to this YouTube video. Comments, however, are disabled.

American in Exile, A Tale of Bureaucracy in an Unknown Number of Chapters

Alex Wickersham • Operation Itch Contributor
I believe it is a basic human right to fall in love with whoever you want.

Immigration law in the United States favors the wealthy. The idea of paying your own way and being able to marry the person you want from any country you want as long as it doesn’t represent a cost to the taxpayer has been taken to the logical extreme, to the point where, like in so many things, only the wealthy are truly free.

This is a long story, and is far from being over, so I’m not going to try to tell it all in one sitting. I’ll be writing about other things as well, but I will provide regular additions to this story for those of you who are interested.

This is the story of why I can’t go home again, and may never be able to. It’s not that I’m dying to live in the United States again or anything, but when the situation is forced, you never know what you would choose if you could. Argentina is an extremely difficult place to live, and the idea ever since I moved here was to move back with my wife as soon as possible, because as bad as things may be in the U.S. right now, it is easier to get a job, get a paycheck, and use that paycheck to eat and pay your rent than it is here.