Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Unlimited Chief Executive Authority

“Unlimited Chief Executive Authority” is the very antithesis and opposite of democracy. There can be no justification for it in a democracy, never, no time, no way. A far more honest and accurate term for that is “A Dictatorship”.

Allowing unlimited power to a President - any president - is a serious and grave danger to a democracy. Our current President seeks ever more power at the expense of rights and freedoms we have long taken for granted in our country. There is a pervasive and uneasy feeling of intimidation, and those who criticize the abuses of presidential power and our loss of freedoms are fiercely castigated as ‘unpatriotic’ and far worse.

President Bush has abrogated to himself the right to redefine legality, and assigned to himself the absolute right to ignore laws, civil rights and common human decency, internationally and within our own country. He has shamed us and dragged our country’s name through the mud. He is aided and abetted by a compliant majority who apparently sincerely believe they are acting in the interests of “national security”. Many influential people publicly support the loss of our civil rights and freedoms as ‘necessary in time of war’. How quickly we have succumbed to what surely seems to be more like a Fascist mentality than anything else.

Americans are told that extraordinary measures are needed in war time. But, we must not forget who insisted upon the ‘preemptive’ Iraqi war, and the belligerent flag-wrapped far right-wingers who vociferously supported that war from the very beginning. In fact, there is evidence to suggest an Iraqi war was strongly advocated - even planned - before President Bush took office. The US was right to take the battle to Afghanistan and our real enemies - but Bush largely abandoned that fight to attack Iraq instead. No matter how odious the Saddam regime was, Iraq posed little threat to our country and had no part in the 9/11 attacks.

The Neo-Cons hold no mandate for their power grab, and can only do as much as our own citizens will allow them to do through our fear, and their intimidation and manipulation. Our country is vulnerable and in very real danger of losing our democracy under the excuse of ‘national security’ today. Many, even in the President’s own party seem to now be waking up to reality however. Perhaps we haven’t quite descended into a complete dictatorship yet.

Monday, December 19, 2005

The Ends NEVER Justify the Means

The philosophy that “the ends justify the means’ is antithetical in a democracy. Conversely, a defining principle of Fascists is their faith in this credo. But, the first casualty of this doctrine is the abandonment of truth, ethics and respect for law and civil rights in favor of expediency. Once begun, this invariably snowballs into the limitless improprieties we now witness in the current Bush Administration.

President Bush says his ‘authorization’ for illegal wiretapping of American citizens is "a vital tool in our war against terrorists and critical to saving American lives". This administration supports human torture, imprisonment without trial or legal representation, shadowy, sneaky and illegal ‘rendition’ and massively egregious other human rights abuses. Bush excuses this as ‘vital to national security’, and demonizes any who disagree. Fear is the vehicle, with the mantra of “9/11, 9/11, 9/11” used over and over again and again and again.

Never mind the breaking of US and international laws, not to mention commonly accepted basic mores of humanity . And how about that “Patriot Act” which attacks the very foundations of our treasured personal freedoms - all in the name of ‘National Security’?

To put the most benevolent face on it, the Bush Administration has notoriously ‘misled’ the public in the face of completely contradictory evidence. Well known (and admitted) examples:

“(intelligence) leaves no doubt that . . . Iraq . . . continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.” GW Bush

"There's a grave threat in Iraq. There just is." GW Bush

President Bush used fear to stampede our country into a ‘pre-emptive’ war costing many thousands of lives - and untold billions, with no end in sight. The overwhelming tragedy is this illegal war has actually helped terrorists and increased their threat. But, we are there now and the challenge is to extricate ourselves in the least damaging way while still maintaining security for our nation.

Cadres of ‘embedded’ journalists parrot the administration line, and journalists are paid millions to write misleading, untrue propaganda articles for publication. A largely co-opted US media in the hands of a few people, gutlessly fails to perform its vital duty to keep the public fairly informed.

This administration and their supporters savagely attacks victims, persons or groups who dare to point out the truth;

This administration blandly makes wholesale ‘black is white’ assertions which are absolutely contrary to truth:

The “Clean Air Act” (which is anything but);
“There is no proof of global warming”;
The “Healthy Forests Initiative” (actually boosts fire danger and receives no funding);
Denies complicity in supporting a coup against a democratically elected government in Venezuela;
"This new law preserves and strengthens the current Medicare program.” (in fact the opposite, by privatizing much of the plan)
“I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.” GW Bush (09/01/05)
And the list goes on (and on, and on, and on).

We deserve the government we tolerate.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Be Careful Who You Love

Did you know that as a US citizen there’s an organization ‘working on your behalf, in your name’, and in the name of “National Security”, which is totally secretive and unaccountable for it's actions?

Did you know that this organization has a virtually unlimited budget paid by you, the American taxpayer?

Did you know that this organization is responsible for the imprisonment, torture and murder of many people - but no one knows how many, because of the secrecy surrounding their operations?

Did you know that this organization has supported military campaigns, sponsored terrorism and started wars in other countries based on the organization’s leaders’ own, personal determination of what is or is not ‘good’ for the US?

Did you know this organization has sponsored the assassination of foreign leaders, not just one but many?

Did you know that this organization has worked with and hired Mafia ‘hit men’ and groups to do their dirty work?

Did you know that this organization is virtually autonomous and is only vaguely guided by the policies of whichever party is in charge of the US administration. (This organization’s actions and ‘policies’ are however, definitely largely in tune with our current Neo-Con administration).

Did you know that the overall policies of this organization are determined by only a handful of virtually unaccountable people, and depend on their determinations of what is or is not suitable? In other words, they do as they wish with impunity, depending upon their whims and vagaries of the moment.

Did you know that this organization has for many years - decades - mounted totally illegal operations ranging from drug-running, gun running, clandestine shadow companies, airlines, illegal prisons and far worse?

Did you know that this organization has aligned itself with virtually every right wing dictatorship and despot on the planet at one time or another?

Did you know that this organization operates with zero ethical considerations, totally at odds with most American values?

Did you know that the actions of this organization have resulted in many totally innocent and uninvolved persons being imprisoned indefinitely, ‘disappeared’ and even murdered? (No one knows for sure, nor how many).

Did you know that persons of conscience within this organization have been routinely and severely punished for being ‘whistle-blowers’, but no one knows the the numbers of people involved nor the extent of those punishments?

Did you know that this organization has been involved in virtually every scandal, embarrassment and illegal activity the US has ever been accused of since the inception of this organization?

This organization is a malignant cancer on our country, thriving on the blood of their perceived and self-described enemies. We Americans speak of it in hushed voices, afraid of their power and of the consequences if we speak out.

Can you have any doubt this organization is the US’s CIA?

We as Americans are responsible for allowing the CIA to be inflicted upon ourselves and the rest of the world Only we Americans can root out this malignancy before it destroys us. If we do not, it will enslave us along with the rest of the world.