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Oh George –
You Can’t Be Serious! By W. David Jenkins III "Democracies have certain things in common. They have a rule of law, and
protection of minorities, a free press, and a viable political opposition." – George W. Bush Y’know, you've
really got to give George credit. There he was standing next to his ol’ pal, “Pootie Poot,” at a press conference
during his recent fence-mending trip to I, on the other hand, sprayed a mouthful of coffee all over my TV screen. I really hate
it when that happens. Now, I
always thought we lived in a democracy, at least that’s what I was always taught in school, but after listening to Bush’s
description of democracy that day I may have to reconsider things. Although George is big on platitudes when describing “American
values,” he seems to be completely oblivious to fact that he and his administration have made great inroads towards
the destruction of those very things he was rubbing Putin’s face in. I can’t imagine
what was going through Rule of Law? C’mon,
George, give it a rest. You’ve pretty much broken every one of the Ten Commandments you keep going on about. Your administration has zero respect for any rule of law. The invasion of This administration
has shown more contempt and fear of the rule of law than it has shown any respect
for it at all — and the rule of law is one of the basic building blocks upon which the Constitution stands. From stone-walling
the 9/11 investigation to withholding documentation of Cheney’s Energy Commission participants, the Bush administration
has flaunted its disregard of the rule of law as something that shouldn’t apply to them. Its attitude is shamefully
in full view when it comes to the horror and bloodshed taking place this very second in Why? Because these prosecutions would take place in the International Criminal Court and
the Bushies don’t want to legitimize that court. Why? Because the Bushies are afraid that, because of their actions, they might be dragged in front of that court. Of course, they state that they’re concerned about “Americans
being prosecuted,” but let’s get real. The only “Americans” they’re trying to protect are themselves.
Rule of law, indeed! And what’s
all this about the protection of minorities? Didn’t anybody ever tell George that the only reason he is where he is
was due to the suppression of the minority vote? Remember the purged voters these last two elections, George? Or the lack
of adequate voting machines in predominantly minority districts? How about your pledge to change the Constitution to discriminate against a certain minority
group in order to “save” the marriages of your gullible flock? The one that really got
me was the reference to And just
how “free” can the press be when the corporations that own them have other interests? Let’s take, for instance, MSNBC. One of the corporations owning that particular cable
news channel is General Electric. GE expects to have approximately $3 billion of contract work in This was one of the reasons
that the corporate heads got rid of Phil Donahue a few years back. “Donahue” was MSNBC’s highest-rated show
at the time and, despite the micro-managing by the stuffed suits, the ratings continued to show a steady improvement. But
with the drums of war echoing in their ears and the shills and Kool-Aid drinkers at Fox News beating them in the ratings,
MSNBC caved completely and dumped Donahue — using the laughable reason of “low ratings.” Then, in a complete
and transparent about-face, they went out and hired the certifiably insane Mike Savage (until his rotten mouth cost him his
job) and Joe “what-dead-intern-in-my-office” MSNBC
isn’t the only culprit. The alleged
“free press” (aka liberal media) is rife with right-wing apologists
like Blitzer, Woodruff and that gawd-awful Howie Kurtz from CNN. Then there’s Sinclair’s grip on ABC and their
owner Disney, who got all shaky legged when it came time to distribute Fahrenheit 9/11 last year – thus depriving shareholders of some big-time profits. There was also the
problem of honoring the war dead on “Nightline” because the Sinclair gang felt it was propaganda. Then, of course, there’s CBS selling its own down the river over “RatherGate”
while ignoring the fact that the information on those notorious documents has been shown to be accurate by those who were
familiar with Bush’s AWOL. Then you have CNBC giving neo-newcomer Dennis Miller a job because nobody was paying any
attention to him before anyway. I could go on flaying the bones of these dead horses, but I'll leave sadism for those who
are really good at it. I
guess, in some ways, one could say that we have a free press. It’s free from any accuracy, journalistic integrity and
investigative talent. Even Bob Woodward had to admit recently that if Watergate had happened today, Nixon would have gotten
away with it. Now, about this “viable political opposition” nonsense – George is really
stretching things. Granted, the lack of opposition is not all George’s fault. Let’s face it: the majority of the
so-called opposition has been playing “footsie” with Bush and the Republicans for over four years now and any
time one dares speak up, the GOP hangs ‘em out to dry and lets the free press beat on ‘em for a week or so. Of course, it doesn’t help matters when you have a snake like Tom DeLay redrawing
voting districts in Texas (one district looks like a 300 mile bar-bell) and you have conservative leaders talking about going
“nuclear” on the opposition so they can get even more radical right-wing judges appointed. The opposition Bush
espoused to Putin that day has pretty much spent the last four years (in his own back yard) being squashed like a bug any
time one of 'em slips out from under his faux cowboy boot.. So, in light of the fact that If that’s the case, I better start keeping a towel or something near my TV set. There’s
no telling what nonsense will come out of his mouth next. --posted 03.07.05
The New Boxer
Rebellion: Democrats, Take a Lesson! “I have to say that I have never, ever, lost respect for the truth in the service
of anything. I really hope that you will refrain from impugning my integrity.” – Condoleezza Rice to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer,
I have to admit, the first thing out of my mouth when I heard the good doctor utter this amazing response during that
session to Senator Boxer was, “What on Earth are you talking about? What integrity?”
Here’s the original Miss “Mushroom Cloud” getting all ticked off and miffed because some woman from
Barbara Boxer was called “mean-spirited” among other things by the opposition as well as the lazy, alleged
“liberal” media after Rice’s confirmation hearings. Conservatives moaned and whined that Boxer was being
partisan and was trying to tarnish the image of such a fine upstanding American such as Dr. Rice. Once again, the Democrats
were being blamed for feeding the atmosphere of bitter divisiveness that grips the inner sanctums of the Capitol. These pompous
fat little Republican kings, who control all three branches of government by the way, are still trying to play the “victim
card” as they always do when they feel threatened. And that is pretty much the point. People like Senator Boxer are
a threat to their grip on the American troth feeders – the believers in their new
Senator Boxer’s confrontation with Condi Rice is now considered “old news” and conservatives are
again wrapped up in their security blankies because nothing that mean old liberal Senator could say was enough to keep Rice
from being confirmed as Secretary of State. The Bush administration’s practice of rewarding incompetence was still firmly
intact and all would be well with their little place in the world — until the next time somebody dares to speak up.
And that’s what it’s all about.
When Boxer stood with Stephanie Tubbs Jones back in January in protest to the acceptance of
Millions worldwide will never accept George W. Bush’s reign in the same way as all of his predecessors' were,
as history will eventually show. And that is why it was important and justified
for Senator Boxer and the CBC to speak up.
Condi Rice as the head of National Security proved to be as faithful to Bush as she was irresponsible to
In fact, Barbara Boxer was doing what every member of the opposition should be doing. She was speaking up on behalf
of the people she represents — not just with words, as Joe Biden did, but with that most important action, her vote.
As I have stated many times before, this is no a longer a game where
some might vote against their conscience in order to maneuver for possible future favors by the Republicans. As Joe Lieberman
found out in 2002 and others realized after, there will be no “favors” from this Republican Party. In fact, this
administration and the Congressional leadership have leaned so far to the right that even moderates of their own party have
been shoved outside the circle. The only thing that will make any difference or leave any impression is for these reckless
ideologues to be challenged over and over again. It’s the only thing that these people are not used to and it shakes
‘em up.
Just look at the reaction to the election of Howard Dean to lead the DNC. As if on cue, the lazy media started running
the cleverly altered “Dean Scream” tape, and all the pundits rose up in choruses of “liberal whacko”
and how the Democrats have committed suicide. One hairspray addict on MSNBC remarked that Dean would “never live that
scream down.” Well, of course not, you compliant idiot. Can we see that tape loop one more time, puh-leeze?
The fact is, like Boxer, Dean makes conservatives and their media monkeys more than a little nervous. In fact, Dean
and Boxer make the stuffy old status quo members of their own party nervous. Why?
Because these two are not afraid to call ‘em like they see ‘em. They haven’t fallen victim to the Orwellian
practice of telling themselves that up is down and war is peace that this administration has managed to implant into their
followers and many of their critics. A while back, Dean caught a lot of flack for stating that
the “capture” of Hussein hadn’t made But what I feel is the most compelling reasoning
behind the unsettling effect these two public servants have on their peers and their critics is that they actually excite
their supporters. The alleged Party of the Left has spent far too long trying
to play fair with this administration, acting like satirical little Rodney Kings wondering why we "can't just all get along."
And even after the opposition broke the rules and broke the laws, the Democratic leadership only wondered why they couldn’t
seem to get the Dean is solely responsible for the fire that Democrats
rediscovered two years ago, only to have the DNC leadership throw cold water on their hopes. Together, Howard Dean and Barbara Boxer are the
DNC’s “newsflash” and all they need to do is shut up and pay attention to the message – and learn. Since November of last year, there has been this
pathetic hand-wringing by the left over how to appeal to those who don’t presently support them. Some want to move more
to the center while some want to de-emphasize the traditional core principles that make up this party. This would be a drastic
mistake because it ignores something so obvious and so simple: Leadership like Dean’s and Boxer’s will help the
Democrats – not hurt. The fact is there are more than eighty million
people who were eligible but did not participate in what was the most important election of our age. That number is a disgrace
because it points to the despair still consuming far too many Americans. These are the people that need to be brought into
the fold. These are the people we must reach out to and instill a sense of pride and participation. Howard Dean was successful
in bringing fire and pride back to his party and there are uncounted (literally) numbers of new members to his credit. I don’t think Democrats ever got over the despicable
and disrespectful slap in democracy’s face that Bush gave The left is blessed to have leadership as distinguished
and passionate and honorable as Howard Dean, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, Dennis Kucinich and Peter Stark. They have shown
themselves to be able to stand alone against Bush Inc.’s inversion of real American values and still survive. While
other members of their party fret over conservative’s calling them mean old names like “obstructionist,”
these leaders and others like them have demonstrated the desire — the need — to stand up to what they know is
wrong and what is harmful to the people and the country they love and serve. They have cleaned the ashes and filth of 2000
from themselves and persist in calling out the members of this administration out whenever necessary, armed with nothing but
the truth and their convictions. The timid, accommodating members of the DNC
should buck up and do the same. There were almost sixty million Americans willing
to stand behind the alleged left last November. There are more than eighty million who still need to hear the voices that
speak to them. They need to hear the voices that speak what they feel in their hearts and in their guts – not voices
who speak what they think people want to hear. There’s a new rebellion emerging slowly and
not so quietly. Republicans had better take notice — and the business as usual Democrats better take notes. They have
nothing left to lose and everything to gain. --posted 02.20.05
Looking Past The Ink
We’ve all seen and heard the praise and adulation for
the Iraqi people after what happened on the last Sunday of
January. The media fell all over themselves in amazement as
they reported the bravery displayed by a long persecuted
population who were voting for a change in their lives and
their country. They thumbed their noses at those who would
threaten them and raised an inked finger for the world’s TV
cameras in a heroic display of strength and defiance. They
want freedom and they want it bad. I don’t think there’s
a one of us who can identify with what these people have
been through since we invaded their country with a shock and
awe they couldn’t possibly have dreamed of. They have been
forced to trade one version of fear and dread for another.
They have gone from loathing the power of one bad guy to
loathing the power of many bad guys as well as the actions
of their “liberators.” And they want it to stop – now.
That’s what they were saying that Sunday. Who can blame
them? The memorable and admirable action taken by these
people was looked upon by the world community and its
leaders as inspiring. Those purple fingers raised skyward
were an announcement to everyone that the Iraqi people had
had enough and they were ready to risk their lives to make
that announcement.
What happened that day was a testament
to the determination of not only the Iraqis, but of the
brave men and women of our military who did the best they
could in order to insure this day would be a success of
sorts. It was not a vindication of the disastrous
policies of George W. Bush and his flunkies! But no one
could tell them that. Right off the bat, the Bush/Rove
propaganda machine went into overdrive that Sunday. “72%
voted!” they howled. Then they had to lower the number to
60%. Then it was 60% of registered voters, which was about
10-20% of eligible voters. This turned into 8 million voters
out of 25 million people with 1.5 million votes coming from
outside the country. Sounds like a Bush kind of “mandate” to
me – how ‘bout you? Although this was written before
Bush’s State of the Union gloat, I am confident that the
actions of January 30 will be exploited to the furthest
degree. Bush already feels that the second most questionable
election in this country’s history absolved everyone in his
circle from responsibility for their reckless and unlawful
actions during the first four years of his accidental
presidency. I’m sure he will take the bravery of the
ink-fingered Iraqis as a vindication for his biggest mistake
– his biggest and bloodiest lie. Bush is notorious for
taking credit not due him, but what else is new? And like
the “capture of Hussein” that was supposed to be another in
a series of fixer-uppers – the past four years have taught
me to wait for the other shoe to drop. As far as reality
in terms of Bush’s lie and its consequences is concerned,
January 30 changed nothing. A lie is still a lie. A
failed policy is still a failed policy. No plan is still no
plan. Bush did not go into Iraq to have this election. He
went into Iraq to get those WMDs and to make sure that
Hussein and al Qaeda stopped working together. That is why
he invaded and that is why this election does not “absolve”
him from anything. In fact, this election was little more
than a “collateral blessing” resulting from the new hell he
has created in Iraq . Yet Bush conservatives will insist
that the world is safer with Hussein captured and that the
election proves Bush was right in invading and things will
be better in Iraq now. The world is a safer place now. We’re
already hearing this nonsense perpetuated by the “liberal”
media and the crooks in the White House. Uh-huh . . .
sure, whatever. This is the Bush conservative
strong-hold. The world is safer with Saddam in jail. Well,
sure . . . the world is safer from Saddam, but not “safer.”
Just ask the multiple intelligence agencies reporting that
Iraq has become a breeding ground and a posterchild for
terrorists pouring into Iraq . And, sure, the Iraqi people
don’t have to fear Saddam anymore but, as I stated, they
have a whole new set of problems now – just as lethal. More
than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed, maimed or orphaned
since we showed up almost two years ago. I wonder if
Hussein’s casualty rate was the same in 2002 or 2001. And
what about the election? What will be the actual outcome?
We already know that Sunni participation was pretty much
non-existent due to fear or voluntary boycott. Most of the
votes came from the Shiite population and the Kurds.
Whatever the results, Iraq has arrived at a place in its
history where diplomacy is going to be needed almost as much
as security. And we also know from past experience that the
Bush administration suffers from a terminal case of
diplomatic retardation. Especially now that Condi “mushroom
cloud” Rice is Secretary of State. One of the major
complexities that will arise post- election is the Kurdish
insistence for autonomy. The Bush administration has for the
most part ignored this little “problem” (Bremer refused to
meet with Kurdish leaders armed with a petition about this a
year ago) but the situation is not going to simply
disappear. The desire of the Kurdish people is a threat to
Iran , Syria , and especially Turkey and promises to throw a
wrench into a “unified” Iraq . If Bush doesn’t take note of
what happened in Yugoslavia a few years back, he risks
stability in a region whose stability is little more than a
dream. Of course, the other problem is the new-found
power of the Shiite population and the volatile effects that
power could have on the Sunnis. With the formerly oppressed
now wielding power over their earlier oppressors, it will
take the diplomatic efforts of a third party (namely us) to
promote fairness and inclusion in order to promote and
preserve minority rights in order to secure any semblance of
a democracy in Iraq. Not to mention that a Shiite majority
might lean towards more of a theocratic form of governing
than the Bush gang might like. These predicaments barely
touch on the complexity of the diplomatic challenges that
now lay ahead for those who will be responsible for laying
the groundwork for cooperation between multiple tribes who
don’t exactly have a history of getting along with each
other. Worse still, the factions of jihadists who couldn’t
care less about Iraq — and, instead, have chosen that land
to challenge us simply because we are there — doesn’t make
the next few years look any more promising. In fact, it’s
just one more thing that has been brought about by the
irresponsible actions of the man who will gloat about
“freedom” during his State of the Union address. The
election scenes we all saw coming out of Iraq on that Sunday
were memorable and something that every American or anybody
else could take pride in. But it was in no way a
“vindication” for an illegal invasion. Iraq will pose a new
problem now to be faced by an administration that has tended
to “cut and run” when things get complicated. Bombs and
bombast will not carry out the will of those brave Iraqi
voters. I fear that post-election Iraq will experience the
same fate as Afghanistan and become another unfinished mess
created by this irresponsible administration. Heck, the Bush
gang is already gearing up for Iran . This administration
has a big issue when it comes to Attention Deficit Disorder
Syndrome and Iraq may very well be its next unfortunate
victim. If this president’s history in dealing with
complicated situations is any indication of things to come,
then I fear that the Iraqi voters' pride of ink on their
fingers will soon be replaced by egg on their faces – and
more blood on their doorsteps. Maybe then the Iraqis will
learn, as have many of us, that a vote is no guarantee that
the will of the people will be recognized. --posted 02.08.05
"God told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then He
instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am
determined to solve the problem in the Middle East” — George W. Bush
to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, July 2003
Reach Out To Red States? Sorry, Not A Chance
Okay, look here. Enough is enough. If I hear one more pundit, left or right, say that the Democrats need to start recognizing how the country is becoming more conservative or how we’re only hurting ourselves if we don’t stop hurting the red states’ feelings, I swear I’m simply going to explode. You people are kidding, right?
Sorry, but the day I take Tucker the you-know-what Carlson’s advice will be the day that Karl Rove admits they rigged the last election. Be nice to the red states indeed!
Give me one good reason not to be disgusted with the new American Red Menace. Nah, I didn’t think there were any either.
There is, however, one thing we do need to remember despite our anger. Not every person in those red states deserves contempt because there are many “blues” in Texas and other Edens of Ignorance who are feeling pretty crappy about things right now. In fact, most of my mail comes from people who feel awful about being stuck in one of those red states with all the downsides that come with it.
Red State does not necessarily mean a geographical area in my book. What I’m talking about is more the Red State of Mind or RSM as I call it.
RSM is the new plague afflicting America and it seems to be spreading. However, I don’t believe it’s as widespread as some would have us believe – not with voting machines counting backwards and Bush getting over 4,000 votes in precincts where there are only 800 voters. But with all of the mainstream media ignoring that little voting “glitch” (with the grateful exception of Keith Olbermann) we're asked to believe that we who are to the left of Benito Mussolini or Dick Cheney must somehow cater to those who are afflicted with RSM. We’re told that the future of the Democratic Party is dependent on this new attitude we all need to adhere to. Unity in America demands it!
Uh-huh, sure. That makes about as much sense as a milk bucket under a bull.
Yet, we keep hearing about how the Democrats want to “get religion” or how it is necessary to try to identify with and draw these RSMers into our fold. We keep hearing about how we need to find a way to appeal somehow to these people– how they’re the wave of the future and they need to be understood. Well, I don’t know about you but it seems like a fairly simple solution to me if Democrats want to cater to these folks. It’s no big mystery really. All we need to do is turn our backs on just about everybody and just start hating about ninety percent of our base. That would pretty much do it.
Why on earth would the Democratic leadership even consider selling out our core principles just to gain votes that they’re never going to get? My greatest grievance regarding the Kerry campaign is that, once again, the left was afraid to appeal to its base for fear of alienating the undecideds and the right-wing base who couldn’t stand them in the first place and wouldn’t vote for ‘em if you put a gun to their head.
And then there were those awful appeals to the undecideds which found our guy out there goose hunting and engaging in other ridiculous photo-ops. Oh, knock it off already! Anybody who was “undecided” in this election cycle after the disaster of Bush’s first four screwed up years was beyond help. Forget ‘em. Anybody that uninformed has no right to be voting in the first place. Okay, well maybe they have the right, but they’re surely not doing the country any favors by exercising it so irresponsibly.
This brings me back to the RSMs. Let’s try to remember just who these people are and why we should just write them off.
These folks are the same people who feel that blowing up Iraqi babies is better, morally speaking, than Tom and Brad getting married and moving in next door. These are people who would rather throw away infertile embryonic stem cells after they go bad rather than use them to find cures for diseases – even though they’ll be the first to stand in line with the rest of us when those cures are found – no thanks to them.
These are people who can find a way to rationalize the actions of the Republicans in Congress using their first day back on the job to insure that Tom DeLay gets to keep his job even if he’s indicted for corruption. They see nothing wrong with Republicans changing a rule that they implemented in 1993 when they were blasting Dan Rostenkowski and trying to show how much more ethical they were. But now that it’s one of their own, well it’s just a partisan witch hunt and they need to change the rule.
These are people who are obviously willing to slit their own throats economically because the guy who scared the crap out of them has “moral values.” These people are gloating over how much stronger we are with Bush in the White House even though all he did was play on their fears which were grown and nourished by their own willful ignorance – compliments of Darth Cheney and a chicken-livered media.
The people who the Democratic pundits want us to appeal to are nothing more than ill-informed scaredy-cats and I want to know why we should give them any credence whatsoever? They are a flipping lost cause and the last thing we need is them thinking they matter and pardon me, but if it wasn’t for Wally O’Dell making good on his promise, I don’t think we’d even be having this discussion. C’mon, gang; let’s get things in perspective here.
Based upon stories coming out of Ohio, Florida and other battleground states regarding hostile and anti-democratic practices of certain precincts, this conservative takeover – this swing to the right we keep hearing about – is based on the same kind of sloppy logic as the WMDs in Iraq. In short, the new conservative America is a myth. But the media will continue to perpetuate this malarkey much as they did the empty intelligence which led this country into the biggest mistake since Viet Nam. Makes you wonder how long it will take them to realize, as they did with Iraq, that they screwed up again and issue another string of meaningless mea culpa?
Real Time’s Bill Mahar made a statement a few weeks back regarding the plight of the Left. He said, basically, that we don’t need to sell out to the Red State of Mind, as many Democratic leaders would have us believe. What we need to do, and what we should have done long ago, is create more Democrats. We as a party have the real moral values that most Americans share. We just seem to have a totally ineffective way of getting those values across. We constantly seem to pander to folks who have no intention of supporting anything we stand for simply because they’ve bought the lie that “liberal” is an obscenity. Yet the programs that have helped these Coulter-loving yahoos in a time of trouble have been the results of liberalism. The laws and programs protecting their privacy, their civil rights, and their security in old age, their safety in the workplace and many other areas have been the result of those whom they regard as “God-haters.”
The Left doesn’t need to adopt the views of people such as these in order to be inclusive. What these RSMers need is a good smack upside the head with a heavy dose of reality.
Maybe four more years of Bush is just what they need, but something tells me they’ll just find a way to blame the mess we’ll be in four years from now on Clinton. The absolutely last thing the Left needs to do is pander to such idiocy. --posted 12.08.04
Stand With Us
Democrats and much of the world community have been shaking their heads in disbelief the last few days while they try to make some kind of sense out of what happened here the other day. There are rumblings of major discrepancies between exit poll numbers and actual vote totals. There is speculation that those touch screen voting machines “did their job” and delivered Ohio ’s electoral votes to Bush just as the guy who makes those machines had pledged he was determined to do. The thing is there’s simply no way to know. But many people realize that nothing makes much sense right now.
There is a palpable air of apprehension in our world right now. While that idiot big mouth in the next cubicle is gloating over how awesome Bush is going to be and what a bunch of losers everybody else is, others are searching for any ray of hope in all of this foreboding. And, although things look pretty bleak right now, history shows us that hope is not as elusive as we might think. But it sure does feel that way, doesn’t it?
For those of you old enough to remember, this point in time feels much like 1972 for many. Nixon was given a mandate in a landslide election back then and many felt like it was the end of the world. America was stuck in another quagmire at the time and there was a level of distrust and loathing directed at the Nixon administration. The country was divided over a disastrous war and a cultural upheaval that would forever change America and, obviously, that time in our history failed to teach many the lessons that should’ve been learned from that era. I’m certain that the next four years will prove me correct in my assumption that history will repeat itself.
America is faced with another four years with an administration more reckless and destructive than any other. The progress made in our short history will be threatened by a small group of ideologues who now realize that they have a very short time to leave their mark on this country – more than they already have. Social programs like Medicare and Social Security have been added to the Endangered Species list. Civil rights and women’s rights stand to be reversed with the likely appointments of three, maybe four, Supreme Court justices. Iraq will become more of a burden as we find ourselves waving goodbye to more and more members of the “coalition.” In fact, Hungary has announced it will remove its non-combat troops next March. And the great wedge which has divided this country for four years will continue to grow.
After listening to more than enough of Washington Journal callers announcing how Democrats should just “move to France and join al Qaeda” I decided to see how the rest of the world – outside the CNN/MSNBC bubble – were reacting to the news. And you know what? They’re on our side. The general consensus is that it’ll be just four more years of Bush against the world. In other words, we’re not alone. Even though Bush may feel he has finally won some sort of mandate, he is still faced with the same adversaries as he was on November 1 - and that would be you and me and the world community against the gang that has finally been given enough rope to hang themselves – much like Richard Nixon did.
I know I stated that there is a bright side to this predicament we find ourselves in, but there is a price tag. It consists of sacrifice and empowerment and the willingness not to give up – especially now. And I promise it’s not going to be easy because we are at a point where the neo-conservative movement has arrived at or near its apex. Things are going to get much worse before we can begin to make things right again so allow me to highlight the bad stuff first.
Where sacrifice is concerned, we are going to have to come to grips with the fact that many, many more American soldiers and Iraqi citizens are going to die or become maimed and disfigured before Bush admits that he screwed up the whole invasion thing beyond repair or anything that can be described as victory. More and more Americans will fall through the cracks made wider by this administration, losing their jobs, their health coverage and their hope.
The additional sections to the 9/11 and Iraq intelligence reports which address individual responsibility to those who let us down that September day and those who lied us into an illegal invasion, due to be released after the election for “bi-partisan reasons,” will be filed away and hidden by Porter Goss in the most blatant un-American cover up effort ever in our history.
To be sure, in the first few days Bush will speak of reaching across to everyone and trying to heal the divide – but the last four years have shown us that it is only lip service and if we are not with the president, then we are with the terrorists. Somewhere out there, Osama bin Laden is celebrating the reality that enough Americans bought the lie perpetuated by this administration that has enabled them another four years. To be sure, Bush’s return to the White House must be music to the ears of those who recruit for al Qaeda. Our dangerous world just got worse.
Then there is the unknown future of Colin Powell, Condi Rice and John Ashcroft – three major figures who may not figure in the next Bush administration. They have all made noise about not sticking around for a second term and their departure will cause unrest in Bush’s inner circle. It also sheds light on the fact that whether or not we agreed with what these people said or did, they can no longer deal with being a part of this administration. And that says a lot. Lest we forget, there are still investigations regarding outing CIA operatives, manufactured intelligence, civil rights abuses, the torture of war prisoners and the flagrant disregard for the Geneva Conventions and other corruption, which is basically the calling card for this administration. Who could blame anyone for wanting to get as far away from Bush and Cheney as possible?
But we must remember that there are those who still stand with us. There are still those Republicans like Lincoln Chaffee, Chuck Hagel, Susan Collins, John McCain and Olympia Snowe, among other prominent and influential conservatives, who will find themselves in a position to confront this administration in order to preserve the very principles that their party used to stand for. These conservatives were speaking out prior to November 2 and they’re still there and they and others like them still see Bush as something serious, a blotch on true conservative principle, which needs to be confronted if not harnessed and ultimately dealt with. We need to remember that they too are dealing with four more years that they’d most likely rather not deal with.
And we must also realize that the world hasn’t changed. One lady from England being interviewed on the NWI (News World International) channel stated that Bush’s return to the White House changed nothing. It is still the world against - not America - but George W. Bush. Sure, we will have to suffer the consequence of his actions, but this country is strong. You and I are strong and I cannot think of anything worse than being defeated by the likes of the spoiled little bastard from Crawford , Texas …..and I won’t be. And neither will you.
Now more than ever, the Republicans are in charge. They have their mandate of fear and propaganda. There are those, like the idiot in the next cubicle, who will support Bush the most while benefiting the least and, unfortunately, it will probably take four more years of this administration for these people to finally realize that you and I were right. But we cannot throw up our hands and quit. America needs us now more than it ever has.
Think about it. Four more years of Bush and his policies will undoubtedly insure that he will go down in history as the worst president ever. We must remain strong and aware. We must continue to defend this country against the impending theocracy that Bush would have America become. We must continue to speak up, speak out and speak loud. We must keep the specter of Nixon alive in our minds in order to remind us that evil leaders will eventually fall by their own means – all we must do is keep up pressure and give them space and they will collapse by their own corrupt hand. We must do whatever is necessary to reassure the world community that America is not George W. Bush. We must let them see the numbers, the masses that crave to have this country back to what it once stood for – even in the face of those leaders who would gladly undue our foundations as long as it benefited them in their pursuit of their perverse and misguided goals.
The return of Bush to the White House, believe it or not, signals the beginning of the end of the neo-conservative movement. America will be beaten and bloodied in the process but we can make their demise a reality. We’ve been able to survive the first four failed years – we can still make it. We’ll just keep handing them enough rope to hang themselves. And they will.
All America has to do is survive. And we will. Just hang in there.
History is on our side. --11.05.04
The Media's Fear Of Journalism
What year is this? I’m pretty sure four years have passed since we last went through this, but
I feel like I’ve gone through some sort of time warp backwards. Is it just me
or has the media regressed into an all too familiar practice that many of them
recently apologized for? Didn’t they just get done admitting they felt they
shared in the responsibility of the disaster America finds itself in today? In
other words, didn’t they say they would try to ask the tough questions again
– and not make the same mistakes again? Was there a date announced about when
that return to actual journalism would start – because the media are behaving
just as they did four years ago. Of course, the Not-so-Swift Boaters for Bush story is a classic
example. That this bit of nonsense is getting the amount of press coverage that
it has is proof that the media are still the lazy group of narcissists we’ve
come to know as the "liberal media." Although the print media have
been slightly more diligent in their pursuit of the connections between the
Bush/Cheney campaign and these maritime F-Troop rejects, the majority of
the voting populace doesn’t read all that much and is still hopelessly
dependent on Cable news to get their "information." For three weeks,
cable news gave little more than a "fair and balanced" wink and a nod
to the obvious discrepancies in the latest anti-Kerry ads only to trot out such
ridiculous Bush shills as Michele Malkin, Tony Blankley and, regrettably, Bob
Dole to get in the last word before cutting to commercial. The most persistent arguments in defense of the unsinkable, baseless
accusations made by O’Neill and Co. are the right-wing outrage over the
numerous and hostile attacks against Bush in MoveOn.org ads and films like
Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. There’s only one problem with this
line of reasoning. The attacks on Bush in those examples are based on facts and,
if anyone paying attention has noticed, the outrage against MoveOn and Moore is
not about what was said but the fact that it was said in the first
place. In other words, Bush supporters aren’t denouncing what is being
said in these attacks because they can’t. On the other hand, O’Neill’s
swift boat has been shot up full of holes so bad that it just doesn’t float
anymore. The only people buying into this smear are the same folks who don’t
realize that the Ship of State under Cap’n Bush is also nose-diving into the
water. Despite the claims by Bush Co. (with the help of a compliant media) that it
had nothing to do with those ads, the resignations of Bush campaign lawyer Ben
Ginsberg and Swift Boaters ad star Col. Ken Cordier have left over half of the
American electorate believing that Bush is behind those ads in some way.
According to polls taken at the end of August and recent articles in the print
media about Bush’s recent active participation in his own campaign, people are
not buying the claim that there is any real "distance" between
Bush/Cheney and O’Neill’s "Band of Bothers." Of course, it
doesn’t help the Bush Gang’s argument when they stone-wall (again) the
release of information requested on August 24 by Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington (CREW) under the FOIA regarding records which detail the
connections between Bush/Cheney and the anti-Kerry slime group. When you take a step back and look at what else is happening in this
campaign right under the media’s noses, it doesn’t take much to see that
these corrupt SOBs who maneuvered themselves into the White House four years ago
are capable of the most under-handed and un-American tactics known to man in
order to preserve their reign. But don’t turn on your television to find out
what they’re up to. For instance, the FBI has spent the last few months "interviewing"
past and potential protesters with plans of coming to NYC during the GOP
convention. Rather than keeping America safe from terrorists, especially with
the latest "warning" from Ridge, they obviously feel that these
protesters are a bigger threat to our "security." And as if the FBI
doesn’t have enough to do, they’re also requesting electronic records of
cyber Bush critics who have posted the names of delegates to the GOP convention
in order to give them an "unwelcome reception to the city." It would
seem as though the Justice Department is worried about voter intimidation. Excuse me while my head explodes. Speaking of voter intimidation, there is another "investigation"
taking place in brother Jeb’s state of Florida. Law enforcement officials,
according to columnist Bob Herbert, are banging down the doors of elderly black
voters affiliated with the Get Out the Vote movement because of some sort of
"voter fraud" scandal that nobody in authority wants to comment on.
Much as they don’t want to comment on the fact that the state of Florida was
going to try to enact another illegal voter purge again – until they
got nabbed. If Florida law officials want to do something serious about voter
fraud in their state, they need only to concentrate on Jeb Bush’s office. Meanwhile, in other news, former Texas Lt. Gov Ben Barnes has admitted that
Bush is lying when he says he didn’t receive any "special treatment"
in attaining his cushy slot in the Texas Air Guard. Barnes announced publicly
last week that "I got a young man named George W. Bush into the Texas
Air Guard – and I'm ashamed." Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I
haven’t seen anything about this from Ms. Woodruff or Mr. Blitzer. The media have obviously slipped back into their old habits again. Four years
ago, we heard more about alpha-males than we did about the disaster Bush had
created in Texas. The media were more interested in Love Story and
spreading misinformation about claims that Al Gore "invented the
Internet" than they were in Mr. Compassionate Conservative mocking inmates
he put to death (remember Karla Faye Tucker?). While the media, this time
around, seem perfectly content to pick apart any tidbit of John Kerry’s past,
they still continue to ignore Bush’s past – let alone his
horrendous record as president. And when it looks like the attention of the
voters may turn to Bush’s record, the administration plays the media like a
fiddle with another terror alert or some other "swift" diversion. This is a campaign between those who served their country and the cowards who
attack those who served. The new Bush-led GOP has no qualms about sliming former
soldiers like McCain, Cleland and Kerry – their political survival demands it
– as they cannot compete with that level of character. With all of their
strutting and pomposity, the Bush administration is predominantly made up of
cowards. These guys are even afraid of the American people. While Kerry and Edwards stand before thousands of supporters on the campaign
trail, they are also enduring hecklers screaming through bull-horns and silly
little protesters dressed as flip-flops. But both candidates are willing to face
all of the American people and the size of their crowds is a testament to
the confidence both Kerry and Edwards have in their message. However, if you
want to get into a Bush rally, be prepared to be scrutinized. Bush and Cheney only appear before hand-picked pre-screened Republican supporters
who must also sign a misspelled declaration of allegiance to Bush (for
publication) and all he stands for. Rumor has it, some supporters also have to
take off their shoes. Once they’re in, they can only ask pre-approved
questions like "Why did God pick you to be president?" and "Why
do Democrats hate America?" Attendees of Bush/Cheney rallies are also
allowed to give pre-approved personal testimony before the cameras – like the
gentleman who gushed that since Bush has been president it was the first time he
felt like "God was in the White House." So much for productive
political discourse and so much for a media willing to point out the real
differences between the two candidates. By the recent admission of certain members of the media, America finds itself
in a long-term disaster in Iraq partly because they didn’t do their jobs. They
refused to ask the difficult questions. Hell, when you get right down to it,
they didn’t ask any questions at all. The only thing that was
questioned in the rush to invade was the patriotism of those of us who didn’t
support the exportation of America’s eroding values. Four years ago, the media were also guilty of aiding and abetting the
backdoor appointment of a spoiled, irresponsible, arrogant, unread,
draft-dodging, dry-drunk liar as president. After four years with this stubborn,
passive-aggressive big-mouth in office, America finds itself in bottomless
quicksand both at home and abroad and the media seem bound and determined to
allow this supreme mistake to continue for another four years. Maybe Bush is just better for ratings. Maybe the media figure that four more
years of terror alerts and illegal invasions will make for better television
than, say, cleaning up the mess of the last four years that they helped
to make. Honestly, it’s the only reason that makes any sense out of the media’s
continued fear of actual journalism. What a damn shame. --posted 09.20.04
Bush s Boogeyman: Scaring America for Political Gain
Pity poor Howard Dean. The man seems to be the only person on the left who has the spine to call them as he sees them. With Kerry and the Democrats starting to get some decent press after the convention, along come the Bush Gang acting like the Lost in Space robot yelling Warning! Warning! again. Tom Captain Crayola Ridge not only told us that they had new and specific evidence regarding this latest alert, but he also assured everyone that it was all due to Bush s leadership in the war on terrorism that they found out about the threat. A few days later he needed to also assure everyone that the Department of Homeland Security doesn t do politics. Yeah, okay sure, Tom.
Dean had the audacity, according to some, to question the timing of this alert and actually stating that it seemed to him that every time Bush s numbers took a dump, they d issue another warning of some sort. How dare that Howard!
Now, granted, Ridge and Co. forgot to initially state that the information was over three years old and it was a duplicate of a warning from April 2002, according to the CNN archives (don t they even research their own stuff?). And let s not even consider the fact that the administration had been leaning on Pakistan to give them a July Surprise to rob the Democrats of any publicity or, that after Pakistan delivered, the Bushes sat on the information for about three weeks. Now, a week later, we have to be afraid of helicopters and scuba divers as well. And if that s not enough overkill for you, we have right wing mouthpieces like Drudge and the Washington Times going off about assassination and such.
Hey, wait a minute. Weren t scuba divers on the top ten list of things to be afraid of back in July of 02? Remember? That was when the government spooks were watching the movie Godzilla for clues. Naw, they wouldn t really recycle terrorist warnings would they? Nope, perish the thought because there s nothing to see here and shame on anyone who would even entertain the thought that Bush would use terrorism and fear as a diversion. The timing is just a coincidence.
The problem is that there have been far too many coincidences since 9/11 and I get the feeling that the Bush Gang is riding so high up on their horses that they don t think anybody will notice. For example, let s go back to the spring of 02.
If you remember, we had been hammered with warnings about large trucks, synagogues and large apartments as targets for the terrorists. There was still a small bit of publicity about the anthrax killer(s) remember that? and Bush was still fighting the establishment of not only the Homeland Security Department but, any independent commission to look into 9/11. In fact, 9/11 was beginning to work against the Bush Gang. People were starting to ask questions concerning the administrations stone-walling and the Patriot Act was getting a second look. Not only that, but the FBI and the CIA were coming under some severe scrutiny as far as missed opportunities and intelligence failures regarding the time span leading up to 9/11.
To make matters worse, there was to be an international press conference to be held on June 11, 2002 by members of the surviving family members and a former Bush I administration official concerning these intelligence failures regarding 9/11. The press conference was held, I hear, but nobody ever saw it. Why? Picture John Ashcroft singing the theme to Mighty Mouse.
Here I come to save the daaaaaay!
That s right, good old Reverend John shocked the world that same day with his announcement from Moscow (just what the hell was he doing over there anyway?) that they had caught a dirty bomber just in the knick of time! Abdullah al-Muhajir, aka Jose Padilla, had been busted in Chicago because he was suspected of planning to detonate a dirty bomb someplace. All the media rushed to the story like a pack of puppies from a Pepsi commercial and distracted everybody for the desperately needed time Bush required. But there was one minor thing Ashcroft or anybody in the media forgot to mention. They had busted Padilla over a month before the announcement! Sound familiar?
Here are a few more coincidences for your enjoyment:
January 10, 2002 Bush gets hammered by the press over his relationship with Ken Lay. He swears he doesn t know him. Congress starts questioning the relationship between Lay and Bush beginning February 5.
February 12, 2002 - Attorney General John Ashcroft called on "all Americans to be on the highest state of alert" after an FBI warning of a possible imminent terrorist attack.
September 20, 2002 -- In the wake of damaging Congressional 9/11 inquiry revelations, President Bush reverses course and backs efforts by many lawmakers to form an independent commission to conduct a broader investigation than the current Congressional inquiry. The White House also refuses to turn over documents showing what Bush knew before 9/11. Relatives of 9/11 victims grill the Bush Administration over their reluctance to get to the bottom of it.
September 24, 2002 Ashcroft elevates the terror alert to Orange
February 6, 2003 - Powell pleads with the UN Security Council for a first strike against Iraq.
February 9, 2003 - Citing credible threats that al Qaeda might be planning attacks on American targets, the U.S. government raised the national color-coded threat level to orange, indicating a "high" risk of a terrorist attack
July 25, 2003 -- After the Bush administration delayed its publication for months, Congress releases its 9/11 findings. The Bush Gang also deletes 28 pages of the report believed to detail Saudi funding of members of Al Qaeda in the Untied States prior to Sept. 11. Three days later, American troops are charged with beating Iraqi prisoners and 15 soldiers die over eight days of fighting.
July 29 - Department of Homeland Security issues a warning about the
possibility of suicide attacks on airplanes.
December 18, 2003 -- 9/11 Chairman Thomas Kean says the attacks were preventable. One day later a federal appeals court ruled the government can not detain U.S. citizen Jose Padilla indefinitely without filing charges against him or allowing him access to the courts. The same day The Wall Street Journal reports that auditors at the Pentagon are accusing Halliburton of refusing to hand over internal documents related to allegations that the oil service company overcharged the U.S. government in Iraq and then, to top it off, David Kay quits, having found no WMD s.
Dec. 21, 2003 - Ridge raises the terror threat level just in time for the holidays.
The week of March 15, 2004 -- Military families organize together to oppose the war, Democrats call for probe on Medicare cost cover-up and Condi opts out of appearing at the 9/11 Commission hearings. She repeats her refusal several times during the week, and later on appears on 60 Minutes to explain her position. Then, CNN reports that a "high target" Al Qaeda leader has been "surrounded" in the border with Pakistan. It is also suggested it may be Bin Laden or al-Zawahri. After the fighting ends, it is reported that it wasn't any "high value" target in the battle after all. Another, Ooh! Never mind moment.
March 21, 2004 The State Department issues a terror alert.
Here s one of my favorites. On May 10, Bush s approval rating hit 46%. A week later, Colin Powell tells Meet the Press that he was deliberately misled about WMD information. Powell's aide tries to cut him off mid-air. Newsweek reports that President Bush's top lawyer warned two years ago that Bush could be prosecuted for war crimes as a result of how his administration was fighting the war on terror. Then the White House stonewalls UN on papers about Halliburton s contracts in Iraq and Captain Crayola testifies before 9/11 Commission and the Senate Armed Forces Committee holds hearings on Abu Ghraib abuses.
Seven days after all this happens, Ridge warns of a major threat of a terrorist attack during the summer. But these, like all the others even the ones I haven t mentioned were all coincidences.
The fact remains that Bush hasn t a damn thing to run on except the war on terrorism. One week he s ranting about how much safer we all are, and then a week later that al Qaeda boogeyman is coming to get us.
Well, George, which is it? Talk about flip-flopping!
But from all appearances, it would seem that Howard Dean is onto something. Almost half of the population thinks that either Bush did use or is capable of using terrorism as a political tool. The fact that people even entertain that thought is a sorry commentary on this administration. And in all honesty, seeing that this administration has covered itself in secrecy since before 9/11, beginning with the underhanded way it came to power and the disgusting tactics it used in order to sneak into the White House, it is not so far-fetched to imagine them using the threat of terrorism in order to control uneducated voters.
George W. Bush s term has been a failed presidency in almost every way since he became the leader of the free world. His only real success has been to scare many Americans into thinking he s in control and that he knows what he s doing and that we re safer with him in charge.
A simple opening of the eyes should be enough to prove to voters that that is just another in a long history of lies. The truth is the only people who are safer now are the Bush Gang but their safety is contingent o n just how scared they can keep everybody. Bush needs a boogeyman because he has no power without one.
Now how safe do you feel? --08.19.04
Bush s Dog And Pony Show
There was an interesting story in the NY Times last week. Seems as though there is something called Compassion Across America, a group of conservative volunteers who will be doing their level best to redirect attention away from the Democratic National Convention by "feeding the homeless in the Bronx, packing up supplies for Iraqi schoolchildren, passing time with poor children in a Staten Island day camp." (These activities will be taking place during the Republican National Convention as well.)
Stop laughing, I'm serious. Hang on to your sensibilities, kids, it's time for the Conservative Dog and Pony Show!
Many years ago, I held various jobs in manufacturing and then moved on to human services. One of the things I noticed was whenever state or federal inspectors would come to call on the facility I was working for at the time, we would put on what was commonly referred to as a "dog and pony show." In the case of factories, floors would be swept, machines had debris cleaned from them and the daily safety hazards we were accustomed to working with miraculously "disappeared." Much like the various hospitals and nursing facilities I worked in. Suddenly, the blankets didn't have any holes in them, walls were alive with decorations, normally cranky and indifferent clinical staff suddenly found "sunshine" and dessert carts were displayed with a variety of delectables rivaling any upscale restaurant. In other words, we were putting across an image when we knew we were being judged that had nothing to do with what we did when nobody was looking and that is exactly what the GOP is doing now.
Now I'm sure there are some very compassionate people out there who are still clinging to an authentic conservatism. But they're not the ones who are leading their party or who even speak for their party on a daily basis. As hard as the GOP may try to show a compassionate side, its attempts are no different from those dog and pony shows I referred to. And it is the force of its most hard-line representatives that is keeping the Republicans from being perceived as anything but radically insensitive and ideologically way out of the mainstream.
Take, for instance, the original line-up of speakers for the GOP convention. Originally they had Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudolph Giuliani, John McCain and alleged Democrat Zell Miller, among others, slated to speak. But when it was pointed out, largely by their base, that these folks didn't adhere to the "new" Republican Party and its ideology they realized the danger of trying to portray themselves as "moderate" when it came to their most staunch supporters. So now they will also trot out McCain basher Denny Hastert, kitten killer Bill Frist, gay basher Rick Santorum and religious whack-job Sam Brownback in an effort to hush the protest from folks like The Family Research Council, Jerry Falwell, Ann Coulter and the rest of the neo-nuts.
As much as the conservatives may want to portray a "big tent" when it comes to their image, the truly powerful of their party simply cannot pull off the real McCoy when they get right down to it.
Back during the GOP convention in 2000, they poured their cold little hearts out with their "minstrel show" parading selected members of the African American community for the cameras while they were simultaneously and illegally removing them from the voter registries in the State of Florida.
Of course it doesn't help that the State of Florida was planning (secretly) on using the same shenanigans this time around as well to help Bush "win" that state again until they got caught. And they are paying dearly for it.
Bush's petty spitefulness was revealed when it fell through the cracks of his now-tarnished armor in his refusal to speak at the NAACP convention for the fourth year in a row, because they have been saying "mean" things to him. I think it will hurt the conservatives in November when it comes to the black vote.
Although Bush accepted the invitation to speak to the Urban League, the difference in tone between his speech and Kerry's speech at the same venue was a study in extreme contrast. Candidate Bush was even more bumbling and disengaged than normal when he spoke and it was more than obvious that he was uncomfortable, because he knew he didn't belong there. He was merely putting on a face for the cameras in a futile attempt to appeal to a constituency that he knew he had done a grave injustice to. This is exactly the case when it comes to the brazenly dishonest dog and pony shows like the folks with Compassion Across America commonly produce.
As frustrated as I get with the left wing's fear of the word "liberal" (after all, it's only been vilified by the most contemptible people on earth), it's also just as puzzling that conservatives feel the need to run from what they stand for in their need to fool people into thinking that these particular conservatives care about anything but their new-found imperialism and the protection of the riches in both power and money they've reaped for themselves.
The New Republican Conservative would sooner gargle dirt than be bothered with feeding the poor or "hanging out" with the homeless under normal circumstances. And boxing up supplies for Iraqi school children? Oh, please stop already. In truth they're merely feigning compassion for little more than "collateral damage" if anyone cares to remember the official stance as to where Iraqi children fit into the Bushies' Grand Scheme of all things Iraq. You have to be awe-struck, even as you hold your nose, at the audacity of the Bush Republicans to think they can simply pull out a box of tricks for the cameras and get away with it.
For the modern conservatives to think that they can be portrayed as compassionate is completely ridiculous when you take into account the people they are trying to keep in power, but by golly, they are sure going to try.
Forget about the assaults they've committed against this country and other members of our global community. Forget that government funding for housing, education, the environment and health care have been sacrificed in order to finance illegal invasions, tax cuts for the rich and corporate plunder. Forget that this administration and its most prominent mouthpieces are the most reviled, despised, un-Christian and un-American citizens ever to infest the government and the airwaves. Forget their attempts to cover up and hide details of torture, 9/11, cronyism and the multitude of lies that have been the foundation of the most morally corrupt administration in American history. They're going to pose for the cameras again and they hope people are dumb enough to fall for it again.
But the fact is that this photo-op, like all the others, is no more than an effort to hide the fact that this is the most vile and dangerous group of people ever to hold power. George W. Bush, his administration and those who support them are the greatest threat to real American values and principles that we, as a once proud and respectible nation, have ever faced. It's that simple. And no amount of staged compassion can erase that fact, as hard as they and their compliant media buddies may try.
It's just another dog and pony show and a dangerously misleading one. --posted 08.02.04
By W. David Jenkins III
"We tell them that we do not seek to kill, but we will chop off the
hand which seeks to inflict harm on us, God willing" — Ayman al-Zawahri
deputy to Osama bin Laden, September 2003
"The national government will maintain and defend the
foundations on which the power of our nation rests. It will offer
strong protection to Christianity as the very basis of our
collective morality. Today Christians stand at the head of our
country. We want to fill our culture again with the Christian
spirit. We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in
literature, in the theatre, and in the press — in short, we want to
burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole
life and culture as a result of LIBERAL excess during the past
years" — Adolph Hitler (Taken from The Speeches of Adolph Hitler,
1922-1939, Vol. 1, Michael Hakeem, Ph.D. (London, Oxford University
Press, 1942), pp. 871-872.)
Now that the smoke has begun to dissipate from the bomb dropped on
America by Campaign ’04, we can start to get some perspective on
exactly what happened. Many of us want to know just how John Kerry
lost a race against absolutely the worst president in modern history
– if not all time.
Well, if the pundits are to be believed, it would be largely because
of the folks who are presently thumping their chests as hard as they
thump their bibles. Those righteous, pompous, judgmental,
sanctimonious and incredibly ignorant brethren known as the
“religious right.” The ones who are convinced that Jesus hates gays,
liberals, science, tolerance and, what’s more, he’s armed to the
teeth.
Lock and load . . . amen!
What is amazing to me is that more people do not see the
similarities between what I call Cherry Pickin’ Christians – those
who select and pervert Bible scripture to suit their political and
social agenda – and their counterparts who are doing the very same
thing in the name of Allah. The history of the world is tainted with
eras of divisive and bloody conflict centered in the misconception
that God is on their side. From the persecution of Pagans centuries
ago to the Spanish Inquisition, from the streets of Belfast to the
streets of Tel Aviv and the Gaza Strip and now Bush’s war on terror
there are numerous glaring examples that religious conflict is not
only never-ending but a pointless and destructive exercise in “my
God is better than your God.”
There is a growing movement within this country of people who are
convinced that God is only on their side and the rest of us are
going to Hell. Apparently, quite a few of them voted recently and
their call to arms was something called “moral values.” Eleven
states were compliant with the wishes of Bush Co.’s moral value
fearmongers and included a referendum on their ballots to legally
refuse certain citizens the same rights as others in regard to the
subject of marriage. Not based upon law but based upon scripture,
lovingly cherry-picked from a book that also says that shellfish are
an abomination (Lev. 11:10) and that if you work on a Sunday then
you should be executed (Exodus 35:2). Go ahead, look it up. And
there’s more where that came from.
The thing is, these cherry pickers are becoming a political force in
our country and history has shown time and time again that this type
of cultist population and its influence is a threat to any sense of
stability here or around the world. There is little more dangerous
than some group of zealots thinking that some omnipresent “entity”
is sanctioning their wishes at the expense of those who do not
agree. The events of September 11 are a perfect example.
God vs. God
Shortly after 9/11, I did a piece on the threat that fundamentalism
posed for America. Now religious fundamentalism is a relatively new
phenomenon in the United States, characterized by a sense of
embattled alienation nurtured by some misguided perceived threat
from a surrounding culture. The term can also refer specifically to
the belief that one's religious texts (i.e.: the Bible or Koran) are
infallible and historically accurate, despite contradiction of these
claims by modern religious scholarship. There is almost a sense of
righteous paranoia that fuels these individual movements and the
source of that paranoia would seem to be the very “God” that these
people worship. It’s almost as if these people are out to change the
world into their way of thinking and worshiping because they feel if
they screw up then their God will smite them for their failure.
Think back to just after 9/11 and the comments made by certain
religious leaders. Some said that God was “angry” with us because He
perceived weakness in our society concerning homosexuals, the ACLU
and other “pornographic liberal values,” so He allowed those planes
to attack us. One has to wonder about the value of praying to such a
vengeful deity.
Although conservative Christians profess a love of Jesus and are
diligent in their efforts to create new believers, they seem to be
stuck in an Old Testament way of thinking. Most importantly, by
their actions they seem to have done away with the line about “judge
not lest ye be judged.” It would seem that Jesus makes a great
selling point to join the club, so to speak, and God help you once
they have you. But at least you know, once you’re in, that only you
and people who believe like you will go to heaven – right?
The only problem is there are others who feel that they have the
only keys to heaven or whatever paradise apparently waits. As I
stated earlier, the world has a long history of bloody conflicts
which have been little more than one side imposing its version of
God on those who do not share the same beliefs. Many are so pompous
as to proclaim that they know how God feels or whose side God is on.
On one hand, you have a military leader such as Gen. William Boykin
speaking at an evangelical Christian meeting that “the war on terror
is a fight against Satan” and then tossing in his boast that “My God
is bigger” and “My God is real” while others are just “idols.” On
the other hand, you have folks like the Taliban's supreme leader,
Mullah Omar, predicting the destruction of America. “If Allah’s help
is with us, this will happen within a short period of time,” Omar
said. So fundamentalism teaches that my God is better than your God
– I’m right and you’re wrong and if I say my God states that you
have no right to exist than you’re just going to have to deal with
it.
This line of thinking begins to shed light on how the
shortsightedness and intolerance of religious fundamentalism can
lead to everlasting wars with the will of a minority having a
devastating effect on the rest of us.
Distant Dysfunctional Cousins
The comparisons between conservative Christians and their Islamic
counterparts in the Taliban are numerous – the most glaring being
the drive to adopt a form of government based upon a repressive
theocracy. These two movements are determined to bring their brand
of fundamentalism to their respective governments. (I use the
present tense since the Taliban is currently regaining strength
because the Bush administration has ignored them for the last few
years due to the great things we’re doing in Iraq.) Fundamentalist
Christians have the jump on the Taliban as far as longevity and
they’re confident that their goals are being met – they’re just
taking their time about it. Now, since the last perhaps spurious
attempt at an election in this country, the religious right is
starting to step things up a bit.
Now one of the powder kegs that I’m sure I'm setting a match to is
the argument that Christian conservatives aren’t nearly as brutal as
their Islamic cousins. To accept this declaration would betray the
history of gruesome deeds committed in God’s name and we don’t have
to go all the way back to the Crusades or Salem in this country to
prove the point. Eric Rudolph (the women’s clinic bomber) and James
Kopp (the sniper from Buffalo) come to mind as recent examples of
brutality and murder supported by Christian extremists. In the same
light that not all Muslims support such drastic behavior as
committed by the Taliban or al Qaeda, neither do most Christians
support snipers and clinic bombers. However, we are experiencing a
small but growing extremist faction on both sides that sees such
brutality as acting in God’s name.
"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my
brethren you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40)
After the Soviet/Afghan war and the Taliban had assumed control of
Kabul, they instituted and began to enforce a purist way of life
based on their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam. Although many
of their edicts had little to do with the teachings of the Koran, it
was their fear and disdain for all things modern that caused them to
feel the need to inflict such strict rules in order to preserve what
they felt was pleasing to their version of “God.”
Like the Taliban, conservative Christians have moved the thrust of
the education of their youth to specific “values” according to their
interpretation of their respective texts. Although their teachings
are largely based on their interpretation , it is also their fear
and disdain for all things modern (or liberal, if you prefer) that
forces them to enact such drastic measures on their own young
“disciples.”
Both groups mask their extremism as a crusade to install a “perfect
morality” in society with their version of God. Both groups are
involved in a moral standoff, not only against society as a whole,
but against members of their own faith. Right-wing Christian
evangelicals, like the Islamic Wahhabi, see conformity with and
acceptance of modern or liberal values as a blasphemy and weakness
in spirit to which they speak out and, in some cases, they even
strike out against their own respective communities. And both
Christian and Islam seem to have the unifying theme that they are
trying to “save” folks from all of those evil weaknesses in order to
somehow “justify” their words and actions.
Both of these religious factions stress that they are inclusive in
their practice yet they are exclusive in their teachings. While many
conservative Christians rail against schools in Arab countries that
teach their students that all westerners are evil, deserve death and
are their supreme enemy, those same outraged folks are scooping up
the “Left Behind” series by the ton in order to spread the good word
that they’re the only ones going to heaven and everybody else can go
to Hell. And if you don’t hurry up and get on board with these
folks, well, don’t expect them to cry any tears for you. You’re just
a sinner in their eyes and deserve everything you get.
Recognizing and Repairing the Damage
There are certain things in life that just do not go together.
Peanut butter and tuna fish come to mind. There’s nothing wrong with
either one but I don’t recommend mixing them together or you’ll end
up with a bad taste in your mouth. The same can be said of mixing
religion and politics. There is no possible way to merge the two
without them mutually polluting each other.
Some folks may be convinced that I despise religion and am just
another Godless liberal who cannot see the righteousness of George
W. Bush or Jerry Falwell. They’d be wrong on the first count and
right on the second. My religious views are where I think they
should be – personal. My failure to see anything Christian or
righteous regarding Bush, Falwell and the religious right is because
I feel those characteristics require a bit more than lip service.
The good Reverend Jerry just proclaimed that “we should just keep
bombing them (terrorists) all in the name of the Lord” the other
night. Sure, Rev, that’ll solve everything.
The unfortunate thing about organized religion – all religion – is
the fundamentalist element within it that isn’t satisfied until all
people accept their way of life and worship and even are willing to
go to violent extremes to achieve that goal. When this element's
"moral values" become a basis for governmental involvement and the
policies which follow, the innocents of the world community ends up
suffering.
The Bush administration may insist that the war on terror is not a
war against Islam but try explaining that to the Arab nations. They
see the television reports on the “fundamentalist take-over” here in
America after the last election. They hear the hateful and pompous
words of such blow-hards as Falwell and others like him. Now, the
members of the conservative Christian movement will argue that they
are in no way like the Taliban or al Qaeda because they have not
attained the level of brutality on as large a scale. I would counter
that there are some mangled orphans in Fallujah who might beg to
differ with that argument. The war between perspectives can be just
as long and as destructive as the war between religions.
What is also just as destructive is the image given to Christianity
-- as a whole -- by these Cherry Pickin’ Christians. This world is
full of people who show that they are at peace with their religion
through their good works. They are building houses through Habitat
for Humanity, they are feeding the hungry and they are reaching out
to those in need – without any strings attached. These are the
people who have taken the words they hear when they worship and put
them into action in order to give to people – not take away. These
are the Christians who are angry that the image of their faith has
been given such a black eye by such outspoken and all too visible
“religious leaders” who think God supports invasions and torture,
just as long as it’s done in “His name.”
The seed of fundamentalism in conservative politics has begun to
take root and is seriously endangering the American political
landscape. The synthesis of evangelicalism and republicanism is
showing the same destructive trends as the religious extremism in
Afghanistan and Pakistan. This movement threatens to use the
Constitution to take away guaranteed rights for certain citizens for
the first time. It has moved into our schools and wants to discredit
science in order to implement the “reality of Creationism.” It wants
to shield us from the evils of intellectualism and rob us all of our
free thinking. It wants to reverse course and remove rights from
women and, most of all, it wants to rid the scourge that hates them
for their “moral values” and their “freedoms.”
Jihad has been declared in America. The seeds have been planted. We
will become like our Arab counterparts who have been at Holy War
with each other for centuries. While we have not yet reached the
same level of hostility and violence active in these not so far away
places staring back at us from our television screens, we must bear
in mind that we’re still in the early stages. We still time to
recognize that in order to preserve that which is good in each,
religion and politics must divorce themselves from each other before
they become mutually dysfunctional – more than they already are. --posted 01.11.05
W. David Jenkins III is a writer from New York. He can be reached
at WDavidJenkinsIII@aol.com.
byW. David Jenkins III
byW. David Jenkins III
byW. David Jenkins III
byW. David Jenkins III
byW. David Jenkins III
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The views expressed are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect those of Bush Watch.