What He Said

What a great Monday morning read.

Following Orders: "And so, in pursuit of this war, we have suspended the Constitution. Many members of Congress have supported the administration in carrying out illegal acts, rationalizing that such behavior is in the name of national security. That's what Hitler said too. Innocent people have been killed, wounded, tortured, rendered, humiliated, had their privacy invaded, and their lives dismantled all in the name of national security. Anyone who objects can now be put under suspicion and may be targeted for future intimidation or worse. According to members of Congress, nothing this administration does is egregious enough to qualify them for impeachment.

The stories of individuals who have been damaged by the illegal acts of our government and their agents are beginning to filter through. But the damage that's been done is far greater than the stories yet told. Damage done to our Constitution and to our self respect will likely take a heavy toll for generations to come.

And yet for most Americans their sensibilities are not disturbed by what's been happening… many do not want to hear about it. Those who do hear about it, make up their own rationalization of why it's ok. Many simply don't know what to think or do.

This all leads me to believe that with every victory this administration experiences, the light of liberty and freedom will dim a little more. If we were to achieve the victory that Bush talks about in Iraq, it would not help the cause of freedom, it would help to kill it. It would only encourage his hubris, his arrogance. He doesn't want democracy, he only wants stability. He wants the oil. He doesn't believe in the Constitution or the rule of law. He has the sensibilities of a despot.

Since the atrocities and illegalities for which his administration is responsible have not been repudiated by Congress or the American people, he and his conspirators will continue to conclude that there is no limit to their power… all they have to do is take however much they want... but do it just a little bit at a time. And there is no reason to suspect that they will not do just that and use that power for their own purposes, whatever that might be.

I say to you: the ends do not justify the means. If we do not identify, explore, and repudiate the illegal acts of this government, soon the fist of injustice will come knocking at every door… if history teaches us anything at all, it surely teaches us that.

There is good reason for secrecy in the Bush administration. The reason they don't want to conduct or discuss their activities in the light of day is because eventually the American people would figure it out: they would come to the conclusion that the reason the so called terrorists are out to kill Americans is because secretly the American government has been responsible for murder and the disenfranchisement of decent people all over the world. The United States has been active in destroying democratic institutions for a long time. We have done this to satisfy American greed for resources that don't belong to us, oil being supreme among them. We have caused people in middle eastern countries to suffer tyrants like Saddam Hussein and the Saudi family."

Maybe if they did a CSI episode "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" the public might get it for an hour. Then Without A Trace will come on and they'll forget. It should come as no surprise that we have a bubble boy in charge when the nation itself suffers from insular thinking in regards to it's place in the world.

We have a tendency to believe that everything we do is God's gift to the world. We aren't. In the mid 70's when Japanese cars started to make serious inroads, Detroit refused to see the light and kept charging for every single accessory in their cars. Within ten years the big three were getting their tails kicked by the little two and the situation is worse now.

At one time America was the place you went to for top of the line medical treatment, not any more. Now people go to Mexico for their dental, Thailand, Singapore and India for non emergency surgical procedures. People schedule vacations at the same time and it isn't just Americans. All over the world they are making the choice that other countries and cultures can provide the services that they used to come to America for. We are slowly becoming a nondestination country. Now we are like that embarassing aunt, you know the one. Really successful at work, so independent that you're sure she's gay because she's single, but getting older and not quite as hip, and unwilling to realize it? As the years go on, she gets invited to less family activities because she doesn't fit in and she slowly spins off into her own little world, around but not a part.

We can change the world's perception by participating in what is going on around us. We can read sources from all over the world and learn to form our own judgements about what is right and wrong instead of the talking heads telling us what to think. Why do we think that just because a person is elected that they are automatically smarter or know more about a situation? It just means that we liked him more than the other person. When this country was founded the majority of people were illiterate and at this time (subject to change) it is no longer the case. We are not stupid and we are capable of thinking for ourselves.

It is our job as citizens to keep an eye on our government. Not the other way around. We wouldn't tolerate our parents or children lying and spying, on us or their friends. Why should we tolerate it from our government?

Tags: Politics, Opinion