Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Hard not to be happy:
As the title implies, I'm pleased with the outcome of yesterday's mid-term elections. When you combine those results with the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense it's hard not to be happy today.
But while it's a clear victory for those who love this country and value the principles upon which it was founded, it's just a start. The Democrats have a lot of work in front of them to start repairing the damage done by 26 years of "Republican" rule, and 6 years of the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal. One of the nicest things is that we can stop using the name Rumsfeld at least until the investigations and hearings start.
Because that's the first thing that needs to be restored – oversight and formal investigations into the shenanigans of the past 6 years. There's no doubt that many laws have been broken and much harm done. The fact that the Bush Administration kidnapped people off the streets and tortured them, some of them to death – must be addressed and thoroughly investigated. (And I'm not talking about streets in Iraq and Afghanistan, though there are examples there. I'm talking about streets in places like Sydney, Australia and New York City.)
Laws were broken and human rights were violated, and the people who issued those orders need to be tried, and if found guilty, sent to prison for a very long time – even if those people were George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. The people who carried out those orders also need to face the same justice even if they are American military personnel, and especially if they were American contractors. "I was only following orders" didn't work at Nuremberg and it shouldn't work here. If soldiers had done their duty and refused to follow an illegal order this stuff might have come out much sooner.
Next up Halliburton and KBR, along with other companies who have engaged in all manner of illegal activity. It's time to hold them accountable, and get back the billions of taxpayer dollars they stole through shady contracts.
Our new speaker-elect has stated there will be oversight and investigations where people will testify under oath and I love her for that, (among other things.) In addition, the lobbying investigations need to continue. I don't care if the guilty are "Democrats" or "Republicans." (Though I suspect the majority are "Republicans.")
And if you're wondering why I'm putting the words "Democrat" and "Republican" in quotes – it's because many politicians who have labeled themselves as such have done little to live up to the name.
The investigations over the next two years, along with all the other stuff that's been kept from the American people, will shake the political foundations of our country even further. What we will learn in the coming months will shock us, anger us, and hopefully makes us realize our responsibility as citizens to watch over our government – a responsibility we have not been taking seriously enough. A functioning Democracy depends upon the involvement of the governed.
I'm happy to see us starting to realize that responsibility. In two years we will go to the polls again, driven by similar circumstances but on a much larger scale.
There are a lot of people in Washington and in corporate boardrooms who are likely very nervous right now. They've known all along they were breaking laws and subverting our Constitution and Bill Of Rights and they fear answering for their crimes. They have good reason to fear. I suspect that, like Jack Abramoff himself, they will be eager to cut deals to reduce their prison time. I hope so, as it will make things easier and cause more truth to be revealed.
Our regulatory agencies also need to get back to work. People who trade oil futures, Wal-Mart, Halliburton, Bechtel International and Lockheed Martin are my primary targets for investigation – but there is a very long list.
What's really important here is the "Neocons" are done, (thank the universe!) I also suspect the Radical Christian Right will lose power and influence as things progress. Bush and his agenda to take this country back in time is through. The last vestiges of 19th and 20th century thinking are falling away. Even the most rabid RCR zealot will come to realize you cannot take a country backward. It's been tried many times before and it's failed every single time. The clock does not move backward.
So celebrate today and be happy. I'm planning on opening a mini-bottle of Champagne in recognition of a great win for democracy and freedom. Gloat if you want to. We have waited 26 miserable years for this day, the start of a new world view. Rummy and Wolfowitz and Addington and Cheney are done! George W. Bush and his enablers are done! The light of day is once again starting to shine upon America.
Tomorrow we need to start writing letters demanding the initiation of investigations and hearings into everything from Iraq to Katrina to 9-11. (Posted letters are much more effective than phone calls or email.) But if you cannot type, print, sign and mail a letter or two – call your representative and demand investigations into these things.
You all did a wonderful thing yesterday and you should be proud. Don't let it stop there. And in two years I hope you will go to the polls again and assure the positive change we're seeing today continues. We will have our country back as long as we continue to do the right thing.
Today I am once again proud to call myself an American. You should be too. Good work!
As the title implies, I'm pleased with the outcome of yesterday's mid-term elections. When you combine those results with the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense it's hard not to be happy today.
But while it's a clear victory for those who love this country and value the principles upon which it was founded, it's just a start. The Democrats have a lot of work in front of them to start repairing the damage done by 26 years of "Republican" rule, and 6 years of the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal. One of the nicest things is that we can stop using the name Rumsfeld at least until the investigations and hearings start.
Because that's the first thing that needs to be restored – oversight and formal investigations into the shenanigans of the past 6 years. There's no doubt that many laws have been broken and much harm done. The fact that the Bush Administration kidnapped people off the streets and tortured them, some of them to death – must be addressed and thoroughly investigated. (And I'm not talking about streets in Iraq and Afghanistan, though there are examples there. I'm talking about streets in places like Sydney, Australia and New York City.)
Laws were broken and human rights were violated, and the people who issued those orders need to be tried, and if found guilty, sent to prison for a very long time – even if those people were George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. The people who carried out those orders also need to face the same justice even if they are American military personnel, and especially if they were American contractors. "I was only following orders" didn't work at Nuremberg and it shouldn't work here. If soldiers had done their duty and refused to follow an illegal order this stuff might have come out much sooner.
Next up Halliburton and KBR, along with other companies who have engaged in all manner of illegal activity. It's time to hold them accountable, and get back the billions of taxpayer dollars they stole through shady contracts.
Our new speaker-elect has stated there will be oversight and investigations where people will testify under oath and I love her for that, (among other things.) In addition, the lobbying investigations need to continue. I don't care if the guilty are "Democrats" or "Republicans." (Though I suspect the majority are "Republicans.")
And if you're wondering why I'm putting the words "Democrat" and "Republican" in quotes – it's because many politicians who have labeled themselves as such have done little to live up to the name.
The investigations over the next two years, along with all the other stuff that's been kept from the American people, will shake the political foundations of our country even further. What we will learn in the coming months will shock us, anger us, and hopefully makes us realize our responsibility as citizens to watch over our government – a responsibility we have not been taking seriously enough. A functioning Democracy depends upon the involvement of the governed.
I'm happy to see us starting to realize that responsibility. In two years we will go to the polls again, driven by similar circumstances but on a much larger scale.
There are a lot of people in Washington and in corporate boardrooms who are likely very nervous right now. They've known all along they were breaking laws and subverting our Constitution and Bill Of Rights and they fear answering for their crimes. They have good reason to fear. I suspect that, like Jack Abramoff himself, they will be eager to cut deals to reduce their prison time. I hope so, as it will make things easier and cause more truth to be revealed.
Our regulatory agencies also need to get back to work. People who trade oil futures, Wal-Mart, Halliburton, Bechtel International and Lockheed Martin are my primary targets for investigation – but there is a very long list.
What's really important here is the "Neocons" are done, (thank the universe!) I also suspect the Radical Christian Right will lose power and influence as things progress. Bush and his agenda to take this country back in time is through. The last vestiges of 19th and 20th century thinking are falling away. Even the most rabid RCR zealot will come to realize you cannot take a country backward. It's been tried many times before and it's failed every single time. The clock does not move backward.
So celebrate today and be happy. I'm planning on opening a mini-bottle of Champagne in recognition of a great win for democracy and freedom. Gloat if you want to. We have waited 26 miserable years for this day, the start of a new world view. Rummy and Wolfowitz and Addington and Cheney are done! George W. Bush and his enablers are done! The light of day is once again starting to shine upon America.
Tomorrow we need to start writing letters demanding the initiation of investigations and hearings into everything from Iraq to Katrina to 9-11. (Posted letters are much more effective than phone calls or email.) But if you cannot type, print, sign and mail a letter or two – call your representative and demand investigations into these things.
You all did a wonderful thing yesterday and you should be proud. Don't let it stop there. And in two years I hope you will go to the polls again and assure the positive change we're seeing today continues. We will have our country back as long as we continue to do the right thing.
Today I am once again proud to call myself an American. You should be too. Good work!
# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 4:36 PM 
