by Hadj Maaradji
Tuesday, Jun. 08, 2004 at 8:47 AM
hmaaradji@socal.rr.com
this article is about our current political state of affairs, and the coming presidental elections that will be in the offing this coming November. Do we remain on this neoconic political course or shiftour weight into a new and braver course.
I believe we are witnessing the great unraveling of the neocon's reign of fright and deceit. As we speak, their are new very active fault lines emerging into the political landscape as a result of their brazen ideology.
For all their hysterical bravado, they are unable to reap any benefits from their theoretical mindsturbations; personal gains yes, but nothing that qualifies as a strategic domestic or international gain to mark on the riffle butt.
The American people are slowly but surely waking up and lifting the veil of deceit which separated them from the naked truth about the arrogant zealots that run our lives from the confines of the White House and the Pentagon, with the indispensable help of a misguided, if not willing partner in crime, main stream Media turned government propaganda machine, since the horrible events of 9/11.
The neocon’s campaign objective, with the help of a very obliging main stream media, and based largely on the PNAC- Project for the New American Century- and Bin Laden’s 9/11 Terror act on the American soil, was to stir fear in the hearts of Americans. At which time, draconian social and political measures are introduced into the nation’s landscape.
Discriminatory behavior bordering on, or simply, criminal is unleashed on the populace. Unconstitutional laws are passed that usurp the people’s congress and the courts of their oversight responsibilities proscribed in the constitution, such as the right to declare war, and the right to habeas corpus in the case of “enemy non-combatants” be they citizens or not.
The current political climate tilts the power of the government in the hands of the executive and their shadowy puppeteers and cronies, thus diminishing the power of the people through indirect means, and subsequently stripping our rights, amongst them the right to redress.
The Patriot act is one of those legislations passed in the heat of the moment, when the nation was gripped in fear, and mourning. Our congressional representatives signed of on Ashcroft’s document without any public debate or scrutiny. It was shoved down our throats, and even with its sunset clause, is still been peddled as good for the nation and worthy of extension. The INS, under the Homeland Department, is also pursuing discriminatory policies against people of Middle Eastern and South Asian origins reminiscent of WWII mistreatment of American Japanese and Asian people. Likewise Muslim and Arab Americans are subjected to similar humiliating and hateful speech that turn into gratuitous acts of violence.
On the international front, the neocon’s policy of preemption and the “go-it-alone” cowboy mentality of Bush, has gotten us in hot waters with the rest of the world. Except for a coalition of surfs and coerced governments, we are practically an island surrounded by a sea of anger and distrust. Based on machiavellian machinations and false premises of weapons of mass destruction, to links with El-Qaida and other erroneous intelligence, the White House and Pentagon chicken hawks launched, with the congress’s blessings of course, a war of choice, not necessity, against another sovereign nation: Iraq.
Now the manure is hitting the fan, and the American psyche is been dragged through its splatter, to our disgust and horror. We realize that what was dished out to us post 9/11 was nothing but ideological garbage to steal our purse, and abridge our constitutional rights.
From being gouged at the gas pump to being emotionally yo-yoed by Homeland threat color codes, from having middle class jobs outsourced to having no health care for millions of us, from corporate theft and corruption to a growing national debt passed on to our children, from a world that identified with us and our pain in 9/11, “Le Monde” French newspaper puts it this way “Today, we are all Americans.”, the citizens of this country have had it, and they are starting to let it be known.
The elections are rounding the corner and soon will be upon us, and the American people are starting to gather and discuss among themselves the state of the country, the direction it’s taken lately, and whether a regime change is called for in 2004. This time the regime change ought to send a clear message to our civil servants that they are bound by our constitution, the laws of the land, and most importantly by international laws and treaties we are signatory to.
The new regime has to be beholden to the people of this country and not some corporate entity stashed in the Cayman Islands, with fists of cash in our politician’s pockets thereby manipulating and debasing our democratic principles and ethics. The American people want to sort out the mess we find ourselves in, and ultimately find the culprits that tossed us in it initially. We have to find out the true motive of this band of hooligans behind everything they have conceived and proceeded to enact, that has brought us to this moment of existential throws.
Before the November elections, we have pressing business to inform ourselves, and consequently require our main stream media to abide by the true and time tested methods of fair and balanced investigations on how our common good is been used or abused. We will require that the congress does what it is required to do by law, which is to represent the people, above and beyond other interests. Our courts have to pick up the mantle also, and demand executive accountability, and obedience to the laws of the land.
Now to the choices of candidates available to us: Bush, Kerry and Nader. Bush’s record is pretty much miserable in terms of domestic and foreign policy, thanks to his handlers and neocon pentagon gang. One need not enumerate his administration's misdeeds. Kerry on the other hand and for the most part comes off as an opportunist that is thrust in a situation of a possible win not because he has much to offer the American public in terms of contrasting change, but because the American people are developing Bush fatigue, the "Anybody But Bush" syndrome.
Kerry position on the disastrous incursion in Iraq is similar to Bush in all respect, since it doesn’t go far enough in criticizing the current administration for the causes of going to war, Kerry being a supporter of such a war. Also, Kerry thinks it makes sense to send more troops in Iraq, instead of progressively replacing our troops by UN mandated troops. Kerry says that “failure in Iraq is not an option”. What failure is he talking about? What he fails to see however, is that we have already failed, and that it would be best to have an exit plan for our young men and women to come home. Why we have blundered into Iraq and failed are questions to ask the White House, and the Pentagon.
Our troops are subjected to constant attacks from Iraqi resistors, and are dying as a consequence. Isn’t it time we hold our civil servants’ feet to the fire, take names and demand answers? Could we have averted such crisis, and why not? Unfortunately Kerry doesn’t seem to have any answers for the American people. If Mr. Kerry supports the war, and sending more troops into the Iraqi sand trap, then he is against the social agenda of America, the agenda of education, insuring the uninsured children of America, protecting senior citizen health care benefits, social security, and many other issues du jour for the people of this country.
One might ask: how can you relate the war to the other social issues? I’d say show me the money for those programs you promote. After you have poured our treasury’s content on the Iraqi desert, there won’t be much left, and probably cuts for those same programs will be instituted.
What remains is the Independent candidate, Ralph Nader. His platform is based on protecting, and nurturing the common good of this nation. He stands against the war in Iraq, and is for a full withdrawal of American troops replacing them with UN mandated troops, and the handing of full sovereignty to Iraq. Only a clear exit strategy from Iraq, and an even-handed approach to Middle east policy can secure America, diminish the reasons for terrorism, and bring about our good standing in the world. The public purse strings should be managed by those who put public interest before personal interest, and are accountable to the said public.
So, here it is as it stands, our future choices for leadership and what path we should travel. these choices can be summed up this way: Keep on this very proven wrong-headed approach to resolving our domestic and international problems by allowing Bush a second term or electing a copy cat-Kerry- or go boldly with a candidate that offers a clear strategy of protecting the American people from ideologically bankrupt policies that have lead us to the brink of catastrophe.
The American people in their wisdom will, I'm sure, choose change that reflects their deep beliefs in justice and fairness, through a balanced approach to domestic and global concerns. However, it is time to get educated about all the issues facing us, and require our politicians to deliver goods to us that are not compromised in any way shape or form.