Politics – An editiorial on the Iraq War featuring videos of Eli Wiesel and Rev. Martin Luther King. There are only two remedies for a nation that cowers in the shadows of corporate totalitarianism; resignation or protest. Has the power of ruthless corporatism broken the American spririt?
No! I believe that the American spirit is alive and well! I think that there are too many distractions and too little attention to the voices of objections to the continuance of the wars, by the news media!
The election campaign, has so many candidates, it is keeping the news media busy! And so many people are in financial distress, homelessness, hunger and lack of affordable healthcare. Lack of high paying manufacturing jobs, has caused millions of people to have to work several jobs, in order to make ends meet, leaving little time to sleep, much less speak out about any issue!
Thanks Spadecaller!
texangelwings
The social ills and the victims of this administration's callous neglect that you bring attention to are truly important and to some extent prevent participation in the dissent against this government that has gone astray.
However, the burden of responsiblity for protecting the constitution from enemies, foreign or domestic lies with the electorate. Abuses of human rights, subversion of the Geneva Conventions, and obstruction of justice have all contributed to promoting this illegal war. It is the voice of the people in the final end that must stand alone in defense of justice.
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." What document is this?
The bad part about what you just stated is it's been out there for far to long for this government to still be in power, it is my opinion the American people are the real paper tiger. They have watched the Constitution made irrelevant, torture made policy, and the will of the people pointless. Now for years Americans have mouthed off saying they had the only true democratic government that was run by the people, if this is true than the American people are the enemy to freedom all over the world. In all honesty anyone who knows how the rest of the world is knows that was always a lie but you don't bother arguing with Americans so we simply go forward that the American people have succumbed to the age old take over of power by those who wish enslave others to increase their power and wealth. Every free society known to man has at one time or more been threatened from within with a grab for complete power, now is the USA's turn.
texangelwings
The good news is, however, that you and me both received negs from wolfie. That is like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. You know we have to be on the right side of the issue even if we disagree about the details. Ha!
Unfortunately, Spadecaller, people don't like the worries, and very often the life is already so complicated, so hard for them that they "shut up". Because they aren't really concerned and they don't care. Human being is deeply selfish...He has always been: MIGHT IS RIGHT. What is powerfull: money! I personally think that education and goodness are strongest, but in the current World it's not easy to know what is just or not just. We must admit that Saddam Hussein was a tyrant...but the war useless and false.
I agree with Elie Wiesel and Rev Martin Luther King: there comes a time when silence is betrayal ( not only betrayal but complicity)...But?? What can we do? ( as poor world citizen? )
Thanks for having allow me to hear the voice of Rev Martin Luther King....May be the new dream would be to have a substitute of him?
IMO, there is one reason and one reason only that people aren't in the streets en masse. There is no draft. During the Vietnam war, the majority in the streets were the young, who were personally affected by the war. The majority of Americans stayed home then, too. We are giving up NOTHING that we can see for this occupation. Americans have never taken to the streets for an ideal. Damn good thing we weren't around for the American Revolution, or we'd be flying the Union Jack.
Many people stood up to protest our government's misguided involvement in Southeast Asia, who were not at risk because of the draft. It is indeed a contributing factor; but it is only one excuse.
There are as many excuses to avoid confronting the inhumanity and injustice of this administration's policies, but not one so valid as the need to safeguard our freedoms.
Many people stood up to protest our government's misguided involvement in Southeast Asia, who were not at risk because of the draft.>>>>
I know. That's why I said the majority stayed home, not all. Had it not been for the draft, those not personally touched who did protest would have looked like the scattered protests we've seen over this occupation.
And until 'they' are personally affected by the erosion of their freedoms, Americans will figure it's only gonna happen to the 'other guy', the 'bad guy.'
Jordan, the draft was surely a contributor; but control of the media has surely become a factor. I think we need the Fairness Doctrine the Democrats generally support regardless of the additional time spent to present both sides. Its been a longterm effort on the part of the Republican party to allow the right wing, well funded, conservative spin machine to thrive and to justify un-american behavior. Why else did Reagan veto the Truth in Telecommunications Act? Why did the current Repugs vote against the Fairness Act? Why is the current Bush FCC Chief pursuing further consolidaion of the media?
Without a fair and honest media, the hard working American with little spare time will continue to fall victim to Dumya's one liners, however deceitful!
The "Fairness Doctrine" stifles free speech doesn't enhance it.
...just what the Repugs, Rush Limbaugh and Faux Fox Facts keep telling you and you suck it up! The same was said of the Truth in Telecommunications Act during Reagan's day - no wonder you right wingers don't want to learn from real history and keep creating your revisionist history. How Un-American of you!
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The majority of Americans (not to mention the entire international community) are opposed to the war in Iraq. But there is an ominous silence despite this fact.
Has Corporate totalitarianism broken the American spririt and silenced dissent against the Iraq War?
I don't think the corporados have silenced dissent as much as made it irrelevant.
Street protests and even elections don't seem to mean much anymore. Elections have a last chance with the 2008 election. One can argue now that the Dems don't have large enough majorities in the House and Senate. Let's hope the electorate realizes this and elects more Dems next time. If the Republicans win the presidency in 2008 without a veto-proof majority in Congress, we are in for a long hard while of corporate fascism.
"Street protests and even elections don't seem to mean much anymore."
What "Street protests". People just don't get involved.
Maybe there is a strong undercurrent in this country that believes this war is necessary. That knows any pullout will result in another return.
The job has to be finished. WE ARE WINNING! All the troops ask for is more time. For the job they're doing, we should give it to them-- and to us as well!
There are probably quite a few people who believe as Bush did about Vietnam: They are all for the US being there, they just don't want themselves to be there.
"Winning?" If you mean stealing a country's natural resources... then (you) are winning.
But there is no way of winning an ideological civil war between Iraqis; they'll be fighting long after we are gone.
How absurd to say we are winning. Get on your jumpsuit, declare victory again, and join KIng George, the coward, who ran from serving his country.
Winning? Not winning? What difference does it make? My company is making money by the carload supplying our troops! I've managed to outsource, with government incentives and huge tax cuts, another 25% of my jobs. Even my phones are answered in Bangladesh! With Bush getting rid of all those stupid environmental laws that further eroded my profits, my waste disposal fees have vanished like clean air and clean water that you will be able to buy from one of my spin-off companies! I only pay tax on the first $97,000 on my "income" so what are you libs bitching about? And with no enforcement of immigration laws, my labor costs are down, down, down, and most of their English is passable. Just before payday, I call Immigration and presto...my payroll costs are cut in half. I LOVE this administration! Medical benefits? Hahahahahahahaha! Communistic! 4 more years! Victory in Iraq is near!
He he. Good post.
...such honesty could never really come from a Bush sycophant!
only a Lib sycophant!
dropkickalib
A very informative post with substance and insight.
Even your Id is devoted to abusiveness. How noble.
How condescendingly wise of you.
What have we stolen? We get more oil from Latin America than Iraq. Point disproven. The "coward who ran from serving his country." Another disproven Dan Rather fabricated story.
We get more oil from Canada than we do Iraq. If we just wanted a war for oil we would have headed North and said screw you to all our hockey puck friends.
That's true, we do get alot of our oil from latin America. The war is to drive up the oil prices across the board for maximum corporate profits, not give us free oil.
But don't forget:
"we need to lower our dependence on middle eastern oil." - gwb
hey droop,drop,whatever..bush didn't have one fellow soldier or airman or officer step forward saying what a good patriot georgie boy was.Don't you find that a bit strange..not one.Most couldn't remember if he served with them or not..real brave cheerleading guy.Btw Dan didn't fabricate that,that is truth.
Ask anyone that has served,we can remember every minute of where we were at.Georgie can't,does that ring a bell?
...but the swift boat commercials sure got a lot of air force pilots to condemn Kerry!
I think Kerry's behavior in the war did that. Every commanding officer he had in Vietnam came out against him.
You don't find what you don't look for. Dan Rather wanted a headline to nail the President and that's what he found. Not many supported Kerry, so what?
yes Lock, they are doing a great job! If only we could get some commensurate political support and gains!
Like Condi, said to Congress when the surge was started that it would take her 6 more months to just train up her state Department support to the surge. So, the military has to try to do Condi/Crocker's job of monitoring the ministries spending of US dollars and support to democratic infrastucture from village level up! Bremer never had what he needed either - tough to get folks that pledge allegiance to Bush first to go over there!
>All the troops ask for is more time.
LOFL. Since when do you speak for the entire military and all one million people over there?
What most of the troops hope for, is to be back with their families safe and in one piece. They also hope to leave Iraq in a better way than when they arrived. However, that is looking very unlikely in the next decade, so the question is where do we hit the tipping point and say the Iraqis have to step up and do the rest themselves.
2007 was the worst for US deaths in Iraq
2007 was the worst for US deaths in Afghanistan
Yet the cons celebrate it.
At the same time nuclear-weapon possessing Pakistan is falling apart while the cons beyatch about some crystal ball telling them (and only them) of potential danger from Iran that demands an invasion asap.
They happen. They're just small (shame on us) and don't get much press. That by the way is the 3rd leg of the fascist triad. It used to be that the press kept everyone else honest. Now the press is owned by the corporations that buy the politicians. Exposing the truth is not in their economic or career interests. Even Keith Olberman rants about Brittney Spears every night. Who cares about her? She isn't important. But they convince us she is. These days "News" is a game of smoke and mirrors.
The Dems are filling their pockets with war profits.
Dems didn't submit almost 20,000 earmarks to Dumya to happily sign into law in 2006 - it was your evil Repug led Congress then. Oh yes, and these earmarks were all of the sole source, no audit kind that violate governmental procurement laws.
Dems at least got the earmarks tagged now to get some control.
Dems also held sessions on Mondays in the basement of the 109th Congress that revealed the vice in the Bush justice department and elsewhere due to Bush political oversight: all the justice department stonewalled cases of reported fraud and abuse out of Iraq and Afghanistan, how a Lietenant Colonel at Ft Belvoir approved high gas profits for Halliburton when his boss was on a one day leave, how Halliburton/KBR has evaded lawsuits of drivers killed and injured in Iraq, how a women who reported fraud was put in a Connex until she was shipped stateside, etc... Since Hastert said the House only had to work 3 days a week the Dems did somthing with the free Monday! When Hastert accepted big business writing the laws of the land... three days was more than sufficient to rubber stamp the laws and cram them by the minority Dems!
So Dropkick, you really like evil and support bad, un-american behavior!
and they have been reduced by 45%.
Your evil Democrapic Congress is breaking pork spending records as we speak. Ask Feinstein how much she made last year on the war, or Pelosi how much she likes the ride in a military transport.
your post continually show your lack of knowledge and your stupidity....
Your inability to discuss facts and resort to personal attacks shows your limited mental faculties.
hah,hah,ha...
That was prolly the funniest post I have ever seen on Propeller. Wow, thanks Drop. Really.
Dems fillin their pockets with war profits...wow!! [wipes away tears from laughing too hard]
"If the Republicans win the presidency in 2008 without a veto-proof majority in Congress, we are in for a long hard while of corporate fascism."
Bad news, my friend. Whichever party wins in '08, we will have a long hard time of corporate fascism.
We are fighting a two-headed monster.
People are shamelessly selfish and silent. They are afraid of what will happen to them for speaking out on their conscience. Where's Bin Laden anyway? The coporate fascist movement is similar to the Nazi's conquest of freedom except it's not based on you ethnic backround. If you keep your mouth shut you'll be left alone (for now). If you ignore the strange things around you then you'll be the lucky one (for now).
I recall a photograph of the Nazi's making their prisoners dig their own graves. It's a metaphor to what is really happening out there.