Podvin?Denied voting?Stole an election?What planet is he from??Lets not allow
the truth to get in the way of a tired old disproven diatribe!
FlameOn Brother!!!!
Rico
Appal Energy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
10/1/02
Unaltered AP photograph of George W. Bush, taken at a
fundraiser for Republican congressional candidate Bob
Beauprez in Denver, Colorado September 27, 2002
MANIFEST DESTINY
By David Podvin
American foreign policy is revisiting the most brutal period in our history.
George W. Bush has resurrected the scourge of Manifest Destiny, a depraved
philosophy that states we are morally compelled by God Almighty to kill
weaker people and steal their land. There is no scriptural evidence that
this is the covenant of Jehovah or Jesus or Mohammad or Buddha; the God
whose will is now being carried out more closely resembles Attila the Hun.
The stated desire for world domination has some observers comparing Bush to
Adolf Hitler. It is a comparison that is entirely inappropriate - Hitler did
not pretend to love the innocent civilians he was slaughtering.
On the home front, there is also an unwelcome blast from the past. As has
happened so many times in American history, conservatives are expediently
detecting the scent of treason in the air. The moon is full, and the blood
is rising in the wolf. Right-wingers are now working themselves into the
irrational, frenzied state that precedes the hunt, lustfully anticipating
the carnage they are about to inflict. Yet again, conservatives are
patriotically preparing to lay waste to their natural born prey: the evil
ones amongst us who endanger this sacred land by failing to conform to the
Lord's fascist agenda.
Having fostered imperialism abroad and McCarthyism at home, and with the
stock market teetering on the edge of collapse, Bush is closing in on a
Trifecta for the ages. Add the fact that he previously prevented blacks from
voting, throw in the current discrimination against citizens who physically
resemble the enemy, and Bush has delivered a reprise of the worst of
twentieth century America - all deftly compressed into less than two years
The Bush record is a logical extension of what happened in 2000. The theft
of that election was not just a power grab - it was a policy statement by
someone who has contempt for democracy and the rule of law. The inevitable
result is the introduction of the Bush Doctrine. It declares that, while the
United States would prefer to behave legally, "We will not hesitate to act
alone, if necessary, to exercise our right of self-defense by acting
pre-emptively." The Bush Doctrine is the latest incarnation of the Manson
Doctrine, which clearly states, "I reserve the right to kill you if I feel
like it."
This is not the best of America.
America at its best exports freedom and democracy, not death and
destruction. One of the shining moments in our history occurred when the
Marshall Plan rebuilt Europe, even the part of Europe that had just tried to
kill us. After defeating our enemies, we fed them and then helped to create
free societies in which they could thrive. As a result, we turned
adversaries into allies. Contrast this approach with the current situation
in Afghanistan, where Bush has replaced the Taliban with thugs of his own
and left the peasants to fend for themselves - without food or shelter - by
growing opium poppies.
America at its best allows people to read library books without having the
Attorney General pass judgment on their selections, and go to museums
without being monitored by FBI agents, and publicly demonstrate against
government policy without being harassed.
The best of America is George Washington declining to become king because he
preferred to live as an equal rather than rule as a sovereign. This stands
in sharp contrast to the current George, who attempts to rule as a sovereign
even though he fails to qualify as an equal.
The best of America is Abraham Lincoln imploring his countrymen to avoid war
by listening to the better angels of their nature. It is quite different
than imploring Congress to slash Medicare benefits for old Americans in
order to help underwrite the cost of sending young Americans off to die.
The best of America is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., risking and ultimately
sacrificing his own life so that others could be free at last. Personal
sacrifice is alien to the man who now insists that our country pay a huge
toll in blood and treasure to satiate the greed of his campaign
contributors.
America is a great country when we follow the lead of great people.
And then there is the America that is led by George W. Bush. While the
litany of ways in which Bush has disgraced our nation is seemingly endless,
one example is especially compelling. Under Bush, self-proclaimed child of
God, America is currently torturing foreign nationals who are suspected of
committing terrorism. This return to the caves is cheered by the ruling
class and their echoes in the mainstream media, who emphasize that our
sadism is different than that of Torquemada and Idi Amin because we are the
good guys. The conduct of the Bush administration must always be viewed
through this prism, because merely looking at the facts as they exist would
lead a moral person to some very troubling and socially unacceptable
conclusions. The prevailing wisdom among America's elite opinion makers is
that torturing captured foes is an unpleasant but essential part of our
noble fight against barbarism.
The dungeon also beckons indigenous enemies of the state. Bush is
petitioning the courts to permit "coercive interrogations" of American
citizens who are not even accused of terrorism. The current descent into
totalitarian savagery qualifies as one of those many things that are
questioned only by traitors.
There is an ongoing struggle between the good America and the bad. It was
seen when Dalton Trumbo courageously imperiled his career by refusing to
betray his friends before the House Un-American Activities Committee, while
Ronald Reagan cravenly informed on law-abiding people in order to save his
own skin. It is seen when Congressman Jim McDermott - who served with
distinction in the United States Navy in Vietnam - desperately tries to
avert an avoidable war because he doesn't want innocent people on either
side to die, while Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott - who served with
distinction in the Hair Club For Men in Mississippi - enthusiastically
advocates sending other people's children off to lose their lives for Exxon
Mobil.
To Bush and his followers, dissent is indistinguishable from treason. The
concept of "freedom and justice for all" never really caught on with
conservatives, who have always seen more virtue in "might makes right".
Their philosophy is, ironically enough, Darwinism in its purest form.
Conservatives govern on the basis that a well-ordered social structure
requires the powerful to strengthen their dominance over the weak. No matter
how much Bush tries to pretty up this vulgar philosophy with his mangled
rhetoric, compassionate conservatism can ultimately be distilled to its
essence: "You do as I say, and no one gets hurt." This applies equally to
the people in the Middle East and the people in the Middle West. America is
now being governed by Corleone family values, with Fredo calling the shots.
It has always been true that, when the commander-in-chief rings the war
bell, many Americans start drooling. We depend on the personal honor of our
leader not to abuse this Pavlovian power. If the occupant of the White House
has no honor, then the lone superpower is vulnerable to fits of megalomania.
The same ignorant philosophy that insisted, "What's Good For General Motors
Is Good For America" now gives us, "What's Good For America Is Good For The
World." The world isn't so sure, so it's time to lock and load.
The war against terrorism is a worthy one; a good first step would be to get
a competent commander-in-chief who prioritizes increasing national security
over increasing the oil depreciation allowance. In any case, our greatest
struggle is not with dictators or terrorists; it is an internal battle. Will
we embrace the principles we constantly claim to cherish, or succumb to the
base instincts that are so easily manipulated by demagogues?
Ultimately, the American people will decide whether war is better than peace
and conformity is better than freedom. Bush can insist on creating Pax
Americana, but he has not consolidated enough power - yet - to act in
defiance of an aroused public. If the people of this country do not yearn
for a world that exists only to increase the profits of oil companies and
defense contractors, then we must take a stand. If we do not want to live in
a nation where opposing perpetual war is an act of sedition, then we must
register that view at the ballot box.
The crucial yet unspoken issue in the upcoming election is whether Manifest
Destiny and McCarthyism were disasters that are best left to the dustbin of
history, or whether they are blueprints for governing the United States in
the twenty-first century. The Republicans have embraced Bush's determination
to build an empire in the name of all that is holy, while disdaining
Benjamin Franklin's admonition against trading essential liberty for
temporary safety. The Democrats have shown no inclination to rule the world,
and this alone is enough to make them virtuous by comparison.
The events of the past two years have clearly proven that, in contemporary
politics, the lesser of two evils is significantly less evil. There is
definitely more than a dime's worth of difference between the two major
political parties: one of them wants the government of the United States to
forcefully eradicate dissent wherever it exists, and the other doesn't.
On Election Day, Americans should reject the return of expansionism abroad
and repression at home by voting for the congressional candidates of the
Democratic Party.
More David Podvin
Podvin, the Series
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