A Country’s Integrity Lost
As I watch George W Bush step up to the podium and condemn Russia for its action against Georgia, I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Here is a man that took a country to war on false and fabricated reasons. I think to myself, this man has a lot of balls telling any country what they do is wrong. After China basically told Bush to screw off, when he brought up their human rights record.
The people in government right now and for the past five decades have no integrity. Yes there have been a few, but they are the minority. Of course we as a country have let them build to where they are at. As we sat back and turned the TV from the news, or shut off the press conference in the White House to watch a distraction on another channel. I us to be the same way, that is until 1999.
1999 was the year I kept hearing that the Governor of Texas was seeking the nomination of the Republican party, and as I had always done though not enough in the past I did some research. What I found out about this man, would never in a million years let me vote for him. Bush ran anything he touched into the ground, only to be bailed out by his father and his fathers friends. As Governor, he put Texas in the bottom of every category by his failed policies. I knew I had to vote for Al Gore, (The lesser of two evils.), or find a third party candidate that held my beliefs in what the government should do. However in 2000 I found out that from here on out it wouldn’t matter who I voted for, it was up to a power much greater than even the government. That power belongs to many entities such as, the bankers, the corporations, and numerous think-tanks. So as the Supreme Court handed down its decision on Bush -vs.- Gore, part of the innocence of my political knowledge was shattered.
In 2004 there was apart of me that didn’t want to believe that the power of the vote was a lie, and that the people could really make a difference, so I volunteered for John Edwards, only to then go and volunteer for John Kerry/John Edwards. I attended all local rallies that he held. I even took my daughter to the Carnegie Mellon rally so that she could see what this was all about, and see why I was so excited. I hoped that she might take an interest in her country because, she will vote for the first time this year. (2008)
Election day came and I was the third person to vote at my polling place. After I voted I went into Washington to the Kerry/Edwards headquarters for a few hours, and all looked good for Kerry/Edwards. I returned home and turned on the TV and started the computer and I waited. At eleven PM I went to bed and things looked ok. The next morning when I woke up and turned on the television, well lets just say, it was that 2000 feeling all over again. What was the clincher for me was to see the look on John Edwards face when John Kerry conceded, in a close race and not all the votes were counted. It then became crystal clear, our votes are not worth the paper that wasn’t in the machines that Diebold stole them with.
so this is one of the hardest things I will ever do, but I cannot vote this year. Also I have to tell my daughter that what I had told her was a lie. That we can’t make a difference by voting. However, I will let her know, that I feel by letting others know the truth and getting them to join together, we might be able to take our country back and restore the American Dream. As I see the bombed out cities, and casualties of war, I cannot help but think one in the near future, that will be us.
ABA
Climbing From The Rubble 
In some other parts world, governments change only by the use of guns and knives, and it is always the average citizens of those countries who bear the brunt of the violence.
Here in America, on the other hand, our government changes every two years without any violence. Sometimes the changes are hardly noticeable, but occasionally the changes are sweeping bringing in a whole different ideology into power. This has been happening since our county’s founding.
“We need to get rid of all the partisan bickering because it makes our country a much worse place…”. No it doesn’t. The Continental Congress bickered… and another word for “bickering” is “debate”. I much prefer our government moving slowly through debate than one that moves quickly through assassinations and murders.
Democracy is hard. What? You aren’t tough enough for it? Yes you are. Be very thankful for the place and time in which you live.
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This all reminds me of Orwell…
Justordinary: I too, feel hopeless about the state of our nation. We have the same people running for office from the same corrupted families. Barack Obama, whose message says he’ll change things, if elected, will find that it is hard to change the state of the government because of congress. We need to get rid of all the partisan bickering because it makes our country a much worse place… But we can’t do that! We can’t change a damn thing about who gets elected to office… They’re almost all white, middle-upper class lawyers. And you know what they say about lawyers.
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Your words echoed with me ABA as I read,
“In 2004 there was apart of me that didn’t want to believe that the power of the vote was a lie, and that the people could really make a difference, so I volunteered”
I feel it is all a lie….is it? I don’t know but I seem to think it certainly is. I don’t think I’ll be voting this year either ABA…and it will be one of the hardest things I’ll have to do too. I am so disgusted with our country and government it can’t even begun to be put into words.
Bush is a son of a bitch that is all I can say. Everything that comes out of his mouth is SHIT in my view. I hate the man with a passion I hold for so few things in this life. If that makes me some kind of fucking terrorist in their eyes then so fucking be it. I guess that is what I’ll be. He is no good for our country, for the world of peace, and he makes my stomach churn every time I see or hear him.
I have so few answers on how to fix our country ABA. Most of the answers I do have will fall through the cracks because the American people can’t come together long enough to even boycott a department store that is ruining our economy let along get rid of washington crooks ripping away our constitutional rights.
Thank you for your work and writing ABA. Keep up the good work!
JO
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It isn’t an illegitimate war; That’s propaganda. It may be ill-advised, foolish, faulty policy, or just plain wrong, but it is neither illegal nor illegitimate. We also won’t know for at least 20 years whether or not it was worth it. The prize is a Middle East region wherein its people flourish in freedom. Someday not too far off their oil wells will run dry and, if they are still the same tyrannical kingdoms that they are now and without something similar to Western-like fluid economies, then the ensuing wars could very well be near annihilation…. of them and us.
You didn’t lie to your daughter. Even though your candidate lost the election, your vote (along with those of many other like-minded citizens) did count and it gave a platform to issues that you hold dear. Those issues and their arguments are still alive. It is this tug-o’-war between political philosophies – which has been going on since the days of our Founding Fathers – that makes our American experience so unique. Remember, even those who voted for President Bush didn’t get everything they wanted… and two years later the Republicans lost control of the People’s House. True, little has been accomplished since Nancy Pelosi took over but she is certainly just another among many Speakers to have this problem. It’s messy, for sure, but the system works. The American system of government was designed to be messy – it’s a good thing!
Regarding the impeachment of President Clinton, I blame President Nixon and I blame the Supreme Court:
Watergate gave us this notion that there needs to be a “Special Prosecutor” appointed to investigate wrong doings within the Executive Branch. This is a stupid and poorly crafted law that, by design, inevitably leads to expensive investigations and not-so-wise prosecutions. It was true for President Clinton and it was true for Scooter Libby. Both were stupid wastes of resources that resolved absolutely nothing and we haven’t yet fully realised their unintended consequences.
The Supreme Court let stand a ruling that the Paula Jones civil lawsuit against President Clinton could go forward even though he was in office. The reasoning behind the ruling, apparently, was that “no one is above the law”. While this sounds good in theory, the fact is that the President is somewhat above the law and should be. I don’t want my president (of whichever political party) to testify under oath because he or she embodies the Executive Branch of government and, as such, is personally equal to the other two branches. A criminal or civil trial with the accused party being The President of the United States cannot possibly be conducted fairly. If the President did something so wrong then it should be handled through the constitutionally dictated process of impeachment and only then, if removed from office, should the courts have their chance. If not for the stupid special prosecutor law and that stupid court ruling, there would not have been an impeachment of our president.
Did President Bush violate the US constitution when he ordered the invasion if Iraq? No. The constitution grants him that authority as “Commander-in-Chief” and The Congress passed an authorising resolution.
Did President Bush violate any international laws when he ordered the invasion. No. Any argument that he did would necessarily take place in the UN Security Council where, of course, he has an insurmountable veto.
Could the House of Representatives impeach President Bush for invading Iraq even though it was constitutional and did not violate any international laws or treaties? Yes, they certainly have the authority to do so. If they are successful with that, though, it would then most likely be Senator McCain who takes the reigns of office from President Cheney on January 21.
Should you vote this November? Yes. I understand your feelings. If you still feel that way come that voting Tuesday, take your daughter to the poll with you and vote for every office except President, explaining that you honoured your duty to vote but chose to exercise your right not to make a choice.
… Besides, the issues that truly have a day-to-day impact on your family’s welfare are governed by those you elect on your state and local ballots.
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Things are screwed up in this country; we almost impeached Clinton because of an affair, while Bush and his cronies force us into two illegitimate wars, one that <a href=”http://leapsecond.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/war-on-terror-is-never-ending-part-one/” will never end.
We’re now on the doorstep on another war (or two), and no one’s tried to impeach him? Crazy.
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The only thing keeping these guys out of prison is being in power.
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I he had some shame, he’d have pulled out of Iraq by now and admit that he’s been pulling the wool over the eyes of the American people for the past 8 years.
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So isn’t George W. Bush going to recognise the independence fo0 South Ossetia as he recognised the independence of Kosovo? Has the man no shame?
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Not voting is one of the worst things you can do, man. I understand how you feel (I’m quite disenchanted with our government myself), but you have to vote. The vote tally is not a collective; it’s a millions of individuals like yourself making an individual decision. Definitely don’t tell your daughter it was “all a lie”. If you take away you and your daughter’s votes, that makes everyone else’s vote “worth” more, especially that of the corporations/think tanks/etc. that you so despise. You don’t want that, do you?
Above all, the American Dream is the right of everyone to have equal opportunity and the pursuit of happiness, especially the latter. It can’t be reduced to whether your vote “counts” or not. Cast your vote, and enjoy your time with your daughter. That’s what matters most.
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