Time for repentance by Carol Wolman
As the tangled web of Bushevite influence is laid bare by multiple prosecutors and grand juries in Chicago, Texas, Maryland, a picture of corruption unprecedented in American history is coming to light. The Bush regime has acted like the Mafia, with power and money being the main goal. Its influence, gained through bribery and blackmail, reaches deep into Congress, the media, the bureaucracy.
As more and more people come forward with their testimony, it seems that this evil cabal is behind 9-11, lied us into an illegal and immoral war, outing a valuable CIA network in the process They have also stolen two elections, and committed numerous other high crimes and misdemeanors.
None of this would have been possible without the complicity of the American people. The press, especially the highly culpable New York Times, is starting to do some soul searching. Senior members of the intelligence and military communities are starting to speak out. Some Republicans in Congress are starting to rebel.
But it is the ordinary person in the street, the citizens of the US, who have meekly gone along with the program, who are most to blame. Yes, we have been terrorized, propagandized, stupified and sheepified. Still, the questions have always been right out front- why did Bush keep reading to schoolchildren on 9-11 instead of taking command? Why didn't he find out right away who leaked the identity of Valerie Plame, and fire the person? Why were the exit polls in 2000 and 2004 so different from the official count? Why is the US military torturing Iraqis? Where has the curiosity been? Where has the outrage been?
And how many people have known about crimes and done nothing? What about the workers in the twin towers who heard explosions? What about the airport workers at Logan that fateful morning, who must have known that something was awry? What about all the Republican "election workers" who helped to rig the voting machines, or turned away legitimate Democratic voters? What about the lobbyists and the corporations they represent, who have turned the federal treasury into a vast feeding trough?
Why haven't whistle blowers gotten more support? Why have people gone along with the stripping of civil rights? Why aren't paper ballots, or at least paper trails from machines, being demanded more vigorously?
There are all kinds of excuses- mind control by TV, genuine fear of terrorism, respect for authority, denial that evil people can be SO evil. But the fact remains- Americans have allowed an administration to take power and remain in power which has caused enormous harm, physically, emotionally and spiritually, both at home and abroad.
The US Constitution vests ultimate authority in "we, the people". This gives the average citizen a responsibility that does not exist in a monarchy or imperial state. It is our job to elect honest representatives who will look after the public good, and to make sure that their dealings are ethical and above board. If they are not, it is the job of we the people to expose their misdeeds and replace them.
Our apathy and indifference, our depression and despair, our addiction to our own comforts and unwillingness to rock the boat, has allowed our government to become a morass of corruption. Ask yourself- have you supported whistleblowers? Have you asked your Congressperson to work for impeachment? Have you talked to your neighbors and coworkers, written to your local paper, are you doing whatever you can to drive the criminals and traitors from office?
We have had several opportunities, over the past 5 years, to raise a hue and cry. When Bush lied about yellowcake from Niger in his 2002 inaugural address, when the Abu Ghraib photos surfaced in 2004, when the Downing Street Memo became public last May, and several other times, public outrage could have reached a boiling point and resulted in change. It didn't happen, because we didn't care enough.
Right now, the country is holding its breath, waiting to see whether Patrick Fitzgerald will issue indictments against key administration officials, and whether Bush and Cheney will be included in the list. Where is the demand for an investigation into impeachable offenses? Surely the rumors and leaks so far have raised enough questions about the culpability of the president and vice-president in the matter of the treasonous outing of a
CIA agent. Isn't it time we the people, through our representatives in Congress, took action?
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