Honestly, Memorial Day?
This is a day hallowed in the "Land of the Free," set aside for the specific purpose of remembering those who have died in action on behalf of our nation, defending the principles of democratic government. That is, those who have risked their lives in the name of government of and by the people, where all have a voice, the weak equal to the strong, individual people before corporations, with governance divided among several independent branches whose independence is guarded by a system of checks and balances, and with explicit tolerance for all manner of spiritual belief and thus, obviously, total separation of state and church.
Unfortunately, those making sacrifices of their lives or livelihoods these days appear to be doing so under numerous serious misunderstandings. And this goes well beyond the fact that their Commander in Chief seems constitutionally incapable of actually publicly recognizing their sacrifices. The former beliefs and principles associated with our form of democracy are currently in profound jeopardy since there is more evidence every day that our federal government now appears to be entirely riddled with falsehood, lies, corruption, and other criminal behavior. And those for the moment holding power have apparently experienced a revelation to the effect that there is an absolute religious "truth" - and they have concluded that the majority of us are "wrong."
A government built on lies and religious ideology is inherently not a democracy. The Bush administration is conspicuously addicted to dishonesty and influence-peddling (well, and the most obsessive secrecy in our government's history, a natural dodge for liars and thieves). Given the loss of almost all independent national media, it is not surprising that all three branches of our government, controlled as they are by the same party, have been largely able to exchange the former system ("democracy") for a mutual pact of dishonesty and hypocrisy. Theocracy? Plutocracy? Fascism? Stay tuned.
From the Baltimore Sun:
Let's clear away the propaganda and concentrate on the meaning of Memorial Day. Since the Civil War, it has been a day to remember those who died in action. They are the heroes we celebrate this day, and more than 1,800 have joined the memorial rolls since the outbreak of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. A nation mourns their loss and honors their memory.
They were men and women serving on the treacherous front lines and working the dangerous supply routes. They were 19-year-olds out of high school and "weekend warriors" old enough to be their fathers.
They died for America and Americans. That they were ill-served and exploited by the government that sent them into action has nothing to do with their sacrifice.
Except this - a government that was either smarter or more honest would not have squandered so many lives. The war in Iraq could have been avoided. Or, once launched, enough troops could have been deployed to ensure a successful occupation. Body armor and Humvee armor could have been provided. Familiarity with Arabic and with Arab customs could have become a top priority. American officials could have handled the crucial early weeks after the fall of Baghdad with finesse and good sense, rather than doing everything possible to earn the hostility and contempt of so many Iraqis.
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And then there's this guest-post I ran across at BuzzFlash:
"We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq. But if Saddam Hussein does not disarm peacefully, he will be disarmed by force." - George W. Bush, Radio Address Mar. 8, 2003
It's hard these days to get very excited when George Bush or his minions tell another lie. They've lied to the American people and to the world at an astonishing rate. The lies are calculated, hateful, sometimes deadly and legion. Place them end-to-end and they could reach from the Oval Office in Washington to the bluebonnets of Crawford, Texas; -- and then there would still be plenty left over to reach the sun-drenched poppy fields of Afghanistan or the burning streets of Baghdad. His is a veritable factory of lies.
In their zeal for the ever-greater fib, they are taking the "Big Lie" concept to a whole other level. Not simply happy with telling the same lie so often that those listening eventually accept it as fact; they appear to have signed on to the vile theory that if you lie all the time, the lies will metastasize, multiply, and spread, like a cancer eating at the truth, engulfing and consuming all reason until the lies become a new reality out of sheer force of gravity. In Bushworld, lies are the new truth.
I am by no means the first to write of the mendacity of the Bush administration. Al Franken has done it with more humor and David Corn in far greater detail. The Bush proclivity for perfidy is well documented in print, film and on countless websites.
When the President tells us we aren't torturing detainees or we aren't sending them to other countries to be tortured, he's lying. When the President peddles his social security snake oil, he's lying. If you hear him talk about how he's interested in protecting the air you breathe and the water you drink, he's lying. And that energy plan - a high wattage, untapped gusher of a lie.
He's got so much lying to do that he's even outsourced his lying. Just ask the infamous lying "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" who managed to smear John Kerry's war record in last year's election. Or the pundits, two-bit actors and propagandists who've been paid handsomely to spread his lies in the form of phony newscasts and partisan commentary. Joseph Goebbels has nothing on this bunch.
Rather than merely produce a litany of Bush lies, I would rather use this opportunity to shine the light on one very big lie recently exposed.
Taking a country to war is one of the most solemn responsibilities we bestow on our President, on our Commander-in-Chief. It would be hard to imagine a greater act of deceit than that which takes a country to war on a lie. Sounds treasonous. No doubt criminal. Which of course makes it very difficult to understand why the President is still free to walk the halls of our White House and act the part of sanctimonious purveyor of democracy, freedom and moral clarity.
If you haven't heard, and you may not have because the mainstream media outlets in our country have largely ignored the story, The London Times obtained a classified memo confirming that the U.S. and Great Britain had made a secret agreement in the summer of 2002 to attack Iraq. Also discussed was the need to create conditions to justify war and to "fix" the intelligence and the facts around the policy. Yes, the fix was in well before the President sought Congressional authority to go to war "as a last resort".
[clip]
Unfortunately, those making sacrifices of their lives or livelihoods these days appear to be doing so under numerous serious misunderstandings. And this goes well beyond the fact that their Commander in Chief seems constitutionally incapable of actually publicly recognizing their sacrifices. The former beliefs and principles associated with our form of democracy are currently in profound jeopardy since there is more evidence every day that our federal government now appears to be entirely riddled with falsehood, lies, corruption, and other criminal behavior. And those for the moment holding power have apparently experienced a revelation to the effect that there is an absolute religious "truth" - and they have concluded that the majority of us are "wrong."
A government built on lies and religious ideology is inherently not a democracy. The Bush administration is conspicuously addicted to dishonesty and influence-peddling (well, and the most obsessive secrecy in our government's history, a natural dodge for liars and thieves). Given the loss of almost all independent national media, it is not surprising that all three branches of our government, controlled as they are by the same party, have been largely able to exchange the former system ("democracy") for a mutual pact of dishonesty and hypocrisy. Theocracy? Plutocracy? Fascism? Stay tuned.
From the Baltimore Sun:
Let's clear away the propaganda and concentrate on the meaning of Memorial Day. Since the Civil War, it has been a day to remember those who died in action. They are the heroes we celebrate this day, and more than 1,800 have joined the memorial rolls since the outbreak of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. A nation mourns their loss and honors their memory.
They were men and women serving on the treacherous front lines and working the dangerous supply routes. They were 19-year-olds out of high school and "weekend warriors" old enough to be their fathers.
They died for America and Americans. That they were ill-served and exploited by the government that sent them into action has nothing to do with their sacrifice.
Except this - a government that was either smarter or more honest would not have squandered so many lives. The war in Iraq could have been avoided. Or, once launched, enough troops could have been deployed to ensure a successful occupation. Body armor and Humvee armor could have been provided. Familiarity with Arabic and with Arab customs could have become a top priority. American officials could have handled the crucial early weeks after the fall of Baghdad with finesse and good sense, rather than doing everything possible to earn the hostility and contempt of so many Iraqis.
[clip]
And then there's this guest-post I ran across at BuzzFlash:
"We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq. But if Saddam Hussein does not disarm peacefully, he will be disarmed by force." - George W. Bush, Radio Address Mar. 8, 2003
It's hard these days to get very excited when George Bush or his minions tell another lie. They've lied to the American people and to the world at an astonishing rate. The lies are calculated, hateful, sometimes deadly and legion. Place them end-to-end and they could reach from the Oval Office in Washington to the bluebonnets of Crawford, Texas; -- and then there would still be plenty left over to reach the sun-drenched poppy fields of Afghanistan or the burning streets of Baghdad. His is a veritable factory of lies.
In their zeal for the ever-greater fib, they are taking the "Big Lie" concept to a whole other level. Not simply happy with telling the same lie so often that those listening eventually accept it as fact; they appear to have signed on to the vile theory that if you lie all the time, the lies will metastasize, multiply, and spread, like a cancer eating at the truth, engulfing and consuming all reason until the lies become a new reality out of sheer force of gravity. In Bushworld, lies are the new truth.
I am by no means the first to write of the mendacity of the Bush administration. Al Franken has done it with more humor and David Corn in far greater detail. The Bush proclivity for perfidy is well documented in print, film and on countless websites.
When the President tells us we aren't torturing detainees or we aren't sending them to other countries to be tortured, he's lying. When the President peddles his social security snake oil, he's lying. If you hear him talk about how he's interested in protecting the air you breathe and the water you drink, he's lying. And that energy plan - a high wattage, untapped gusher of a lie.
He's got so much lying to do that he's even outsourced his lying. Just ask the infamous lying "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" who managed to smear John Kerry's war record in last year's election. Or the pundits, two-bit actors and propagandists who've been paid handsomely to spread his lies in the form of phony newscasts and partisan commentary. Joseph Goebbels has nothing on this bunch.
Rather than merely produce a litany of Bush lies, I would rather use this opportunity to shine the light on one very big lie recently exposed.
Taking a country to war is one of the most solemn responsibilities we bestow on our President, on our Commander-in-Chief. It would be hard to imagine a greater act of deceit than that which takes a country to war on a lie. Sounds treasonous. No doubt criminal. Which of course makes it very difficult to understand why the President is still free to walk the halls of our White House and act the part of sanctimonious purveyor of democracy, freedom and moral clarity.
If you haven't heard, and you may not have because the mainstream media outlets in our country have largely ignored the story, The London Times obtained a classified memo confirming that the U.S. and Great Britain had made a secret agreement in the summer of 2002 to attack Iraq. Also discussed was the need to create conditions to justify war and to "fix" the intelligence and the facts around the policy. Yes, the fix was in well before the President sought Congressional authority to go to war "as a last resort".
[clip]
posted by Sir Gumbo at 10:19 PM
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