The View from the Meadow

Observations of the Passing Scene

Political and Social Commentary by Dave Satre

The Devil You Say
Throw the Bums Out – Vote Against Republicans

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez may be among the very few world leaders with the courage to call Bush the Devil, but the man is apparently right on target. There is definitely a distinct odor of sulfur emanating from the White House.

The Bush Administration is destroying America piece by piece. They are systematically taking away the rights and freedoms that made America great, using the so-called War on Terror as an excuse. Our current Congress is totally inept and the Republican majority is enabling The Regime to impose its will on the American people. It’s time for Americans to take back control of this country.

In almost six years in the White House Bush hasn’t done a single thing right. His record is a colossal list of mistakes and continuous lies followed by blame placing and name calling of critics.

These draft-dodging neocons don’t know what they’re doing. They’ve broken with American tradition and are destroying the freedoms and privileges that made America what it is. They are deliberately placing the country in financial hock, stealing the country blind with under-the-table dealings and no-bid contracts for cronies, their misguided military efforts are actually inflaming the terrorist movement and they have the unmitigated gall to demand the right to do all of this in total secrecy.

Meanwhile, they're channeling the money into their own pockets and squandering billions of dollars on the military. The no-bid contract for Halliburton to rebuild Iraq, where these unaccounted-for billions are simply disappearing, is among the worst examples.

They are also placing the country in financial jeopardy. Bush intentionally squandered the budget surplus Clinton left him and raised a huge deficit within months of taking office. He has raised the national debt limit twice and it is the highest it’s ever been. Expect to see another increase in the limit soon after the elections.

The Regime is also attempting to impose its will on moral issues, including their religious beliefs. Government has no place in deciding the moral practices of 300 million people who come from all walks of life, all cultures and all religions. Freedom of religion means the right to practice the particular credo you subscribe to. This is one of the strengths of America. Forcing everyone to kowtow to your particular sect's beliefs is immoral in itself.

Among the worst examples of the current situation in Washington is the terrorist prosecution bill rubber stamped by the Republican-controlled Congress after extensive secret negotiations by the White House. This bill is an outrageous mistake. It is yet another controversial last-minute bill crammed through Congress, by an administration that seems infatuated with the use of torture and operating in secrecy, just minutes before Congress left for a three-month recess and the upcoming election campaign.

It instead allows Bush, who is totally incapable of making a decision on his own, to "interpret the meaning and application" of Geneva Convention standards. This is a national embarrassment.

The bill eliminates habeas corpus – the right of prisoners to a speedy trial and to challenge their detention by petitioning U.S. courts.

This will enable the Bush Regime to literally accuse anybody of being an “unlawful enemy combatant” and hold them without trial for an unlimited time. These prisoners will not even be allowed to contact a lawyer. People have already been held for years without due process and even their families don’t know where they are.

This denies defendants the right to a fair trial, a fundamental aspect of any legal system in a civilized society, and for the first time enables terror suspects to be convicted on hearsay evidence and coerced testimony.

The bill also allows wiretapping for 90 days before requiring a court order. This ruling affects the right to privacy for all Americans. It means police and government agencies can tap anybody’s phone for three months at will. It contradicts one of the basic precepts of America’s Constitution. A federal judge previously ruled this activity illegal and unconstitutional. This ruling was reinforced by a Detroit judge on the same day Congress passed the bill. It will undoubtedly be challenged in the courts.

The bill also allows trials to be held behind closed doors and eliminates defendants’ rights to their choice of counsel by limiting them to lawyers provided by our military.

In denying defendants the right to trial and competent counsel, as well as the right to privacy, the bill erodes the basic freedoms enjoyed by Americans.

What is even worse, is the fact that embracing the practice of torture and the rejection of the Geneva Conventions means that our enemies will be free to impose those same practices on our own military personnel when they are captured. It’s simple – what goes around comes around.

Talk to any veteran. They know the importance of laws against barbaric treatment. If the United States treats its prisoners inhumanely our military personnel can expect the same or worse if they find themselves in the hands of the enemy.

Abandoning the Geneva Convention is even worse than the Bush Regime’s rejection of the Kyoto Accord at a time when global warming has become a tremendous concern. Bush and his cronies are more concerned with exploring the nations parklands for oil and the grazing of cattle than the environment – and they certainly don’t want to see any curtailment in the use of gasoline or regulations requiring expensive pollution controls for their petroleum and energy industries.

The control of Congress must be taken away from the Republicans for the good of this country, it’s people and the rest of the world. This will eliminate the stranglehold The Regime has held on this country for six years and stop Bush from implementing the rest of his agenda during his final two years in office. He will truly become a lame duck, as well as a lame president.

Don’t support an administration that is absolutely opposed to the interests of the people and a party that hasn’t made a single move to stop them.

Preserve the cherished freedoms of Americans. Any congressman who voted for the terrorist prosecution bill should be thrown out of office by the voters in November, including Democrats. Or impeached for improper conduct in office! They either deliberately defied the needs of the American public for political gain or they simply did not understand the issues. In either case, they should not be holding a government office and representing the American people.

America is in crisis. It is at a turning point in its history and it is absolutely imperative that the voters throw out Republicans in the upcoming election. Eliminating the ��z��j�g� �ݺQ�L�#Q�]cI��¡�A�RQ�ґ�q�