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Legitimate Demonstrations? Or Conservative Revenge?
Michele
Bachmann's recent demonstration before the steps of Congress was very
revealing of conservative intent and how they view political strategy.
They are not reacting so much to the policies of President
Barrack Obama, which thus far have only been a benign and civilized
response to the will of the majority, but to the issue of ideological
revenge.
Just as President Nixon's impending impeachment
for high crimes and misdemeanors was a Republican embarrassment which
later needed to be countered by President Clinton's impeachment
trials, we are witnessing the childish response to their embarrassment
of our latest President Bush.
President Bush came into office under the cloud of
having fewer votes than his opponent, Al Gore. The Supreme Court,
stacked with loyal conservatives, overruled the majority by placing Bush
into office. Bush's earliest months in office were disappointing. He lowered
taxes on the rich, leading to huge deficits, and had a propensity for
making America looked foolish in the eyes of the world, including most
Americans. Then the attack on the Twin Towers occurred. From that
moment on, Bush took advantage of the nation's hysteria and led us into
two misbegotten wars, still unresolved, in which hundreds of thousands
of people were killed. The second of those wars, the one in Iraq,
was initiated by false evidence, and sapped the resources and personnel
from the first war, in Afghanistan, so that the road to victory there,
which was well established, was ruined. I was tempted to call this a foolish
error, but it was more than that. It was the height of ideological arrogance
which has now shown itself for what it is. He has whittled away our civil
rights under the pretense of national security, and indulged in torture
of prisoners. This is the man that conservatives gave us, and for whom
they now wish revenge.
Many people protested the actions of President Bush,
and rightly so. That he brought us to war under false pretenses should
have resulted in impeachment and criminal punishment for crimes against
humanity. Liberal commentators and comedians focused their jabs at this
administration. Considering all that happened, their actions were just.
Today we have conservatives saying that what they are
now doing against President Obama is pretty much the same as protesters
and liberal leaders did to President Bush.
But is it? Is there not something missing? President
Obama is being punished by conservatives for saving our economy after
conservatives pushed for deregulation that led to the massive recession
that we are in today. Somehow, they feel he is responsible for the problem,
rather than the solution. Conservative logic.
President Obama has not led us into war for no good
reason. He is trying to end Bush's wars, and is now being blamed for that.
He has generated good will between America and our
allies, and conservatives feel that this makes him a traitor. They like
it when the world hates us, because when they do, it is a good sign that
we are exploiting them.
Somehow this is equal to President Bush's crimes and
blunders, and deserving of irrational protest.
They have maligned his birth, his religion, his defense
of capitalism, his attempts at bipartisanship, his ability to speak well,
his color, and his efforts to have congress create a health reform bill.
By doing so, in my humble opinion, they have maligned the flag, the constitution,
and our entire American tradition in the name of being sore losers who
cannot win fairly, but only be spreading lies. Yet they feel they deserve
special indulgence by any sense of decency to be considered no worse than
their opposition. They want "fair and balanced"
when they do not give nor deserve either.
One need only look at their leaders, both political
and on the media, to see a group of partisans who will say and do anything
to avoid true statesmanship while maligning the opposition at the same
time. They offer us nothing but the rule of ignorance and malcontent.
This is not what our nation was founded on.
George
Washington said, in his Circular Letter of 1783, that the people
of the United States had everything they needed for happiness and a well-run
government. He was referring not only to natural resources, but to the
potential of the mind that comes from intelligence and reason. He went
on to say, and I quote:
"At this auspicious period, the United States came into existence as a nation, and if their citizens should not be completely free and happy, the fault will be entirely their own."
When
I listen to the unwarranted anger and hate of today's conservative protesters,
I am convinced how right Washington was. They shame us as Americans. They
shame our flag with their false pledges. They shame our Constitution,
which it appears they never read and certainly do not understand.
I
would like to end this with another quote from Washington's circular which
explains what he believes is the fourth requirement for the success of
this nation:
"The prevalence of that pacific and friendly Disposition, among the People of the United States, which will induce them to forget their local prejudices and policies, to make those mutual concessions which are requisite to the general prosperity, and in some instances, to sacrifice their individual advantages to the interest of the Community."
In
light of this quote, it seems obvious that today's conservative extremist
is the enemy of our future.
