and the prosecution of of the Bush administration is the only way that we will stop the kinds of crimes committed by Bush and others before him. Forgetting the past and moving forward doesn't cut it this time around. Bush and the boys/girls need to be held accountable so that future administrations, Obama's included, do not commit these same errors.
The People vs. George Bush
The world knows what he did. The American people know what he did. We have a choice. We can demand justice. We can defend ourselves from enemies to The Constitution, both foreign and domestic. It will not happen if we do not. The overwhelming call to action at change.gov was for the prosecution of criminal behaviour from the White House.
George Bush is what we got for pardoning Nixon. Nixon was a megalomaniac whose paranoia was his undoing. Bush is much worse: a mouthpiece for the corruption of power amassed in Oil & Defense industry executive suites. But, the motivations for breaking the law of the land from the highest office are not important. What is of utmost importance is this: precedent. In this specific instance, the precedent of breaking the law of the land from the highest office. It is the path to dictatorship.
Here is how I see it:
- Nixon took the first step, spying on Americans, lying about it and destroying evidence. Ironically, and perhaps because he was an attorney, he believed enough in the laws of the land to fear impeachment. Like I said, he violated The Constitution (and his oath to protect it) from the irrational thoughts of paranoia and egotism.
- Ford set the stage with Nixon's pardon. In typical white, male privileged class, he looked America straight in the eye and told us that this was for our own good. It was not for our own good. The example was set that the President is above the law.
- Reagan took office and began several GOP slight-of-hand strategies that continue to this day. Distract the public with Jingoism, label government as bad and greed as good, project the President as good ol' boy / cowboy who talks tough and does the right thing. In the background, Iran/Contra, the systematic destruction of protection for consumers, investors and union workers, collusion with religious nut jobs to repeal the gains of women's rights and minority rights.
- Clinton betrayed us by lying about the affair. I don't care who he had sex with. But, as the highest employee of the people and our paid / elected champion of the rule of law, he broke his oath. He also showed that a President can be impeached and remain in office and hired Blackwater. I'm more irritated with Bill Clinton than the others on this list, because I know that he knows better and can do better.
- George W Bush (or should I say Dick Cheney?) came through having learned the lessons of those I have already mentioned. Namely, that the President will do whatever the hell he wants and no one can stop him. He spied on us, illegally 'reditioned' us, and falsified justification for a war that has killed 1 million Iraqis. Saddam Hussein did not kill them, George Bush did. Award contracts to Halliburton, KBR & Blackwater: companies that have all broken laws including rape, murder and fraud only to be protected by collusion and lack of jurisdiction / accountability.
So, the choice is real simple and I think it is very clear. The world is watching. The people are watching. We all know that he broke the law. We have a choice in our response: investigate/prosecute or ignore/deny. The former option is in line with our Constitution. The latter is only going to pave the way for much worse offenses and misery for the generations to come.
Posts
