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S.O.S. (Save Our System): Our Choice of Battlefield is Now Clear

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We have watched the parade of horrors of this Bush regime -the lies to lead us into war, the character assassinations, the distortions of science, the assault on the rule of law, and much more""and we have been outraged. And fearful""fearful that the dark forces that have imposed on us this dark present may be leading us into a future that's darker still.

And yet, still America sleeps. Too many Americans remain complacent to turn back the forces extinguishing the lights in the land we love. Though weakened by their failures and scandalous revelations, these forces continue their advance.

For example, a judge, likely chosen for his willingness to endorse unchecked presidential powers, has ascended to our highest Court, virtually unscathed by his Senate hearings. Administration lies continue to be reported, with a straight face, by the mainstream media. The Vice President apparently feels so confident that this ongoing Bushite coup can advance unopposed that he answers a question about working with Congress to adjust the laws this administration has broken by simply declaring, "We have all the legal authority we need."

But there is good news as well: the recent revelations about this administration have now presented us with an advantageous battlefield on which to wage our struggle.

They have shown us the one point where the regime's fabric of lies is weakest, and where our strength will be greatest: on the lawlessness of this administration, on the assault this administration is making on our constitutional system.

It is here that we should mount our attack. It is over this issue that the American people can best be awakened to turn back these forces.

It is on this point on which we must sound the alarm with discipline and relentless focus: S.O.S. Save Our System.

The Battle for Public Opinion

To save our country by defeating the forces of this lawless presidency, we must first win the battle for public opinion.

The forces we have already arrayed against this evil empire are impassioned, but passion alone will not prevail.

We are many, but we are not nearly many enough.

We do not control the government, nor the military forces of the United States. We do not control the great corporate empires of private wealth and influence. And we do not have much voice on the dominant national media. All of these are either commanded by, or complicitous with, the forces we oppose.

We will prevail only if the weight of public opinion comes decisively to our side.

Only then will the politicians -fearing the wrath of the public more than the wrath of these Bushite rulers""take the necessary steps to save this great American democracy. Only then will the media -fearing the displeasure of the viewers who give them their ratings and thus their dollars, more than they fear our would-be dictators""decide to tell the story of this dangerous moment the way it should be told.

To win, therefore, we need to sound the alarm in ways that will reach and persuade the people in the middle of the American body politic""not those like us who are already aroused, and not those so deep in the trance induced by Bushite propaganda as to be beyond reach.

There are two principal reasons why concentrating our attack on the issue this regime's lawlessness is the best way to achieve that purpose.

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Andy Schmookler, an award-winning author, political commentator, radio talk-show host, and teacher, was the Democratic nominee for Congress from Virginia's 6th District. His new book -- written to have an impact on the central political battle of our time -- is (more...)
 
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