Article: The Puppet Show

Op- Ed Commentary

The Puppet Show

When you were a kid, remember those funny puppet shows with the marionettes? They used to pop up and down continuously, waving their arms and shaking their wooden heads. Last night, this writer sat in amazement at the biggest puppet show on earth. The president, or rather The Man Who Would Be President, stood for almost one hour and addressed me.... and you.... and oh yes, the Congress. As my friend Bruno in Italy e mailed me recently: " This is why a monumental hypocrite like George W. Bush can get away with what he gets away with. The criminals of this world could never operate if there wasn't an ocean of liars standing around watching in silence."

Last night, it was worse than that. Many of the very people that you and I elected to thwart and confront these liars were popping up and down like marionettes throughout the speech. Nancy Pelosi, the ' leader of the pack', should have reflected before such behavior. Nancy, what if? What if your daughter, the documentary movie maker, had been a reservist? What if, as Bush spoke last night, she was in her 2nd or 3rd redeployment in Iraq, deep within the hornet's nest of sudden and violent reaction to his actions? Would you still be applauding this man? And John Kerry and Ms.Hillary, ditto to you both regarding your children.

John Conyers, I remember, around one year ago, your moving and highly impassioned speech in the basement of the Congress. It was not only unofficial, but relegated by the Republicans to the basement. So eloquently you spoke, assuring all that could hear you, how, if the Democrats gained control of the House, and you became a committee chair, there would be "hearings of inquiry regarding the runup to the War on Iraq." Remember, John? Yet, the week after November 7th, you and Ms. Pelosi et all stated that " impeachment is off the table."

Here is what should have occurred last night. As the eyes of the world were watching, those in Congress who dissent against this president and his flawed and pirate administration should have set the example. Silence! Silence to oppose those who instigated a phony war on another sovereign nation, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians and sacrificing over 3000 of our young American kids. Silence to those who set mandates and protocols to allow torture, horrible and unworthy treatment of prisoners- thus opening the door for more of the same upon our house. Silence for the president who sat at a cabinet meeting, according to Paul O'Neill, and remarked when hearing of the proposal ( which he later backed ) for yet another major tax cut : " I thought we already gave the rich a tax cut." Silence for the man and his party that rammed through a Patriot Act that tore up the Bill of Rights in the name of fear. A man who watched as Big Oil earned record profits, while the gas pumps rang up record prices for working stiffs footing the bill. Silence, for six years of doing nothing to ease the health insurance spiral of costs, while he, his cronies and the Congress receive the best health care our tax dollars can buy.

Know what? Let him bring out Dikembe Mutumbo and the others, using them to placate the already dumbed down public. You all shouldn't have fallen for that con job. No, instead, you all should have reflected on the real state of this union. Look at the housing bubble that is already popping here and there, ready for a total burst. Look at the layoffs, and more to come, that are needed to prop this stock market up. Finally, look into the faces of we regular folks, and see the pressure and stress this president and his minions have added to our lives. Read Senator James Webb's speech and get the transcripts of what he said to Mr. Bush at the White House barely two months ago. When asked by Bush how his son, a Marine in Iraq, was doing, Webb retorted: " That's between him and me." . Now Senator Webb is no liberal by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, things are so rotten, that he chose the obscene and immoral disparity in earnings between corporate leaders and the rest of us, as his focus point last night. Ms. Pelosi, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Kerry, perhaps you are too blinded by your own comfort zone of extreme wealth. If not, perhaps you would have done what many of we progressives would have, if given the opportunity last night. We would have never left our seats and remained .... silent, and with principles. And for goodness sakes, what was this writer's candidate in '04, Dennis Kucinich, doing by ingratiating himself with Mr. Bush as the president exited the hall? Dennis, you just held hearings on the over 600,000 civilians killed by this illegal and immoral war on Iraq! Did you remind Mr. Bush of that fact when you leaned over to whisper in his ear? If so, you have my support in '08. If not, then you don't. Folks, the puppet show is over. Let's stand up and take back our republic!

PA Farruggio

January 24, 2007

( philip a farruggio is a free lance columnist, small businessman and citizen activist. many of his recent work can be accessed on OP- ED News .com and on afterdowningstreet.org. he can be reached at paf1222@ bellsouth.net )