I don't know about you, but I am outraged that the House Democrats that have just recaptured control of that body have already taken impeachment "off of the table." Hell, even if you forget all of the reasons that Bush has given us since he pirated the 2000 election, there's still that matter of the Republicans sicking a special prosecutor on Bill Clinton practically from day one of his presidency, one who flitted from Whitewater to Paula Jones when he couldn't manufacture a scandal there, and then to Monica Lewinski when he couldn't trump up any charges there either. That's offensive to me as a liberal citizen of this country, and an abuse of power. It should not go unpunished.
And for me, even before the hijacked elections, the lies to war, the illegal wiretapping, the outing of a CIA operative, the Katrina abomination, and the flouting of the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Constitution - all good reasons individually to hound that administration like Inspector Javert did to the protagonist Jean Valjean in Les Miserables' - even before you start to consider these crimes against man and earth - there's still the matter of an old score to settle.
Bush has been convicted of the felony of wiretapping without the legally required subpoena. Why is he not punished for that? A felony. He shouldn't even be allowed to vote, let alone serve as president. If the Democrats and the U.S. Congress, which is the source of all federal law, don't respect the rule of law, somebody please tell me why I should, other than the obvious risk of getting caught and penalized. But why should I obey any law that I feel that I can get away disobeying without being harmed or punished if I don't feel like it? I will if the Democrats will.
Now, the Republicans are asking the Democrats, "Will you keep your promise and reach across the aisle?" Who promised that? And even if it was promised, it was promised TO REPUBLICANS who lie and betray promises to a degree that shames even Satan. One is under no obligation to keep any promises to such rubbish. If I reached across the aisle, it would be with a can of mace. If the Democrats don't completely exclude the Republicans from every possible level of participation including locking doors and not telling them about meetings, I will consider that selling me out. As a liberal American, I endured humiliation after humiliation at the hands of those insects, and I am not looking for de'tente or rapprochement. I will not be satisfied with any less than the most severe retribution from the Democrats to both the White House through impeachment and the Republicans in Congress through snubbing and exclusion. No conservative's wishes should EVER BE CONSIDERED AT ALL in any decision making process. They can write their suggestions down and submit their dreams, hopes and desires right into the circular file for further consideration.
Some will say that this is the wrong attitude, that mercy and conciliation should prevail, that we should get on with the business of repairing America, be constructive. But I am like a family member of one of Ted Bundy's victims, and I don't want mercy, I want revenge. I want to see the Republicans severely punished, or there can be no closure for me, and I'll bet that I am not alone.
Of course, I will get none of that. What we get instead is capitulation and cooperation with the enemy. Not good enough. The only use the Democrats serve is to fill space so that Republicans are not there instead. They are not active agents, they are inert matter. Admittedly, this is a VAST IMPROVEMENT over the excrement that they will be replacing, But if they roll over and essentially pardon the Republican Party for its crimes against the Constitution and the world, if they do not vigorously work to restore ALL Republican changes of the last six years (revoke the tax cuts, revoke the USA PATRIOT Act, etc.) AND to prosecute the criminals in government, then all that we have accomplished with this recent retooling of Congress is to have bought a little time in the process of transforming America into a fascistic corporate state. After all, how long will it take Limbaugh and Hannity et al. (the corporate media and its hacks) to make America forget everything about the last few years under Republican rule and re-elect a Republican majority? Two years? Four?
Now that's something - buying time - but not a good enough reason to revise our plans to emigrate. I couldn't begin to think about changing that before I saw America moving leftward again and attempting to restore the rule of law. Letting all of this be swept under the rug smacks of conflict of interest and sure doesn't give me hope about the Democrats' values or intentions. The Democrats would be no better for forgiving the recent past than the House Republicans who condoned Foley's dalliances. Mercy, the forgiving of a debt, is not justice, the repayment of a debt. Worse, it is an injustice to forgive debts owed to others.
What the Democrats are proposing is worse to me than was the pardoning of Nixon by Gerald Ford, itself also a clear conflict of interest and a failure of the justice system. The Democrats say that they won't even bring charges, let alone convict, all of which precedes a pardon. This clemency is unacceptable and unforgivable, and in my mind, a serious betrayal of those of us who watched the Republicans savage American liberals, and an ominous sign for the intentions of the new Democratic Congress.
And for me, even before the hijacked elections, the lies to war, the illegal wiretapping, the outing of a CIA operative, the Katrina abomination, and the flouting of the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Constitution - all good reasons individually to hound that administration like Inspector Javert did to the protagonist Jean Valjean in Les Miserables' - even before you start to consider these crimes against man and earth - there's still the matter of an old score to settle.
Bush has been convicted of the felony of wiretapping without the legally required subpoena. Why is he not punished for that? A felony. He shouldn't even be allowed to vote, let alone serve as president. If the Democrats and the U.S. Congress, which is the source of all federal law, don't respect the rule of law, somebody please tell me why I should, other than the obvious risk of getting caught and penalized. But why should I obey any law that I feel that I can get away disobeying without being harmed or punished if I don't feel like it? I will if the Democrats will.
Now, the Republicans are asking the Democrats, "Will you keep your promise and reach across the aisle?" Who promised that? And even if it was promised, it was promised TO REPUBLICANS who lie and betray promises to a degree that shames even Satan. One is under no obligation to keep any promises to such rubbish. If I reached across the aisle, it would be with a can of mace. If the Democrats don't completely exclude the Republicans from every possible level of participation including locking doors and not telling them about meetings, I will consider that selling me out. As a liberal American, I endured humiliation after humiliation at the hands of those insects, and I am not looking for de'tente or rapprochement. I will not be satisfied with any less than the most severe retribution from the Democrats to both the White House through impeachment and the Republicans in Congress through snubbing and exclusion. No conservative's wishes should EVER BE CONSIDERED AT ALL in any decision making process. They can write their suggestions down and submit their dreams, hopes and desires right into the circular file for further consideration.
Some will say that this is the wrong attitude, that mercy and conciliation should prevail, that we should get on with the business of repairing America, be constructive. But I am like a family member of one of Ted Bundy's victims, and I don't want mercy, I want revenge. I want to see the Republicans severely punished, or there can be no closure for me, and I'll bet that I am not alone.
Of course, I will get none of that. What we get instead is capitulation and cooperation with the enemy. Not good enough. The only use the Democrats serve is to fill space so that Republicans are not there instead. They are not active agents, they are inert matter. Admittedly, this is a VAST IMPROVEMENT over the excrement that they will be replacing, But if they roll over and essentially pardon the Republican Party for its crimes against the Constitution and the world, if they do not vigorously work to restore ALL Republican changes of the last six years (revoke the tax cuts, revoke the USA PATRIOT Act, etc.) AND to prosecute the criminals in government, then all that we have accomplished with this recent retooling of Congress is to have bought a little time in the process of transforming America into a fascistic corporate state. After all, how long will it take Limbaugh and Hannity et al. (the corporate media and its hacks) to make America forget everything about the last few years under Republican rule and re-elect a Republican majority? Two years? Four?
Now that's something - buying time - but not a good enough reason to revise our plans to emigrate. I couldn't begin to think about changing that before I saw America moving leftward again and attempting to restore the rule of law. Letting all of this be swept under the rug smacks of conflict of interest and sure doesn't give me hope about the Democrats' values or intentions. The Democrats would be no better for forgiving the recent past than the House Republicans who condoned Foley's dalliances. Mercy, the forgiving of a debt, is not justice, the repayment of a debt. Worse, it is an injustice to forgive debts owed to others.
What the Democrats are proposing is worse to me than was the pardoning of Nixon by Gerald Ford, itself also a clear conflict of interest and a failure of the justice system. The Democrats say that they won't even bring charges, let alone convict, all of which precedes a pardon. This clemency is unacceptable and unforgivable, and in my mind, a serious betrayal of those of us who watched the Republicans savage American liberals, and an ominous sign for the intentions of the new Democratic Congress.
