A patriot does not tell people who are intensely concerned about their country to just sit down and be quiet; to refrain from speaking out in the name of politeness or for the sake of being a good host; to show slavish, blind obedience and deference to a dishonest, war-mongering, human-rights-violating president.
That is not a patriot. Rather, that person is a sycophant. That person is a member of a frightening culture of obedience -- a culture where falling in line with authority is more important than choosing what is right, even if it is not easy, safe, or popular. And, I suspect, that person is afraid -- afraid we are right, afraid of the truth (even to the point of denying it), afraid he or she has put in with an oppressive, inhumane, regime that does not respect the laws and traditions of our country, and that history will rank as the worst presidency our nation has ever had to endure.
In response to those who believe we should blindly support this disastrous president, his administration, and the complacent, complicit Congress, listen to the words of Theodore Roosevelt, a great president and a Republican, who said:
"The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the Nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile.
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else."
We are patriots. We're deeply concerned. And we demand change, now.
No more lies from Condoleezza Rice about whether she and President Bush were advised before 9/11 of the possibility of planes being flown into buildings by terrorists.
No more gross incompetence in the office of the Secretary of Defense.
No more torture of human beings.
No more disregard of the basic human rights enshrined in the Geneva Convention.
No more kidnapping of people and sending them off to secret prisons in nations where we can expect they will be tortured.
No more unconstitutional wiretapping of Americans.
No more proposed amendments to the United States Constitution that would, for the first time, limit fundamental rights and liberties for entire classes of people simply on the basis of sexual orientation.
No more federal land giveaways to developers.
No more increases in mercury emissions from old, dirty, dangerous coalburning power plants.
No more backroom deals that deprive protection for millions of acres of wild lands.
No more attacks on immigrants who work so hard to build better lives.
No more inaction by Congress on fixing our hypocritical and inconsistent immigration laws and policies.
No more reliance on fiction rather than the science of global warming.
No more manipulation of our media with false propaganda.
No more disastrous cuts in funding for those most in need.
No more federal cuts in community policing and local law enforcement grant programs for our cities.
No more inaction on stopping the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.
No more of the Patriot Act.
No more killing.
No more pre-emptive wars.
No more contempt for our long-time allies around the world.
No more dependence on foreign oil.
No more failure to impose increased fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.
No more energy policies developed in secret meetings between dick Cheney and his energy company cronies.
No more excuses for failing to aggressively cut global warming pollutant emissions.
No more tragically incompetent federal responses to natural disasters.
No more tax cuts for the wealthiest, while the middle class and those who are economically-disadvantaged continue to struggle more and more each year.
No more reckless spending and massive tax cuts, resulting in historic deficits and historic accumulated national debt.
No more purchasing of elections by the wealthiest corporations and individuals in the country.
No more phony, ineffective, inhumane so-called war on drugs.
No more failure to pass an increase in the minimum wage.
No more silence by the American people.
This is a new day. We will not be silent. We will continue to raise our voices. We will bring others with us. We will grow and grow, regardless of political party -- unified in our insistence upon the truth, upon peace-making, upon more humane treatment of our brothers and sisters around the world. We will be ever cognizant of our moral responsibility to speak up in the face of wrongdoing, and to work as we can for a better, safer, more just community, nation, and world.
So we won't let down. We won't be quiet. We will continue to resist the lies, the deception, the outrages of the Bush administration. We will insist that peace be pursued, and that, as a nation, we help those in need. We must break the cycle of hatred, of intolerance, of exploitation. We must pursue peace as vigorously as the Bush administration has pursued war. It's up to all of us to do our part.
~~~~~~Sweet Smiles~~~~~~
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10 comments:
WELL SAID MUSE!!!!!!
Once again Jay has displayed his lack of knowledge and ignorance of the real world.
2. Jay how many Europeans and Americans have been beheaded this year in the Middle East? Why is beheading so much worse than hanging or electrocuting people, which we practiced for decades.
3. The American Minute Min were considered terrorist in their time so it would have been OK for the Red Coats to torture them?
4. If we are arresting criminals, why haven't we seen them charged with a crime indicted and tried?
5. Where is the paper work that says these high suspects are exactly that and not some bodies Grandmother.... subpoena’s can be classified.
6. Since discrimination has been going on for years that makes it acceptable. Jay women don't pee on the floor ..... by the way.
7. If you don't know the importance of wild lands, then you should be informed that a "concrete jungle" is not green and does not support wild life ..... In fact it barely supports life at all.
8. Good solution Jay lets put all those million illegals in Jail. let's see how many prison would that take? ..... and what would be the cost? Why not just secure the borders and stimulate the economies in the countries South of our borders.
9. I rest my case on your ignorance on the environment.
10. Positive things? You mean like dying in a foreign land for no reason in conflicts of civil war that can't be won by the USA and are not of our business.
11.War isn't the only way to stop what is going on in the Sudan, but a war monger would never see that as a alternate solution.... Why haven't you signed up Jay? Uncle Sam Needs You.
12. You just proved the point Jay . Fuel efficient cars and alternative fuel car technology has been available for the last 30 years , but the corporations have held it back from being developed. So we have no choice in what we drive to the store.
13. The Middle class has continued to slip into the working class. The working class has continued to slip down in to the poor working class. We have more people every day dropping below the poverty line under Bush that ever before. For your information the people under the poverty line need's cost the American tax payers millions every year in costs of medical care that the employers paying a living wage would absorb normally.
14. What does Kerry's wife's money have to do with anything ..... that one I can't figure out
15. Again your ignorance is showing . Teenagers aren't the only ones receiving minimum wage. Single mothers, young heads of the household, older workers and displaced workers are the ones that fill the rolls of people making minimum wage. The mean wage for workers has steadily decreased under the Bush administration while the corporate profits have continued to climb. Federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. Could you live on that Jay?
16. LOL Jay do you really think the war on drugs is working? Why is the biggest crop of poppies ever harvested coming out of Afghanistan this year?? Hmmmmm don't we control Afghanistan? If the DEA would quit putting Marijuana as their top priority because it is easy to catch the growers and declare their Success we might see an improvement. Why not go after the Meth Labs popping up all over the US? Why not stop the opiate market by securing our borders and ports we might see a difference. Maybe it would help to get the CIA to quit turning their back on the big "Dope men" in turn for information and favors.
Frisson, thank you!!! It is refreshing to see some still are able to think on their own without having a government telling them what to think.
You made wonderful point and are a great person. :o)
Vacreeper, awesome comments thank you :o).
I couldn't agree more with your points , the world needs more people as yourself and Frisson. Plese never let them bring you down.
1"Your antiwar bullshit is supported by every actor in Hollywood."
Jay, again you are incorrect, there are several 'actors' on the side of the Bush's admin. Here I will list a few for you:
Ron Silver, Kelsey Grammer, Jason Priestley, Robert Duvall & Rick Shroder just to mention a few. Ok that point dispproved.
2 This just doesn't deserve a reply. Just know what 'we' do to others during this illegal war, our troops could be subjected to the same treatment, are you comfortable with that thought?
3 Geneva Convention does cover more than just POW's, let me show you.
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Recognizing that those rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person, Considering the obligation of States under the Charter, in particular Article 55, to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Having regard to article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which provide that NO ONE shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
You see that Jay, NO ONE
4 Are you going to tell me that police went into either Manson's or Bundy's home without proof and without warrants to arrest them? Of course not. Why should horrid people such as though you mention have more rights than others?
5 It is not just Americans that are talking to 'high valued suspects. Also that is what the FICA courts were designed for. Also how about the collecting of all Americans phone records?
6 Jay this was just silly on your part, plus Frisson's answer covered it completely.
7 Wildlands are being destroyed due to oil, lumber, ect.. Do you not know that with the execution of wildlife, humanity may face dire consequences?
8 I didn't forget to add illegal since I wasn't speaking of illegals aliens. You really shouldn't assume, you know what they say assume means.
9 Jay, yes temps change on the Earth, but this is different, take a look.
A new NASA study has found that global temperatures are nearing their hottest level in more than 12,000 years - since the last glaciers covered large portions of the planet. In fact, global temperatures have been going up approximately 0.2° Celsius (.36° Fahrenheit) per decade for the past 30 years. In fact, global temperatures are now within one degree Celsius of the hottest temperatures measured in the last million years.
10 I'm all for that, if they also show the flag covered coffins and the injuried troops. If they would reporton the death of the innocent civilians of both Iraq & Afghanistan. If the media would start showing the facts and quit with all the political spin BS.
11 Leave it to a neo-con to think war is the only solution to Darfur.
12 Do some research Jay on the many different fuel alternatives and how they go ignored. Some examples are veggie oil, hemp oil, solar power, fusion, ect.. Why aren't these sources used, simply explained the big oil men don't want it. FYI I ride a bike or walk whenever possible.
13 Jay, if you are bringing more home now than you did under Clinton, you are NOT middle class, here let me enlighten you:
Becoming middle class in America today is like scaling a cliff. Most middle-class Americans are clinging to the edge with their fingernails, trying not to fall. In the 1950s middle-class families could live comfortably if just one parent worked. Today more than 60 percent of mothers with children under six are in the work force. Not only do both parents work but often at least one of those parents works two or more jobs.
And we can't forget those tax cuts that helped the top two percent in the nation, I mean when the elite are saying they don't need or want anymore tax cuts, isn't it time the governement quits giving them more?
14 And you point is? BTW I never supported Kerry, I was a McCain supporter, till he lied.
15 You really think only teens are working for min wage? Wow!
Again let me try to shine the light of truth and reality on you:
The American dream and the American reality have collided. In America we have always said that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can take care of yourself and your family. But the minimum wage is just $5.15 per hour. With a 40-hour workweek, that comes to a gross income of $9,888 per year. Nobody can support a family, own a home, buy health insurance, or retire decently on $9,888 per year!
What's more, 30 million Americans -- one in four U.S. workers -- make less than $9 per hour, or just $17,280 a year. That's not a living wage either. For a family of four, the poverty threshold was listed as $19,307. If the head of that family of four were a single mother working full-time for the government-mandated minimum wage, she couldn't even rise above the government's own definition of poverty
16 War against drugs is laughable at best. It was never designed to work it was designed as a money maker. The poppy fields are growing faster and stronger than ever. More and more people are on some type of illegal drugs. So you tell me how it is working. Give me a reason to warrant the billions of dollars spent on it since 1915. Drugs are in fact, terrible. But it is not drugs that have done the real damage to our society. It is the misbegotten effort to use the criminal law against them.
We tried Prohibition to end alcohol abuse. It brought so much crime that we quickly gave up the Noble Experiment.
Prohibition of drugs began in 1915. The experiment has been going for 91 years now, and by every rational test it is a ghastly failure.
The huge amounts of money spent in recent years on the drug war have not reduced addiction. Per capita use of cocaine and heron, not to mention meth has in fact increased.
And the effort to stop drug use by harsher and harsher criminal penalties has had devastating side effects. It has made importation and distribution of the forbidden products immensely profitable. That in turn has lured large numbers of young men, even children, into the trade.
"We're giving these kids a criminal identity," Joseph D. McNamara, former police chief in Calif., said, "when we should be trying to find every possible way to keep them in school and get them into employment!" Mr. McNamara is now a research fellow at the Hoover Institution in Stanford, Calif. Last May, Hoover put on a conference about drug policy. The participants Included George Shultz, the former Secretary of State, Milton Friedman, the economist - both also at the Hoover Institution - and dozens of police officials. The participants ended by favoring. overwhelmingly, medical and educational alternatives to the war on drugs. "Any objective group that studies the war on drugs has to recognize that it's a disaster." Mr. McNamara told The Palo Alto (Calif.) Weekly. "It is not stopping the spread of drug abuse, It's causing a good deal more crime and violence than we'd otherwise have, and it's having severe negative effects on race relations in America."
Another terrible cost of the drug war is the incarceration of enormous numbers of people. This country now has more than one million prisoners, many of them sentenced to long terms, for nonviolent drug crimes. It costs upward of $20,000 a year for each one - and it will cost hundreds of billions to build new prisons.
The racial impact of the drug war is particularly devastating.. One third of this country's black men between 20 and 29 are now in prison or under supervision of the criminal justice system, most of them for drug crimes. Cigarettes have been found to addict young users more than any other drug, Mr. Shenk points out; and 400,000 Americans die prematurely each year because of tobacco use. But we fight that problem not by criminal prohibition but by rules and, education, which have substantially reduced smoking. But some day we may have political leaders brave enough to do what most of the police authorities and judges who are on the front line-have concluded is essential - stop the self destruction of the war on drugs.
Jay, I have now addressed everyone of your comments, why didn't you do the same? I saw no comment from you about Rice's lies pre 911 knowledge, no comment about the gross incompetence in the office of the Secretary of Defense. Nor did I see you remark about the increases in mercury emissions, cuts in funding for those most in need, or the cutting of funding for police & 1st responders.
I can't help but wonder why Jay?
Jay, we are all allowed our thoughts and views, but damnit man can you no longer debate issues with facts & without insults?
~~~~~Forever A Facetious Pain~~~~~
~~~~~~~~Sweetest Smiles~~~~~~~~~
I can't wait to hear more of your emotional raving.
Well Jay, it seems again you have your information incorrect. I am NOT a democrat, never have been and seriously doubt if I ever will be.
Jay, your type talks about cut and run. Your type accuses others of not being able to address issues with facts. It seems that you are the one cutting and running and that you lack the ablity to address any issues with facts.
You know Hilter used that 'they are not human' line, it was wrong then and it is even more wrong today. You should be ashame of yourself as your party should be. In your last little comment you have done more harm to your party than any other person I know, short of Bushie and his rubberstamp admin. Good job!!!
Jay, until you can debate issues with facts perhaps you should take a break and educated yourself in the way of humanity. Come back when you have grown up enough to be less of a potty mouth and moron.
BTW, I have it on good sources the Tin Man would be more than happy to let you step ahead him for that heart you are so badly lacking.
~~~~Forever A Facetious Pain~~~~~
~~~~Smiles filled with pity 4 U~~~
I've always believed patriotism is a matter of sincerely believing you are trying to do something to improve your country and maintain what is good about it. If some don't believe what you're doing is productive, or worse in intent and effect, I think that's their right to express.
I tend to not believe in a litmus for what patriotism is, nor to put any act as being above another.
Jay, if you come from a military family and are so for this war, what in the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you in Iraq? There are many mothers that would be grateful to you if you went. It might mean their child might get to come home.
Another words Jay, put up or shut up!
~~~~~Forever A Facetious Pain~~~~~
~~~~~~~Especially to you Jay~~~~
~~~~~~~~Sweetest Smiles~~~~~~~
My father was in the navy in WW2, as six of my uncles, my brother was in the army in Vietnam, my sister served in Germany, and I have a few neices,nephews, and cousins that have served and are now in the military. That is alot of my immediate family and believe me, I have a huge family. So at least 20 people from my immediate family have served the military in the last fifty years. Out of all of those people,the ones that are living, guess what? None of them support Bush's ideology. They are staunch Democrat. Before my father died two years ago he felt like GW was the devil himself. So, for those that think liberals are not in the military, you are wrong there. Those soldiers are probably the ones that are humane and reaching out to the Iraqis, not raping and torturing them. That is my thought on that.
Brava, Michelle!! Well said, as always:o)
Now Jay take that and stuff it where the sun don't shine :o\
~~~~~Forever A Facetious Pain~~~~~
~~~~~~~~Sweetest Smiles~~~~~~~~~
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