I will never trust another President.

[dbt]

And I reckon that the Democrats in Congress are just as much to blame for this as the Republicans and the BFEE its ownself. These three groups have, one way or another, combined their forces to put unprecedented powers into the hands of one person: whoever sits in the Oval Office.

The President of the United States of America (elected or not) can now order troops into another country because they might someday be a threat. This same person now effectively gets to decide who's a terrorist and who can be held incommunicado at whatever undisclosed location for "security reasons."

And there are lots of other things to worry about, shameful things that members of both parties are trying to keep from the light of day. Things that ooze out from under various rocks, only to be ignored in favor of Bread and Circuses.

I don't care if Wesley Clark walks on water or if Howard Dean can make hundred-dollar bills fall from the sky. There is now too much power entrusted to the President-- and you don't have too look too deep to see that corporations are paying the freight for this wholesale sellout.

Don't get me wrong. I fervently, feverishly hope that a Democrat is actually elected this year! It is my fondest wish to see the entire bu$h regime on trial for war crimes in The Hague.

Given a Democratic victory and the resultant lack of a Bush to kick around anymore, I would expect DU membership and participation to fall off drastically. But I am going to need somewhere to go for real news that ain't served up on a Corporate platter. I am going to need somewhere to go to interact with people who will continue to follow the money regardless of whose pockets it fattens.

In a very real way, DU will be more important than ever when a Democrat is President again.

:freak:
dbt

[ikojo]

1. Amen! A mistake many left

leaning groups made in the early 1990s was thinking that they had a place at the table just because a Democrat was elected to the presidency. After 12 years of Reagan/Bush I can see why people let their guard down, however not holding Bill Clinton accountable as he ran roughshod over various supporting groups (gays in the military being just one) did little to move the Dems even to the center.

[dbt]

3. Thank you, ikojo!

Usually, I do a better job of keeping my cynicism caged and leashed, but every know and then ya gotta let that pony run!

Cheers,
:cry:
dbt

[Tinoire]

6. Agree totally

I just read this last night about Clinton's activities in Columbia and was really upset when I remembered how much I had idolized him- so much that I was half asleep throughout his Presidency. THis is the beauty of the 2-party system- keep us all at each others' throats "down here" while we pay no attention to them "up there".

And so many Republicans- just as sincere as we are in their convictions watching their party being eaten away by the same cancer of corporate globalization and wars but blaming US. If we look in the mirror we must each admit the other has a point.

Knight-Ridder/Tribune Media Services (August 30, 2000)
Philadelphia Inquirer (August 31, 2000)


Clinton in Colombia: The Ugly American

When President Clinton announced his trip to Colombia, he said his purpose was "to seek peace, to fight illicit drugs, to build its economy, and to deepen democracy." Nothing could be further from the truth.

<snip>

If this requires the continuing murder of 3000 civilians each year, or creating 300,000 refugees annually, that is a price that Mr. Clinton is willing to pay.

The term "human rights abuse" is a euphemism-- let's be honest about what our tax dollars are paying for in Colombia. "They drank and danced and cheered as they butchered us like hogs," reports a survivor of a recent massacre described in the New York Times. He was describing the slaughter of 36 people in the town of El Salado, by 300 paramilitary troops in February. The troops began bringing
their victims to the town square on a Friday, and according to the Times, "ordered liquor and music, and then embarked on a calculated rampage of torture, rape and killing" that lasted until Sunday. The victims included a 6-year old girl and an elderly woman.

The Colombian army stood by a few miles away, setting up roadblocks that prevented human rights and rescue workers from trying to help the villagers.

<snip / war on drugs blah blah blah pretext- it's always a war on some poor noun >

Meanwhile, 37 human rights and other non-governmental organizations in Colombia have stated that they will not accept any funds from "Plan Colombia," the program that our massive aid package-- $1.3 billion, with $860 million for Colombia-- is partially funding. And neighboring states-- including Ecuador and Peru-- are beginning to worry that continued escalation of the war will spill over into their
territories.

We can only hope that the backlash against the Administration's pursuit of a violent solution to Colombia's civil war will continue to grow. When Colombia's fate is left to the Colombians, then there will be a chance "to seek peace, build the economy, and deepen democracy."

http://www.cepr.net/columns/weisbrot/clinton_in_columbia.htm

[Gman]

2. Would it help if you knew that

there's a whole lot of Republicans that feel the very same way because of Bush? They just don't talk about it publicly as much except the real RW'ers. They're livid.

[dbt]

4. And thank YOU, Gman!

I am left feeling the way Dolly described someone in "Steel Magnolias:"

He don't know whether to wind his butt or scratch his watch!

:crazy:
dbt

[Tinoire]

5. AMEN! It took one helluva bi-partisan effort to get us to this

and you didn't hear much bickering over this one.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. The balance of power needs to be righted

but that will take strong leadership in Congress, something I don't see coming from the Dems right now. But if we can pick up some seats and gain a majority again, maybe we can vote out the appeaser/leaders and get some fighting people into positions of power.

[DrBB]

8. Well, with a right wing judiciary and congress

A Dem president will need all the clout he can muster.

But your point is well-taken. The myriad kinds of damage the current administration has wrought don't get undone over night. I've even heard the rare rightwinger of some wisdom and intellect caution the GOP that whatever powers they bestow on this president will ultimately be available to a president from the other party as well.

I'll say one thing for Clark, though: He's been quite vocal about the Patriot Act needing to be rolled back. One of the reasons I favor him (and no, that doesn't mean I disfavor anyone else. Well, with one exception maybe).

[lostnfound]

9. Amen! We need regime change throughout the country..

not just in Washington. Replace a consumer society with a citizenry.

Most of these guys have shown themselves to be either cowed or traitorous by not pushing to get to the bottom of 9-11. THAT is an issue that the left and the right public ought to be able to agree on.

And among ordinary people, left and right, the need to re-take our government from corporations is the other common ground.