I guess I will out myself on DU right now and take away my anonymity. So be it. Yesterday one of my articles was published online and apparently it has proven quite popular given the people who have read it. The article is pasted, in full, below:A Stark and Clear Choice
LINK:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=15756Joel E. Bousley
October 30, 2006
Is it possible that our country might be on the precipice of recovery from the damage that the Bush administration and extreme wings of the Republican Party have reaped upon her? Is it possible that a Democratic victory in the House might be just around the corner? If so, the wait for this has been too long in coming. Over the past several months the Republicans have managed to further shred the Constitution. However, they have also been caught red-handed in scandal-after-scandal; the Republican Party is not unlike the child who has been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Needless to say, momma is not at all happy with the way little Georgie and crew have been behaving. It seems that the American people have finally had enough of the lies, corruption, and vitriol that have come to define the Republican Party.
Republicans have trumpeted the lie that the Democrats have no plan. Time-and-time again I have heard this parroted by the right-wing talking heads. One has only to conduct a Google search – notwithstanding the president’s inane use of “the Google” – to see that Democrats from the honorable John Kerry to those candidates now running for office to the House Democratic leadership have plans to get America back on track. Just last week, Mr. Bush suggested almost the very same plan for getting out of Iraq that John Kerry proposed months ago. For months this president has proclaimed that we must “stay the course” in Iraq, and now he and his foul administration are running away from that tired phrase. Did the President really think that no one would notice this irony and point it out?
The American people seem to be about to reclaim their values, as they draw back in disgust at the heinous sight of Republican corruption and hypocrisy. It seems that the American people have grown tired of tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans, as the middle class continues to struggle and an abhorrent term – the “working poor” – takes more of a stranglehold. Americans have grown tired of a Republican-led Congress voting for a pay increase for themselves and, in almost the same breath, voting against raising the minimum wage for hardworking citizens. Americans have grown tired of seeing right-wing extremist like the odious Mr. Limbaugh mock a savage disease like Parkinson’s disease while the majority are in favor of stem-cell research. Americans have grown tired of the fact that over 46 million are without health insurance, and even those who have health insurance face rising premium costs. Americans have grown tired of a Republican Congress that claims to support the troops, while failing to ensure they have proper equipment and all the while slashing veterans’ benefits. In short, the American people do not like what has happened under Republican “leadership.” The Culture of Corruption, of hypocrisy, is finally being tripped up by their chicanery.
The elephantine trumpeters who have proclaimed that the Democrats have no plan or that the next terrorist attacks are right around the corner are being revealed as liars and fear mongers. They are being revealed for the corruption and hypocrisy that has long stood out to some on the left, middle, and right. It is not just the Mark Foley scandal, the Jack Abramoff affair, or the bribes that have undercut American tax payers – it is the sheer volume and weight of Republican betrayal that stands out above all else. The Republican Party has betrayed their own values, and, more shockingly, they have betrayed the values of truth and justice. They have failed to provide oversight of themselves and of the Bush White House, and the American people are not blind to this fact. Even in traditionally strong Republican areas, the truth is beginning to shine through, as many polls reveal that Democrats are likely to take the House and could very well take the Senate.
For the past six the Republican Party has failed to do anything about these issues and more. They have continued to be complacent in the lies that led us to war in Iraq. They have continued to do nothing as the chief culprit behind 9/11 remains free. They have continued to put the business of corporations ahead of the business of the people. Whereas Democrats wanted to provide some cushion for the middle class and the poor many times over the past several years, Republicans have continued to hold the line against the better interests of the vast majority of Americans. It is not just their support for tax cuts that only affect the richest of Americans. It is things like the nefarious bankruptcy bill that passed with overwhelming Republican support; whereas, Democrats wanted to protect those whose debts were incurred by medical bills, the Republicans had no compassion for even the hard luck cases. Some would venture to say that Republicans have greatly contributed to the worsening of this country, as surely as they have caused the polarization of the American electorate. Americans know that this polarization cannot be allowed to continue if our country is to get back on the right track.
The Democrats represent new and vital leadership as we face the challenges that the Republican Party has neglected because of incompetence, cowardice, and chicanery. Americans must never forget that it was under a Republican president that our country was attacked on September 11, 2001. Americans must never forget that it is the Republicans who are soft on terrorism, as they have continued to fail to bring Osama bin Laden to justice. It is the Democrats who have called for a strict adherence to the recommendations of the non-partisan 9/11 Commission, and it is the Republicans that have willfully refused to make those recommendations into laws. The Democrats have so many plans that I cannot cover them all here. Suffice it to say, the Democratic Party wants to enact changes for the betterment of this country and the world. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has already laid out what Democratic plans if the Democrats should take the House in January 2007. (To view Leader Pelosi's plan go to
http://www.democraticleader.house.gov/pdf/thebook.pdf ) Can Republicans say that they have any clear plan to get our country back on track, or is it that they are the ones with no plan and will choose to merely continue with failed and tired policies?
It is a delight to see that the American people, as a whole, seem to have become largely aware of the Republican’s chicanery, and next week, on the seventh of November, we shall see what the people decide. If I were a betting man, I would say that we, the American electorate, shall choose the path of progress over the stagnation we have had under Republican leadership. Imagine an American where the American dream is attainable again, where all Americans have access to health care, where all citizens earn at least a living wage, and yes, where the Bush White House is finally forced to recognize that there are three separate and equal branches to our government. Imagine a country in which the members, past and present, of our military are finally treated with the respect and honor that they have earned. Imagine a country where the partisan feelings are gone and we are once again united, not as Republicans and Democrats, but, more importantly, as Americans.
Next week the American people will have a clear and distinct choice to make. Shall we continue as a nation that starts wars of aggression, ignores the potential benefits of stem-cell research, allows millions to go without health insurance, watches people struggle on minimum wage, and continues to drive blindly toward global ecological disaster? Or shall take the high road and cut our losses in Iraq, invest government funds in stem-cell research, stop the rising costs of medical care while ensuring that all Americans have access to health care, and do something while there is still time about global warming? The choice is clear – Democrats for truth, justice, and progress or Republicans for corruption, stagnation, and hypocrisy.
God bless America.
Must have tapped a nerve pretty well, as I received the following email this evening:I hope that you are single and remain that way the rest of your life. I would hate to think that you would actually get someone pregnant and raise children who are as stupid as you are.
I am definitely of the belief that even the rank and file Republicans must be going stir crazy if a small opinion piece can arouse so much vitriol. I replied back as follows:Ms. Xxxxxx:
What a profoundly kind thing to say. I am not single and have not been for some time. I am pleased that my article caused you to react as you have. To each their own... I suppose that good manners and civil discourse are a distinct impossibility for some. As Christ preached, I shall turn the other cheek. May God bless you and keep you. Now kindly refrain from contacting me again, as I don't think I can bare another of your musings.
All the Best,
Joel E. Bousley
On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, "Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me." Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, "Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me." These will ask Him, "When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?" And Jesus will answer them, "Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!"
This woman's email address indicates that she is from Georgia, and I would say that someone has some anger issues to work out. How do you ladies and gentlemen think that I handled it?
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