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Edited on Fri Sep-28-07 08:53 AM by proud2Blib
"The world is watching the people of Burma take to the streets to
demand their freedom, and the American people stand in solidarity with
these brave individuals," George Bush
Watching the pro-democracy marches in Burma both inspires and sickens
me. I am inspired by seeing thousands of red-robed monks leading the
demonstrations and sickened by the violence they are being met with by
the military.
Seeing the images of the monks and others being beaten reminds me of
the Democratic Convention in 1968 where Chicago police beat the living
daylights out of demonstrators who were there to try and force the
party to come closer to the budding anti-war movement. It didn't work.
Instead of wonderful-pro-peace candidate, George McGovern, the party
nominated Johnson's VP, Hubert Humphrey. We know what happened next:
Nixon. After last night's Democratic "debate" I am terrified and
assured that the Democrats will have another pro-war nominee.
The other event in my memory that the pro-democracy movement in Burma
reminds me of is Kent State, Ohio in May, 1970. Four students were
killed and nine were wounded marching against escalation of the
Vietnam debacle.. I have heard from many people who were of age to
protest the Vietnam war at that time that the killings had the affect
of frightening them into not protesting, or scaling their protests
back.
Of course the present state of our nation is not as overtly oppressive
as the government of Myanmar (Burma), presently where a Nobel Peace
Laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi has been under house arrest there for
years, but we who have been paying attention to events can see that
America is on the precipice of serious fascism and only the brave
actions of Americans committed to freedom, democracy and peace will
help stem the tide of this rising neo-fascism that doesn't march
through our streets in goose-step and swastikas, but is creeping into
our lives like cat's paws.
According to Chris Rowthorn, in his brilliant article. When America
Went Fascist, we went fascist on December 11, 2000 when the Supreme
Court appointed George as our unelected, un-democratic and illegal
President. Although it is easy and tempting to blame everything on
BushCo, this is about the only assertion that I disagree with in his
article.
What about during the Clinton regime? Does anyone remember Elian
Gonzales or The Branch Davidians in Waco? Let's go back further. What
about when Truman dropped to WMD on hundreds of thousands of innocent
victims in Japan? What about Korea? Eisenhower and the Military
Industrial Complex? What about the Gulf of Tonkin? What about
Watergate? What about Panama? Kosovo? Nicaragua? Free trade agreements
that hurt workers in all countries that are involved in them and what
about the abuse of language in this country: Patriot Act; Homeland
Security; Clear Water and Clean Skies---and the No Child Left Behind
Act that leaves every child behind and is just a funnel to the
recruiter's office?
There are just a few measures that we can use to stop this slide and
Rowthorn articulates what has become an important part of my platform.
Only vote for candidates that promise the following things...for
president, or any other federal elective offices:
* Repeal the Patriot Act
* Repeal No Child Left Behind
* Scale down the Department of Homeland Security and rename it so it
loses its Nazi
tone and is brought under civilian control.
* Restore habeas corpus and close all torture camps by repealing the
Military Commissions' Act.
* Repeal all contracts with paid mercenary killer companies.
* Restore the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.
* Repeal all BushCo-Presidential directives (especially Directive 51)
and review all laws that contain signing statements.
* Restore the 4th Amendment by enforcing warrants for spying on
Americans.
* Impeach Bush and Cheney-post presidency so they can't receive
federal benefits.
* Bring all troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan and review military
needs for other bases around the world.
* Repeal all free trade agreements.
* Kick AIPAC and other lobbyists out of the halls of Congress where
they have no business.
One of the most profound ways we can stop this descent into fascism is
by impeaching, removing from office and incarcerating George Bush and
Dick Cheney, et al. I am very skeptical of a complicit Congress, Inc
doing anything about them in this term. I am also very skeptical of a
"professional" and fascist military leadership taking their oath of
service seriously and above their corporate-military allegiance to the
Executive Branch recently and so tellingly revealed by General Betray-
Us, so a military coup is out of the question and has the tricky
element of becoming a military dictatorship.
I was supposed to be in court today in Washington, DC for my last
arrest. I didn't go because I am not under allegiance and repudiate
the fascists that run our government and the enforcers who are doing
their best Nazi-job of "following orders" in oppressing our rights as
Americans.
Why are they beating up a Reverend who served in the Air Force, and
honorably left after the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq, for
wanting to attend a hearing in Congress?
Why are they arresting a Gold Star Mother for exercising the very
freedoms for which George Bush freakishly says her son died?
Why are my daughter and assistant under indictment for Contempt of
Congress when BushCo have steadily refused to testify before
committees under oath, or any other way? As a matter of fact, Betray-
Us wasn't even put under oath that day in the House.
Why are college students being tasered for asking the same questions
that we all want answered from John Kerry who threw our Representative
Republic in the garbage along with the 2004 election?
Why are nooses being hung in the South?
Why do any of us pay our Federal Taxes to a government that we abhor
and which we adamantly disagree with? Why do we allow our hard earned
money to be used for murder and oppression?
Why is Congress giving BushCo more authority to begin a New World War?
Where are religious leaders to lead us in pro-democracy
demonstrations? Most of our mainstream religions suffer from the same
neo-fascism that our governmental leaders suffer from.
Why do we march in DC on Saturdays and get arrested just to get
arrested? It's time to descend on DC on a weekday and make commitments
to our world and our posterity to over throw this fascism right now?
When can we have a country-wide massive general strike?
Recent reports show that Saddam made overtures to America through the
UAE and Spain to go into exile weeks before the March, 2003 invasion
of Iraq. Of course, the overtures were rejected because George's small
mind was already made up to invade Iraq before he became president in
some sick way to either show up or gain approval from a dysfunctional
family. What if Spain's former President Aznar had spoken up then?
What if Colin Powell, George Tenet, or any of the criminal neocons had
spoken up to prevent this horrible loss of life and pain before it
even started?
I wouldn't be under a bench warrant right now. Rev wouldn't be
recovering from a badly sprained ankle. Casey would be alive and
hundreds of thousands of others would be alive.
We can't count on anyone but ourselves. It's now up to we the people
to follow the example of our brothers and sisters in Burma to
courageously confront the anti-democracy/pro-fascist elements of our
society.
by Cindy Sheehan
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