Americans are being asked to carry the burden of guilt

[windoe]

for the crimes of this administration every day they do not face criminal prosecution. Most of us are familiar with the long list of murder, torture, robbery and deceit that started in 2000 and is going on this very moment. I believe our soldiers, who were on the front lines of this illegal war, were fully taken advantage of as idealistic young men and women. Their suicides and mental breakdowns are an indication of what terrible acts they were ordered to perform, and the overwhelming guilt they have upon returning home only to realize that it was illegal in the first place. They are literally self-destructing because they were thrown into hell in our name with our tax dollars and cannot bear the burden any longer. We should not ask them to carry it any more.

We carry this burden every day we read about atrocities and are made to wait for a trial that may never happen. The sociopaths in office have demonstrated since taking it that they do not understand the Constitution despite having gone to law school. Part of their disease is demanding that others live in their delusional world, and in so doing the disease spreads.

Our part of this great burden is to see to it that justice is served, and that the criminals carry their load of the burden. Our burden is providing adequate public response to these crimes, in a way that provides backup so that the whistleblowers and Representatives with good conscience feel safe and proud to be real patriots in order to end this Bush era of Terror.

I have posted perhaps once before, but could not stay silent after reading about the ships and the dialogue in the WH. When are we going to draw the line? How much more innocent blood must be spilled before we can stop it?

I am peaceful, I am a healer and wonder how we can be the most effective, in the name of those who are being tortured somewhere, and that beautiful young soldier who is staring at a gun right now.

[midnight]

1. This is the crux of the situration as I see it too.

Our burden is providing adequate public response to these crimes, in a way that provides backup so that the whistleblowers and Representatives with good conscience feel safe and proud to be real patriots in order to end this Bush era of Terror.

Let's end this horror, and bring them home.

[damntexdem]

5. I may be guilty of a lot of things, but not in any way of the crimes of this wacko administration.

Shoulder the burden of guilt all you want -- it that's your fantasy.

The rest of us have been protesting what these criminals have done. And the rest of the world (except for a few wackos as out-of-it as are the Bushistas) makes the distinction and DOES NOT blame the American people as a whole. They don't even blame the American electorate, because they realize that the 2000 and 2004 elections were rigged then stolen.

But we should blame the spineless Dems in Congress who have enabled the Bushistas.

[windoe]

6. You and I are a minority in this country who have actually protested.

My point is that we are being 'asked' to carry the burden by those that are trying to avoid a trial. By insisting for the trial to begin we will not be accepting the blame that they are attempting to lay on us.
And I would hope to see soldiers being honored for their original intent to serve their country.

[Hydra]

7. Just like they didn't blame the Germans?

Keep dreamin'

[bdamomma]

2. we should all know that our elected officials are not going to do anything

and this upcoming election is not going to a cure all. We should of drawn a line a long time ago, I understand that we tried to do that in Nov. 2006 but no one is listening to us.

[windoe]

3. We and the rest of the world outnumber the criminals.

I hate to bring up a children's movie to make a point, but in the movie "Ants' when all of them just took one step forward, together, all at the same time, and simultaneously said "NO"-it was a powerful statement in exercising will, and how to do it peacefully yet forcefully. I am envisioning such a response.
This sick equation has two sides of it, one, that opportunistic predators took control of our nation, and the other side is that we were ripe for the picking, somehow they knew they could get away with it.
But this is the great illusion, that people are powerless, that there is nothing we can do. We have to learn how to deal with sociopathy, somehow the usual polite rules just don't seem to apply, they require a firm hand. People in the medical profession know this, that dealing with delusional predatory people requires special skills. Let us not pretend this is not the case.
In order to return to a balanced equation, we cannot play the victim anymore, lest we encourage more predators.

[windoe]

4. We need to have a V moment

I think it would be liberating and healing. Perhaps this will happen all by itself, but I wish to put this into words to plant a seed. So far there's been a coalition here and there, periodic petitions to sign, and demonstrations by this group and that. But as we have seen, the most powerful thing to do would be to network all these groups together for one great big "NO" simultaneously as a country.
I guess this is not the appropriate site for this, but this is my opinion and it feels really good to write about it.

[Hydra]

8. Nothing will happen

We are quite likely to be the country that fires the first nuke...again.

And you know what will happen? We will act horrified...and then go to work, like good little slaves.

You say that you are "peaceful, I am a healer"- that means you let things pass and fix the damage after it's happened. If you're so upset, perhaps you should re-evaluate that stance.

"If you're not ready to die for it, take the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary."

Malcolm X

[blindpig]

9. As long as we tolerate it we are accomplices.

It is obvious that demonstrations, such as have been staged, have no effect.

It is obvious that petitioning members of the legislature has no effect.

Something else is required.

A general strike, prolonged until effective, refusing intimidation, would do the trick.

Can we do it?

[G_j]

10. well stated

I wish I believed that justice will be served

[windoe]

11. I thought my post faded away

thank you for responding respectfully. This discussion really matters to me. Yes, there are healers in society and there are warriors, just because someone is a pacifist does not make them weak or not able to stand their ground. I have never been in a situation where I have had to fight, so I do not know how I would act, perhaps I would go ballistic, or maybe I would pee my pants. No pretending here.

What ever you wish to call it, I feel a ball is in our court, as long as these crimes go on and on. I remember reading about the Germans in villages next to the concentration camps, and how disgusted I was of them for remaining in their bubble of safety while this was going on. Then I thought perhaps they were scared and resigned themselves to just survive. But I was agape at the whole phenomena of them not doing anything.

I have marched, and petitioned like many people here. A general strike would be most effective, halt the machine to show we can, or something. Sure would be safer. They are many ways of expressing ourselves, and this post is mostly for people who have done nothing at all (Perhaps it should be posted on a RW site--ooh talk about flamebait!!)

[Hydra]

12. You know what happened in Nazi Germany if you spoke up?

You were killed.

You know what happens here? You're ignored.

Just remember that history will treat us as well as it treated the Germans who decided not to do anything meaningful.

Maybe you'll view what happened in the past a little differently knowing what you know now.

It's all up to you, since we are not a people standing together. Will you fight and die uselessly, or will you take the safe road and bear the stigma of being a "Good American"?

[windoe]

13. Thanks for sharing your POV

LIving in these times have deepened my understanding for people who have had to live under violent regimes. I guess everyone will have their own response, it will truly be up to the individual what that will be, if any.

[windoe]

14. I should have known

-I have worked in hospitals, trauma centers & operating rooms most of my life, have seen a lot of death and gore, and I know most of my friends and family really cannot sit and listen to my typical day for long. I completely understand this. I know rescue workers, soldiers and other people traumatized by violence live in a different world than people who have experienced it second hand.
I am not able to go to realistic horror movies, along with my partner who was in war, both of us react viscerally to seeing it portrayed and really are not entertained, and perhaps have no need to see blood unnecessarily, who knows, so we have walked out of many films and shut off DVDs that were too violent. Perhaps this phenomena is some kind of psychological condition that is the opposite to the sociopath that feels nothing for others, but are people who feel everything deeply. Then there is everyone in between these two extremes.
Being in a profession where reacting immediately when seeing blood is the training--it is hard to wait for events to slowly unfold.

[MedleyMisty]

15. I have been formulating a theory about the spectrum of humanity

from psychopath to empath.

Most of my research is on the empath side. Here's a place to start if you're interested in it too.

http://members.shaw.ca/positivedisintegration /

Some search terms - over excitability, highly sensitive (the whole HSP thing does seem a bit like plastic yuppie boomer self-help to me, but I think that's just the presentation - the actual information can be useful) and profoundly gifted. Maybe emotional intelligence, although really I don't like Gardner's whole multiple intelligences theory - I read one of his books and was not impressed at all. But I don't totally discount his ideas - anything can be sifted through to find the good stuff.

I've researched giftedness quite a bit, and all of the research and studies tie emotional and moral sensitivity to high intelligence in general. Of course there are exceptions in all directions and it's not an absolute at all (there are no absolutes), but it is a noticeable trend.

Off to work now, sigh.

[meow2u3]

16. Trouble is, the sociopaths in office DO understand the law and the Constitution

They just don't think it applies to them, nor do they care about the consequences of flouting the Constitution. They think they're above the law--and even God himself! AAMOF, they think they ARE God.