The "Decider" vs. the Fourth Estate

Have you had enough? The very fabric of our Constitution is in jeopardy. It's being frayed article by article. The real injustices are the sham "issues" that so easily distract those who would prefer reality TV over reality without the television. This administration wants you to save our flag from burning while it's shredding our Constitution.

"Stay the course" in Iraq conservatives refuse to acknowledge four main points:

1. The reasons for our occupation keep on changing.
2. The role of our troops is not nation building - a Euro-Arab coalition can achieve this and would help defuse the escalating conflict, while save lives and our tax dollars now, not later .
3. The profiteering by a handful of companies, their executives and investors is blood money and the primary cause for new job growth by a federal government applying largesse while using foreign debt.
4. The human body and mind can only take so many deployments to Iraq. Our elected officials ignore the tens of thousands who have lost their lives or no longer function the way they once did. It shows more courage to regroup and protect families from future damage by this foreign policy fiasco - a buzz saw of humanity. Where is this courage?

The interwoven lies used for this war are designed to confuse and dissuade detractors from challenging this administration and asking the questions: What became of Osama bin Laden? Why aren't we holding the Saudi royal family responsible, since it was their oil wealth funding and 13 countrymen who comprised the majority of 9/11 terrorists? Why has Al Qaeda and the Taliban grown stronger in Afghanistan, while we withdraw troops from there?

Our Internet and phone providers are violating our privacy rights by mining data. This includes monitoring communications to and from the media. Does this not smell of McCarthyism, Nixon and Hoover spying for political, not national security reasons? We now have an Air Force General (who was in charge of the NSA) as the Director of the CIA. General Hayden will undoubtedly exercise strong powers to restrict and monitor our communications on the internet. This could effectively close all sources of independent information. The FBI had traditionally been responsible for domestic issues.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez suggests the Executive Decider Bush, has the right - in all things. In a case of civil rights and jurisprudence abuse, U.S. citizen Jose Padilla has been incarcerated for over two years. Because he is being called an "enemy combatant", he is completely unprotected by our laws. How easily could this be done to any one of us?

Bush, the "Decider," is a divider. He's not a "uniter". His brand of supposed Christian values of peace and goodwill apply only if you're white and super wealthy. If you're gay, or from a working or middle class family you're supposed to ignore his effort to permanently reduce tax revenues another few trillion dollars more by making estate tax cuts permanent. This administration expects cowardice and division to reign while it tells you that only heterosexual unions are wholesome while 50% of them will end up divorce. This administration expects you to blame undocumented immigrants for our financial woes, not super sized corporate greed or wasteful government spending.

We (of, for and by) the people want fairness in exchange for our shared responsibility. Whistle blowers to and from the Fourth Estate who expose the depth and breadth of these disasters are being told that “national security” prevents responses to questions Americans should demand to have answered.

Good thing we still have people who are willing to fight for the truth – too bad they seem to be in the minority.