This looks like an important petition, which you can sign here. I became informed about this through Marc Cooper's site.
Jack Berkley is a good friend of mine. With his permission, I print here a letter he sent to the Dunkirk Observer before the Inauguration. The letter was published in the Editorial Page, January 19.
On January 20 President George W. Bush will place his hand on a Bible, and will solemnly swear to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States". Following that, he and his supporters will celebrate his election to a second term by attending a series of parades, parties, and pyrotechnics purportedly costing some $40 million dollars, a record expenditure for inaugural festivities. This lavish event stands as a potent symbol for the president's supporters, an affirmation of the efficacy of Mr. Bush's leadership, and a continuation of his bold policies into the future. However, in this time of what should represent a national celebration of accomplishment and renewal, I take no solace, nor am I heartened by the prospect of yet another four-year term for George Walker Bush.
Entering his first term Mr. Bush had virtually no foreign policy experience, and little more expertise on domestic issues. His prior experience in government consisted of one and one half terms as governor of Texas, where he successfully pushed to eliminate mandatory air pollution controls, instituted tax breaks that seriously under-funded public schools and other programs by converting a $6 billion budget surplus into a $10 billion deficit. Sound familiar? Before that, his life consisted of forging a mediocre academic record, a failed run for a congressional seat, a series of "dry hole" failures in the oil business, and part ownership of the Texas Rangers baseball team. The military experience of our self-proclaimed "war president" consisted of a stint in the Texas Air National Guard after scoring a mere 25 percentile score on the entrance exam. He never served in combat and, in fact, indicated an aversion to any overseas posting(Vietnam) on his service application.
During his first presidential campaign Mr. Bush ran as a "compassionate conservative" and promised massive tax cuts if elected. Although offering no clear vision of how he would address festering problems at home and abroad, he narrowly defeated Senator Al Gore in Electoral College votes, after a drawn out and highly disputed vote count fiasco in Florida. Following a fairly promising, even uplifting first inaugural speech, Mr. Bush proceeded to ram through Congress a budget plan that sacrificed many of our most cherished domestic programs, while proposing tax cuts mostly favoring high-income groups. The public soon began to notice that a fiscal and economic program was emerging that was counter to sound and responsible government policy.
The political fortunes of the Bush administration, however, took a marked upturn after the events of 9/11. They have taken advantage of the fear spawned by this terrorist attack to justify an attack on our constitutional rights via the Patriot Act and other flagrant abuses of civil and personal liberties. In addition, they have engaged our military in an apparently never-ending "War on Terror" that has resulted in attacks on two sovereign nations, Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in extensive casualties, both military and civilian that continue to this day. It should be clear to all by now that the Iraq war is being fought for resources and power, not liberation or promotion of democracy. Further, they have in effect made war on our environment, abrogated or ignored international treaties, weakened our education system, promoted a health system that denies or makes unaffordable necessary care to millions of Americans, and they have endangered many Americans through deregulation of work-place inspection laws, and by relaxing inspection rules governing our food and drug supplies. Bush officials have commonly twisted scientific findings to their purposes, or ignored scientific facts that did not support their policies.
The Bush administration has also been faulted for its excessive secrecy, and for arrogantly insulating itself from outside criticism. They have consistently "stonewalled" or otherwise denied requested information to congressional committees, the Office of Management and Budget, and even the 9-11 Commission investigating the greatest foreign attack on U.S. soil in history. Loyalty to the president is considered an essential trait for aids and advisers, rather than the capacity for independent policy analysis. The disregard for the opinions and sensitivities of our traditional allies -- or anyone else whose opinions differ from the president or his neocon advisors -- has led to our losing valuable friends, and has resulted in serious policy blunders. Bush has consistently failed to admit making mistakes, even as his ill-considered and illegal war on Iraq spirals toward utter chaos, and critical economic indicators show an ever steady decline. Disregard for international law, including ignoring Geneva Conventions with resultant torture scandals and interminable imprisonment without trial of hundreds of so-called "enemy non-combatants" has made this country feared and hated world-wide, and has aided in the recruitment of international terrorists. Added together, these characteristics and behaviors (and others too numerous to name) reveal some very dangerous attitudes that do not bode well for the future of the nation or the world.
It is our responsibility as citizens to recognize the extreme danger of our situation, and to come together to do something about it. No democratic form of government can last where the people cannot, or refuse to recognize that their leaders are dangerously flawed. Blind reverence and allegiance to the "great leader" is the hallmark of totalitarian societies, not democracies. We the people hold the power and bear the responsibility to hold our elected leaders accountable for actions that are not in our best interests. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter". Let us resolve to make this January 20th the inauguration of a new era of genuine compassion, reason, and a search for truth in all we do. We need to reach out to the people of the world as a friend and benefactor, not as conqueror, thief, or agent of destruction. The future of all humanity hinges on mutual cooperation, and directing our collective energy toward peaceful solutions to world problems.
Jack Berkley, member of the Dunkirk-Fredonia Center For Peace and Justice
Fredonia, New York. Submitted 1-16-2005
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