When did it become acceptable for Americans to allow
Torture?
When we all learned about the secret movement of "yet to be charged" prisoners to secret torture prisons in foreign countries, referred to as
Rendition
; Where was the outrage?
When we all learned about the Secret prisons, where we took people to be tortured and that our President and Vice President had approved them; Why was our President not impeached?
We invaded a country, Iraq, that did not pose a direct threat to the United States or it's interests in the world, created an entire generation of terrorist in doing so and caused immeasurable anti American sentiment throughout the world, including among our own allies. Why were our leaders silent?
We built a special private prison, now known as Guantanamo, and filled it with people who's names, for the most part, we will never know and who have never been charged with a crime, but yet may be executed as the result of a U.S. Military tribunal. Have we lost our moral compass?
We detained prisoners and tortured them in an American controlled prison called Abu Ghraib located just North of Baghdad. The same prison where Saddam Hussein used to torture his dissidents. Almost no part of the Military leadership was punished and no civilians were brought to justice. Who knows how many terrorist we created there?
Hurricane Katrina devastated the homes of over a hundred thousand people in New Orleans Louisiana and more in Mississippi in one day. Our government knew it was coming, knew it would be devastating and knew it would require considerable assets for rescue and recovery. President Bush all but ignored Katrina's victims. Most of Katrina's were poor and African American. Those without political power, money or voice were left to suffer by our President. Is that a form of terrorism?
KBR is a company hired by President Bush and Vice President Cheney to provide all kinds of services in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo. No bidding, no competition, no serious oversight, Billions spent, hundreds of millions of dollars missing and they are still going strong in business with our government. Although KBR has set up shell companies off shore to avoid taxes in the United States, it still enjoys all of the benefits received by companies who do not. How are they getting away with this?
No one really know how many innocent people have been killed by agents of Blackwater in Afghanistan, Iraq, Columbia and other countries, but what the hey! I guess no-one really cares either. How did we get to the place where the U.S.A. would deliberately allow non-military agents to operate in a war zone where U.S. Combat forces are present. Private Security (Mercenaries) in Iraq are not accountable to U.S. Law, or to the Law of the Nation they are killing people in? Our Military personnel are accountable for their collective and individual actions in any war zone, anywhere on earth, as evidenced by US prosecutions of military members for alleged crimes in those places, yet the U.S. Private Security forces like Blackwater are immune, even today, from prosecution for any crime they commit in Iraq and maybe even in Afghanistan, Columbia and Bosnia. Were they also immune from prosecution for any crimes they may have committed in New Orleans after Katrina, when they were sent in by Home Land security? Wake up America!
With a swipe of his pen, President Bush removed the right to Habeas Corpus for all American citizens. Did he think all Americans were the enemy? Does he? Where is the U.S. Congress?
Shortly after our 9/11 tragedy, without even reviewing its contents, it's force, or it's transfer of power, our U.S. Congress signed the Patriot Act into law and in doing so gave away many of the civil and constitutional rights of the entire American population. Most of us cheered them on!
The Detainee Bill was approved by Congress (Democrats too) as an after action tool for the President to justify and continue rendition and other human rights violations. Why did the Democratic controlled Congress do that ?
The Department of Home Land Security was created after 9/11 for the purpose of coordinating the combined efforts of all of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies. Although that never really occurred, the Department now has over 14,000 employees. It also has, an incredible, and almost scary, close relationship with the Department of Defense (DoD). It has spent Billions of Dollars and has almost nothing to show for it. Who is protecting America from it own Department of Homeland Security?
President Bush's refusal to enforce existing regulations and his rush to deregulating the entire banking and financial industries led to the Sub-prime Loan bailout, which after completed will still not have saved the average American now going through foreclosure, but will ensure the lenders and financial institutions do not suffer directly for the usury they exercised against the American public. Why aren't these lenders being held accountable? Instead President Bush has ensured their success.
American industry and jobs are flying out of the United States into foreign countries by the Hundreds of thousands and yet our President, Congress, and even one Democratic candidate for President continue defending NAFTA , CAFTA, the Columbia Trade Deal and the Korean Trade deal which are direct contributors to the loss of jobs in America. What bigger purpose could possibly be served with the continuation of these deals other than the breakdown of relevance and authority of our United States Constitution?
President Bush and the Republicans cut taxes for the most wealthy in America, but gave us "average Joes" a Ten Trillion Dollar Debt to pay back to those we borrowed it from, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai; And who knows who else?
When President Bush, an oil man, came into office gasoline was 1.32 per gallon. Oil was 18.00 per barrel. Today gasoline is headed to $4.00 per gallon Gas (already there in California),Oil Corporations are floating I historic record profits, Russia and the Middle Eastern Oil producing countries are bleeding our economy of its assets and our ability invest in our own infrastructure, and institutions while we add to the plight with a war in Iraq which bleeds 12 Billion dollars a month from American taxpayers who are borrowing the money each and every month to finance the 12 Billion Dollar a month addiction to war President Bush has brought us all.
Border Security? What border security?
Approximately 1 in every 105 Americans is in jail. Since President Bush's drive to funnel enormous sums of taxpayer money into the pockets of his supporters through the privatization of our federal government, our prison system has become a growth industry. The Privatization of the Prison system has become a black-hole for taxpayer money much as Iraq has become. The industry itself now has an interest in ensuring and sustaining larger prison populations in America. Will the stockholders in the prison operations now lobby for tougher laws against Americans to ensure that growth?
Billions of dollars for the Iraq war and to the sheiks and Iraqi politicians
who will say they like us, and more billions to the Oil industry in America who reinvest profits into infrastructure outside of America, and even more billions to the Department of Homelands Security awash in mismanagement and ineffective direction. Yet not one penny for the many Millions without Health Care in America who cannot go to a doctor to receive medical attention without risking financial ruin. Not one cent for medical attention for the millions of children and pregnant mothers in America who will suffer as a result of no care, or medicine.
President Bush forced irrational burdens onto our students and teachers which is the egregious
Failure of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) which has served to "Dumb Down" America's children and caused untold numbers of public school teachers to bail out of the American education system.
President Bush and the Republicans have made a tax money goldmine for many U.S. Corporations who moved their assets off shore to prevent tax liabilities. American Corporations bailing off shore are now at record levels, and they are taking their jobs with them. Jobs Americans now have to replace in an economy that is failing, due to the failed leadership of the Political Party who promised fiscal responsibility, moral integrity and, most importantly, to put America First!
Yesterday our Congress failed to override a presidential VETO regarding torture. Today TORTURE is officially a "valuabale tool in our fight against terrorism" President Bush. Isn't torture terrorism?
The Republican Party has betrayed all Americans regardless of party affiliation.
How much more are we willing to accept from this President and the Republican Party who enabled him? Wake up America!