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No, President Bush, it is not your government

No, President Bush, it is not your government

Comments 9 comments

This about sums it up. Bush really doesn’t seem to be able to accept the differences between American democracy and a kingship.

Bush declares himself absolute ruler: It’s ‘my government’
August 8, 2006 6:28 AM

Once again, President George W. Bush has shown complete disregard and utter contempt for the documents which define this country: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Speaking in Crawford, Texas, Monday, Bush said:

“The loss of life on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border has been a great tragedy. Millions of Lebanese civilians have been caught in the crossfire of military operations because of the unprovoked attack and kidnappings by Hezbollah. The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is of deep concern to all Americans, and alleviating it will remain a priority of my government.”

“My government?” Abraham Lincoln, in the Gettysburg Address, said the Constitution establishes a government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” The Declaration of Independence starts with phrase “We the people.” They say nothing of turning the government over to any elected official so that it becomes “my government.”

Presidents have administrations and they can, and usually do, refer to such as “my administration.” But Bush, we believe, feels his power is absolute and the government of this nation belongs not to the people but to him and him alone.

This is not the first time that Bush has disregarded the protections of freedoms that are the cornerstone of our Republic. His widespread abuse of power has forced the Supreme Court to slap him down again and again, especially on the abandonment of Constitutionally-guaranteed rights for detainees at Guantanamo and others held without due course in the hysteria following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The American Bar Association recently issued a report noting his abuse of the Constitution through a deluge of “signing statements” where he declares he does not have to obey laws passed by Congress.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, while serving as White House Counsel, wrote a memo that referred to the Constitution as “an outdated document” and Bush himself has expressed contempt for the very document he has twice sworn an oath to uphold and defend.

America is no longer a democracy or a democratic republic. Government no longer belongs to the people. The President of the United States has declared it do be a government of Bush, by Bush and for Bush.

In his own words, Bush calls it “my government.”

As has happened too often in the past, the fate of a nation and the world rests in the hands of a megalomaniacal despot who claims absolute power to wage war, destroy freedom and spread chaos.

© Copyright 2006 by Capitol Hill Blue

Daily Activism

Daily Activism

Comments 5 comments

What can you do? Some. Call your congressional representatives and express your views. Even if you know they won’t agree, someone keeps track of the numbers. Be polite and specific about your support or opposition on a particular bill, resolution, or issue.

Here are a few actions that I did today to get you started. The top one is very time-sensitive in the US since the vote is tomorrow (Friday).

Ok, on with the armchair activism…

1. Don’t Bundle Minimum Wage Increase with Huge Tax Giveaway for the Rich

Call your Senators now (800-459-1887) and ask them to oppose H.R. 5970. The vote is soon so there’s no time to email! H.R. 5970 is bad because:

  1. It will raid our treasury of billions of dollars to help 8,000 rich families get richer.
  2. It will hurt millions of hard-working families and low-income workers who cannot afford to trade a few dollars increase in their paychecks if the tradeoff is cuts and reductions for federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, veterans programs, children’s health, senior services and unemployment insurance, which will leave them with fewer resources after the increase.
  3. It will hurt millions of workers in food service and other jobs where they rely on tips. Women, young and old, single and married, make up 70% of the “tipped” workers, and in seven states where they are guaranteed a minimum wage, the minimum will be frozen and they will see no raise.

Our message to Senators: “If you, like the bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress, care about increasing the minimum wage, which has been frozen for almost a decade, then vote against H.R. 5970 and insist that it have a free standing vote and not be tied to the estate tax giveaway.”

(NOW – National Organization for Women)

2-A. H.Con.Res. 450 – Ceasefire and Multi-Party Negotiations

The Lebanon-Israel war needs addressing by the US – and not by sending more bombs! I would remind Israel of the “eye for eye” tradition, which was an ancient limiting function with regard to vengence. As an American, I am de facto in a weak position for moralizing these days, so I would only point to the religious tradition. I would remind all peoples of the book that compassion, care, and justice toward one’s neighbor are fundamental.

So…would everyone please just stop it? (It’s worth a try)

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has introduced a resolution that calls on President Bush to appeal to all sides for a cessation of hostilities in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict and to commit the United States to multi-party negotiations. The resolution initially had 20 co-sponsors. 14 new members have singed on as cosponsors.

Write to your member today to tell them that as their constituent, you demand that they seek a peaceful resolution to the current crisis. Ask them to sign on to H.Con.Res.450 today!
If your representative has already signed on, thank them for doing so.

(Progressive Democrats of America)

2-B. H.Con Res. 450 – Another Way to Contact on Lebanon/Israel

The United States bears a special moral responsibility in this crisis as the only nation that can bring an end to the violence and relieve the humanitarian catastrophe. The current policy of delay only leads to more unnecessary civilian deaths in both Lebanon and Israel. Ongoing conflict in Lebanon is also likely to have great consequences for the region, the world and the safety of our nation and its allies. Congress needs to step forward and call for an immediate cessation of hostilities by passing H.C.R. 450.

Click here to send a message in support of an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon:

(Act for Change / Working Assets)

3. Emergency Contraception Plan B – Freedom for Family Planning AND a Drastically Reduced Abortion Rate

Religious and political extremists are shamelessly claiming to represent all religion and even all “moral values.” We know there is nothing moral about depriving women of reproductive health care and contraception. There is nothing moral about denying women the right to make private, family decisions, according to their own faith and conscience.

If the Food and Drug Administration would finally approve the emergency contraceptive Plan B for pharmacy sales, nearly half of of U.S. unintended pregnancies could be prevented. Many politicians talk about prevention–here’s a practical way to do something about it!

For almost three years, the FDA has pandered to right- wing interest groups and delayed pharmacy sales of Plan B. Many medical organizations and the Food and Drug Administration’s own panel of experts have concluded that the drug is safer than aspirin for over-the-counter use.

The pro-choice religious community thinks our government can do better. Tell the FDA: Using birth control is the responsible and moral thing to do. Children deserve to be born to families prepared for parenthood.

Don’t let extremists take away our rights and freedoms!

(Religious coalition for Reproductive Choice)

4. Urge Congress to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

It may not seem a big thing compared to these others…. but Americans owe a large debt to horses. I’m not a vegetarian, but everyone has their limits.

Horses are Friends, not Food. (Nod to “Finding Nemo”)

Finding Nemo

Last year, more than 90,000 horses were butchered to be served on dinner plates in Europe and Asia. Tens of thousands more of America’s horses were exported from the U.S. and slaughtered in other countries. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act would prohibit the transport, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of any horse to be slaughtered for human consumption.

Sign this petition now and urge your representatives to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/159614943?ltl=1154645692

(Care2 – Make a Difference)

JWs: From Bible Students to Slaves

JWs: From Bible Students to Slaves

Comments 13 comments

Under founder Charles Taze Russell, “International Bible Students” were somewhat anti-organizational, centered on personal study of the Bible.

Watchtower, Sept. 15, 1895, p. 216.
Beware of ‘organization.’ It is wholly unnecessary. The Bible rules will be the only rules you will need. Do not seek to bind others’ consciences, and do not permit others to bind yours. Believe and obey so far as you can understand God’s Word today.

A couple of years after Russell’s death, that view was already in transition to its opposite:

Watchtower, April 1, 1920, pp. 100-101.
We would not refuse to treat one as a brother because he did not believe the Society is the Lord’s channel. If others see it in a different way, that is their priviledge. There should be full liberty of conscience.

Russell’s successor Judge Joseph Rutherford was well-known for his exclamation that “religion is a snare and a racket.” Nonetheless, his first move was to claim the Society as the Lord’s “channel,” while still holding onto liberty of conscience and brotherly, agapic love.

The “Judge” changed the name of the group to “Jehovah’s Witnesses” in 1931, and it was only after this that they stopped celebrating holidays and using the cross as a symbol. While they did move away from following any particular human leader (as some had followed Pastor Russell), the organization did something much worse: they claimed to be God’s only voice and actual visible presence in the world. Since then, they have been focused on advertising work. Evangelical marketing. Viral spread.

Instead of being submissive to God alone, JWs are submissive to the Governing Body of the Watch Tower (or Watchtower) Society. Criticism and debate are prohibited and classified as apostate, demonic, pornographic. They equate questioning of the organization with Satan’s rebellion against God, while actually accusing the questioner of hubris! Amazing. There is no discussion of how this Governing Body actually gets its direction from God, but to question them is to question God; it’s unthinkable for the average JW to do so.

For all their “anti-worldly” talk, the Watchtower Society has built a lucrative publishing empire with a dedicated salesforce of unpaid associates – an unquestioning set of followers to spread the memes.

In answer to a reader’s question (thank you, Kathy S!), JWs are no longer forbidden to use the Internet. Their work has always gone hand-in-hand with “wordly” technological advances – they really aren’t Luddites. For obvious reasons, JWs were very resistent to the Internet at first, but after some time they gave up and simply gave the same kind of warnings that they would issue with regard to any other kind of publication or interaction: Stay away from worldly influences, don’t look at porn, don’t read information that opposes the Society, and so on. They have a great legal team. They have been able to strongarm a couple of opposing sites off the net with copyright issues, but they really can’t control the information that is out there. The Society set up their own official website, and the PR site, and advised their people not to attempt to represent the Society or its teachings in any way. They are doing damage control at assemblies and through their publications, casting any critical voices in the usual terms.

They are not opposed to using outside sources of information, just so long as they are selectively filtered and approved by the Governing Body of the Watchtower Society – but their outside source selections and interpretations of them are as cherry-picked as the evidence to go to war in Iraq.

The perceptions and insights of others, even of their own people, don’t count at all. Human life is subordinated to the controlling doctrines – which are loaded with special terminology, cliches, and code phrases that trigger reactions even in people who have left the group.

Attempts at authentic personal study and discovery are squelched, and dismissed as Satanic. Higher education is discouraged, and research is conducted only by authorized persons of the corporation. Rank and file JWs will not even supplement the materials of the publications with studies in languages, archeology, textual analysis, sociology, or pastoral counselling. They are not “bible students” or “ministers” – they are slaves of a corporation.

The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or any set of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man’s opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. – Watchtower, November 1, 1937, p.327.

God uses The Watchtower to communicate to his people: it does not consist of men’s opinions. – Watchtower, January 1, 1942, p. 5.

Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord’s visible organization and not be so foolish as to pit against Jehovah’s channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings.” – Watchtower, February 1, 1952, p. 80

Newcomers must learn to fall in line with the principles and policies of the New World society and act in harmony with them. Sometimes it becomes rather difficult for some of our new associates to make the change. They are prone to be a little rebellious or unruly. But to become genuinely a part of the New World society it is Imperative that proper respect for theocratic arrangement and order be shown. A humble, obedient mental attitude is required. – Watchtower, June 1, 1956, p. 345.

Who controls the organization, who directs it? Who is at the head? A man? A group of men? A clergy class? A pope? A hierarchy? A council? No, none of these. How is that possible? In any organization is it not necessary that there be a directing head or policy-making part that controls or guides the organization? Yes. Is the living God, Jehovah, the Director of the theocratic Christian organization? Yes! – Watchtower, November 1, 1956, p. 666.

Only this organization functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it alone God’s Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book. – Watchtower, July 1, 1973, p. 402.

Avoid Independent Thinking
From the very outset of his rebellion Satan called into question God’s way of doing things. He promoted independent thinking. ‘You can decide for yourself what is good and bad,’ Satan told Eve. ‘You don’t have to listen to God. He is not really telling you the truth.’ (Genesis 3:1-5) To this day, it has been Satan’s subtle design to infect God’s people with this type of thinking.—2 Timothy 3:1, 13.

How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God’s visible organization. For example, God’s organization has from time to time given warnings about listening to certain types of immoral and suggestive music, and about frequenting discos and other types of worldly dance halls where such music is played and people are known to engage in immoral conduct. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Yet certain ones have professed to know better. They have rebelled against such counsel and have done what is right in their own eyes. With what result? Very often they have become involved in sexual immorality and have suffered severe spiritual harm. But even if they have not been so affected, are they not reprehensible if others follow their example and suffer bad consequences?—Matthew 18:6.

This fact cannot be overemphasized: We are in a war with superhuman foes, and we constantly need to be aware of this. Satan and his demons are real; they are not mere figments of the imagination. They are “the world rulers of this darkness,” and we have a spiritual fight against them. (Ephesians 6:12) It is absolutely vital that we recognize their subtle designs and not allow ourselves to be overreached by them. Very appropriately, then, we will next consider how we can arm ourselves to fight against these wicked spirits. – Watchtower, January 15, 1983, pp. 18-22, “Exposing the Devil’s Subtle Designs”

They rigorously promote the idea that any questioning or “independent thinking” is evil by definition. I hope a few ex-JWS (and current JWS too) have been watching the Frontline series “From Jesus to Christ” to get an idea of the range of some of the information they’ve been missing.

Actually, as I observe the sad collection of fanaticisms that pass for Christianity in America today, I hope much of the country was able to catch at least part of the series.

For such a prideful organization, an organization that has taken the place of God for so many, to equate discussion and debate and inquiry with Satanic rebellion, shows just how far from authentic spirituality they have strayed. JWs have lost the critical capacity even to see this contradiction, which negates their own historical aims. They have become much of what they had opposed. Now one could argue that in some ways they worship the organization, the governing body of the Watchtower Society, as much or more than they worship God. It’s a form of idolatry based on very very shaky biblical interpretation.

Bait and Switch Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Bait and Switch Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Comments 7 comments

Ask your representative to support H.R.5052 Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Services Act which requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to:

(1) promulgate rules prohibiting persons from advertising with the intent to deceptively create the impression that such persons provide abortion services; and (2) enforce violations of such rules as unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.

Even if you are pro-life/anti-choice, you should support this bill. There is no reason that CPCs can’t proudly advertise what they do offer. How about something like: “Thinking about an abortion? Come talk to us about the alternatives.”

Thanks to an investigation by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), we know exactly what they’re telling women. Female investigators called, saying they were pregnant, and recorded their conversations. 87% of CPCs provided false or misleading information about the health effects of abortion.

These centers, which are easily confused with full reproductive health and planning services, use neutral-sounding names and ads – but their agenda is very clear. They spread misinformation (let’s say “misinformation” instead of the more straightforward word, just to be nice) in order to dissuade women from having an abortion. They don’t offer abortion services at all.

It’s a services bait and switch.

Did you know that anti-choice “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) have received $30 million of our tax dollars? According to the Guttmacher Institute, there are 2,500-4,000 centers nationwide, compared with about 1,800 abortion providers.

Take action to stop these clinics from deceiving women at their most vulnerable moments:

http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/crisis_clinics

(Planned Parenthood)

Where was the Gator Fleet in Lebanon?

Where was the Gator Fleet in Lebanon?

Comments 2 comments

There’s a lot of back and forth about charging Americans for transport out of Lebanon, but here’s a more interesting question.

Why is the U.S. chartering civilian ships to transport Americans out of Lebanon anyway? XPatriated Texan is “really teed-off”:

When I was serving, we always had a “Gator fleet” – a battle group ready to conduct amphibious operations such as this – in the Mediterannean Sea. It was a standard part of ensuring worldwide security. With the increased need for security in that area in these times, it is a dereliction of duty to not have a ship within striking distance – and make no mistakes, one of these ships could make it from one end of the Med to the other in a couple of days. At least one should have already been moving when the bombs began falling in Lebanon late last week.

They should be there just off shore, projecting US power and serving the worldwide interests of peace by evacuating non-combatant personel and offering genuine humanitarian aid.

Read the whole post.