By Eric Groves
Democrats RIP
Well, it’s over. Big business, the religious right and the oil barons/chicken hawks that run our country have won the battle. Thanks in large part to the cowardly Democrats in both the House and Senate, Congress voted overwhelmingly to pass HJ Res 114. The dissenters’ battle count: 21 Democratic senators and 126 Democratic representatives. Kudos to all the officials, both Democrat and Republican, who had the brass to actually challenge Emperor Bush’s unconstitutional resolution. Where, you ask, is the voice of dissent among leading congressional Democrats? Dick Gephardt? A goner. Tom Daschle? Teets up. Congressional Democrats are officially dead. The Democrats in Congress have sold their publicly financed souls straight to the devil and given Emperor Bush carte blanche war power, an unprecedented and unconstitutional power.
If you stop to think about it, the lack of understanding of the United States Constitution by our elected officials is quite startling. The Constitution says, “The Congress shall have the power to… declare war.” I would say that one needn’t be a Rhodes Scholar to interpret that little civics lesson. What don’t these nimrods on the Hill understand about this statement? (Indeed, when I say nimrods, I do refer to our very own gutless elected officials, Anne North(r)up, Mitch McConnell, and Jim Bunning.) It is probably much more likely that all of them understand exactly what that statement means and merely chose to ignore it. Not all of the congressmen and congresswomen, and specifically the few remaining REAL Democrats, were so yellow. Led by Senator Robert Byrd (D, WV) and Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), a few dissenters at least voiced their displeasure and disgust at this abysmal piece of legislature. Heck, Senator Bob Graham (D, FL), the cochairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Iraq the “wrong target” in Bush’s war on terror. You think he gets better information than war pundits at Fox News?
So what’s next for America after we wipe out Hussein’s regime and install Exxon Mobil refineries throughout Iraq? Where will our Emperor decide he wants to conquer next? Iran? While their oil reserves aren’t as rich as Iraq’s, there are still plenty of piles of loot to be made by American oil tycoons under the Iranian sands; plus, Dubya conveniently included Iran in his infamous “Axis of Evil,” therefore ensuring he can wield his shiny, new infinite war-declaring power without question. Therefore, if the oil-mongers who run this country control the ENTIRE Middle East’s oil supply, who would dare challenge the mighty Americans?
Our foreign and domestic policies are no longer based on “we the people;” rather, they are now based upon what is the most beneficial to corporate interests. Until there is campaign reform, and until gigantic companies are barred from pumping millions and millions of dollars into politicians’ pockets, don’t expect “the people” to reclaim their stake in America’s government. Think about it for a second; who do you think our elected officials are really listening to, the voters or the companies that are enabling all of them to become very, very wealthy? I wrote several letters and sent a half dozen emails to McConnell, Bunning and North(r)up voicing my displeasure in the Bush administration’s new hawkish “attack first, ask questions later” policy. I got canned replies from each, undoubtedly prepared by some 22-year-old staffer. What does that tell you about the state of our government- one designed by our forefathers to be “for the people?” It tells me that the officials that “represent” us really don’t give two squats about what we want.
