America in trouble

Our democracy is at risk. American media are not upholding their role as fourth estate — the watchdog of the people — and are letting the foxes run loose in the henhouse. The poor are being robbed blind to further enrich the already rich. The American vote is no longer free or fair enough to obey the will of the people. The ever dwindling tax revenues (being levied on those shamefully rich waitresses and cabbies) and collected by Bush’s junta are being squandered and wasted to fuel corporate crony pork barrels that, in the end, are costing American lives. And Republican’s only solution to America’s skyrocketing, out-of-control deficit is to raise the debt ceiling!

There are developments in our country’s recent history worth discussing openly. The rhetoric Fox News spouts day after day has a devastating effect on the critical thinking of otherwise fair-minded Americans; the result is less than stellar. CSPAN and Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman are good sources of unbiased news. Al Jazeera is invaluable for taking the pulse of how the US is regarded in the Muslim world and features many fine articles that appear verbatim in the BBC. Since both sides of any conflict usually end up criticizing al Jazeera, it stands to reason that al Jazeera must truly be fair and balanced. Buzzflash, while not always impartial, covers the subjects the mainstream news media tends to ignore. And Mother Jones breaks more stories that are ultimately picked up in the mainstream press than any other independent media outlet.

The short list of issues that require immediate attention includes health care, equitable distribution of wealth, jobs, and education. These social issues should be of the utmost concern to Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians, not to mention those simply purged from voting lists at the moment.

Americans purged from voting lists? you ask. Yes, of course, didn’t you know? While minorities, the elderly, and other poor and Democratic voters are frequently discouraged or deterred from voting by lack of machines or active intimidation, Blacks have been systematically purged from voting lists for decades. The practice was mainstreamed during the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, as you can read on www.gregpalast.com. The most recent additions to the list of America’s disenfranchised: the poor and Black Katrina victims who have been scattered all over the country. As a result, New Orleans has been redistricted as a much whiter town.

It is the responsibility of every American to get eligible voters registered and active in this democracy. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that our voting systems are completely secure, transparent, and available and accessible to all Americans; we need non-partisan teams especially appointed for that purpose. We must reinforce the truth behind the belief that every vote is important and every vote is counted. Democracy depends on those very basic beliefs being upheld with complete integrity.

In his farewell speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) warned against the over-development of the military-industrial complex. He cautioned future generations not to wield US power irresponsibly. He warned us not to spend precious resources on military might or any whimsical idea like Star Wars. This country is blessed with an abundance of resources; it must distribute them wisely.

Recently, the House voted whether or not to provide critical funding for African Union peacekeepers in Darfur. At this time, the US must continue to provide the funding and resources Darfur so desperately needs. Although Darfur represents a significant financial burden, it is the moral responsibility of nations with stable economies to support Darfur’s needs. The US must set the example, but it won’t. Our coffers were raided as soon as this administration set foot in the White House. The surplus accumulated by the previous administration was quickly gutted and redistributed to the wealthy. A token part of that surplus was distributed to the masses despite a swell of protestation by some. After all, instilling a feeling of well-being in the masses is imperative for a functioning fascist state.

But the problem goes deeper than that. Congress did eventually provide $389 million for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid programs in Darfur. An additional $100 million will be required. Events there have made it clear.

Do you remember the initial pledge this country made to the victims of the tsunami? It was a paltry $25 million…until the US was shamed into increasing the contribution.

The tsunami was one of any number of natural disasters. They will be with us til the end of time. We must always be prepared for them. My concern is our behavior in the global community, which, at the moment is that of a bully. We must refrain from forcing “democracy” (which usually ends up being a US industry-friendly dictatorship) on other governments, especially when our democracy has become a fascist theocracy. We must stop our wasteful use of precious natural resources, both at home and around the world.

Finally, as a good global neighbor, we must end our aggressive behavior and learn to respect and cooperate with leaders of other countries. We MUST end our warring! We must respect and treasure those who volunteer in our armies. Our military should be called upon only to defend our democracy, as set forth in the Constitution. And it should be activated only if attacked or if our democracy is threatened. We must never charge our GIs for their meals, or their body armor, or the hospital costs they incur in serving our nation!

Yes, friends, these are a few of the things America must do to set things right. But our government, which is sitting fat and happy on all the money and power it could possibly gorge itself on, won’t lift a finger to do the right thing. It is up to each of us to make the groundswell of protest that will save our democracy and restore a much-needed sense of justice and balance in our world.