This is from a board I read. I can't help but wonder if inciting riot would be a violation of TOU!!!
A CALL TO ARMS
During the recent Yugoslavian uprising (the second October Revolution), when faced with a president who lost the election and refused to concede, they rose up and physically threw him out of office. They were not afraid of death, reprisals, anything. They just knew in their heart that a great injustice was being done and that it was up to them to undo it.
When the exact same thing happened to the Americans, we sit idly by and watch, pretending that its not as big a deal for us. Maybe it's because things aren't horrible in the United States yet. Maybe it's because the corporate owned media has successfully led us to believe that it is not a problem, that there was nothing to worry about. Maybe it's because we think that we'll just throw the Texas Tot out in four years and be done with it. Mostly likely it's just apathy.
When we look at what the first thing an incoming dictator does when seizing control, we see the same set of actions every time:
He installs his henchmen in the top positions of power, thus guaranteeing his further support by the military and law-enforcement arms.
The people of the country are told that, for the good of the country, they should bow and accept the pretender as their new leader.
Funny, that is exactly what happened in America. So where was outrage? Why arent we storming the capitol with torches burning, ready to do what it takes to get the pretender out and the legitimate leadership in?
As we speak, we should be marching on Washington, leaving a path of destruction behind us. But were not. Because were too self absorbed, too worried about our own lives, so afraid that if we get involved it might somehow keep us from taking that winter ski-trip. Well I hate to break it to all of you. We didnt get involved, and our fate is sealed. Our last chance to peacefully prevent the dictator from taking office has passed.
I came to realize how bad things were here on Friday, January 5th, 2001 when someone posted a message to a message board saying that the turnout to rally in front of Senator Dianne Feinsteins Los Angeles office was dismal, and that because of that, we may have passed up our last chance to speak with her, and to have our message heard. I sent my apologies with some lame excuse that I had to work and my boss wouldnt give me the time off. Another said something about being sick. Still another said they didnt have any way to get there. Boss? Work? Sick? Is our democracy that unimportant to me?
I am ashamed of myself. Ashamed of all of us. Ashamed that when given a chance to make a difference, we passed it up. It is not our Senators fault, they didn't know. We failed to tell them.
People in Yugoslavia DIED protesting against Slobodan Milosovich. South Africans died by the hundreds of thousands during the death-throes of apartied. People are, this very day, dying all over the world for their freedom.
These were and are regular people, not soldiers or police, but instead farmers, business owners, and just every day people who were not going to stand for their freedom being taken away from them.
Why is our situation any different? Why arent we out there? Why have we suddenly become such a passive people who are so much more worried about our self-centered little lives that we forget that there is a much bigger picture out there.
What happened to the revolutionaries who refused to pay the English taxes and started a bloody destructive war over it? Arent we the people who refused to allow the rich get richer, poor get poorer system the monarchy favored? Aren't we the people who, WROTE the declaration of independance, signed it, and sent it to england, knowing it would be a death sentence for many many people?
Well I hate to tell some of you, it just happened again. If youre not already rich, you will slowly lose ground and get poorer over the course of the next four years. Unemployment will go up, wages will go down. Homes will be lost, and families will be turned to the streets. This is exactly what happened when Regan/Bush was in office, this is exactly what will happen now.
The policies havent changed, hell most of the faces havent even changed. The only difference is that the man the United States Supreme Court appointed President is not as smart as Regan was (and thats saying something) and doesnt know enough to realize the consequences of his actions.
His tax cut plan will do nothing but put over 500 billion in the hands of the already rich. The rest of it will be distributed around those of us who could actually use it. It will do nothing to pay down the national debt and as such we will spend 300 billion a year on interest on a debt we could have eliminated.
His education program (read: school vouchers ) has already been defeated in most states. It will take money out of the public schools giving it instead to private and religious schools. Who gets hurt? The poor and minorities who cant afford, even with vouchers, to send their children to private school. The public school system will fail in short order and the only people who will lose by this are the poor.
His gun-control laws (or lack therof) will put thousands of guns into the hands of convicts, gang-members, and worst off, children. The deaths will abound and well be besieged with explanations like well if the teachers had been armed they could have shot the students instead of letting them cheat on their exams
The wilderness is a lost cause. Within the next year all the good work Clinton has done in the last eight years will be undone. There will be oil drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife refuge. The only way youll be able to see a national park is in pictures. We will log the country to death and have to start importing wood (and air) from Canada.
Global warming, which the GOP claims doesnt exist, will speed due to the increased logging. Contrary to republicans belief, we cant breathe Carbon Dioxide, which is why the trees are here in the first place. I predict at least a ten degree shift upwards in the next four years.
Homosexuality will be outlawed as deviant behiavor The Armys Dont ask, dont tell policy will be eliminated in the first six months. So much for the progress made at recognizing "civil-unions", that time is long gone.
A woman's right to choose what is best for her and her body will be eliminated. Period, end of discussion. At least two justices on the United States Supreme Court will be stepping down this year, and given the lack of display in the senate on January 6th, 2001, Id say Bush will have no problem getting another couple of Ashcroft clones installed in their places.
We will have at least one major war in the next four years. Likely it will invove a limited nuclear exchange. After all, war is good for business, and how else can Dubya justify the increased defense spending he wants? (nevermind the people who will get killed in the process) (The nuclear exchange will be so he can get approval for Star-Wars again. {you know, the bird that wouldnt fly when daddy was vice-president})
The economic downturn, which Dubya insists is Clinton's fault, (8 years of extended prosperity and NOW it's his fault?) will continue unabated and eventually turn into a full scale recession. Why? Because people are afraid. When a rebpulican is in office, the instinct among thinking people is simple: STASH YOUR CASH.
The economy has turned down because people aren't spending money. If it was a simple matter of a momentary slowdown than Alan Greenspan's decision to lower the rates last week would have had more than a one day effect on the stock market. Notice the timing of the downturn. November 7th came and went without the solid election of a president. The stock market remained unstable for the entire 35 days of uncertainty. The minute we knew who was going to be president, what happened? Full sell-off. Why? Because NOW we know what the future holds for us and we are afraid.
People aren't spending money because they know that federal benefits that they may have come to depend on are going away. Because they know that republicans are about as fiscally responsible as college students with their first credit card. They know that the days of the budget surplus are over, that we are back to deficit spending and increased national debt. They know that the only way they are going to survive it is to have that nest egg tucked away. I know. I'm one of them. Every spare dime I have is going into my emergency fund. Knowing that I might need it in the near future.
We had our chance to fight and turned it down. We walked away from it. Well it's time to return to the fight and summon up all of the fire and passion of our forefathers. We can't walk away from this again. |
