(no subject)
from Rolling Stone's recent article: The Worst President in History? -- One of America's leading historians assesses George W. Bush
Bush's alarmingly aberrant take on the Constitution is ironic. One need go back in the record less than a decade to find prominent Republicans railing against far more minor presidential legal infractions as precursors to all-out totalitarianism. "I will have no part in the creation of a constitutional double-standard to benefit the president," Sen. Bill Frist declared of Bill Clinton's efforts to conceal an illicit sexual liaison. "No man is above the law, and no man is below the law - that's the principle that we all hold very dear in this country," Rep. Tom DeLay asserted. "The rule of law protects you and it protects me from the midnight fire on our roof or the 3 a.m. knock on our door," warned Rep. Henry Hyde, one of Clinton's chief accusers. In the face of Bush's more definitive dismissal of federal law, the silence from these quarters is deafening.
Seems some Congressmen (actually, only Republicans that I'm aware of) may think hypocrisy is a "family value." I guess Frist and Delay will argue for the rule of law unless it's a fellow Republican breaking them. And lets see... Delay has been indicted for something he could very possibly go to prison for, and Frist is probably guilty of insider trading even though the stocks he sold were in a supposedly "blind trust" which turns out to be not so blind.
I don't put much faith in Congress-people because... in my view, people who are the best at gaining and keeping power are usually the least trustworthy. They know too well how to play politics. Playing politics is all about saying the right thing at the right time... never showing your honest hand to anybody... being naturally two faced... being sweet as pie to anyone you need something from... publicly making an act of sincerity and righteousness when speaking about things you may not give a crap about. people in power are great actors, and devious backstabbers. They lead us. We elected them.
it's yet another thing that makes me angry about how this country functions. it's up to us, the people, to stop electing chiselers just because they happen to have nice smiles or seem to have a nice down-home sensibility. how to you tell a difference between a good apple and a bad? I don't know. I think we all have an innate ability to sniff out a knave though. snakes in grass. I think... look for humility; in demeanor, speeches and action. fearless... do the right thing even if it will get me thrown out of office... while also FOLLOWING THE LAW... humility. ones who can join with the population as real people rather than "staying on message"... the message created by PR managers, designed to win a campaign and nothing more.
Bush's alarmingly aberrant take on the Constitution is ironic. One need go back in the record less than a decade to find prominent Republicans railing against far more minor presidential legal infractions as precursors to all-out totalitarianism. "I will have no part in the creation of a constitutional double-standard to benefit the president," Sen. Bill Frist declared of Bill Clinton's efforts to conceal an illicit sexual liaison. "No man is above the law, and no man is below the law - that's the principle that we all hold very dear in this country," Rep. Tom DeLay asserted. "The rule of law protects you and it protects me from the midnight fire on our roof or the 3 a.m. knock on our door," warned Rep. Henry Hyde, one of Clinton's chief accusers. In the face of Bush's more definitive dismissal of federal law, the silence from these quarters is deafening.
Seems some Congressmen (actually, only Republicans that I'm aware of) may think hypocrisy is a "family value." I guess Frist and Delay will argue for the rule of law unless it's a fellow Republican breaking them. And lets see... Delay has been indicted for something he could very possibly go to prison for, and Frist is probably guilty of insider trading even though the stocks he sold were in a supposedly "blind trust" which turns out to be not so blind.
I don't put much faith in Congress-people because... in my view, people who are the best at gaining and keeping power are usually the least trustworthy. They know too well how to play politics. Playing politics is all about saying the right thing at the right time... never showing your honest hand to anybody... being naturally two faced... being sweet as pie to anyone you need something from... publicly making an act of sincerity and righteousness when speaking about things you may not give a crap about. people in power are great actors, and devious backstabbers. They lead us. We elected them.
it's yet another thing that makes me angry about how this country functions. it's up to us, the people, to stop electing chiselers just because they happen to have nice smiles or seem to have a nice down-home sensibility. how to you tell a difference between a good apple and a bad? I don't know. I think we all have an innate ability to sniff out a knave though. snakes in grass. I think... look for humility; in demeanor, speeches and action. fearless... do the right thing even if it will get me thrown out of office... while also FOLLOWING THE LAW... humility. ones who can join with the population as real people rather than "staying on message"... the message created by PR managers, designed to win a campaign and nothing more.