Brother Dave Speaks

I'm taking the liberty of quoting an e-mail I recently received from Brother Dave. His view of the situation is slightly more dire than my own, but I'm slowly coming around. Take it away, Dave:

It has been a long time since old Lord Acton has been quoted — a reminder is over due — "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". What [the current administration seeks] is a degree of power and control found only in dictatorships. They seek a country in which a privileged oligarchy (think "Roman citizen") rules over a work force enslaved by debt, ignorance, fear and prejudice. That work force, facing growing economic despair as the gap between those of wealth and everyone else grows past its current near historical level, well willingly give up it sons and daughters. Those young people, traded off for an illusion of economic opportunity (30% of today's homeless are vets, sound like a great career path?) and the promise of patriotic glory.

The people I work with — responsible professionals, mature members of the community — are unabashed in comparisons between our country today and Germany in 33 - 36. This "administration" is the intentional end result of a program that began in earnest under Ronald Reagan (though many of the key operatives hale from that model of democratic leadership, the Nixon White House).

Even if Cheney/Bush lose in November and do not (or are prevented from) declaring martial law due to some "terrorist act", the campaign is not over. A mythology about the Bush administration will be built and sold while a Kerry administration will find it nearly impossible to govern unless the almost unimaginable happens and the republicans lose BIG in Senate and House races.

These are very dangerous times. Frank Zappa's "It Can't Happen Here" is more appropriate now than in the 60's (70's?) when he wrote it.

I recently admitted, in a comment on Emphasis Added that I suspect this may be the last election we Americans may have, if the Chickenhawk-in-Chief and his cronies win this November. That possibility will seem even more real if the election is delayed due to a terrorist act and/or "reasonable threat". Don't forget, the notion of delaying the election was a trial balloon floated as recently as just a few months ago.

Do I sound paranoid? Perhaps so. However, based on reports in other sources, there is a recent article in Vanity Fair which makes it clear that the infamous Supreme Court's infamous 2000 decision was motivated more by individual justices' political beliefs more than any ideal of constitutional law.

Recent events — such as gerrymandering in Texas — make clear this group has a different idea of ethical political behavior than most. Their ad campaign —even if you discount the infamous Swift Boat Veterans' ads — makes clear they have no regard for honest political discourse. Hell, if one of 'em said the sky was blue, I'd look out the window to confirm it.

Rob calls this group, which extends far beyond the current gang of chimps, Movement Consersatives. Be sure to read his entries for Tuesday, Sept. 28, and Wednesday, Sept. 29. There you will read a reasonable and cogent explication of a Movement Conservative's goals. Rob restates much of what Brother Dave has said above, but goes into greater detail. These two articles are part of a planned series, which I will follow with great interest.

Here's my Reader's Digest version of Rob's points: for Rove, et al, Might makes right. They are in power, so anything they do must be right. Anything they say must be right. And since they are right, they are justified to maintain their power ("might") by any means necessary. They are the kings of "the ends justifies the means".