On the Verge of Democracy Collapse Disorder

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/18/5303/

On the Verge of Democracy Collapse Disorder
by Roberto Rodriguez


Colony Collapse Disorder: this is the name given to the dying off of the world’s bees, which spells an impending global crisis. It’s not that I want to make light of this diagnosis. Quite the reverse; it’s that the name could just as easily be applied to the state of the nation. Though Democracy Collapse Disorder is what comes to mind.

When historians look back to examine the origins of this latter disorder, it will be determined that it began in 2000, compliments of the U.S. Supreme Court when its intervention resulted in the ascension of George W. Bush to the presidency of the United States.

Lacking the tradition of contesting government, the opposition meekly accepted the results. Yet, by governing from the middle, the highly contested presidential election might have simply resulted in an asterisk next to the president’s name. Instead, he began to govern as if he had received an overwhelming mandate from both, the electorate and God, helping to usher in the most greedy, corrupt, anti-science, secretive and unaccountable administration in the nation’s history. Under the guise of Christianity, POTUS or the President Of The United States single-handedly helped to usher back in The Dark Ages.

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Enter the Democratic Party and the 2006 elections: its leaders are given an overwhelming mandate to stop this runaway president who has been plundering the public treasury to wage his illegal war. Yet, their first order of business is to grant him and his war cabinet unconditional amnesty and retroactive immunity.

That is the definition of Democracy Collapse Disorder.

If Congress had an alternate and effective plan to actually terminate the illegal occupation of Iraq, that would be one thing, but worse than being impotent, the refusal to hold the president accountable has emboldened him to continue his criminal endeavors worldwide, including threatening to wage yet another unsanctioned war against Iran.

To its credit, Congress has at least now taken a firm stand in support of “the rule of law.” Joining the likes of Lou Dobbs and Sen. Tom Tancredo, who represent the lunatic and fanatical wing of the political spectrum, Congress has taken a firm stand against amnesty, that is, no amnesty for Mexicans. No amnesty for brown Spanish-speaking dishwashers and maids. At least they are consistent. There will also be no amnesty for those in the U.S. government whose lies have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Iraq. Similar to Scooter Libby, instead they will be granted immunity, pardons and commutations.

That too is Democracy Collapse Disorder. It also sounds like the definition of insanity.