At the U.N., the Europeans decided to get together and practice actual diplomacy with Iran. The U.S. was forced to tell everyone that they 'decided' to give the Iranians a 'breather' rather than admit they were rooked by France, Germany, and Russia.
The Bush regime is waiting though, to step back in and have Rice bully the members into signing a death warrant for Iran. All the while they're muscling around two nations which will never fly their flag, lording over them with our military forces.
What is it, besides our ability to unleash waves of destruction, that commands the attention of other nations and allows the U.S. to dominate the international agenda?
It's not merely the awe of our weapons, or even their deadly impact that directs and influences the world community. It is Bush's demonstrated willingness to ignore the rest of the world as he flails our military across borders, toppling governments, installing compliant ones, that's instructing the other nations.
They either resign themselves to the bloody rape of their land, theft of their resources, or resist. Or they're forced to develop unconventional defenses against our imperialism.
I don't feel exceptional. These days I feel like the ultimate infidel. Its not a shame to live under a fascist regime, just a shame to tolerate one in comfort. It's all relative here in the U.S. for most of us, I imagine as I sit at my computer under my sure roof.
It's quiet here in my suburban cul-de-sac neighborhood on the outskirts of the nation's capital. It's spring and every thing's green and blossoming. The children are still in school, but it won't be long until the neighborhood is alive with screams and giggles. It's so quiet here in the day you can hear them on the playground at recess and at the pool up the street.
There's no visible poverty here, though I know enough to realize there are thousands of 'invisible' working poor struggling to put a life together in our mixed-income community. There are also no visible weapons, no troops, no wanton killing, no massive theft, no armed struggle for territory.
Outside of some freak attack, most folks around here take it for granted there will never be a state of armed conflict within our borders, much less in our neighborhoods. War, to those who haven't experienced it, is an abstraction, a jumble of reports and news accounts.
We are forced to rely on our leaders, who lord over our defense dollars and direct our forces, to tell us who our government will respect and who they will attack with our military. We don't like to put ourselves unnecessarily at risk to the degree that we sacrifice that safe zone most of us live in. But, we don't really have much control over the institutions of our government which make it their business to meddle and muckrake with other nations. At least not in the minority.
The U.S. Congress recently gave $70 million of our tax dollars to the nation's self-described 'democracy czar', Elizabeth Cheney, the Vice's daughter, to fiddle around in offices from D.C. to Dubai to effect the overthrow of the elected Iranian government in the name of democracy. All the while, our military threatens to 'punish' Iran with nuclear attacks on unproven 'weapons' facilities, over the objections of the mostly reluctant members of the U.N. security council.
I am exceptional in the relative safety of my suburban neighborhood outside of the seat of the arrogant orchestrators of our nation's destructive defenses. Our nation is a growing danger to the security of the world as long as Bush has free reign to muckrake and meddle with our soldiers backing him up. That's a distinction that most Americans would rather not represent, out of vanity, arrogance, or even our own defense.
It's hard to overstate our individual responsibility in unseating this fascist Bush regime and stifling their manufactured mandate to conquer. We must use every instigation of democracy to take back control of our government and give the world a reason to look to America for leadership; for something other than a perpetual game of 'king of the hill'.
What makes us so special? Our democracy is set up to do just what is proscribed for an imperial presidency.
Lincoln would remind us of
"that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time."
"It was that," Lincoln continued,
"which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men."
"Truth and (that) justice will surely prevail, by the judgment of this great tribunal, the American people. By the frame of the government under which we live, these same people have wisely given their public servants but little power for mischief; and have, with equal wisdom, provided for the return of that little to their own hands at very short intervals."There's our exceptionalism. Our ability to effect change in the direction of our government with our activism and with our votes. One thing is certain, if we leave the halls of our democracy to this bunch, they will completely destroy whatever respect is left for Americans beyond fear of our leaders' militarism.
painting by wife
Karen
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