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Read the latest headlines and many will say I am going off my rocker. Apparently in the last week, our very secretive government is "opening up to the Congress an a spirit of cooperation". Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are claiming a victory of sorts having recently been shamed by Mr. Gore for failure to do their duty as the legislative branch of government. But hold on, is your bullshit meter sounding the alarm? Mine is. Of course, it could just be a false positive and if I spend several hours trapped in a garage watching space suit zulus set up an elaborate stage to "decontaminate" me, perhaps this feeling will subside.
We all watched the painful mockery of a judicial hearing this week in which Mr. Gonzales painstakingly implied that the Program that everyone is in such a lather about is actually only a piece of a larger program that he was not authorized to discuss because it had not been disclosed by the President. That is when it became clear to me and some others that Mr. Bush purposely disclosed this portion because it was probably the least offensive of the whole scope of clandestine activity that intrudes on our private lives every day. I have to wonder then, what exactly was explained to Congress in this unusually candid session that made our lawmakers feel so much better about the nature of the program? On its' face, the wiretapping of a domestic in conversation with someone who has ties with known terrorists really isn't that offensive to even those of us most liberal. If the White House followed the same path with the committee and merely explained in more detail this portion of the program, it would explain the newfound level of comfort our Democratic representatives are feeling.
That leads to the larger issue. Unless some brave soul steps forward and discloses the full nature of the program we are screwed. The Congress will legislate a solution to satisfy the White House and make them appear to be taking care of their oversight responsibilities. The NSA whistle blower has offered to testify before the Intelligence Committee, but since that offer was made, I have not heard one lawmaker say they would talk to them. Rove is in the air. They want the money. The whistle blower will probably not be heard from again, if Congress does not pursue this person. I know if it was me, I would keep my head low and watch my back. I would have felt that I did all I could to this point, but since I was not getting support from Congress, I could do no more.
The truth of the matter is that Congress is too worried about running their campaigns than to take on this President. Once again, George will walk away with more power than he had before. A dictatorship rises from the ashes.
There are ways to fix this, but I do not see it happening in my lifetime. As was posted in other threads, only when the American Voters are subject to an unreasonable change in their lifestyle such as "The Great Depression" or the draft, will they rise up to change the status quo. We hope for impeachment, but truthfully the system needs fixed first' starting with a hard look at state practices of redistricting; a verifiable voting system; a cap on campaign spending and term limits for Congress. Fix these basic flaws in the system and we will have come a long way to ending the corruptive power that pervades the executive branch of the government.
Our democracy is the most sophisticated in the world. We can not emulate, we must innovate. As it continually evolves it is our duty to ensure that the basic tenets remain intact.
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