From our neighbors in Kentucky (a "red state," by the way, and not exactly home to a bunch of left-wingers) come the following comments about President Bush in today's Louisville Courier-Journal. First, a letter entitled "A rot on national psyche:"
Impeach him now. Enough already. Unlike former President Bill Clinton's simplistic dalliances, President Bush has consistently and maliciously acted outside the laws of this country.The revelation that he has personally authorized domestic spying in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 clearly rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors. Not since the darkest days of the Nixon administration have we been treated to such a level of imperious behavior, a president acting as the law unto himself.
Osama bin Laden or any other terrorist could only hope to be so lucky as to cause this much damage to our country and to our most cherished ideals. Bin Laden is a real danger that must be kept at bay. Bush, his actions and the actions of his minions are a rot on our national psyche and must be excised before it eats into the very core of our principles. Impeach him.
Now, a letter entitled, "Our liberties threatened:"
Torture has been a policy of governments since time immemorial. So has spying on citizens by a country's own government.[...]
But I never thought I'd see the day when America took a cue from the Butcher of Baghdad or the Emperor Tiberius and instituted similar policies. I never thought I'd hear a vice president advocating torture as an official governmental policy or a president defending domestic spying without court order ? a clear violation of the Constitution he swore to uphold....
Until recently, our national policy always was that our strongest defense is our freedoms and liberties. That's what I swore to defend when I entered the military. But with our freedoms and liberties threatened by our own government, how can we pretend that our only interest is spreading the same freedoms to the rest of the world?
Far from protecting us from our enemies, this administration's policies may easily end up causing the demise of the greatest democracy the world has ever known. Unless we as good-hearted American citizens stop them, in the end we will have only ourselves to blame.
Then there's this one, simply called "Abuses of Power:"
It is a stunning irony that the least qualified president in U.S. history is so very highhanded in claiming unprecedented presidential powers. The secret and illegal spying on American citizens is the latest in a long list of abuses of power. As usual, President Bush uses fear to justify his actions...[...]
While the President vows to establish democracy in the Middle East, he tramples on civil rights at home. His culture of cronyism makes a mockery of a free press, free market and free elections. It is up to American voters to hold this administration accountable. His brand of democracy is far too costly, in dollars, in lives, and in simple human decency.
Finally, there is a letter called "Domestic spying:"
...President Bush needs to access an American history textbook and carefully examine two items.First, look in the appendix for a copy of the Constitution and read its first ten amendments. For those not in the know, these amendments are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.
Next, go to the index and look up "Franklin, Benjamin." Take a look at all the references to this great Founding Father. If you're lucky, you'll find one of his most famous comments (and I paraphrase): Those who would exchange liberty for security deserve neither.
President Bush will probably need someone to explain the meanings and significance of these two philosophical underpinnings of what America is truly about, and after a simplistic explanation, he might (hopefully!) begin to understand.
But I doubt it!
Unfortunately, there is good reason to "doubt it" when it comes to George W. Bush, his administration, and the radical Republican-controlled Congress. Luckily, it looks like the American people are waking up...and none too soon. Let's face it: when people in Kentucky start screaming "Impeach him now," you know things have gotten really bad in this country.