(Cross posted from Docudharma)
We have come to a place unimagined even by Orwell who got so much right.
Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.
George Orwell
During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
George Orwell
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever.
George Orwell
We are a nation raised on bullshit, an artificial reality-defying plastic fantasy land, a diseased Disney World on crutches where everyone is a potential millionaire, where you can have anything you want for a small finance charge, where all you have to do is work, consume and watch American Idol, and never mind that nasty global warming business or the poisons in your food, or our crumbling infrastructure, and here you at least have a vote that kinda sorta counts, but just remember - it’s off to jail with you if you don’t fall in line.
According to the lawsuit filed at U.S. District Court in Denver, Howards and his son walked to about two-to-three feet from where Cheney was standing, and said to the vice president, "I think your policies in Iraq are reprehensible," or words to that effect, then walked on.
Ten minutes later, according to Howards' lawsuit, he and his son were walking back through the same area, when they were approached by Secret Service agent Virgil D. "Gus" Reichle Jr., who asked Howards if he had "assaulted" the vice president. Howards denied doing so, but was nonetheless placed in handcuffs and taken to the Eagle County Jail.
Arrest over Cheney barb triggers lawsuit
We have the world’s largest military and we have used it ruthlessly, irresponsibly, immorally and illegally.
"I want you to feel that Iraqi life is precious."
~ Baraa Sadoon Ismail, 29, a father of two, severely injured by American gunfire while driving to a relative's house
What we see now is an affront to anyone who ever believed or hoped for America to be a great nation. Our every value has been betrayed. The Republicans have had their way with us for 30 years. It should now be obvious to everyone that their way was the wrong way. It is so blatantly obvious that I cannot fathom the fact that some Americans still self-identify as Republicans. If the Democrats had done half the damage that these enemies of humanity have done I would have long ago fled the party and cursed them for all of my days. How does anyone get off claiming that putrid mantle – Republican? How can anyone bear the shame of it? What these guys have done isn’t pretty. I expect that when the chickens come fully home to roost that you won’t be able to pay someone to claim any association with Republicans. That’s the way it should be now – but the awakening is slow. Just wait.
As it sinks in just how royally screwed we are, most everyone will eventually wake up, way too late but at least they’ll be awake. We may then have an opportunity to do something about it all. We may then have the will to act. Let’s hope we can shape that and keep it from becoming an ugly thing in itself. With luck we will begin the hard work of fixing America - but first things first.
We need to implement the rule of law for our ruling class. It seems to me that the way to do that is to render justice beginning with the arrest and indictment of the war criminals in our government, starting with the so-called President and including those who enabled and supported them.
Thousands of people have been tortured in our names, millions murdered.
Our nation has been plundered, gutted, and sold out from under us. Hard times are coming to us all.
Our world is about to get much smaller, our alternatives fewer, our food much more expensive and our jobs even shakier than we have become used to...all a direct result of the wrongheaded and disastrous policies and the willful wrongdoing of the Republicans. The damage they have done is incalculable.
That’s why John McCain has a snowball’s chance of winning this election fairly. People are beginning to awaken to the stark reality we face.
The Republicans do mean to steal it however. They have gotten very good at this and the Democrats have laid down for it time and time again. Their election theft machine was never dismantled. It is still in place. They have the patented Diebold in. They will steal it - if we stand for it. Mark my words.
"Anyone with access to the election software of a major voting machine vendor can change the outcome of a national election and determine which party will control Congress. Election fraud can now be committed on a national, not just a local, basis."
Barbara Simons, Past President
Association for Computing Machinery
I think we all know who has access to the election software of major voting machine vendors.
The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
The Aug. 14 [2003] letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.
Source
People don’t want to accept the fact of massive and widespread voter fraud and election theft because the implications are too frightening. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but I have been bashed repeatedly over the past two years for talking about Republican election theft at DailyKos, accused of sporting tinfoil chapeaus and etcetera, but guess what - I was right.
SIEGELMAN SPEAKS! EX-GOV CALLS '02 ELECTION "STOLEN" BY THE WHITE HOUSE!
(snip)
Rove's long drive to destroy the Alabama governor resulted in the theft of the 2002 election for Republican Bob Riley. Here Siegelman describes that theft--which took place primarily in Baldwin County--and also talks about his handling of that matter.
So far, the mainstream press coverage of Don Siegelman's ordeal has pointedly ignored the theft of the 2002 election. Clearly, Siegelman himself does not regard that theft as a side issue, but as a major crime, and one that is quite relevant to his whole story.
Mark Crispin Miller
Watch a fascinating 2 part interview with Don Siegelman where he talks about the election that was stolen from him.
As some of you may know, Don Siegelman is an old friend of mine. My rock solid faith in him anchors my conviction that the Republican election theft machine is all too real – and has survived the half-hearted scrutiny it has received. It remains in place and is the greatest existing threat to our democracy other than the Republicans themselves.
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
http://www.verifiedvoting.org/
Until we re-establish the rule of law for the Ruling class our government will be run by thieves and we will not address any real issues in any meaningful way for as long as that is true.
We need to render swift and stern justice by arresting and trying all those who have committed war crimes in the name of the United States of America. This is the only way we can both meet our solemn obligation to the rest of the world and serve notice that criminals in government will no longer be tolerated.
We need to outlaw all but the most benign forms of lobbying and make it a serious felony for any elected OR appointed official to lie to the public.
We need to ruthlessly root out all forms of corruption, close all legal loopholes, restore the Constitution...and SIMULTANEOUSLY... stop the war, implement strict greenhouse emissions controls, reform the media, begin the dismantling/re-purposing of the Military Industrial Complex, and address all of our other very pressing and very real problems.
No more made up wars, no more propaganda, no more lies, no more spin - nothing but truth, justice and hard work cleaning up the Republicans' crap. And they have left tons of it for the rest of us to deal with.
Time to get to work.