Correcting Republican Propaganda

Imagine my amazement upon reading a recent email message from my representative in Congress, Brian Bilbray (50th District, previously represented by Randy “Duke” Cunningham, now in prison). Imagine my disbelief, when I saw the credit he gives to the so-called “Republican revolution” for the balanced Federal budget that should rightfully be given to the Democratic Administration of Bill Clinton! Imagine how I immediately recovered from my amazement upon reminding myself of the Republican habits of amnesia, rationalization, lying, self-delusion, trickery, cheating, fear-mongering, cruelty and outright criminality in the pursuit of absolute rule and profit-making for their cronies and the ruling elite.

With all due respect to my Congressman, I wish he would stick to reality when he writes to me and his other constituents, as such communications are not the same as those he might send to his diminishing Republican base, the small minority who still fall for the lies and propaganda of the Bush Administration, where you can twist the facts without fear of embarrassment.

The disaster of Republican governance over the past thirty years is better described as an anti-democratic take-over than a “revolution.” When a small but wealthy and determined group, who hates democracy (government of the people, by the people, for the people), hates government, has disdain for the rule of law, gains power by ownership of the media, electoral cheating, and seduction of the electorate by lies, fear-mongering and appeals to the worst aspects of human nature, what results is not a movement from the grass roots that serves the people, the environment, and the notion of liberty and justice for all —a true revolution— but rather an ever-increasing gap between rich and poor, an ever-decreasing middle class, gross violations of the rule of law and the Bill of Rights, oppressive labor realities, a damaged environment, massive federal deficits, the co-mingling of corporations and government (fascism), weakening infrastructure, war and disaster profiteering, police-state tactics and trends at home, torture, militarism, and a power grab by the Executive branch that deeply wounds the principles by which our beautiful nation is defined as a democratic republic.

As criminal as are the radical elements of the Muslim faith, I consider such criminality a far lesser threat to us than Republican rule in the United States, which has become as authoritarian in its goals and methods as any extremist religious group I know of. The current Republican President now claims the right to label any American an “enemy combatant,” deny that American habeas corpus rights and due process rights, and order that American to be tortured, as he has done already. This damage done to liberty and our democratic republic is what should be the focus of my Congressman’s outrage and his energy. Where is his conscience? What is he doing to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by serving as a counter-balance to an out-of-control Executive Branch? When was the last time he criticized the President or Vice President on the floor of the House? Never.

And the Attorney General failed us again today—he will not admit water boarding is torture.