"A Healthy Dose of Skepticism"

As we proceed along the continuum of this election cycle, I have to ask myself, what are the spoils so coveted by some of the contestants running for the finish line? It occurs to me there is so much of what lies behind those ambitions that we really know little or nothing about. Who are the real power brokers and what do they have to gain or lose by the outcome?

When I reflect on the corruption and self-serving motives behind so much of what passes in the name of democracy, I find it all rather suspect. What is professed vs. what is realized never quite add up. I cannot even begin to comprehend the magnitude of the power in the hands of multi-national corporations and vast wealth; power that is devoid of any conscience or moral base. What are they really capable of and how far are they willing to go to eviscerate the common man in the pursuit of their glutinous appetite for more and more? Will they yield to the cry of the rank-and-file to clean up the Washington establishment, or will they do all they can to ensure things remain the same for their own benefit?

In my humble opinion, the last seven plus years have been the most perilous and dangerous in the history of this country. The powers usurped by the Executive Branch, aided and abetted by a pathetically compliant Congress and a stacked Judiciary, are nothing short of frightening.

Historically, dictatorships rise out of the embers of a pervasive fear among the body politic, with strong support from the military elite. They wrap their actions in a shroud of secrecy. They manipulate the press in order to further their own agenda. They ignore anything resembling constitutional constraints. They ride rough-shod over the civil liberties of the people. They use the institutions and resources of the state for their own personal ambitions. Does any of this have a familiar ring?

Dwight D. Eisenhower was correct in his admonition to remain suspect of the military-industrial complex. From my perspective, they pretty well do whatever they want, ignoring any meaningful oversight by the Congress and accountability to the electorate. I will not rest easy until they have lost their grip on the White House and it is purged of all vestigial remnants of empire.

Putting another Republican in the White House would amount to nothing more than an extension of the Bush/Cheney doctrine that could well endanger all that remains of our fragile democracy. Their fear tactics and lies have run their course. We cannot afford to take anymore chances. We need a change, but the right change.

Until the Republican Party restores some credibility to its principles, only the “true believers” and those reliving the golden age of Ronald Reagan will give them substance ---- past glories and old memories that have no relevance to the future.

I have serious reservations about the Clintons. If they are such good Democrats, why did Bill sign NAFTA into law? Why did he remove regulatory constraints from the financial institutions that led to the current sub-prime mortgage debacle and the precarious health of Wall Street? Why are they reputed to be major investors in companies based in India that are the beneficiaries of outsourcing jobs from the United States? Why is lying still an accepted part of their strategy for winning? When it comes to what this country needs as opposed to what they will give us is not clear. Their rhetoric does not jibe with their politics.

Why do they covet the presidency to the extent they do? Whose interests will they serve if they get elected? Why did some 30 senior retired military officers line up to endorse Hillary for President, and what kind of influence are they peddling or seeking? Are the Clintons and their surrogates really willing to destroy the Democratic Party in their pathological pursuit of ambition? Being the first woman president hardly seems to justify the shenanigans they have so far employed. And I fear the worst is yet to come.

I don’t trust either of the two major political parties to do squat for the average American. They have held an exclusive grip on Washington for much too long. Their real motives are suspect. We need to salvage the best from both parties, reconstitute them into a solid third party alternative, and get down to the real business of running an open and honest country for the benefit of everyone. We need a complete overhaul of our political system. The incumbents have been entrenched for too long and have put their own interests ahead of the electorate. That has simply got to change. Ralph Nader has long championed breaking the stranglehold on Washington. Sadly, he is old hat and is not taken seriously any more. We must look elsewhere for national leadership. We just don’t need another herd of politicians. We need real statesmen.

Our religious institutions need to clean up their act. They should get back to ministering to our spiritual, moral and ethical needs. They need to get out of the business of amassing great wealth and political power. It is wholly inappropriate. My Grandfather once told me, “If a man waves a Bible in your face, keep your back to the wall.” That seems like pretty good advice to me. These ecclesiastical charlatans serve no useful purpose and are thwarting our ability to effectively govern.

We need to cease being a collection of individual vested self-interests, all jockeying for our own power base, and return to being one people. Let’s get back to basics and accepted standards of what is right and what is wrong. Let’s stop all this crap politely referred to as “political correctness” that is diverting us from the real issues facing the Republic.

We are a nation of laws. Let’s abide by those that are relevant and work to change those that are not, all within the framework of our constitutional form of government. We need to take those laws at face value and stop trying to manipulate the language and intent in order to further the interests of a few at the expense of the many.

I am not at all sympathetic to the bleeding hearts that connive to siphon off resources for those who have not legally obtained the right to share in the fruits of this nation‘s bounty. I am sympathetic to their plight, but they haven’t earned the right to what they haven’t helped create. We are one people all governed by one system of laws. Those who subvert them should pay the price. There is a right way and a wrong way to seek redress. None can have it both ways.

By definition, globalization and free trade agreements level the playing field for all who labor. American workers are well on their way to enjoying the same wages and benefits, with the same standard of living, as their counterparts in third world countries bound by those same agreements. The so-called benefits of these agreements accrue to the benefit of corporate investors and the super rich; not the average person. It is just another way of fleecing the least among us. All of those euphemistic benefits translate into what is generally regarded as a two-class society.

This country is not just economically bankrupt. It is intellectually, spiritually and morally bankrupt, as well. It is way past the time to take the gadgets out of our ears and stop being mesmerized by all of the electronics that numb our brains and isolate us from each other.

We live in perilous times and we have cause to fear the ominous forerunners of what is yet to come. We need to acquire a healthy mistrust of government and political power that serves special interests at the expense of the common man. The foundation of a viable democracy is an informed citizenry; not passive participation served up to us by diversions that have no lasting value for the human race.

I fear our universities and colleges are evolving into hi-tech trade schools at the expense of their traditional roles as seats of intellectual development. It is in intellectual ferment that real human progress and understanding are rooted. Science and technology have never been more important nor have we ever been more dependent on scientific discovery to save us from ourselves. On the other hand, hi-tech toys only serve to seduce us, not enrich us.

Great fortunes have been made, and continue to be made, by the “technological revolution.” But those fortunes cannot come at the expense of liberal arts, the pursuit of knowledge and the wisdom of the ages. The acquisition of knowledge is an arduous process. It is hard work, but it is well worth the effort and the insights that come with it. The political establishment must support those pursuits, accept the challenges that flow from them and not fear them. Such is the nature of real leadership. Therein lies the essence of statesmanship. Let’s just hope some one or a few can rise to the occasion this time around.


Cowboy Bob
April 4, 2008