vox
3rd August 2002, 22:06
The war for votes
Printed on Friday, August 02, 2002 @ 01:36:12 EDT
By Bridget Gibson
YellowTimes.org Guest Columnist (United States)
(YellowTimes.org) – "The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Herman Goering (second in command to Adolf Hitler) at the Nuremberg Trials
The mid-term elections are looming ever closer. The disgraceful corporate corruption that has lined the pockets of many politicians' campaigns for power is proving too great a distraction from the work at hand. Backroom meetings and off-the-record discussions have yielded the new marching orders: war must be made and the polls must again reflect support for George Bush's command of the machine.
It has been reported that 20,000 troops are to be deployed from California very soon - still top secret - but very soon. The three-pronged attack on the nemesis of George Herbert Walker Bush must be put into action! The evil Saddam must be toppled before the truth comes out that the coming war is a farce. A political chess game is being played with the lives of our fellow Americans. The votes must be counted before they are cast.
Make no mistake about it, there are those in our country determined to destroy anyone or anything that might question the current administration's bloodlust and thirst for the supremacy of the ruling class.
The headlines scream out about the falling stock market and the lack of confidence in the strength of the United States economy, but the people have no idea how deeply the roots of greed and corruption have stretched into the pockets of George Bush and his henchmen. If George and Dick have their way, the truth will never see the light of day. Calling for an exoneration of Dick Cheney from S.E.C. chairman Harvey Pitt last week, was a clear sign that you and I will never know the truth about the dealings of Halliburton.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has been used to obtain records from the Harken Energy corruption scandal that showed George Bush was well aware of the illegalities of the accounting measures used by Harken to fraudulently inflate the value of its stock. It was during that time that he sold his holdings and made off like a bandit with his bootie. The rule for filing his sale of stock documents was clear. It called for the stockholder to disclose the sale of stock to the Securities and Exchange Commission. At the time of the S.E.C. investigation, the officer in charge was James Doty, an attorney who had personally represented George Walker Bush during the purchase of the Texas Rangers baseball team. It should be no surprise to any of us that nothing came from that investigation.
We were told on February 26, 2002 that the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Information would be closed. The function of this agency is to spread disinformation and propaganda throughout the media in order to positively sway public opinion on America's War on Terror. My question is: what exactly is meant by closed? Was it ever open to the public? Has the entire staff, including its director Charlotte Beers, been terminated from governmental employment? Was it renamed or remade into something else? Are we now being told, or have we ever been told the truth by officials at the Pentagon? Donald Rumsfeld said in December 2001 that victory to him meant using all the powerful weapons in our arsenal. I wonder about the sanity of anyone anxious to unleash nuclear warheads upon any nation for any reason.
If the current administration's reason for pounding the war drums is to distract the public from the greed and corruption of the highest officials, it should not be heeded. Questions should be raised and answers must be demanded. Our Constitution does not allow anyone but Congress to declare war. And the lives of our sons and daughters must not be sacrificed for political posturing, or used to curtain any misdeeds of this administration.
[Bridget Gibson witnessed the destruction of real estate, banking and independent oil producers through policies of former president George H.W. Bush. She can no longer sit by idly as the Bush family dynasty continues to wreak havoc upon the United States. She currently lives in Oklahoma.]
Bridget Gibson encourages your comments: [email protected]
YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction must identify the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated.
Printed on Friday, August 02, 2002 @ 01:36:12 EDT
By Bridget Gibson
YellowTimes.org Guest Columnist (United States)
(YellowTimes.org) – "The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." - Herman Goering (second in command to Adolf Hitler) at the Nuremberg Trials
The mid-term elections are looming ever closer. The disgraceful corporate corruption that has lined the pockets of many politicians' campaigns for power is proving too great a distraction from the work at hand. Backroom meetings and off-the-record discussions have yielded the new marching orders: war must be made and the polls must again reflect support for George Bush's command of the machine.
It has been reported that 20,000 troops are to be deployed from California very soon - still top secret - but very soon. The three-pronged attack on the nemesis of George Herbert Walker Bush must be put into action! The evil Saddam must be toppled before the truth comes out that the coming war is a farce. A political chess game is being played with the lives of our fellow Americans. The votes must be counted before they are cast.
Make no mistake about it, there are those in our country determined to destroy anyone or anything that might question the current administration's bloodlust and thirst for the supremacy of the ruling class.
The headlines scream out about the falling stock market and the lack of confidence in the strength of the United States economy, but the people have no idea how deeply the roots of greed and corruption have stretched into the pockets of George Bush and his henchmen. If George and Dick have their way, the truth will never see the light of day. Calling for an exoneration of Dick Cheney from S.E.C. chairman Harvey Pitt last week, was a clear sign that you and I will never know the truth about the dealings of Halliburton.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has been used to obtain records from the Harken Energy corruption scandal that showed George Bush was well aware of the illegalities of the accounting measures used by Harken to fraudulently inflate the value of its stock. It was during that time that he sold his holdings and made off like a bandit with his bootie. The rule for filing his sale of stock documents was clear. It called for the stockholder to disclose the sale of stock to the Securities and Exchange Commission. At the time of the S.E.C. investigation, the officer in charge was James Doty, an attorney who had personally represented George Walker Bush during the purchase of the Texas Rangers baseball team. It should be no surprise to any of us that nothing came from that investigation.
We were told on February 26, 2002 that the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Information would be closed. The function of this agency is to spread disinformation and propaganda throughout the media in order to positively sway public opinion on America's War on Terror. My question is: what exactly is meant by closed? Was it ever open to the public? Has the entire staff, including its director Charlotte Beers, been terminated from governmental employment? Was it renamed or remade into something else? Are we now being told, or have we ever been told the truth by officials at the Pentagon? Donald Rumsfeld said in December 2001 that victory to him meant using all the powerful weapons in our arsenal. I wonder about the sanity of anyone anxious to unleash nuclear warheads upon any nation for any reason.
If the current administration's reason for pounding the war drums is to distract the public from the greed and corruption of the highest officials, it should not be heeded. Questions should be raised and answers must be demanded. Our Constitution does not allow anyone but Congress to declare war. And the lives of our sons and daughters must not be sacrificed for political posturing, or used to curtain any misdeeds of this administration.
[Bridget Gibson witnessed the destruction of real estate, banking and independent oil producers through policies of former president George H.W. Bush. She can no longer sit by idly as the Bush family dynasty continues to wreak havoc upon the United States. She currently lives in Oklahoma.]
Bridget Gibson encourages your comments: [email protected]
YellowTimes.org encourages its material to be reproduced, reprinted, or broadcast provided that any such reproduction must identify the original source, http://www.YellowTimes.org. Internet web links to http://www.YellowTimes.org are appreciated.