The Campaign to Impeach George W. Bush
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Certain commentators have noted the unconcious hypocrisy in Bush's recent U.N.speech, in particular when we consider 'the global ambitions of America', the chanting baseball fans shouting "USA! USA!' over Afghan bombings...In order to understand what I mean by 'unconcious American hypocrisy' consult the page on the ZNET site A century of U.S. military interventions for examples of America's 'global ambitions', as well as their page KILLING CIVILIANS TO SHOW THAT KILLING CIVILIANS IS WRONG, "A BRIEFING ON THE HISTORY OF U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTIONS" for examples of the millions of civilians killed by American military policy, which American patriots celebrate to this day...See also the uncanny parallels between today's anti-terrorism laws and those of the Third Reich immediately after the 'Communists terrorists' supposedly burned down the Reichstag Hitler's anti-terrorism law and Bush sets up special courts point out the uncanny parallels between America and other powerful partner nations today and the totalitarian states of the past, and when you put it all together it clearly illustrates the amazing blindness and hypocrisy of patriotic American propaganda. Recall the elected socialist governments of Chile, Iran, and the murder of hundreds of thousands of leftist Indonesian civilians, the killing of millions of Vietnamese civilians (because it was well known that free elections would have brought Ho Chi Mihn to power) and remember the persistent Contra attacks on Nicaraguan 'soft targets' (hospitals, clinics, civilians) to bring down the elected Sandinistas, as just a few examples of the actions of American patriots to "see the same intolerance of dissent, the same mad global ambitions, the same brutal determination to control every life and all of life . . . We have seen the true nature of these terrorists in the nature of their attacks..."

After all this keep in mind that the Nicaraguans went to the World Court and the United Nations and the United States basically snubbed its nose at both rebukes, and no Vietnamese every bombed anything in America, have in fact welcomed back visiting U.S. veterans, no Indonesian ever released anthrax in revenge, no terrorism has ever come to America and you can see that while the American elite has been worrying publically for years about possible terrorist attacks, you know, given the long history of building anger, well it never happened before, and though American patriots react with outrage when anyone talks about 'the roots of terrorism' and try to viciously quash all dissent or even discussion of the issue, that America went through an entire century without terrorism is actually remarkable, and shows that their enemies are thinking rational people and not thbe 'pure evil' that American propagandists have always said they were, and if it is true that the Reichstag was not just burned down by the far American right (and the uncanny parallels with what happened in Germany in the 30s suggest this is a valid topic for discussion and not just some stupid conspiracy theory) well if it is the case that this was truly terrorism, then we can see that in the targetting of Wall Street and the Pentagon, and not the broad American public, even when terrorism came to America (if it actually did, something still unproven to this day) well even when it did, the 'enemy' carefully targetted those it saw as the enemy in America, and this sort of surgical strike was more 'rational' in its own way that the indiscriminate 'collateral damage' and targetting of millions of civilians practiced by American patriots over the course of the last century. Pointing this fact out is something that will enrage any true American patriot, given their intolerance for dissent and their constant attempts to impose their own views on others, but nevertheless once again, despite its unpopularity, it remains a valid point for discussion.

Then you can keep in mind how U.S. policy consists of making threats and using war and violence to achieve the imposition of their own views, and then you can bask in the furious anger against dissent by the American patriots when anyone brings it all to their attention. Many of these American patriots claim to be religious, Christians, and say they want American to return to the Lord, to its Christian values. You can also enjoy the gloating of these patriots and listening to their boasting about all this violence by visiting their message boards. Then keep in mind that the Americans, who hold these 'patriotic' views and practice these policies have the weapons of mass destruction in their hands, and then, after considering all this, read the following and see if you appreciate the incredible unconcious hypocrisy of American patriotism.

Bush said, ""Like the fascists and totalitarians before them, these terrorists — Al Qaeda, the Taliban regime that supports them and other terror groups across our world — try to impose their radical views through threats and violence ... We see the same intolerance of dissent, the same mad global ambitions, the same brutal determination to control every life and all of life . . . We have seen the true nature of these terrorists in the nature of their attacks; they kill thousands of innocent people and then rejoice about it. They kill fellow Muslims, many of whom died in the World Trade Center that terrible morning, and then they gloat. They condone murder and claim to be doing so in the name of a peaceful religion . . . We're determined to fight this evil and fight until we are rid of it," the president said. "We will not wait for more innocent deaths. We will not wait for the authors of mass murder to gain the weapons of mass destruction. We act now because we must lift this dark threat from our age and save generations to come."

The astonishing hypocrisy of a true British patriot

And while we are at it, how we can we ignore the hypocrisy of a true British patriot as well. Now keep in mind that as a rule of thumb one can assume that total wealth is a multiple of perhaps ten times GDP. Keep in mind that as a general rule 70 to 80 per cent of the wealth in the poorest nations in the world is concentrated in the hands of small clique of families (such as the notorious '14 families' of El Salvadoran history). American GDP is about 7 trillion, which would put total American wealth at around 70 trillion using the above rule of thumb. And keep in mind that a study using 1989 figures (the last available, according to the study) the top one per cent of Americans had already concentrated close to a third of that wealth in their own hands, and this pattern being repeated, or perhaps even worse in the poor nations, we can understand that the wealth of the oligarchs of the most indebted poorest nations is valued in the many trillions as well. The Combined debt of the poorest nations being 'restructured' by the IMF and World Bank is less than 600 billion. The recent American tax cut, mostly benefitting the wealthy (the 'trickle down economics argument) was 1.3 trillion. Then there is total combined wealth of the G-20 nations to consider as well as the 'let them keep it all' tax policies on the oligarchs around the world in these poor nations could certainly be tallied in the trillions as well. Each year around a trillion dollars is spent globally on war hawking tools, and most of this is for use in countries internally, to protect the oligarchy, and not in external wars, or, in the case of the G-20 nations, to project just exactly the kind of power over the oil nations and every other nation on the globe that we see happening today.

Nevertheless the tactics of the IMF and World Bank are to keep these taxes on the wealthy low (more of that same 'trickle down' theory which will 'some day reduce poverty, perhaps in several generations' by, to use the catch phrase 'stimulating growth'. Actual practice reveals that the rich just keep getting richer and the poor just keep getting poorer, and the 'trickle down' of Reaganomics, as one example did not work, that whole trickle down thing being an acknowledgement that, yes, the tax policy of Reagonomics was designed for the rich, and that yes, they normally just keep it all and the best you can hope for is that, after being given the big Reagan prize, they might trickle some of it down later, maybe (notice it wasn't flood down, just trickle, well it did not even trickle as the concentrated wealth doubled in those years, so, the evidence would indicate that such justifying talk is just that talk, and the real agenda is always something altogether different). Keep in mind that restructuring forced through by the debt burden on these countries results in the adoption of what are called 'neo-lib policies' forced privitization, elimination of social services, 'reducing goverment' is the mantra, freeing up business, reduced regulations, closing hospitals, clinics, schools, reduced health care, all to cough of the billions required just to maintain the interest on the debts of the poorest countries, with the suggestion that in the end the fundamentalist economic agenda will bring prosperity.

However, what 'trickle down' really means is Do not touch the olive and the wine, says the IMF and the World Bank, and the American and British patriots and patriots of the sort around the world. Do not touch the oligarchs, but instead we see a days wages for a loaf of bread, great poverty, and it is the poor who are targeted by such things as 'water privitization' and one can only wonder if it might be possible to privitize the air that we breath. Yes, do not touch the olive and the wine, in fact, don't even mention all that olive oil and all that wine. Close a hospital and cut social services instead.

People believe in myths, such as the one about the global world wide food shortage. Meanwhile easily available stats show that pigs eat about 80 per cent of the corn. The same figures hold true for other grains. Even with the livestock of the world being the prop that holds up world agriculture (returning one gram of protein for every hundred they consume) even so the food glut continues to build, pushing commodity prices so low that farmers are now going bankrupt, and according to recent stats I consulted, the mega farm is now holding a clear majority of farm land, and the family farm, responsible for producing the very glut of food which is now destroying them, is on the way out to make way for the new concentrated ownership of the reappearing feudal estate. Land prices are depressed so that farmers can easily find themselves with debt greater than their equity and with commodity prices falling below the cost of production, naturally things are collapsing. Nevertheless the 'neo-lib' economic fundamentalist mantra of 'the correctness of pure market forces' is spoon fed to propagandized people of the planet (who mysteriously continue to believe in the world wide food shortage in the midst of it all, a true propaganda achievement).

700,000,000 million people do not have enough to eat in a world with a food glut (to much olives, to much wine, which just cannot be touched). Yet, in spite of it all, even though those cows and pigs just cannot keep up with the great productivity of modern agriculture, and the piled up food is capsizing the family farm, even then the olives and the wine cannot be touched-it would be against the modern economic fundamentalist dogma that, in true social darwinism style, says that those with bucks live and those without starve. It really is just that simple. Nothing more complicated than that explains it all...Yet, propaganda being the odiously disgusting thing that it is, and so neccesary, the propaganda war always being more important than bombs and bullets, and the manufacture of consent always so important where there would be a snow balls chance in hell of getting that consent if the truth was known, well things being what they are, in spite of it all, the people are spoon fed some of the most odiously disgusting ag corp propaganda I have ever seen promising that 'bio genetic engineering will someday solve hunger.' Now given the lack of generosity shown in the past, the promise that even more expensive engineered food will suddenly be generously developed for the sake of poor suffering humanity and then given to them with a glad heart, is stretching credulity to say the least, but a propaganda line is a propaganda line, and that is about as much respect for both truth and human life you are ever likely to find in a truly capitalist society like this modern world is...It is par for the course, and it really is just that simple and obvious...Do not touch the olive and the wine, but rather, the line goes, wait for the genetically engineered olive and the gene altered wine, at which time the economic fundamentalist dogma will get the flush I am sure, and everything will sun shine lolly pops and rainbows everywhere...Yes the economic orthodoxy always promises great progress over the course of several generations, at which time you will be dead and no longer being such a problem about it all, and there will be a new generation to be told to wait for some other damnable thing or another...shall we wait and see what it is this time...

700,000,000 people are chronically malnourished (do not touch the olive and the wine, a days wages for a loaf of bread) and now we are told that the pale horse of famine stalks 33 countries this fall and is so typical of this place, when famine hits it is kept hidden, kept hidden for as long as possible, so that by the time that it comes to our attention, we see hundreds of thousands of skeletons near the point of death - they had been starving for a while before anyone looked. It took six months to reveal the Ethiopian famine to the world, and really (do not touch the olive and the wine) if such things could just pass right by unnoticed and get it over with, that would be much better now wouldn't it. Social darwinism teaches us that when the population gets thinned out like that, well its a good thing, there being to few oligarchs and to many peasants as it is, after all, so don't get yourself in a big rush...let them go...(Do not touch the olive and the wine).

Of course famine might be exposed before it finally ends and can just be forgotten as just one more famine (while the reports read, the appeal was underfunded or not funded at all, this being a recurring pattern.) We are then regaled with 'Live Aid' concerts, the one spurred on by the Ethiopian famine raising 200 million dollars while, unknown to most people who were led to believe that something was being done, it costs 250 million a week to service the debt in Sub Saharan African. (In otherwords big concerts function as propaganda ploys no matter what the actual intent might have been, and while they might assuage liberal guilt, miss the mark, aren't even aimed squarely at the target.) It is the way things are. Do not touch the olives or the vats of wine. Every proposal every solution you hear that does not acknowledge this simple fact is not a solution that is worth considering, just more of that misdirection or trying to do a little because you know that just can't do much else. Do not touch the olive and the wine. Hide the hungry, and if you can't hide them, well look busy for a while. Protect the oligarchs of the world. Do not reveal their shame. A day's wages for a loaf of bread, but do not touch the olive and the wine. Its the law of the World Bank and the religious orthodoxy of the IMF and of the politicians around the world. These are the simple facts of life in this place.

Let us then maintain that huge blind spot, that characteristic myopia, which along with astonishing hypocrisy, is also characteristic of a true patriot. Let us talk about 'reducing poverty' over many generations, or let us talk of reducing hunger through 'genetic manipulation' over many many years. Do not touch the olive and the wine, but no one has any trouble touching that loaf of bread, or while these people live on less than a dollar a day, no one has any trouble putting the judgment onto the planet 'a day's wages for a loaf of bread'. Does anyone have a problem with bringing 'fiscal responsibility' to heavily indebted poverty stricken poor countries, blaming the victim for 'lack of fiscal discipline' or 'no sound grasp of western economic principles' which the blamers insist 'would bring western style prosperity' if only those poor countries were 'trained in the skills they lack', while the olive and the wine is left untouched of course, all around the world. Its the way things are. Deep down inside even a true patriot should know that.

If you are leftist in your viewpoints, assuming you even survive to the next day, well you are cursed and reviled and held up to scorn. (As one of my correspondents wrote in an accusing tone, "You are a COMMUNIST or soemthing like that, aren't you!") Scandalous. (How well trained they are.) Is anyone scandalized when the Jubilee 2000 campaign fails? Look, there is much 'structrural adjustment' that has to be forced onto this poor countries. It's to soon to reduce the debt. The agenda of globalization has not yet been complete. The timing is all wrong on that Jubilee 2000 campaign, and considering how you can gain control over nations around the world by brutally punishing any deviation, divide and conquer, and horsewhipping into line (just let even one country try anything and see what happens to them) well it will probably always be to soon to do a Jubilee in this place. (This is ruthless propaganda and it must be resisted with ruthless truth telling.) Yes the word 'left wing' is tossed around like a dirty curse word (you are supposed to internalize the oppression, make it part of yourself, and either apologetically insist that you aren't or assume that defensive position while true patriots pummel you with ridiculous falsehoods and outright nonsense). Yes, it is such a scandal to be 'leftist' but is anyone scandalized when the olive and the wine is left untouched but those hospitals are closed, social services cut, water privatized, while bleating goes on about 'hard economic times' and the need for 'fiscal restraint' and other such buzz words that are used to keep people's eyes off of that olive and that untouchable stash of wine?

Well call this my theme for the upcoming meeting of the G20, the World Bank and IMF in Ottawa. The slogan on my banner reads, "Do not touch the olive and the wine." Just thought I would make it clear the point of my protest in hopes of blowing away some of that smog that always clouds the atmosphere during such times.

Well with all that said, I ask you to consider the words of a true British patriot. 'Protestors are no better than Bin Laden' said Britain's Calre Short, comparing anti-globalisation protesters to Osama bin Laden. The outspoken International Development Secretary claimed demonstrators' demands were " very similar" to those of Bin Laden's al Qaeda network. She claimed: "Since 11 September we haven't heard from the protesters. I'm sure they are reflecting on what their demands were because their demands turned out to be very similar to those of Bin Laden's network. "They say 'world trade is evil, we want to stop it.' If he says that too, do they still want to say that? There is a sort of anarchist's chaos."

Now since this is the "International Development Secretary" speaking here, well I will just ignore her misrepresentation. amd just pose the question - "Shall we touch the olive and the wine?" Keep in mind that she is the "International Development Secretary" and its her 'job' to do something about that thing about "a day's wages for a loaf of bread" but of course, it will take a hell of a long time, for I know, she just wouldn't touch the olive and the wine. So why even bother going to such and such a meeting for a photo op and looking busy, because if you don't touch the olive and don't touch the wine, it's just plain propaganda because really, you should know, that a pie can only be cut in so many pieces, and thus it would take until the end of time, and even then nothing would be done, because nothing is intended to be done about that problem with the olive and the wine.


On a personal note, I have been a protestor against religion since 1996 and I am very very well known to the churches, in particular to the highest and most visible pulpits in the land, in particular since Earth Day 2001, since that time my notoriety has also been spreading in the rank and file of the churches. My form of protest consists of truth telling, the only way to resist ruthless and hurtful propaganda, and this includes uncomprimising truth telling about 'sacred books' and religion in general, theology and other such things. With that said, not all is bad, and I thought I would conclude by pointing out to you that while faith is often equated with oppression, interference in personal lives and attempts to control the bodies of others through legislation and so on, there is also a tradition in ancient prophecy of protesting 'globalization' in their own day, resisting oligarchy of their time. As a form of protest against the conservatism of religion, I thought I would conclude with the voices of some ancient protestors in a long line of a most venerable tradition of dissent and protest, voices too seldom heard (in many cases not heard at all, religion being something else altogether) in the conventional socially conservative stoicism of Christian religion as we have known it...


Isaiah 5"Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you alone own everything in the land. YAHWEH of hosts has sworn in my hearing: "Surely many mansions shall be desolate, large and beautiful mansions, without inhabitant."

Isaiah 32

The fool will no more be called noble, nor the knave said to be honorable.
For the fool speaks folly, and his mind plots iniquity: to practice ungodliness, to utter error concerning YAHWEH, to leave the craving of the hungry unsatisfied, and to deprive the thirsty of drink.
The knaveries of the knave are evil; he devises wicked devices to ruin the poor with lying words, even when the plea of the needy is right.
But the one who is noble devises noble things, and by noble things they stand.

Micah 2 (ancient protestor against 'neo lib' policies, oligarchy, and what today we protest under the umbrella name of 'glabalization')

Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil upon their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.
They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.
Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, against this family I am devising evil, from which you cannot remove your necks; and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be an evil time.
In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you, and wail with bitter lamentation, and say, "We are utterly ruined; he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! Among our captors he divides our fields."
Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot in the assembly of YAHWEH."Do not preach" —thus they preach—"one should not preach of such things; disgrace will not overtake us."
Should this be said in the house of God? Has God truly run out of patience? Are the works of this prophet the works of God? Are not the words of God blessings for all the righteous?
If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, "I will preach to you of wine and strong drink," he would be the preacher for this people!
And I said: Hear, you heads, you rulers of my people! Is it not for you to know justice?—
you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people, and their flesh from off their bones;
who eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like meat in a kettle, like flesh in a caldron.
Then they will cry to YAHWEH, but God will not answer them; God will hide God's face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil.
Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them;
the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.
But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of YAHWEH, and with justice and might, to declare to them their transgression and their sin. (Ruthless truth telling...)
Hear this, you leaders, who abhor justice and pervert everything that is right,
who build your nation with blood and found your cities with wrong.
Its heads give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for hire, its prophets divine for money; yet they lean upon YAHWEH and say, "Is not YAHWEH in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us."
Therefore because of you your church shall be plowed as a field; it shall become a heap of ruins.
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of YAHWEH shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it...For out of Eden shall go forth the law...for he will judge even strong nations and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more

Isaiah 51

"Listen to me, those of you who know what is righteousness, the people in whose heart is God's law; fear not the reproach of men, and be not dismayed at their ridicule, mocking and revilings.
For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool ... And the ransomed of YAHWEH shall return, and come to Eden with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Who are you that you are afraid of man who is nothing and dies and have forgotten God and fear continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy?

Matthew 5

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely. Rejoice and be glad for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. So let your light shine."


Eden songs
From Sarah McLachlan's 'Solace' CD


Shelter

They're crowded into the smallest spaces
While outside all of nature cries
It's known to be cruel and unfair
But there is no place to hide

Oh, I've seen a part of people that I never
really wanted to share
Oh I've seen a part of people that I never
knew was there

Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm
Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm

I can't sleep, I'm haunted by their faces
The sadness in their eyes
It hurts so much to see them helpless
It makes me want to cry
But still there is so much left unanswered
For so many innocent lives
They've closed the doors and are letting nobody in
And only the strong will survive

Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm
Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm

I've seen the anger and I've seen all the dreams
I've watched as their existence is torn apart at the seams
And though I may seem helpless
I will do all that I can do

Oh, I've seen a part of people that I never
really wanted to share
Oh I've seen a part of people that I never
knew was there

Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm
Shelter - give them shelter from the coming storm


Back Door Man

You open your eyes, look around
You feel the earth it wanders out
Out, from under your feet - the ground
is not firm but soft and weak - like skin
under the touch, cannot stop to falter
Now, the damage is done, the certainties gone
the spirits altered

and now the angry morning
gives the early signs of warning
You must face alone the plans you made
decisions they will try to break

Our hands are tied on the table
Maybe you can try at the back door man
While the helpless line up on the doorsteps
And its all they can do to try to get through


Black

All the walls are closing in
and the colors fade to black
and my eyes are falling fast and deep into me
and I follow the tracks that lead me down
and I never follow what is right
and they wonder sometimes when they see all the
sadness and pain the truth brings to light

Cause I can't see no reason
What is blind cannot see
Cause I want what is pleasin'
All I take should be free
What I rob from the innocent ones
What i'd steal from the womb

If I cried me a river of all my confessions
Would I drown in my shallow regret
As the walls are closing in
and the colors fade to black
and the night is falling fast into the sea
The frightened and the weak
are forced to cling to mistakes they know nothing of
at mercy are the meek


Home

Child walks down to the river's edge
looks as far as she can see
and draws each breath as if it were the last
and wipes away the tears across her sleeve
She can see where the river crawls to the sea
Like a baby into mother's care
Somehow the longing is so far away
The innocence is wasted

Look at the child with the dream in her eyes
holding it deep inside
Thinking about home ... home

So much anger so deeply engrained
seemed a burden that was hers alone

How could I explain? You wouldn't want to hear
You wouldn't listen if I talked anyway
For you were to weighed down with your own fears

Look at the child with the dream in her eyes
Holding it deep inside her
Home ... home ... home ... home


Sarah McLachlan's Eden Song
Into the Fire

Mother teach me to walk again
Milk and Honey so intoxicating

Into the fire
I'm reunited
into the fire
I am the spark
Into the fire
I yearn for comfort

Open the doors that lead on into Eden
No more cheap disguise
Follow the signs marked back to the beginning
No more compromise
I will stare into the sun until its light doesn't blind me
I will walk into the fire until its heat doesn't burn me
And I will feed the fire