Hey, American People!

The time is always right to do what is right.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Whew! Nasty! That was one hell of a campaign season; one hell of an election. Democrats emerged, bruised and broken, yet their mindset seems to be — hey, we survived Bush.  How bad can it be? Sadly, the grim truth they refuse to face is — we didn’t survive Bush…

The radical right-wing, neo-conservative, religious-based, hate-empowered GOP once again owes the half-crazed ideologues in the Supreme Court a hearty thanks for plunging yet another dagger into the heart of democracy with its Citizens United corporate giveaway. And no Justice on that venerable body is more ideologically rigid than Dick Cheney’s hunting buddy, Antonin Scalia, who ramrodded the Court’s 2000 Presidential “Selection” for George W. Bush, and is now out there taking aim at the century-old 17th Amendment to the US Constitution, which is literally the last barrier to a corporate-owned nation.

The 17th Amendment allows U.S. Senators to be elected by the people, rather than by individual state legislatures. Recently, referring to the Constitution, Scalia said the 17th Amendment “has changed things enormously. We changed that in a burst of progressivism in 1913, and you can trace the decline of so-called states’ rights throughout the rest of the 20th century…”

We need another “burst of progressivism” — and soon. We are in the throes of a political convulsion, an intellectual and moral battle that we are increasingly in danger of losing. It’s time to stop, take a deep national breath, and then…take a deep national bath. This nation has been in a spiraling nose dive for a decade…We need to make a genuine effort to actually see what we’ve only been looking at — actually listen to what we’ve only been hearing.

Neither party spent much time talking about the issues; the real problems facing this country. Perhaps that’s because the Republican party is a greedy force, too corrupt and venal to change — and the Democratic Party is a shameless enabler, too timid and flabby to make a difference. Throw the corporate media in there, where it’s all politics all the time because that’s where the money is, and it’s easy to see — if you’re really looking — why we’re caught up in the patriotic spirit of waving the flag for more tax cuts, trading freedoms for safety and following our presidential Pied Piper into the quagmire of endless war.

Republicans are dangerous. Like Bush, they are morally depraved, in that they feel no guilt or remorse for anything they say or do, regardless of the outcome. It’s far too easy in this Tea Party sodden society to rationalize that murdering, wounding, displacing millions of innocent human beings was, and continues to be, necessary in order to protect the American people.

They say they are against big government, and justify their destruction of the social network by repeating “the American people…the American people…the American people” in mind-numbing repetition, much as Bush justified his blood lust with a constant “September the 11th…September the 11th…September the 11th.”

The only things Republicans have ever given to the American people is depression, poverty and despair. And their foot-stomping threats to shut down the government until their billionaire donors get a tax cut is a clear warning that more is on the way.

Having a Black man within a country mile of the Oval Office has driven a majority of Republicans, and some Democrats — as liberal radio commentator Mike Malloy says — “bat-shit crazy,” and they are determined to destroy President Obama. Just days before the mid-term election, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declared, “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” Really? With the barrage of critical issues swirling throughout this nation — more than 15 million “American people” unemployed and, every day, more losing jobs, homes, unemployment insurance, health insurance, their very lives — yet nothing is more important than destroying the President?

Lest anyone think the old Kentuckian was racist, just days after the election, he chucked his hood and went into safe, regressive “American people” spin, saying for all practical purposes — the American people reminded us this week that we work for the American people and we owe it to the American people and to future generations of the American people to work together to find solutions to present troubles of the American people and to help guide our nation of American people to better days…

“The formula is simple, really,” McConnell said. “When the administration agrees with the American people, we will agree with the administration. When it disagrees with the American people, we won’t … If the administration wants cooperation, it will have to begin to move in our direction.”

Simple translation — what all Republicans are saying if you listen — Our way, or the highway — and to hell with the American people.

Neither party can escape its history. American people struggling to prevent the American Flag from becoming their funeral shroud should remember that the Great Depression did not come about by accident. While Americans were standing in soup lines, the Republican administration was carrying Big Business through the crisis. Banks, insurance companies and corporate donors all got bailed out; big business got tax cuts — but there was no relief for “the american people.”

Sound familiar? Yes, because President Obama, in his cowering attempt at bipartisanship, is taking us “forward to the past” so rapidly that our knees are hitting our chins for nothing less than endless war, a recession caused by a permanent rich-man’s tax cut and the final shredding of our social safety net. It is likely that our veterans, our children, our elderly will be forgotten or cast aside simply for the enrichment of lobbyists who paid for Republican campaigns and are now swarming all over the Capital.

Time is running out. Like Jon Stewart said when explaining the reason for his October 30 Rally to Restore Sanity on the National Mall, the American people — regardless of their political affiliation — “Know instinctively as a people that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light we have to work together.”

So let’s do it! The time is right. Let’s give Scalia another badly needed “burst of progressivism.” After all — like McConnell says — we’re the American people…

Sheila Samples is an Oklahoma writer and a former civilian US Army Public Information Officer. She is a regular contributor for a variety of Internet sites. She can be reached at: rsamples@sirinet.net. Read other articles by Sheila, or visit Sheila's website.

7 comments on this article so far ...

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  1. Don Hawkins said on December 14th, 2010 at 9:11am #

    Progressivism is a political attitude favoring or advocating changes or reform through governmental action. Progressivism is often viewed in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies. Wiki

    This is only a word there will be no change unless we the people the many make that change. Today on the floor of the Senate Boxer said on a day where we did work together the tax bill 80-20 people were calling for working together. Such nonsense and they get away with it. We are out of time alright. This winter so far and it’s not even winter yet is amazing to see with our eye’s. It’s going to get ruff real ruff and this will take an enormous effort one that we human’s have never done. So far it’s La La La and yet many know what’s coming can these so called policy makers be made to face the problem, problems maybe but will take a lot of us. We have about six years after that think LRAD’s at first and who know’s what else. Is there enough people to stand up to the few that is the question that is where they got us. One party one movement one voice and we do have the truth and knowledge if we wish to use it the few have lies/bullshit and control. People do want to hear the truth yes not all most. How?

  2. bozh said on December 14th, 2010 at 10:29am #

    c’mon, it is just two brothers fighting and competing who’s more capable of doing more crime towards ‘aliens’ and being meaner to own lowlife.
    the ultimate reality show!! but u have to be rich enough to own a t.v. set and be able to grit ur teeth watching ads!
    how happy hobos must be!! even 100 of them in their own kingdom cannot afford one t.v. set. but the upside is they don’t work or pay taxes. talk about being democratic! hobos have beaten everybody to it! good for them! tnx

  3. Don Hawkins said on December 14th, 2010 at 10:58am #

    Those darn hobo’s they did didn’t they ok I put forth the 2011 party then the 2012 party or how about the Hubble party as what does it do see’s things far far away.

  4. hayate said on December 14th, 2010 at 12:59pm #

    This article reads like propaganda for the democratic party. The familiar, yes we screwed up,but the repugs are worse theme. And quoting the bigoted, ziofascist sleaze, jon stewart at the end, like this guy is on our side, further shows the purpose of this piece of….writing.

  5. Don Hawkins said on December 15th, 2010 at 2:20am #

    Watched the Senate last night on c-span many speech’s from a few on why this tax bill is kind of crazy and the augment’s from these few Democrat’s did show why it’s crazy. So today it will pass 80-20 so just maybe 80 people in the Senate are crazy. Aha but if the truth be known they are all a little mad well a lot mad. This whole bill is to keep the economy going so people can send there kid’s to college really to do what? Do they offer classes now in college on the best way to protect yourself from say an LRAD or troops in the street’s. Do they offer classes about how the media is now in the States nothing more than propaganda here’s a good one a class on how to be mad in a mad world and be sane. This tax bill is short term thinking on a grand scale to put off the collapse of human civilization at least for a few more year’s so a few can go out in style. I know it sounds crazy but the truth. So the bill passes today in the Senate as they work together then off to the House and yes the Senate already told the House we are the big cheeses and the President I think also told them that so like good little sheep they to will pass the bill so people can send there kid’s to college. Did anybody see on the new’s those people in Canada stranded on the highway and why you ask well it’s called climate change warm water cold air bingo snow a lot of snow. You didn’t hear that part on the new’s funny how that work’s. This whole tax bill show’s us what is to come at least from a few human’s who very sure have plans for that secure location pretty much an air tight case on that one. Hay for you all in England Gordon Brown was on Stewart last night some truth but when asked about 7 or is that eight people controlling the derivatives market and what is that number $400 trillion bigger who know’s they probably don’t even know well old Brown kind of side stepped that question. Here’s an idea maybe we could start over heck call it zero day.

  6. Don Hawkins said on December 15th, 2010 at 2:48am #

    The plan so far is these few don’t have a plan as all they do now is feed the system sort of the tax bill is a great example of that and it does appear like in the Wizard of Oz when asked as the Wizard was going off in his balloon come back please come back don’t shrug us off we don’t know how it work’s and he say’s I don’t know how it work’s bye bye folk’s, I changed a few words and very close to the truth.

    Till now man has been up against Nature; from now on he will be up against his own nature. ~Dennis Gabor,

    Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money. ~Cree Indian Proverb

    The tax bill is it?

  7. Don Hawkins said on December 15th, 2010 at 8:29am #

    Santa Claus and his elves are seeing more heartbreaking letters this year as children cite their parents’ economic troubles in their wish lists.
    U.S. Postal Service workers who handle letters addressed to Santa at the North Pole say more letters ask for basics — coats, socks and shoes — rather than Barbie dolls, video games and computers.

    Melanney, 9, asked Santa for a coat and boots. “I have been a very good girl this year,” she wrote. USA Today

    Yep get some boot’s if you can and buy a friend boot’s. Am listening to grand speech’s on the floor of the Senate this morning until I can’t listen anymore. Who do you think you are? Hey American people