It Is Time to Rebel Against King George
by Mick Youther
In a televised address to his subjects (1/10/07), King George proclaimed that, after weeks of painstaking consultation and holiday parties, he had decided to increase the number of American troops in Iraq. He knows the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a majority of the military commanders on the ground oppose this strategy. More importantly, he knows that a majority of the American people and their representatives in Congress believe we should be bringing troops home from Iraq--instead of sending more. King George knows all this; but he doesn't care, because he is The Decider.
As bad as it is, this further escalation of the War on Iraq is just the latest symptom of a much more deadly disease that has afflicted the United States of America.
• "The endless Iraq war is decreasingly about Iraq and increasingly about the U.S. Constitution. ... [Bush's decision to escalate the war] is based on his flawed and dangerous theory of the "unitary presidency," a theory under which, once war is declared, the president as commander in chief can ignore constitutional checks and balances, disregard the bill of rights, suspend accountability, and concentrate dictatorial power in his own hands." --Former Senator and Presidential candidate Gary Hart, HuffingtonPost, 1/9/07
Aided and abetted by a Republican-controlled Congress, the Bush Administration has systematically undermined and eliminated our Constitutional protections--one by one--all in the name of national security and keeping us safe from Islamic boogeymen. One of the last major pieces of legislation passed by the Rubberstamp Republicans (before we threw the bums out) was to drive a final stake through the heart of our Constitution and give the President near-dictatorial powers.
• "On Sept. 29, 2006, the Congress of the United States passed what can be termed 'The US Enabling Act.' It is the equivalent of the Act by the same name passed by the German Reichstag on March 23, 1933 [that] gave the German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, the power to over-ride the protections for freedom and liberty written into the German (Weimar) Constitution ... The US version gives the President the power to over-ride Articles I, II, V and VI and Amendments I, IV, V, VI and VIII of the US Constitution if he determines that it is necessary to do so to protect the nation from terrorism..." --Steven Jonas, Contributing Author for The Political Junkies and columnist for BuzzFlash.com, 10/1/06
For the past six years, the Rubberstamp Republican Congress has allowed the Bush Administration to write the laws, interpret the laws, and execute the laws. As anyone who has ever taken a civic class knows, this is not how the United States government is supposed to operate. The result is that the United States now has a President/King that believes that our laws and our Constitution do not apply to him.
• "Laws are just whips to keep the common herd in line; they don't apply to the elite, as Bush's own lawyers and minions have openly asserted in the memos, signing statements, court cases and presidential decrees asserting the "inherent power" of the "unitary executive" to override any law he pleases." --Chris Floyd, Truthout.org, 1/9/07
• "[Bush] asserts that his power as the nation's commander in chief entitles him to overrule or ignore bills sent to him by Congress for his signature. Behind this claim is a doctrine of the "unitary executive", which argues that the president's oath of office endows him with an independent authority to decide what a law means." -- Martin Kettle, The Guardian, 6/17/06
The American people did their part in the 2006 election. They voted against the Bush Republicans, the Bush Wars, and the "unitary Presidency". Now it is up to the new Congress to let this President know that he is not a King. He is a public servant--the head of one co-equal branch of government--bound to obey the Constitution, our international treaties, and the laws of our land.
To do this, Congress is going to have to do a lot more than whining and passing non-binding resolutions. Bush is like the "Terminator": "[He] can't be reasoned with, [He] can't be bargained with. [He] doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear. And [He] absolutely will not stop."
...so how does Congress stop him?
They can start by growing a spine and quit saying, "He's the Commander-in-Chief. There is nothing we can do." There are lots of things they can and should do. They need to rescind the Authorization to Use Military Force given to Bush after the attacks of September 11, 2001--along with every other power and/or authority that Congress may have granted him for his so-called War on Terror. Bush has proved, repeatedly, that he cannot be trusted with any kind of power and that he is unfit to be our Commander in Chief (having done far more harm to our military than the "enemy" could possibly do).
If the Founding Fathers found it wise to give Congress the sole authority to declare war, it is hard to believe that Congress cannot declare the end to a war. They should not hesitate to cut off funding for Mr. Bush's wars--except for what is needed to bring the troops home. The American people know the difference between supporting the troops and sacrificing them in a lost cause.
Congress should also dismantle the web of unconstitutional laws, signing statements, and legal mumbo-jumbo that have congealed together into the abomination called the "unitary presidency". There is widespread agreement that many of these laws, enacted to expand the powers of the President, are unconstitutional and will eventually be struck down by the courts. Until then, though, King George will continue to wield his newfound powers to spy, torture, kidnap and murder around the globe. Congress must act to reinstate the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
This means a Constitutional confrontation between Congress and the Bush Administration is inevitable, and the sooner--the better. The King has already dispatched warships to the Persian Gulf to threaten and provoke Iran, and according to retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner, who taught strategy at the Air Force college, the Naval College and the National War College:
• "[T]he decision has been made and military operations are under way [in Iran]." --ThinkProgress.com, 4/18/06
• "I think the plan's been picked: bomb the nuclear sites in Iran. It's a terrible idea, it's against US law and it's against international law, but I think they've decided to do it." --The Nation, 9/21/06
The stage is being set and Iran has been cast as the villain. The war drums are beating. Once again, the Bush Administration is leading us to the brink, and America is just one big lie or "incident" away from another senseless war.
Now is the time for the Democrats and Republicans in Congress to unite in rebellion against King George--before it is too late.
Take action -- click here to contact your local newspaper or congress people:
Stop Bush's War and Restore Our Constitutional Safeguards
Stop Bush's War and Restore Our Constitutional Safeguards
Mick Youther is an American citizen, an independent voter, a veteran, a parent, a Christian, a scientist, a writer, and all-around nice guy who has been aroused from a comfortable apathy by the high crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush Administration.
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