What A Difference A Day Makes!: Or The People Have Spoken

The past 24 hours have brought some very pleasant surprises for American patriots.

On Tuesday, I left work in a bit of huff, after hearing co-workers say that it didn't matter if they voted because whoever won, nothing was going to change.

As anyone who has read this blog before know, I deplore this apathetic mentality. We are privileged to live in this country and to enjoy its freedoms, and we should each be working to ensure this country and those freedoms are always ours. Only when the citizens demand change, will change happen.

And yesterday was the Republican's wake-up call. Change happened in a big way, and continues to happen, as the departure of Rumsfeld so aptly illustrates.

American patriots used their votes to tell Bush et al that they've had enough of the inertia in Iraq, enough of hypocrisy and scandal in Congress, enough of the "stay the course" mentality.

And not only did the "Blue Wave" wash over our nation, but across the country, voter turnout was higher than expected in this mid-term election.

This latter is the happiest news for this author, because it means Americans are getting it. We're speaking out. That's the real American patriotism!

Democrats now control the House and will most likely control the Senate as well. The checks and balances are being restored. And the voices of middle-class, moderate Americans are again being heard .

But it's not all good news. Across the nation, ballot initiatives against gay marriage and illegal immigration were easily approved by voters. This shows that many conservatives were also voting against the Bush administration and its policies. But it also shows that bigotry remains a problem in this nation.

Yes, we've taken a giant leap forward, but there is still so much work yet to be done: the deficit, Social Security, health care, Homeland Security, education, the minimum wage and of course, the war, among so other concerns.

But Tuesday, November 7, 2006 shows US that the Constituion still works. And we, the citizens, can use the rights contained in this blessed document. We can use our voices to shape the decisions our Congress and our President make on our behalf.

We can demand a new course in Iraq that brings hope and help to the Iraqi people and their fledging goverment.

We can demand reforms on campaign financing and lobbying, and prompter, more comprehensive investigation and punishment for unethical behavior by our representatives.

We can demand an America that strives to live up to the bright shining promises of our Constition, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence; a nation that again can stand proudly as a role model to the World.

And then perhaps, the other nations of the world will again be willing to follow our example.

And perhaps we wouldn't have to worry so much about Homeland Security, because we will have more friend and fewer enemies.

We've been there before. The United States were liberators and heroes in both World Wars, and at the end of the Cold War. The idea for the United Nations was born here. This is the home of the Peace Corps, Project HOPE, and so many other good, noble initiatives to help and inspire our neighbors on this small planet.

Yes, you may say that I'm a dreamer. I'm feeling today as I did on that day almost 20 years ago; when I watched the miraculous television coverage of the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. That too happened because the people spoke out for freedom, people who were inspired by our American ideals.

For me, the Wall had always been there, a symbol of oppression the horrors of the Cold War. Watching it come down, I felt that freedom was blossoming all over the world and that anything was possible.

Again today, I feel the power of our Constitution and believe anything is possible.

Reality will set it. "Anything" will morph into the necessary and the pragmatic. We will need to remain vigilant, informed, and audaciously vocal. In short, we must continue to be active American patriots in this new political environment.

We've created a whole, new Congress. Now we have to make sure they do the job we're asking them to do.

Let us pray that the Administration and the new Congress lead US wisely in the coming years, and that we can learn to disagree but work together for the common good of our nation and the world.

But they don't start until January. So for now, let's celebrate the power of the Constitution and the American people; and the wisdom of the Founders who created a nation that can adjust its course without violence and bloodshed.

The people have prevailed! Let's party!

God Bless America!

More Party, Party Party: Paying the Piper, Part One

I can say one good thing about the Mark Foley scandal -- at least it took some heavy media attention away from the tragedy of the Amish school children.

I live in southcentral Pennsylvania, as easy drive from Lancaster County, and there are Amish farms nearby. And it has been a bit frustrating to see this intrusion, knowing much of it is contrary to their beliefs. After all, our world had already brought so much sorrow into their lives.

And they have maintained the quiet seculsion of their community, and offered all of us an example in the strength of faith, and the power of forgiveness; as well as the example of living according to one's professed beliefs.

The Foley scandal became news a few days before that tragedy, and as I mentioned above, has now become the focus of media attention.

Of course House Speaker Hastert and other Republicans in Congress, especially those running for re-election aren't so happy to be in this particular spotlight.

Once again, Washington is playing the game of Who Knew What and When. And some Republicans are questioning the timing of the release of Foley's emails to the press, calling it all a political ploy.

Hey, NeoCons! If Mr. Foley hadn't been sending those emails to the Congressional pages, there wouldn't have been a scandal for the press to cover. How's that for a concept?

And from the various reports I've heard this past week or so, you had anywhere from a few months or possibly as much as three years to deal with the problem. You had ample time to nip this one in the bud.

Face it. By this time, you should all realize that sooner or later the truth will out, especially if that truth involve sex and and an elected official. This had catastrophe written all over it.

So don't whine now about political ploys or timing. As Hastert rightly proclaimed this week, the bucks stops on your doorstep.

Let's face it. At the very least, Foley is guilty of sexual harrassment. And from the emails deemed appropriate for media broadcast, he was merely one propostion away from the sleaze balls on those NBC Dateline pedophile sting programs.

And along with the scandal itself, because you didn't act when you first knew the what. You've now got at least the appearance of, but quite likely, an actual cover-up to explain.

So investigate yourselves as you please, and spin your spin as you must.

What many of US would like to see is having you explain your apparent inaction to the parents of the teenage pages.

You've got trouble, with a capital "T", which rhymes with "P", which stands for "Party."

Yes, Foley was one of your own. And recent history all too clearly shows that the Party protects its own. The Party only cares about the Party and its supporters. The Party must appear pure, at least until after the elections.

And that's the real problem, that need to appear, to appeal to your "Base."

Well, your Base is made up of people. People who deserve better than a Congress that spends the summer and early fall of each election year on legislation that almost but not quite addresses their concerns, but never really addresses issues which we really need to debate and legislate.

People who deserve a Congess that cares about all the people in America, not just those who can afford lobbyists or $1000 a plate fundraising dinners.

People who are the parents of minor children, including the parents of those teenage pages.

And so, dear NeoCons, whine and opine as you will.

If you lose your Base, it's because you dropped the ball.

You told us you were the Party of family values, and conservative religious values. But you tried to sweep Foley's puerile secrets under the House rug. What happened to your professed beliefs?

The voters have now become your judge and jury, and on November 7 you will be tried in the court of public opinion.

And you may find that we don't care so much about the Who, When, or What, as much as the WHY? That's the part that really matters: the Why. As in why wasn't action taken then instead of now?

You know, that same now that your griping about because it's only weeks before Election Day?

You chose politics over responsibility, silence above decency, and Party over propriety.

And in that moment, whenever it was, November 7, 2006 became your Judgement Day.

This is My Country? Redux

Last weekend, the American Nazi Party demonstrated on the steps of the capital building in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin.

This weekend, the KKK will march on the hallowed ground of the Civil War battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

CBS announces that this year's Survivor will pit teams of four different ethnic groups against each other.

And today, a candidate for U.S. Senate, Senator George Allen of Virginia insulted his opponent's volunteer with remark considered by many to be an ethnic slur.

Excuse me...have I been sent back in time? Or been moved to a different country? Or maybe it's one of those nasty alternate universe phenomenom like in episodes of Star Trek?

This can't be America, the land of liberty and justice for all. Are we really back-sliding so far in so very few years?

It would be easy to dismiss the Senator's remark as a stereotypical Southern attitude about a minority. But bigotry is not limited to the South.

Neither are all Southerns bigots.

I despise labels. And I despise situations where I need to apply labels to individuals, or even to myself.

Human beings are too complex to be indentified with a few simple terms. Labels limit our understanding of this complexity. And labels are divisive. Labels are the seeds of bigotry.

As an American, I must reluctantly allow the two abovementioned organizations their right to freedom of speech.

And I'm happy to report that counterprotesters in Madison greatly outnumbered those attending the demonstration: 800+ to 60.

And in Gettysburg, an inclusive, alternate event is planned. And the remnants of Ernesto are surely likely to rain on the Klan's parade; a sign of divine disapproval perhaps?

Americans are standing up against hate. Hooray!

Is is much more disturbing when public entities, individual or corporations, reduce people to stereotypes and labels.

I am extremely disappointed with CBS. And I can't even protest by boycotting the show, because I don't watch Survivor or any other so-called reality show. The situations are artifical. We all people behave differently when they're in front of a camera. And only the most outrageous or shocking scenes are broadcast; with surely more hours of more real, but tedious scenes littering the editing room floor.

So, I am considering boycotting the network entirely, a diffcult decision since I value their news coverage and especially 60 Minutes.

I'm afraid all these items are symptoms of a giant step backward for Americans. And recent speeches by Bush, members of his Administration, and another Senate candidate, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania will only exacerbate the problem.

These gentlemen have redefined the War on Terror, as a war on Islamic fascism. Unfortunately, they have not seen fit to remind Americas that not all Muslims are fascists, or even extremists.

Indeed, since 9/11, their actions and rhetoric have cast suspicious on anyone of Mideastern descent, or the appearance of Mideastern descent.

And they preach to a Christian choir, with a chilling preference to those of us who practice other faiths.

They slander anyone who disagrees with them. You're either Red or Blue, either with them or against them.

It's no wonder hate groups are on the march again. Hey, let's bring out all the labels! Bush et al have made it okay to discriminate again.

So do we throw out the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? I'm sure the Conservative Republican, and especially the Conservative Christians, would love to.

The Red Right will tell you that our nation's founders really share their view of America.

And yes, those fine gentleman fell short in their treatment of African Americans, Native Americans, and women. Errors, we as their heirs have worked to correct over the past 200-plus years.

But they were also the best educated men in our country at that time, and all quite competent writers all. And they were quite precise in expressing their opinions.

If they'd wanted a nation based on Christian principles, they would have written so in those treasured national documents. If they'd wanted limitations on our liberties, they would have explicitly dictated their intentions.

And Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and their peers knew their history and their politics; and they had personally suffered the tyrannies of theology and monarchy.

And in the waning years of the 18th century, they gave us a miracle: a plan for a secular government balanced by three seperate branches; a plan to safeguard our then fledging nation against the oppressions that brought the original Colonists to these shores as refugees or exiles.

And nations of Europe, friend and foe alike, were shocked by the originality and audacity of our Constitution. Many said it would never work.

But we made it work. And for most of these 230 years, we've worked it make it better: more inclusive, fairer.

So do we believe those words, those ideals? Or are they just quaint phrases on old decaying parchment that must be sacrificed for the Party's glory?

Are we the United States of America, or just drowning in a sea of -isms, of Us against Them?

Will we fight for the founder's dream, or allow fear and prejudice rob us of our birthright?

I have been blessed in my life to know people from every continent (except Antartica), every race, different sexual orientation, and many different religions. Many don't fit the stereotypes, for example I've know an Asian Christian and an Caucasion Buddhist. And I'm proud to call many of them my friends, which is the only label I will agree to readily assign them.

And generally, when I see a stanger, I don't see the labels, I just see a person. I learned to avoid the labels long ago, because I work to live the American ideals, just as strongly as I work to live my faith.

Though, I will confess to one vestige of bigotry I can't quite shake. I detest bigotry. I cannot abide labels or hate speech of any kind. It's one of my hot button issues, but I'm working on it.

And I'm worried about the divisiveness that seems to be growing in our nation. Because there's really only one label that should matter; one that should render all the others to virtual meaninglessness.

I am a writer, a Beatle fan, a Yankee fan, a heretic, a liberal, a Unitarian Universalist, a music lover, a poet, a hsitory buff, a nature lover, a singer, a teacher, a Hebrew student, a dancer, an office worker, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a Saturn driver, a movie buff, an activist, a Caucasion, a dreamer, an idealist, a feminist, a Trekkie, a pasta fanatic, a chocoholic, a Francophone, a reader, an Anglophile, a heterosexual, a traveler, a believer, a star-gazer, a baseball coach, a bowler, a trivia buff ...............and so on and so on.............

And I can be all this things, because of the only important label: I am an American.

Divisiveness and labels are the seeds of Hate. And Hate is the weapon of Terrorists.

Patriots, let us stand up against Us and Them mentality; against this cancer of divisiveness in our nation.

Let us celebrate the promise of our Declaration and Constitution, and the power and glory of our country's diversity. And let us work to make them true for every American.

For only then can we claim Victory....and Mission Accomplished.

DON'T BUY THE LIE: Or Truth Takes a Holiday

With their abysmal polling ratings, and the critical mid-term elections a mere 3 months away; you can bet the Bush Administration, and the Republicans will make the most of the terrorist threat so timely thwarted by our British allies.

Once again, they will claim a victory and tell us that they are winning the War on Terror. And again, at the same time, they will also tell us that we have to be very, very afraid, and that they are the only ones who can protect us from Terrorism.

However, as today's Green Button Linked story again shows; fighting Terrorism has not proved to be one of the Administration's priorities.

The Republicans cry out from their pulpit about their ironclad resolve to protect our country. However, the Department of Homeland Security remains underfunded and mismanaged, as we learned all too well during last year's hurricane season.

So why the wide disparity between their words and deeds?

Well, for one thing conservatives favor the status quo. If the conservatives had prevailed in July 1776, we'd be standing up to sing "God Save the Queen" at baseball games each summer.

And these Conservatives especially like this Status Quo. They need it to justify tactics like the Patriot Act and the NSA free-for-all surveillance, and their resolute devotion to their counterproductive foreign policies.

They are exploiting our frightened and mournful memories of 9/11. They are marching on the memories of those thousands of victims; and forgetting that they represented a cross-section of America's citizenry, every nationality, sexual orientation, race and religion.

They are exploiting our fear to justify their tactics, to incrementally further their political and Conservative Christian agenda.

They want us to be afraid. They need us to be afraid.

Because if we're not afraid, we might notice that they're doing big favors for their rich and their religious right friends, while nibbling away at our Constitutional rights and cutting back on programs for the poor and elderly; and on programs for veterans, including the wounded soliders returning from Iraq. So much for "Compassionate" Conservatism.

They need us to be afraid so they can lead us around by our collective noses. Then they can eventually tell us the Big Lie; that they are ordained by God to rule over us, filling their already bulging pockets with our hard-earned wages, and telling us how we are going to live our own precious lives.

And they need us to be afraid, because they are afraid. They are afraid of that which truly makes our nation great, the source of our country's glory and strength: America's pluralism. They are afraid of our cultural and religious diversity. They are afraid of free speech, free thought, and especially freedom of religion.

They are afraid because they want to hold on to their power and their money, and they want more of both; and history shows that Americans will once again stand up for their rights and fight for a level playing field. And we might demand that they actually do the jobs we elected them to do. Just imagine a government of the people, by the people and for the people!

So when Bush and his Party boys once again dust off and spew forth their anti-terrorism rhetoric in this election season; remember that as far as Homeland Security goes, remember that all they've really done is create another Cabinet department so they can give more cushy jobs to their ill-qualified friends.

Remember that they care more about profits then protection.

And remember what the War on Terror and all the violence and tension in the Middle East has done to oil prices, and done for oil company profits; and that the President and many of his cronies have ties to said oil companies.

And remember that those of us who are not rich conservatives also have power under the Status Quo. We have our minds, our voices, and our votes.

Once again. the super-hero, holy mission rhetoric is coming to an election season near you.

Don't buy the lie. Demand the truth instead.

QUAGMIRES "R" US: Or This Is Another Fine Mess You've Gotten US Into W

What again!? I thought as the I heard the brief description of the linked NPR story on my way home today. Once again, the Bush Administration is dickering around with the definitions of war crimes, and tweaking their collective noses the Geneva Conventions, and the world.

Is it any wonder that North Korea thought it was okay to test their missiles, that Iran feels free to develop its nuclear program, or that Hamas and Hezbollah took aim at Israel?

After all, if Bush et al. can change the rules, why can't the "Axis of Evil"? By cherry-picking which laws and agreements which they will or will not adhere to, the Administration has declared a great international free for all.

Look at Iraq. Bush, ever resolute, wants the warring sanctions there to settle down, stop fighting, and live under a democratic government. But you can't bring democracy to the world when you're folding, spindling, and mutilating it here at home.

And you can't ask errant nations, or even anxious allies, to live by existing agreements and treaties, when you're playing fast and loose with rules yourself.

Bush and his minions may blame terrorists for all the world's ills. Under an ever less plausible guise of protecting us from Terrorism, they have helped shape the tragic situation in the Middle East today.

I realized the other day that Bush's "War on Terror" has legitimized terrorist organizations. Before 9/11, terrorists were considered extremists, members of dissident factions; they were criminals, and hunted and tried as such.

In Afghanistan, we brought down the Taliban and weakened the support and training camps of terrorists ( and unfortunately haven't done much to maintain that success, but I digress); a standard response to terrorism by the U.S. and other nations. But in Iraq, Bush et al. have achieved a retroactive self-fulfilled prophecy; for there remains no evidence that terrorists were there before we invaded, but they sure as hell are there now. Although I think most of what's going on there is really just the civil war (that the Administration still believes will not occur), with different factions fighting for control of the newly freed country.

Unlike the metaphorical "wars" on drugs and crime, Bush declared real war, and our tanks rolled into Irag. And Terrorists suddenly has status virtually equal to the status of nations and other sovereign states.

Now Hamas is the political party with control of the Palestinian government. And Hezbollah, supporting Hamas and feeling empowered; has declared war on Israel.

And let's face it, as the U.S and France try to negotiate a cease fire with Lebanon and Israel, we're really indirectly negotiating with the Hezbollah terrorists. They didn't have or want the Lebanese government's support to start bombing Israel, and it's not likely they'll stop just because said government, or any government, tells them they have to. Let's be honest here. They're going to want some quid pro quo.

Bush maintians the US stance to never negotiate with terrorists. But that's what happens in war, you eventually end up at the negotiating table.

He has declared war on terrorism. But terrorism, even if we only think in terms of the extreme Muslim groups in the Middle East, do not have national boundries, or cities to beseige. Factions
exist in, and move easily between, different nations and regions. Defeat them in Southern Lebanon, and they'll spring up in elsewhere. And there are other terrorists of diverse nationalities, races, and creeds all over the world. This is no traditional battlefield. And we can't fight this enemy with traditional weapons.

Yes, we can and will find a way to put terrorism back in its place and defeat it. After all, we are the heirs of that rag-tag army of colonials which defeated the red-coated professionals of a distant king.

But it will take more than weapons and patriotic bluster to win this "war." Unfortunately, President Resolute and his minions, don't seem to have any other tactics at their disposal.

This is a time for new ideas and strategies. Concepts that, unfortunately, are generally not the strong suit of conservatives.

We rode into this fight as the white-hatted good guys, the invincible superheroes on the world. But the Administration's policies have estranged allies, violated international agreements, weakened America's global clout, and emboldened our enemies. We've lost much of our moral clout and superpower high ground due to their shenanigans.

And our soldiers, along with many innocent residents of the Middle East, are caught in the crossfire.

I'm just a writer and amateur student of history, so I don't have any answers.

But I do know that "more of the same" is not the solution. Neither is "do as I say, not as I do."

And so until wiser and cooler heads prevail; I ask those of you, dear readers, who are also people of faith to pray, meditate, or otherwise as your beliefs dictate, for the hatreds to cool, for the violence to end, for wisdom and tolerance to blossom, and for terrorism to end.

Oh, and of course, stand up, speak out, and vote every chance you get.

After all, we have to do something.

PARTY, PARTY, PARTY ALL THE TIME: Or They Dance and Expect Us to Pay their Piper

Six years ago, I would have considered the renewal of the Voting Rights Act to a mere formality, a ceremonial rededication of our national values.

Today, as the President signs the bill renewing the Act; I feel a sense of relief, the kind of relief one feels when the car behind you almost, but not quite hits your rear bumper.

I was shocked, and then concerned when the Voting Rights Act became a matter for debate in Congress. What's scarier still is that members of Congress not only considered tweaking and weakening the Act, but that they actually thought they might get away with it!

They might just as easily have asked Congress to nullify the Constitution; for without protection for voting rights, what can protect the Constitution, the covenant of the American people?

This, and other recent Washington headlines, make me wonder just how far the Administration, and the Conservatives in Congress will go to appease their supporters.

Bush has again pledged his troth to the Conservative Christian "base" by vetoing the embryonic stem cell legislation.

And they show their loyalty to Big Business by awarding "small business contracts" to companies like Walmart and Exxon/Mobil.

But above all, their devotion is to The Party.

They mean, of course, the Republican Party. And they expect unwavering loyalty and support. Dissension, having an independent thought. or a differing opinion are cardinal sins.

Think about it. A few months ago, when Tom Delay resigned (long after it bacame apparent that he should), he said he did so, not for the good of Congress or the Country, or not even for his constituents, but for The Party!

And some prominent Republicans who've had the gumption to act independently and speak and their minds; are now, with their hopes for re-election or ambitions for 2008, toeing the line and making nice with The Party's supporters again.

Is this the nation of The Party, by the Party, and for The Party?

Aren't they supposed to be working for the Country, for US?

When Bush finally agreed to speak to the NAACP, he said that in previous years he feared he would not have been well-received at their conference. He might well have received a cool reception, but why should the Commander in Chief of the greatest nation of on Earth fear a little disapproval or dissent?

Indeed, The Party seems quite deaf to Other Voices in our nation.

Over the past few years, I have written several times to the US Senators from my home state of Pennsylvania. As a matter of principle, I wrote to both; even though I knew that Rick Santorum would not vote the way I was requesting him to in my messages. Senator Santorum and I agree on little, except perhaps that the sky is blue (And loyal Party boy that he is he'd probably prefer that it was red).

Somehow, despite voicing my dissenting opinion, I ended up on an email list of Santorum supporters. Yes, me; proud to say I'm a Liberal and proud of our country's Liberal heritage; he counts me among his supporters!

Apparently Santorum cannot imagine that anyone but a supporter would write to him. He can't imagine a dissenting voice among his constituents.

And apparently, he's shared his emai list with Lynn Swan, the Republican candidate for Governor, because I've started getting emails from his campaign as well. Mr. Swan's main qualifications appear to be good, positive name recognition, and an innate ability to regurgiate The Party gospel on command.

To both gentleman, I must apologize because this writer has the chutzpah to think for herself. And I'm voting for the other guys.

But I digress. Since this is an Election Year, The Party has spent much of this Congressional session debating and voting on issues such as flag burning, abortion, and the newer concern of gay marriage.

Never mind that most of this legislation never passes; and when it does, will likely not pass the Constitutionality test. Never mind that polls consistently show that most Americans aren't polarized, we're Centrist through and through. We want the government as far away from our personal lives and decisions as possible. And we want to preserve the Constitution and our Civil Rights.

But The Party goes through this ritual every election year so that they can show their Conservative supporters that they are toeing the line, and eager to please. After all, they must get re-elected to preserve The Party.

In their closed minds, you aren't a patriot; you're not an American, unless you believe in The Party.

And this concept scares me, and should scare the hell out of every American patriot.

Because in this mindset, I hear the echo of the chants from every totalitarian regime, the voice of every dictator, and the ghosts of the Soviet Politburo. This is an Orwellian nightmare becoming real.

So is everyone ready to practice their goosestep?

NO! Americans are supposed to be independent, outspoken, and sometimes even "in your face"? Our national heros, beginning with our nation's Founders, certainly were: Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln... The list is endless. Heck, we even have a soft spot for such scoundrels as Jesse James, Bonnie and Clyde, and Al Capone, because even as we punished their crimes, we celebrate initiative and audacity.

And now is the time for audacity. Because history shows that The Party wants only to perpetuate itself, and to make this country a haven for Big Business and Conservative Christians. And unfortunately, their goals are not in the best interest of America or its citizens.

After all, some of The Party tried to weaken, or even rescind, the Voting Rights Act. They call themselves Patriots? They call themselves Americans?

I say, we use our independent voices to remind them that they have pledged to uphold and protect our Constitution, not tweak and circumvent it.

I say, we speak our dissenting minds and let them know that we have real issues and problmes that they should be working on, instead of pleasing themselves and their base.

And I say that on November 7, we use our newly renewed voting rights for the Constitution, for freedom, and for the benefit of all Americans.

And then, many members of The Party will be calling themselves Retirees.

The (Almost) Showdown at the DP Corral: Or Saved by Dubai

Like the dashing hero in an old cinema cliffhanger, it seems the President’s friends in Dubai have swept in and rescued him from his perilous perch between a rock and a hard place. Otherwise President Bush would soon be facing a very difficult decision.

Congress was ready to pass a bill to stop the Dubai ports deal. And, Bush, apparently very attached to this deal despite the displeasure and discomfort of the American people, threatened to veto the bill. But this legislation was attached to a bill funding hurrican relief and the Iraqi war. So the President was in a lose-lose situation. And there were plenty enough votes in Congress to override his threatened veto, if indeed it had occurred.

Congress is, of course, was responding to the outcry of the American public against the Dubai ports deal. It’s an election year, and the incumbents want to keep their jobs. Nonetheless, it was refreshing to see a bit of dissent and debate between these two branches of government again.

Now, like a spoiled king, Bush is berating Congress, and the American people, for damaging relations with our allies in the Middle East.

But Bush brought all this chaos upon himself. Since 9/11, much of his “war on terror” actions, for example the holding of detainees at Gitmo and the domestic spying program, have created an aura of cultural profiling; casting suspicion on anyone with Middle-Eastern backgrounds or connections.

And the inconsistencies in intelligence before and since the Iraq invasion, the controversies regarding hurricane relief and the aforementioned NSA program, and other recent Administration snafus have Bush’s approval ratings plummeting. It seems like the Keystone Kops are running the country.

At best, the President has a creditability problem. Even the White House information on the possible ports acquisition by the Dubai company changed several times. At first, we were told the White House knew of and support the deal. Then we were told, the White House had only just learned about it when we did. Then we were told the White House had studied the deal, in private of course, and approved it. It is the behind the scenes wheeling and dealing, coupled with the Administrations penchant for secrecy and “spin” that killed the ports deal.

Bush and his minions, by word and deeds, have conditioned the American public to believe that all terrorists are radical Muslims, and most of them are training and plotting in areas of the Middle East. So after over four years of such insinuations, and repeated requests for our vigilance in our efforts for national security, the reaction of the American public is as sadly understandable as it is revoltingly, overtly bigoted.

Not all Muslims or Arabs are terrorists. Neither are all terrorists Muslims or Arabs.

Still, let’s face it, we were reacting to the ingrained image of a terrorist, our boogeyman du jour--the very image Bush has worked hard to keep in our heads whenever he wants to pass a controversial bill or prop up his sagging poll numbers. He has typecast the Arab world in the role of global villian. And he has preached fear of this villian to the American people.

And now he becomes a victim of his own success, and the squashing of ports deal for Dubai.

And let’s not forget our friends from the United Arab Emirates. There are still questions about how and to whom the US ports business will be “transferred.” Some wise politicians and reporters have noticed that DP World’s brief statement only noted that the US ports portion of its recent acquisition from Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co., the British firm will be transferred to an American entity. And they caution that continued diligence and scrutiny are necessary until the details of this latest transaction are known.

I’m sure DP World, the Dubai company in question will be adequately compensated for it’s efforts. Perhaps they’ll even receive some kickback from the American firm that will acquire this portion of the business.

Because this is business after all, and we know Bush and company look out for their big money friends. And the Bush family and friend are in oil business, and have lots of oil business friends in OPEC countries like Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. Surely this cozy relationship was behind the Presidents unwavering support of this deal. That’s the main reason he’s now scolding America about it. And he surely won’t let his friends down, especially after they’ve helped him out of this tight jam.

It might have been interesting to see whether Bush would have chosen the Dubai deal over the hurricane relief and war funding. It would have been a moment of truth. And truth is something we sorely need from this Adminstration.

Sadly though, we can’t expect the Truth when they so diligently avoid it--or are so gallantly rescued from it.

We’ll just have to stay tuned to see what fine mess His Resoluteness gets us into next. My guess is, we won’t have long to wait.