There's an interesting note in yesterday's New York Times article about the latest efforts of the White House to get around having to answer to the law, the Congress, or the will of the people.
In yet another stunning example of his ceaseless march to circumvent the Constitution and exert a totalitarian grip on every aspect of American life---be it access to information in libraries, gas prices, education, a free Internet, the environment, media, science, privacy, or civil liberties, imprisonment, torture--President Bush signed a directive giving the White House even greater control over the rules and policy statements the government develops to protect public health, workplace safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy. In short, our lives.
Historically, agencies like the EPA or OSHA issue regulations under authority granted to them in laws enacted by Congress, but now that Congress is 'democrat' as Bush called it in his State of the Union address---thereby insulting roughly half of the Union---there's suddenly a slim chance that one of these agencies might actually break free from W's stranglehold and get back to doing what its supposed to do; enforce federal regulations----you know, the rules that protect the American people.
Well, the White House can't have that, hence this directive.
Remember, the White House isn't the government. It is one part of a government that consists of three equally powerful branches, designed to insure an environment of compromise. Those clichés from history class-- 'balance of power' and 'checks and balances'--are drummed into our heads to remind us the Framers felt it central to our democracy and freedom that no branch of government should get more powerful than the others.
But the White House has been doing just that for 6 years.
With the implementation of this new directive, the federal rules and regulations we count on for our safety will only be issued or enforced if the Bush appointee installed to look over the shoulder of the given agency says its okay. Oh, and no one in any agency can tell the public about any findings--scientific or otherwise--unless one of these brown shirts gives the go ahead, either.
Sound like freedom to you?
"Having lost control of Congress," said Peter L. Strauss, a professor at Columbia Law School, "the president is doing what he can to increase his control of the executive branch." The order "achieves a major increase in White House control over domestic government."
Does this sound familiar? It should--the Nazis did it, like so many other things we've found ourselves doing lately, like water boarding, removing habeas corpus, and tapping the phones of Quakers.
Ignore for the moment that this is what the president chooses to do with his time when we're averaging about 30 deaths a day in Iraq, and look at this quote from the Times article;
'Business groups welcomed the executive order, saying it had the potential to reduce what they saw as the burden of federal regulations.'
Huh? The 'burden of federal regulations?' Isn't that, you know, the 'burden of obeying the law?' When did it become the job of the White House to help business get around obeying the law?
You know, I'd like to reduce the burden of federal regulations on me, too, but I can't afford a lobbyist. I'd like to get around the federal law that says I have to pay taxes that pay for torture. I'd also like to get off the airplane I'm kept waiting in on the runway for 45 minutes forced to watch Everybody Loves Raymond. I'd like to start a pot farm and hand out free joints to cancer patients. I'd like to speed through the tollbooth when the line is too long without paying. I'd like to go see what's so scary about Cuba. I'd like to see any doctor I want and have my HMO pay for it. I'd like to shoot down the traffic helicopter hovering over my house every morning at 5 am, and I'd like to waterboard Ann Coulter. The only problem is, federal laws and regulations prohibit these things.
Man, this burden is such a drag. Too bad I'm not a business.
Remember how Bush claimed he'd "taken a thumpin'" after he lost Congress, how he was ready to usher in a new era of bipartisan cooperation? When exactly is that era beginning? It's been about a month with this new Congress and already he's gone after Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security (again!), spit in the face of the Iraq Study Group, escalated the war in Iraq in full defiance of the will of the American citizenry, and brought us closer to war with Iran.
And those are just the biggies. They're still undermining the truth about global warming, the FDA just lifted the ban on silicon breast implants for women despite proven health risks, and W's bogus 'health care' fix turned out to be just another transparent ploy to eliminate employer-funded health benefits once and for all.
Phew. Imagine if he didn't want to cooperate.
This is the man Nancy Pelosi doesn't want to impeach. Everywhere you look--other than the think tanks of Washington, that is---from opinion polls to the internet, restaurants to gyms, football games, letters to the editors, church bulletins, graffiti, mass transit---even the comment section of the Wall Street Journal online!--- citizens are demanding the guy has got to go, but Nancy Pelosi's decided impeachment is off the table.
The White House shows no sign of stopping, or even being chastened. It has been long one endless assault on constitutional democracy, and they don't take no for an answer.
Don't want to privatize Social Security? He'll come back with a new plan to privatize it. Don't approve his appointees? He'll appoint them anyway. Science says global warming exists? He says it doesn't. Don't want to send more troops to Iraq? He sends them anyway. Don't want to invade Iran?
It's not a lame duck Madam Speaker is giving a free ride to, it's an armed, insane, arrogant asshole duck and he has his webbed foot on the trigger of a third world war.
Only impeachment can stop him.
Only impeachment can stop this assault on democracy.
Only impeachment can stop the erosion of our constitution, our rights, our international stature, the impoverishment of our schools, the degradation of our air and water, the bankrupting of our future with mountains of debt, and the escalation of death to our soldiers, and to hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
What more is it going to take for Nancy Pelosi to stand up? How low do we have to go? Maybe Madam Speaker can play nice-nice and robotically sit, stand, sit, stand, applaud, sit, and stand with a smile plastered on her face after W insults her and her 'democrat' congress in full view of the nation, but I've had it.
From this day forward, Ms Pelosi and my two Senators--one of whom will be running for President--will receive either an email, a letter or a phone call EVERY DAY demanding the impeachment of the most loathed global figure in the world. EVERY DAY. And I pledge to get one friend a week to take up this challenge.
Will you join me?