posted October 26, 2007
I could not help but notice in Rep. Wamp's statements of caution to Gov. Phil Bredesen the similarities in the warnings about China to what is going on right here in the United States.
First, the currency manipulation issue: our President has met with our neighbors to establish a new currency for use here, in Mexico and in Canada without consulting the American people. He conducted the meetings in secret and denied having the discussions until recently when we learned it outright from the Mexican government.
Secondly, the persecution of Christians: this administration has done more than any other in history to serve up Christianity to its opponents on a silver platter by using the President's brand of Christianity to manipulate people. I knew we were up to our necks in trouble when the President requested the mailing lists of Southern Baptists to win votes in the last election. We have less separation of church and state than we have ever had; as a result, non-Christians make more and more headway in removing Christianity from our schools and other public institutions because they do not want our faith pushed upon them. Who can blame them when the President stands on the Word of God, then violates it at every turn by lying to the American public, protecting his friends in high places both at home and abroad and then expecting people to respect Christian beliefs? Many may respond he is just a man and no Christian is perfect. I am not asking for perfection, but I am asking for truth and integrity in government. Sadly, I have lost hope. As long as the special interest groups and PAC's fund political campaigns, "we, the people" are doomed to decisions we do not like or support, but we cannot do anything about them. Corporate America owns our government.
Many may say, "Cast your vote!" I do. Does it make a difference? No. Until we do away with the Collegiate Vote, nothing can change. My vote and John Q. Public's vote do not count. A vote should be a vote with no one else casting votes "on our behalf" to compromise our individual votes. In the days of horse and buggies when people in rural areas could not get to voting polls, there was a legitimate use for this system. We are far beyond those days. Our government is broken and we all know it. We live in one of the richest countries in the world yet we are incurring debt faster than we can blink.
Rep. Wamp asks "What about human rights and religious freedoms?" I would have to ask the same question of our current administration. How is it that we have ignored the Geneva Convention rules of torture and even sent "suspected terrorists" to other countries so individuals can be tortured? How is that the events of Guantanamo Bay happened? How does a man who professes Christianity disallow the most basic human rights of a fair trial for people however unsavory they may be? What has happened to the United States Constitution? Perhaps by asking these questions I will end up on some list of illegal government surveillance.
No Rep. Wamp, we are not exporting contaminated fish and defective toys. Maybe if we manufactured our own toys, our children would be safer. Our government has created the opportunities for outsourcing everything from manufacturing to guns for hire, which has led to the Blackwater scandal. We do not have enough military support and/or expertise to protect people working in Iraq so our government outsources "soldiers" to assist in the mess we are in abroad. Or is it that we just needed to line the pockets of a major campaign contributor? We will never know. Our own soldiers do not have the equipment they need to fight this war but we have the funding for guns for hire? How does this make sense?
Why is it that when we buy products we think are made in America and need customer support, we are speaking to people in India or the Philippines?
How is it that two years after Hurricane Katrina so many of the victims are still trying to get relief? How is it that our government is concentrating on the rebuilding of the infrastructure in Iraq when our own infrastructure is not safe? How could our government have even considered selling management of our major Port Authorities to the United Arab Emirates? How is it that our Congress votes on legislation they admit they have not even read? Has our government lost its mind?
Rep. Wamp, you said, "Chinese leaders believe their own propaganda and cannot differentiate between what is true and what is false." There are many people around the world, including our own allies, who believe the same of the United States. This administration has done more to destroy foreign relations than any in the history of the United States. It will take years, possibly even decades to repair the damage.
The United States is no longer the "Land of Oz" and our "Wizard" is not the philanthropic, good-hearted person in the Wizard of Oz. Our "Wizard" includes so many people who are supposed to represent "we the people" in government.
Please do not get me wrong, I do not blame President Bush for all that has gone wrong. I have not ever agreed with his political stance, but our government has been building momentum for many years to get to where we are now. Our government is broken and we need to fix it.
So to my fellow citizens, I say, "America, proceed with caution."
Cheryl Lynn Curtis
cheryl.curtis204@yahoo.com
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