Guest guest Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 > @finestplanet.com> > Mon, 19 Jul 2004 06:22:11 -0700 > #Why libertarians hate Putsch > -----------~-> > > > Choosing Sides > > by Karen Kwiatkowski > > When Clinton was President, many of us in the > military, among friends, > openly dismissed his leadership and discredited his > policies. When Bush > was (s)elected, many of us breathed a sigh of > relief, believing > conservatism would be the order of the day. Neither > of those reactions > was valid. We in uniform are supposed to be > non-political; we swear to > support the Constitution, not an individual person > in the oval office. > > But if soldiers actually attempt to put the > Constitution first, they > find very quickly that good order and discipline is > compromised, and > that, not preserving the Constitution, is always the > bottom line. An > organized standing federal Army, by its very nature > and politically > responsive design, cannot place the Constitution or > law over the wishes > of the chief executive. > > Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, for starters, graphically > illustrate this point. > > We have the BushWars raging in Afghanistan and Iraq. > No one seems to > know why we are there. Al Qaeda, not Afghanistan, is > credited with the > 9-11 attacks, and Saddam had nothing to do with > either of them. Yet > whole countries pay while Osama bin Laden remains > just out of reach, and > the international waiting list to get into Al Qaeda > keeps growing and > growing. Afghanistan and Iraq are probably just > business. You can’t seem > to get the truth from Washington, just more > deployment orders and after > the fact Congressional mea culpas. > > We have a so-called conservative president who has > spent every spare > minute growing a more centralized welfare/warfare > state. American > citizens are more dependent on federal rules, > regulations and largesse, > in areas from education to agriculture to medicine > to insurance to > energy to trade to media, than ever before. One > wonders if Bush is the > American Caligula. > > Comparing Bush to Caligula is perhaps too harsh. But > the split > personality of a conservative gone socialist, a man > of the New Testament > waging war for fantastical storylines because it > feels good, a person of > paranoia who insists that public critics be > relegated to " Free Speech > Zones " where the media is not allowed, does indeed > fit the Caligula > model. If true, it could be good news. Rome only > suffered Caligula for > four years. > > Perhaps Lenin is another George Bush model. Lenin > expected that > Imperialism would be Capitalism’s highest stage, and > clearly George Bush > believes it. Lenin’s actions in 1918 were two-fold. > He established " War > Communism " at home to seize property, infuse > domestic loyalty, and > strengthen the federal state, along with a " Third > International " to > " promote world revolution according to the Russian > communist model. " > > The pattern fits. If you consider the philosophies > and writings of his > neo-conservative advisors, it begins to look eerily > familiar. Lenin > would approve. > > We have Martha Stewart found guilty of lying to the > federal government > about something that was not criminal. She will > serve five months in a > federal prison. If I told the federal government a > lie, for example, > about how many times I actually weeded my garden > this summer, or that I > wrote 10 checks from my checking account instead of > 9, even though none > bounced or were otherwise illegal, I too could get a > federal jail > sentence. Allow me to clarify. I could get a jail > sentence only if it > serves a federal purpose, like Martha does. I wonder > if anyone in > Washington is reading LewRockwell.com. > > We have one of the most important national security > concerns we have > ever known, the hunt for Bobby Fischer, who is being > extradited to the > United States to face federal prosecution for > playing chess in > Yugoslavia without United Nations permission. Huh? > Perhaps this is some > kind of warning to Bin Laden that we are serious and > are not going to > take it anymore! > > Back to the dual personalities of Caligula, Bush is > thrilled to be > getting Bobby for violating the United Nations > mandate, while Bush > himself has spent inordinate energies in avoiding a > similar UN mandate > regarding American participation in and extradition > for the UN’s > International Criminal Court. The lesson here is you > can violate human > rights, imprison wrongly, and even murder at will, > but a game of chess, > well, now you’ve gone too far! > > Speaking of freedom, democracy and murder, the > latest reporting on our > current favorite Prime Minister, Iyad " Little > Saddam " Allawi, feature > his pistol shots to the heads of captured Iraqi > prisoners. I was > concerned, before this, about Allawi’s newly > established domestic > intelligence bureaucracy, to keep Iraqis in line so > they can all have a > nice new democracy. I needn’t have worried, and you > can bet George W. > Bush isn’t. > > What does it all mean? Like they say, you’re either > with us or against > us. I’ve seen enough, and I’ve chosen a side. And > while I don’t support > governmental safety laws on principle, like Bette > Davis I must advise > all Americans to fasten your seatbelts. It’s going > to be a bumpy night. > > July 19, 2004 > > Karen Kwiatkowski [send her mail] is a retired USAF > lieutenant colonel, > who spent her final four and a half years in uniform > working at the > Pentagon. She now lives with her freedom-loving > family in the Shenandoah > Valley, and writes a bi-weekly column on defense > issues with a > libertarian perspective for militaryweek.com. > -- > " There are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms > or mass graves > in Iraq " > --George Bush, May 1st, 2003 > Said during " Mission Accomplished " speech on USS > Lincoln > > A year later, Mr. Bush observed with no irony to Al > Arabiya TV: > > " Iraqis are sick of foreign people coming in their > country and > trying to destabilize their country, and we will > help them rid > Iraq of these killers. " > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.