The Stench of the Union

Okay, I held off as long as I could, but no more. As a cop I have a great respect for the Office of President of the United States. But as a citizen I am left dumbstruck by the absolute arrogance of President Bush in particular, his administration in general, and the Republican party as a whole after the display of monumentally moronic proportions that the media laughingly named the State of the Union address.

Mr. President has had six years to prosecute first one war, then two wars under the auspices of the grandaddy of all "Gimmie's", his often touted "Global War on Terror". As much as I dislike TV Psycho-hacks I absolutely must pull a Dr. Dumdum, I mean Dr. Phil, and ask, "MR. PRESIDENT, HOW'S THAT WORKIN' FOR YA?"

September 11, 2001 changed this country in many ways, some subtle, some much more severe. But on September 12, 2001, EVERY American stood behind President Bush and said "Never Again". EVERY American, whether they admitted it or not wanted Osama Bin Laden and the Al 'Qiada network wiped from the face of the earth. EVERY free, democratic nation on the planet offered their support to President Bush.

What will history say of George Bush? I'm not sure! I, however, will say that in just five and a half years his arrogance of purpose, his arrogance of righteousness, his arrogance of privilege have forever tarnished the proud and unique history that is the ONLY successful free and democratic nation "of the people".

President Bush's myopic view of what a war on terror should be took the goodwill and support the citizens of the world offered to the United States and transformed this nation from a wounded but noble defender of global freedom striking out against terrorism in all its forms worldwide, and transformed this nation into the poster child for blood-thirsty imperialism bent on world domination to the drumbeat of slogans like, "Nation Building", "Stay the Course" and "Regime Change".

I lost count of how many speeches were given by all levels of the Republican party touting the threats posed by anyone who dared to question the actions and plans of the President. I am heartsick as the bodycount of Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen steadily passes another thousand. I am exponentially outraged by the palpable contempt President Bush, Vice-President Cheney and others in the Republican party display for those good citizens who step forward to speak their minds and challenge the direction our President has chosen.

Justice Anthony Kennedy said, "The First Amendment is often inconvenient. But that is besides the point. Inconvenience does not absolve the government of its obligation to tolerate speech." We are a nation built on the principle that I as a citizen can argue my displeasure with the government to the highest levels of power. But since I do not fit into the President's view of America I cannot. I must be silenced, ignored, or more commonly, ridiculed as being un-American, Un-patriotic, even subversive and a friend to terrorists.

As we rev up for the 2008 Elections I try to rebound from the abomination that was the State of the Union address. Mr. President stood in front of the world and tried to pass off his arrogance as sincerity, cooperation, and perfectly appropriate behaviuor. I will try hard to forget the fawning Republican lemmings who clapped every time Mr. President stopped long enough to take a breath. I will also try hard to forgive the self-righteous Democrats who sat stonefaced and acted as if they had no part in the past five and a half years. I don't care what side of the aisle you are on, if nothing changes I will have to trust Aesop's fable about "The Frog and the Ox" and hope to heaven that their "Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction."