THE REPUBLICAN SENATE HAS REVEALED ITSELF TO BE FILLED WITH COWARDLY AND UNPATRIOTIC FRAUDS - JUST LIKE THEIR PRESIDENT

Beneath the Spin*Eric L. Wattree

EXCELLENCE IS THE KEY TO BLACK EQUALITY

THE REPUBLICAN SENATE HAS REVEALED ITSELF TO BE FILLED WITH COWARDLY AND UNPATRIOTIC FRAUDS -
JUST LIKE THEIR PRESIDENT

When you’re trying to dig yourself out of a hole, you’ve got to be careful during the digging not to cause the walls to cave in and make things worse. Well, that’s exactly what the Republican senate has done to themselves by voting not to allow any additional witnesses or evidence to be presented in the Trump impeachment trial. Trump's clumsy and corrupt handling of the Ukrainian matter already had the GOP in a hole, but their even clumsier defense made the situation even worse, and then, their refusal to allow new evidence in the midst of the ever-mounting bombshell evidence leaking out on a daily basis has made the situation a disaster. They don’t even have a credible excuse for their actions. So the evidence is clear for everyone to see – the GOP is engaged in a coverup that gives their personal interests priority over that of the country. That blows all of their claims of patriotism and the wearing of flag pins in their lapels straight to Hell.

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That essentially destroys the credibility of the Republican Party, and conservatism in general, because the claim of patriotism is what they hang their hats on. They not only use it for campaign purposes by claiming that, unlike liberal Democrats, they love America, but they also use it to promote their bigotry. Look at how they used patriotism to attack Colin Keapernick.
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Conservatives claimed that when Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem, he was disrespecting the flag. That always struck me as curious. How can Colin Kaepernick be accused of denigrating the flag by taking a knee when the flag is a SYMBOL of free expression? That’s like saying a person is disrespecting the church by being a Christian. That’s not only hypocritical, but stupid.
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As a former marine I can say without a doubt - and I’m sure that Trump’s former Chief of Staff, Gen. Kelly, could also tell him - that American fighting men and women didn’t die for a piece of cloth or a song, they died for what that piece of cloth represents, the very personal freedom that Trump was trying to deny Kaepernick and his fellow players.  While I can fully understand Trump being ignorant in the area of American patriotism - since when the nation called upon him to serve the country, he showed up at the draft board with a note from his daddy's doctor saying his feet hurt - any TRUE American should understand that Colin Kaepernick and his fellow players were not disrespecting the flag at all, Trump did.
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Colin Kaepernick was acting in the truest tradition of American patriotism by speaking out in order to make this country a better place for all. Unlike the Republican senate, he was willing to place his personal interest on the line to confront un-American bigots for being the lyin’ and hypocritical racists that they are - and the bigots know that!!! But once they were confronted with their own anti-Americanism, they claimed that it was the PLAYERS who were un-American!!! That’s typical racist bullshit. People of Trump's ilk also accused Dr. Martin Luther King of being un-American.
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MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL 

AND DONALD TRUMP

But now that these Trumplodytes have given America the collective finger, they’ve made it clear that it’s all been a scam from the very beginning. In spite of the fact that 50 to 43 percent of the American people wants Trump convicted by the senate and removed from office, Republican senators have given the most corrupt and self-serving President in the history of this nation a complete pass on his criminal behavior – and never mind that his reckless irresponsibility and profound ignorance is placing this nation, and the world, in extreme danger, they deem it to be in their own personal interest to turn a blind-eye to it.
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From their point of view, the claim of patriotism can come in handy as long as it’s kept in perspective, but Trump controls the Republican Party and they need their seats in the senate. It's been reported that Republican senators were told that the head of anyone who didn't follow the party line would be placed on a spike. So they did just what they were told and said, to Hell with America. We have mortgages to pay!
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In order to justify their position, Trump's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, claimed that “Abuse of Power is not an impeachable offense", but that's clearly nonsense. The primary reason the founders left "High Crimes and Misdemeanors" undefined is so CONGRESS could determine whether a given behavior is impeachable on a case by case basis.

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Dershowitz also claimed that whatever the President does, if he deems it to be in the best interest of the people, it's not impeachable. I'm sure you remember that argument from Richard Nixon - "If the President does it, it's not illegal."  But if that's the case, what if the President decides that killing his opponent so he can be re-elected is in the public interest? And since, according to the Department of Justice, the President can’t be indicted or held accountable while in office, if we can't impeach him, what are our options? We wouldn't have any, so essentially, Donald Trump is no longer  President, the Republican senate has crowned him King. He can not only do no wrong, but we can't even present evidence accusing him of doing any wrong, and that's distinctly un-American. Thus, American democracy has been disposed of like a used Tampon.
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Federal law is clear:
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18 U.S. Code § 1621. Perjury
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"Whoever—

(1)
having taken an oath before a competent tribunal, officer, or person, in any case in which a law of the United States authorizes an oath to be administered, that he will testify, declare, depose, or certify truly, or that any written testimony, declaration, deposition, or certificate by him subscribed, is true, willfully and contrary to such oath states or subscribes any material matter which he does not believe to be true; or
(2)
in any declaration, certificate, verification, or statement under penalty of perjury as permitted under section 1746 of title 28, United States Code, willfully subscribes as true any material matter which he does not believe to be true; is guilty of perjury and shall, except as otherwise expressly provided by law, be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. This section is applicable whether the statement or subscription is made within or without the United States."
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Based on the above law, Donald Trump and virtually every Republican member of the United States Senate is guilty of violating their oaths of office, and the senators are guilty of committing perjury in violating their oath to sit in judgment in the Trump Impeachment Trial IMPARTIALLY. 
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As a direct result of this criminal conduct, there have been 62 impeachments of federal officers in this nation's history, and this is the very first time in history that all witnesses and evidential documents have been blocked. So in spite of their oath to be impartial, the Republican senate told the house in no uncertain terms that we’re not going to allow the American people to either see or hear the evidence in this case, because then we'll have to justify letting this criminal off the hook. In doing so, they've committed a crime, but they think we're too dumb to realize that. And in addition to all of that, now new firsthand information is surfacing that suggests that Trump's defense attorney, Pat Cipollone, was involved in the original crime. It's a total rat's nest. So no wonder they're desperate to hide the facts! 

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The Republican senate is treating the American people like we’re children, so in November we must show them that we’re not. No organization can run efficiently that allows its employees to dictate to management, and that’s exactly what the American people represent under the United States Constitution – the Board of Directors of this nation. So in the next election we must put these insubordinate employees in their place, and relegate them all to the garbage heap of American history. If we fail to do so, our children will no longer live in the America we have come to know. They'll live under a dictatorship.
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There’s a reason why Vladimir Putin is the only man in the world who Donald Trump respects. You'll never hear him call Vladimir out of his name on Twitter. Just take a moment to ask yourself - Why? Let me tell you why, because Donald Trump is greedy and selfish and the Russian mafia pulled him out of bankruptcy when no American bank would touch him - and as we speak they're using his name and businesses to launder money, that's why he's so desperate to keep his taxes hidden. So Trump doesn't care anything about you, your children, or America. All Trump cares about is the Trump Tower he wants to build in Moscow when he leaves office - that is, if he decides that he wants to leave office. Because he now has no choice but to try to turn America into a dictatorship at this point, because if he doesn't, he's going to prison.

Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
BLACK WRITERS, INTELLECTUALS, AND INDEPENDENT THINKERS
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Religion: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does. 

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ODE TO A CHICKEN HAWK

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

ODE TO A CHICKEN HAWK

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I can understand Trump not being able to fully grasp the concept of patriotism.  After all,  when it was his turn to fight for this country he applied for, and obtained, 5 draft deferments to avoid fighting in Vietnam - and the very same was true of Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh.  But now that they don't have to put their OWN lives on the line, all of a sudden they've morphed into these "Super Patriots" and want to wave their flags at our troops from the sideline - at least, until the troops come home broken and wounded, then they call them deadbeats and want to deprive them of public assistance.  This has been a pattern with Republicans.  During Herbert Hoover's administration, 15,000 WWI veterans marched on Washington demanding that they be paid what they were owed by the government. Hoover responded by calling in federal troops to throw these ex-servicemen off government property.
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CHICKEN HAWK
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Oh,
sweet patriot, square of jaw,
and demeanor of great command,
you fearlessly stand
in defense of America,
and the savior of all God’s chosen men.
Anointed by God as his personal envoy
to all men, corrupt and blind,
and charged with the
swift and brutal destruction
of all heathens of other kind.
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You stand vigilant against all our enemies,
both foreign and imagined within;
You vigorously guard against all that is evil,
and all that you see as sin.
You define God’s needs and precious values,
in the most unambiguous tones,
and never once have you erred on behalf of truth,
to reveal “God’s values” are indeed your own.
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You lead our troops in fearless glory,
challenging Death to “Bring it on!”
Never thrusting your sword on the field of battle,
you fearlessly lead the charge by phone.
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Oh,
sweet patriot, square of jaw,
and demeanor of great command,
how selfless your will to guard America,
while hating the pillars upon which it stands.

                                                                          Eric L. Wattree

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Eric L. Wattree

Http://wattree.blogspot.com

Ewattree@Gmail.com

Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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A Message to Conservatives: What it Means to Be an American

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

A Message to Conservatives: What it Means to Be an American
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To "Tallgrass Palms," and all others on the Breitbart site who share his bigoted views:
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Being a patriotic American is about more than simply walking around with a flag pin attached to your lapel and declaring to everyone in earshot how much you love America. Being a true American is about being willing to come together to promote and support the best interest of the nation and the ideals that it represents. Conservatives like Ike Eisenhower used to recognize that fact, but I don’t see that in many of today’s conservatives.
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What I see is a bitter and irresponsible group of reactionaries who are more than willing to sabotage America, and it’s ideals, in order to appease the delusional views of a radical few - and the irony is, the vast majority of you - like Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney - ran like the wind when this nation called upon you to serve.
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Republicans have developed a reputation of being so mean-spirited, fraudulent, and un-American, that the American people can no longer even take them seriously. The GOP has racked up a one hundred year record of swindling the American people. History will never forget the damage and purposeful misery that you’ve put America through - and neither will loyal Americans (http://wattree.blogspot.com/2010/10/gop-one-hundred-year-record-of.html). If Al Qaeda represents a rattle snake in America's garden, the modern GOP is, at the very least, a python in the bedroom. After all, Al Qaeda can only blowup buildings, but the modern GOP is trying its very best to destroy the very foundation upon which this nation rests.
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As I pointed out in a previous piece, what Obama critics are failing to recognize is if the president is engaged in diplomatic talks and using the threat of military intervention as leverage to further the United States’ interest, when we have Republican politicians using the issue to jockey for political advantage, and loudmouths like Cornel West running around talking about, "If you do it, we’re gonna impeach you!" for personal advantage, that hurts America’s ability to negotiate. So titles, claims of patriotism, and PhD.s notwithstanding, these people are either so selfish that they don’t care about American interests, something much less than effective thinkers, or both.
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But they're not fooling the American people for a minute. While we've understandably developed an increasing distrust for politicians - ALL politicians, including Obama - our instincts tells us that there's something about this guy that we can't quite put our finger on that sets him apart. That's why we elected him to a second term. Well, I think I have put my finger on it.
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When the vast majority of Americans look at President Obama, they don't see "a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs;" they see a decent man, who loves both America, and his wife and family. They see the guy next door who's been chosen to be a modern-day David who, to everyone's complete shock and surprise, has dredged up the strength and courage to wage a desperate battle against the Goliath of wealth, power, and presumption.
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When America looks at Obama, as they watch him turning grey before their eyes, they see themselves fighting the good fight for American ideals. They see him as the personification of everything America once was - a feisty little underdog, all alone, in a desperate battle against those out to destroy America, and they see the GOP as a bunch of spoiled fat cats who think their right to control America is an entitlement.  So the American people are under no illusions.
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Americans, by nature, tend to gravitate toward the underdog, and while President Obama is undoubtedly the most powerful man in the world, he's also our first Black president, and as such, Americans can clearly see that he's under siege in Washington, D.C., so they've rallied behind him to protect his flank.
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So, while the racists, bigots, and Joe Wilsons get a lot of press, they don't reflect the actual character of America. The vast majority of Americans are corny, like myself. They truly believe in the ideals that this nation was created to represent - if they didn't, Obama never would have become president in the first place, and now, reelected. For that reason, while race baiters of both races may get a lot of press, for the most part, they're spittin' in the wind. Due specifically to their activity, America may not quite be a post-racial society, but the vast majority of Americans are way out in front of them.
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I suspect that most Americans see Obama like I do - not as some kind of Messiah, but like a neighbor doing battle against a group of thugs who are trying to takeover the neighborhood. That's why I defend this man, because I admire both his character and his courage. So I'm not going to just sit back and peep through my blinds and watch a man of his character be bludgeoned to death while he's defending MY home. That's not how Americans do things.
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I also support him in gratitude of his service, and I want to give him his roses while he can smell 'em. History is certainly going to honor him greatly, but like Martin, he won't be around to see that. As a result, I never got the chance to thank Martin, but I'm not gonna make that mistake this time.
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So, Bravo, Mr. President!
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So Tallgrass, "Blackie" here, former marine. I got a pretty good fix on your attitude toward Black people, and I don't have a problem with that. You have every right to your opinion. But here's what our military had to say about my son. He’s currently a federal agent, and even as we speak, he’s out in the world fighting to make America safer, and defending your right to be a bigot, because that's what Americans do:
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MEMORANDUM FOR OFFICER TRAINING SCHOOL SELECTION COMMITTEE
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FROM: 92 SFS/SFO
2 E. ARNOLD STREET
FAIRCHILD AFB, WA 99011

SUBJECT: Recommendation for Staff Sergeant Eric L. Wattree
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I wholeheartedly concur with Staff Sergeant Wattree’s request to attend Officer Training School. He represents the enlisted ranks with the highest standard and will bring that dedication and professionalism to the officer corps.
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2. Eric continues to lead a stellar military career; his enlisted performance reports speak for themselves. His leadership and experience, especially in contingency environments, remains a vital asset to our unit and wing. As one of my primary Phoenix Raven team leaders, he’s propelled to the forefront of all major deployments throughout the world. He’s repeatedly secured aircraft and crews, supporting a wide variety of missions, in the most austere and terrorist-ridden environments where security is severely inadequate. The diversity of these missions never limited SSgt Wattree’s capacity to adapt to each situation. For this reason, Eric was selected as our 2000 Outstanding Phoenix Raven Member of the Year and the 2001 Air Force Reserve Component Airman of the Year for the 92d Security Forces Squadron.
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3. Whether operating under peacetime or contingency operations, Eric easily assumes control and tackles every situation with meticulous tenacity, a quality highly desired in our Air Force officers. Requested by name, Sergeant Wattree, provided security for presidential Banner missions throughout Greece, Peru and Viet Nam. While deployed to Afghanistan, he flew numerous combat missions in our nation’s pursuit to eradicate terrorism through Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Additionally, he provided round-the-clock force protection for aircraft in other high-threat environments including Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Oman.
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4. Sergeant Wattree motivated his personnel during the worst conditions and raised the level of esprit de corps to integrate personnel from other Air Force specialties into a cohesive team. His leadership, integrity and devotion to our Air Force play an integral part in our future leadership. Eric has what it takes to become a commissioned officer and earns my full support to attend Officer Training School.

FRANK HELLSTERN, JR., Captain, USAF
Operations Officer
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So tell me, Tallgrass, what have you done for America lately, other than trying your best to make it a little less American? I’ll be anxiously awaiting your response.
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IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO MERLY SALUTE OUR HEROES

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Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

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Accountability: America’s Moral Responsibility to Humanity

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE Accountability: America's Moral Responsibility to Humanity Eight years of Republican "leadership" has left America both economically devastated, and globally humiliated. Yet, far from apologizing for the damage that they've done to the stability and image of this great nation, instead, they've circled their wagons and gone into damage control mode–not to control the damage that they've done to the nation, but in an attempt to rewrite history in order to control the damage that they've done to themselves. So now, as President Obama goes about the business of desperately trying to return America to its former position of economic stability at home, and respect, admiration, and moral authority abroad, the GOP leadership seems to be completely oblivious to the nation's desperate and immediate need for a concerted effort in that regard. They're like clueless children who find it impossible to see the big picture. Thus, at this point it has become abundantly clear that their primary concern is not with restoring America to a sound footing in the world, but rather, simply restoring themselves to power at any cost. This situation points out the wisdom of always seeking to draw something of value from every adversity, and in this case, we should seek enlightenment. In spite of the fact that virtually everyone in the Bush administration managed to avoid serving this nation in uniform (Bush went AWOL, and Cheney obtained five (5) deferments), the GOP has somehow managed to pre-empt and wrap themselves in the glorious vestments of patriotism. But this current situation should teach us a valuable lesson in that regard–never go by what people say; always go by what they do. And what are they doing--while the American people are experiencing the kind of suffering that this country hasn't seen since the Great Depression, and the United States has become the "Dick Cheney" of the world, the GOP's one and only concern is how they can regain power. Is that patriotism? I don't think so. There's only one word to describe this current batch of Republican wingnuts--and you have to go outside the English language to find it--hutzpah. They've left this nation's global standing at its lowest ebb ever, and they've also left us much less safe. But in spite of that, Sean Hannity and FOX news have seen fit to trot out Dick Cheney to lecture President Obama on national governance and world affairs. What Makes these people think that anyone is interested in listening to anything this guy has to say? The vice president of the Crips has a higher approval rating than Dick Cheney, so they can have but one motive--to create division and disseminate propaganda. But Hannity's time would have been better spent holding a seance, then conjuring up the spirit of John Wayne Gacy to give us a lecture on child rearing. It couldn't have been any less productive, but at least there would have been an entertainment factor involved. Then you have Karl Rove trying to imply that President Obama is turning America into a banana republic. When I first heard him, the word "stupid" immediately came to mind. Either Rove is stupid, or he thinks the American people are complete fools. Now, think about it. Wasn't Karl Rove a major part of the very administration that lied us into war, illegally invaded a sovereign state, sent our troops off to war without the proper equipment to keep themselves alive, then made them pay for their own meals while lying wounded in the hospital, then looted the nation's treasury and resources, setup no-bid contracts to enrich their cronies, spied on their own citizens, and as we speak, are now trying to convince America that torture and all of the things listed above are ok, so that Bush, Cheney–and their entire crowd-- won't be prosecuted for war crimes, defrauding the American people, and the senseless waste of human life for personal gain? If I'm not mistaken, I think Karl Rove was indeed a major part of all that. So who looks, sounds, and behaves more like tinhorn dictators? Thus, before Rove starts pointing his finger at President Obama, he needs to smell it first. As a direct result of the greed, poor judgment, and self-service of these people, instead of focusing our efforts on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border where Osama Bin Laden and the others who planned and executed the Nine-Eleven attack on America were in hiding, they went to Iraq and began to tortured innocent detainees–not to protect America, but in an attempt to justify the lies they were telling the American people in order to steal Iraqi oil, enrich themselves, and loot this nation of the necessary resources to fund the New Deal programs that they couldn't attack legislatively. Now, as a direct result of that flawed judgment, we have the Taliban a mere sixty miles away from a nuclear armed Pakistan. So I don't know about the rest of America, but to me, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove's claim of keeping us safe is sounding pretty ridiculous about now. Thus, to even consider "moving on" without prosecuting these people is out of the question. If we simply turned the page on this matter, we become accessories to their war crimes. In addition, we cannot allow them to just walk away from placing the survival of this nation–and indeed, the world--in serious jeopardy. And further, if we are fortunate enough to survive this unmitigated episode of irresponsibility, we need to send an unmistakably graphic message to the next group of budding demagogues, who they've undoubtedly planted throughout the government. If Nixon had gone to prison for Watergate, and Reagan had become his cellmate for selling arms to Iran, we wouldn't be going through what we're going through right now. And finally, we have a moral responsibility to the world. A nation cannot just turn the page after its leaders have committed war crimes and are responsible for the slaughter and/or displacement of a million people. That page won't turn without the offending nation engaging in aggressive corrective action. If it were any other nation, the United States would demand accountability, so we can demand nothing less of ourselves. I know--they're simply wingnut Republiclowns, but their behavior in office was much more than a meaningless prank. Just because we put up with them, doesn't mean that the world should have to. After all, we even carry a pooper scooper for our pets. Trying to walk away from the atrocities of the past seven years would be like defecating and then trying to walk away without cleaning ourselves. We'd have to walk wide-legged and very uncomfortably, throughout the rest of history. Eric L. Wattree wattree.blogspot.com A moderate is one who embraces truth over ideology, and reason over conflict.

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