It may be instructive to your readership how the wonderful democracy the U.S. is exporting through the real WMDs actually works. If I am right, there are worse governments than the U.S. “democracy” but surely there are better ones and U.S. “democracy” is not worth exporting or imposing on anyone except the most desperate.
It is necessary to give the context to my small, modest insight into the reality of American democracy. On the well hand is a rather belligerent fellow, Dr. Daniel Pipes who has been wonderfully successful in my opinion in intimidating the vast majority of already spineless U.S. professors into near total silence despite:
1) at two major wars getting progressive worse (from the official U.S. viewpoint),
2) a threatened nuclear war with N. Korea having the potential of killing us all, down to cockroaches which have amazing resilience to radiation, and
3) a domestic economic crisis spinning out of control thanks to:
a) the insane quest for world dominance which has brought down more than one empire,
b) the maniacal looting of the US by the chums of Bush the First and Bush, the Second. (The way to tell them apart is B1 acts effeminate while B2 acts macho). The case of such gems of free enterprise as B2’s “Kenny Boy” Lay of Enron infamy comes readily to mind, but you could point a great number of other pirates of gangster capitalism who have, quite simply, cheated the American people out of life savings or merely stolen a big chuck of their retirement money.
So one might suspect that all is not well with the “one indispensable nation”. Indeed.
The good Dr. Pipes identified the six leading villains in the U.S. — I’m # 6 in a column in the NY Post, perhaps just a few steps up from pure trash newspaper, but one which is widely read and distributed widely — I can get it easily here in Washington, D.C.
B2’s nominating Dr. Warmonger (if I may call him that) to the U.S. Institute of Peace is rivaled only by B1’s the naming of Uncle Tom (also known as Associate Justice Clarence Thomas) to the Supreme Court. . Now here comes my modest the insight into how government really works in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.
Foolishly I thought this truly bizarre nomination would afford me a chance to clear my name and end or reduced my harassment ended. (Dr. Pipes had called for adult supervision for the 6 of U.S. evil professors). Since Pipes’ nomination by B2 required the “advice and consent” of the U.S. senate, I asked to be a witness in a public hearing. I asked for 3 minutes and a chance to put documents into evidence that would give me back my good name and show the greater suitability of Dr. Pipes, for the wet work or assassination bureau (I’m sure it has a more noble name) of the CIA.
Well first, I thought, gosh the system of “democracy” can work, because I thought I had an agreement with the staff of the ranking member of committee to which Dr. Pipes nomination had been sent for 3 minutes and a chance to submit documents.
After hearing nothing from Senator Kennedy’s (the ranking member’s) office for weeks, I discovered that there had been a “misunderstanding”. Good bye any chance for being a witness, good bye for a chance to submit documents into evidence, good bye to chance to clear my name and end the harassment.
That “misunderstanding” was hard to accept, but was nothing compared to step 2 of the workings of what baby slayer with sanctions former Sec. of State Albright has called “the indispensable democracy”. The Chair of the Committee, the good Sen. Gregg decided against a hearing for accuser, Dr. Pipes, but instead an executive hearing on July 23rd — no witnesses or documents evidently. It’s now possible that the Sen. Gregg’s committee of the senate and the senate itself will fly Dr. Pipes though to his anointment like a stealth bomber through the radar of any scrutiny — well there goes MEANINGFUL “advice and consent”. Technically the Senate will certainly give advice and consent but now it seems obvious that it will be based on no witnesses and no evidence. How democratic! Is this a great country or what?
Thus in microcosm works the greatest and longest lasting democracy in history, etc., etc., etc. One tiny defect, if one dare speak of even the possibility of a defect in the operator of t Camp X-Ray, is the totally corrupt committee system of congress, which would make any tyrant blush — total power, but the appearance of fairness.
The buffed swine (with apologies to real pigs) who are members of congress disguise this disastrous blemish by using pompous terms like, “I’d like to thank my distinguished colleague, the Chairman and thank him for allowing me time to speak,” should the committee chairman permit other congress people to speak. But it seems the chairman runs the whole shabby show:
agenda
witnesses list
you name it.
The rest of the hypocrites properly worship the chairman in the hope that if they live long enough, they will, one day they will become a god (oops, I mean committee chairman). So much for democracy… Very sad, very tragic, very disastrous to the people of the U.S. and the world.
So unlike the movies, I don’t get my day in court. I am moving to Canada and will apply for citizenship and try to rebuild my 20 year university career in a functioning democracy. I think Canada’s secret is simple:
* a small, peace keeping oriented, not trigger pulling orient military
* a small weapons industry
* no empire to rule and no country to conquer. (Sending trigger puller to Afghanistan was an aberration. Canadian troops die if they must but as peace keepers, not a killers of essentially defenseless peoples.
Lesson two if the your choose to read it will be on the Democrat – Republican party — same buffoons serving at the pleasure of the same super rich. Wonderful, though in giving the illusion on of real democracy. Frankly I don’t think it will matter bit (except for style if B2 is reelected, gets reappointed by the Supreme Court with help from massive election fraud or if even the most “radical” of the Democrats, Kucinich (D-Ohio) get elected. I hope I’m wrong, but doubt it — remember Jimmy Carter, the Democrat who promised never to lie and to put justice into foreign policy…
Another story for another day. Me, I’m moving to Canada in a few days and hope to die there and atone for my stupidity and culpability in paying taxes to the most well oiled killing machine in history, the United States of America by teaching peace studies, promoting pacifism, which I think is the only force powerful enough to overcome the American super weapons.
THOMAS J. NAGY, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Expert Systems George Washington University. He can be reached at: nagy@gwu.edu
