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The Bush Staff Goes To Morals Class

Mary La Rosa | 10.11.2005 04:03 | Repression | Social Struggles | World

Ethics and morals and the under reported Larry Franklin.

Intelligent design, the latest "immaculate conception" and leap of faith to be imposed upon Americans is only one way in which Republican , mostly Christian religious fundamentalists have tried to impose their evangelical dogma upon the general population of independent and religiously FREE (including free FROM religion) American citizens.

And, as most working class and non working Americans know, the True God of the Bush regime is the all powerful and almighty intelligently designed Corporate God with umbrella allegiances to other bellicose fundamentalist regimes around the world. Keeping that in mind, the American public should not be too surprised by how much the Larry Franklin story and the willful exchange of classified information with another foreign country, a country with hidden agendas about nuclear weapons and one of the most powerful lobbies in the USA, the zionist lobby of AIPAC, has been under reported in much of the mainstream news media.

I have been watching and waiting , since late August 2005 (when the story first broke via CBS news ) for complete and up to date "ongoing" coverage about the spy in the US Department of Defense, the Pentagon policy analyst working under Douglas Feith and Paul Wolfowitz, who was indicted on five conspiracy charges violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

Larry Franklin has pled guilty to an FBI investigation and indictment begun in 1999, an ongoing FBI investigation of misuse and illegal use of national defense information passed on to a foreign country with grave influence in the Middle East, especially re: weapons of mass destruction. The story is slowly beginning to unfold, growing closer to exposing all of the wrong reasons why we went to war.

It should not surprise anyone that mainstream corporate media has been negligent and under reported to the American public, especially about the "mishandling" and grievous mistakes of the Bush administration, including suppressing any exceptions to the bogus intelligence directly effecting the well being of thousands of Americans and Iraqis. In 2001 I did small volunteer work for www.YellowTimes.org . This alternative news media was consistently broken into and vandalized. I lost my mailbox repeatedly and many of the investigative journalists were cyber attacked. Service providers gave reasons to shut down, especially after an article written by Iman Khadduri , an Iraqi nuclear scientist who repeatedly proclaimed Iraq did not have capacity for nuclear weapons. There was real suppression and repression of free speech just prior to Bush's War.

Here we are in again still repressed via the under reporting of vital news of 2005.

September 30, 2005 , the Washington Post reported "Guilty Plea Planned in Secrets Case" and that Franklin would plead guilty and continue to co-operate with prosecutors. Previously, on May 3, 2005 (when the FBI originally filed charges against Franklin for having disclosed classified national defense information) Franklin's lawyer said he would plead "not guilty" . One can only guess if the 83 classified documents found in his home had some bearing on the case and his plea bargaining. Either way "Not Guilty" was short lived because on August 4 , a Federal Grand Jury indicted Franklin on five charges of violating the Espionage Act of 1917.

On August 9, 2005, Robert Dreyfuss, investigative reporter wrote:
"It is clear by probing the details of the case, the FBI has got hold of a dangerous loose end of a much larger story. By pulling the string hard enough, the FBI and the Justice Department might just unravel the larger story, which is beginning to look more and more like it involves the same nexus of Pentagon civilians, White House functionaries and American Enterprise Institute officials who thumped the drums of war in Iraq in 2001-2003 and who are trying to whip up an anti-Iranian frenzy as well."

CNN , also announced

"Alexandria, Virginia (CNN) Former Defense Department analyst Larry Franklin pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to divulge US Defense information to unauthorized people, namely an Israeli official and members of a pro-Israel lobbying group."

But CNN did little further follow up. They were afterall , not only distracted by hurricanse and Fema, but also willing to be more neglectful of Larry Franklin, relative to their latest investment in NASCAR racing! Israel, of course made loud squeals of denial. Ever since Jonathan Pollard, the Israeli spy who worked in the Naval Anti-Terrorist Alert Center and who pleaded guilty to espionage, Israel continues to make emphatic denials about any other "spying" going on here in USA . Sad to say, however, some of the articles published by online version of the Jeruslem Post have gone missing and/or are inaccessible. One such article was called "Franklin: I gave Israel Secret Material" dated October 5, 2005. Then shortly after, and after years of dormancy, the legend of the Israeli art students recently resurfaced in Haaretz. Little mention was further made about REAL espionage figures, Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman

Yes, we have hurricanes and disasters and some delays with Tom Delay as he gets to pick and choose "his" judge, his courtroom, etc...but little follow up about Larry Franklin and his guilty plea and the possible significance Israel played in manipulating intelligence into a pretext for war against Iraq with follow ups in Iran.

While overtly speaking about "democracy" in the Middle East, some in our present Republican administration very much wishes to have a similar policy as Israel's "administrative detention" with regards to holding detainees for indefinite periods of time, without cause and without due process of law.

And I would like to further pose a question: If Larry Franklin gave secrets to muslim lobbyists with direct ties to a fundamentalist Muslim country, how differently would the news be handled?

And while Republicans choose to redefine words like "family" and "values" in order to suit their faith based agendas along with telling us who can and can not be considered a family, I would remind free men and free women, including all who choose or do not choose to practice a religion, that faith based government equals a religious state. And we all know how the major religions all like to think they are the only religion and that their "faith" provides the rationale for any cause.

I thought to remember a time , perhaps before governments became faith based and were more respectful of the tenets of democracy, when idealistic principles of democracy were in practice and could assure all minorities of their rights by means of a fair and just legal system. This present legal system seems to have been corrupted by faith based leaders, some of whom, after being indicted are trying to choose their own Judge!

As the first trial about "Intelligent Design" draws to a close, I remembered saving an article from The Nation in 2001 written by Ellis Willis about the elected faith based regime and the failure of the Democratic Party:

"George W. Bush's creation of a federal office to coordinate public financing of euphemistically labeled "faith-based" social services is a bold assault on the separation of church and state; it is also, ironically, a triumph of bipartisanship"

These are grievous and dangerous times here in the United States of America. I am not only referring to what could happen while riding the mass transit system in New York City, or riding beneath the tunnels of Maryland or holding out against a hurricane. These are grievous, dangerous times, fraught with insidious dangers that ruthlessly press and assault the well being and pursuit of happiness of the average American citizens. "Proud to be an American" winces at voter machine frauds and wars based upon lies and misinformation, unethical lobbyists, Halliburton and little or slow hurricane relief.

For the working class , the working poor, and poor Americans in general, these are treacherous times. We are the hardest hit victims of a scheming political agenda set in place by the Republican party via the present Bush regime. It is not only our right , but necessity and survival to demand accountability from our elected officials including Democrats.

Beginning with the most basic right of the Republic: voting machines and the voting process, that supposedly assures our democratic practice, there is yet to be a standard resolution of that fair and democratic process in which to express our democratic practice. How do we dare to wish for democracy in foreign countries, but can not assure our citizens of the validity of their vote? From Ohio to Florida, voting rights and accountability must move through the power and powerful who control American democracy via their money and lobbying and must begin to directly reflect the rights of all Americans.

Caring for the minority has been the responsibility of the majority and that majority has failed. We have the highest rate of bankruptcy due to illness but still refuse to consider alternatives that treat ill citizens so much better in other countries:

"Americans tend to regard European health systems with horror; they have come to associate any service provided by the state as second rate and many cannot imagine that we do not envy their private sector dominated health services. At their best these can provide a very high quality of treatment and care for those who can afford it. But there is really no such thing as “the” American health system, while there are a myriad of different health plans offered by insurers, HMOs and employers plus the Government funded Medicare and Medicaid. Through these programs, the US government spends about the same per head of total population as the UK, but these patients expect and get a decidedly second-rate service. Worse still 17% of the population is not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, nor old enough for Medicare, but not rich enough to afford health insurance, illness is still the greatest cause of bankruptcy in the US. Health reforms including the rise of health maintenance organisations (HMOs) are said to be holding back the rising cost of health care but even so costs are forecast to rise from their current level of 14.6% to 16% of GDP within three years. "

This is the focus given by Graham Lister in which he compares healthcare in USA, Netherlands, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

And as the faith based government looks away, corporate schemers make more money paying smaller wages to foreign workers , outsourcing and denying Americans their right to a decent and fair wage. In the future , perhaps only the military and fast food companies will be offering jobs to Americans. After all, Walmart only wants to hire the young and the fit and it appears while money is spent on wrongful wars and endless occupation, the future of America and Americans has been neglected for war profits and fossil fuels.

Unrestricted and unprincipled capitalism, such as that that enabled the Republican agenda and Bush regime, has driven us into wars based upon lies and deceits . The sons and daughters who serve are continuously being recruited from the neighborhoods of the working class, working poor and just plain poor. In New York City, young immigrants are signed on and at death can be awarded citizenship. They continue to die along with our sons and daughters from the heartland of America. They die because of false reports in violation of the Espionage act of 1917

The only solid preparation we had for war and occupation of Iraq , were government contracts, such as those awarded to corporations like Halliburton. There is no exit plan because there is yet in place the ways and means to make profits and because the First Bush election and Republican campaign was the most expensive in history with big promises to big industries .

In 2004, Bush had even larger contribuitions with even bigger promises. As you read the names and associated vast donation sums, we must wonders just how much profit can be made in Iraq? Profits increase along with the death numbers.

Unrestricted capitalism corrupts itself from within and allows corporate greed to reign over democractic rights. Unrestricted capitalism knows no boundary of moral and ethical values supporting a greater and more civil society.

Unrestricted capitalism combined with the unethical management of a government accused of traitorous deceits and lies, should give the average citizen at least pause in their daily media distraction(s) However, even if one wishes to pause, there is still the issue of "selective" reportage and what is made available. Media coverage and reportage continues to be controlled by wealthy media conglomerates and continues to be selective in what it provides.

Unrestricted capitalism as endorsed by wealthy Republicans and Democrats seems to encourage slanted and directed news. Sometimes it even means little or no reportage of news with actual figures and statistics.

Unrestricted capitalism encouraged by faith-based government presents a narrow and prepaid point of view, a commercial for more unrestricted capitalism.

Unrestricted capitalism becomes unethical and exploits the poor and the working poor and the average working citizen who pays into a system whereby they are fed media lies and excuses instead of real jobs with real health care. It is really quite a simple deduction: how much will the war in Iraq cost the average citizen? And what price for our sons and daughters?

Let those on Capitol Hill invest and send their sons and daughters off to support democracy and Halliburton. Let those who wish such profit provide the means. Let them buy "war bonds" in the millions for the Corporate States of America.

Imagine my collective shame , as an American, to have representatives , faith based or otherwise , in the highest office of the land, assigned to take class in ethics and morals.?!

They do NOT represent me. I want to invest in "Peace Bonds"

Mary La Rosa

November 5, 2005

Mary La Rosa is a librarian/artist who can be heard drumming for Peace in NYC area