I am bitter that this administration gutted the nation's regulatory apparatus for the sole purpose of boosting industry profit margins, resulting first in the mortgage meltdown and more recently safety maintenance chaos in the airline industry.
I am bitter that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's unnecessary and illegal war in Iraq has gotten 4000 other people's children killed while their daughters have been allowed uninterrupted lives of privilege and safety.
I am bitter that this administration has treated the US Constitution and Bill of Rights as though they were suggestions rather than the sacred law of the land.
I am bitter that this administration placed one of the nation's most powerful agencies of government, the Department of Justice, in the hands of a man. Alberto Gonzales, who's only claim to fame is that he was unqualified, unprincipled and underhanded.
I am bitter that congress has shown neither the patriotism or guts to step up to their constitutional duty to impeach members of this administration for breaking existing laws, violating our civil rights and showing utter contempt for the separations of powers mandated in the US Constitution.
But most of all I am bitter that it appears almost certain that the criminal acts committed by members of this administration will go unpunished. That they will indeed get away with it all. And that that will set a precedent for the next George W. Bush-type who finagles his/her way into the Oval Office.
Those are the reasons I'm bitter. And it you're one of those folks Hillary and McCain keep assuring me are "not bitter," I have only one question for you:
Stephen Pizzo has been published everywhere from The New York Times to Mother Jones magazine. His book, Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans, was nominated for a Pulitzer.
What a valuable contribution to the conversation. I only hope for your sake this is some kind of joke post and not a true reflection of the author's grasp on either reality or the English language.
by
Stephen Pizzo (85 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 26 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 4:58:57 PM
regarding the hlg post, I must deal with both, in my job
as an esl teacher in China. It makes you wonder where-ever did some come up with such notions, and trying to make sense of what they want to convey can be extremely challenging.
Be bitter when the need arises, but don't let it harden your heart. Which is difficult to do with the choice of candidates we have to choose from.
That's why I'm voting for Mike, the congressman from Alaska, who is the only one promising to pull out of Iraq when elected.
by
Stanimal (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 392 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 5:22:27 PM
bitterness is thought of as something abnormal in American society and, indeed, it once was when there were jobs to support a modest lifestyle on one wage.
But Washington has contrived to do away with the warmth and support of a middle-class life and they have been well paid to do it. Now they're angry and lash out at Obama as 'elitist' for noticing. He was on Chicago's south side while others were elsewhere. He is absolutely correct on the issue of bitterness.
by
Jim Freeman (108 articles, 40 quicklinks, 180 diaries, 350 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 6:24:13 PM
Yep, bitter am I also, and, truth be told, so are most of the folks I know.
Bitter that I was too poor last year to qualify for the rebate for the 'poorest of the poor'.
Bitter that Social Security effectively goes down each year due to manipulating the inflation figures, upping the medicare charges and needing a supplemental policy just to hope to cover things.
Bitter that there are only no physicians within 200 miles of where I live who will accept medicare
Bitter about cronyism over qualified leaders.
Bitter about drugs in the public water supplies and a degrading environment.
Bitter about shrinking food kitchens.
So? So, I'll remember.
by
Christopher Wright (16 articles, 2 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 29 comments)
on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 8:54:33 PM
I'm bitter that the Republicans taught the American public that if the government creates laws and regulation to enable big corporations to make ever larger profits that these busisnesses will hire more Americans that will bring prosperity to everyone.
I'm bitter that this administration enabled the big corporations to take over the main stream media in order to control what information the public sees and hears. The media was used as the propaganda machine to sell the American people and the Congress on a war against terrorism; and then to use that "war against terrorism" as justification for all sorts of evil purposes.
I'm bitter that this administration has tried to censor scientific reports to deny that global warming is happening; putting the world in severe danger in order to keep big oil, big coal, big energy, and big automobile companies from being threatened.
I'm bitter that Congress has sold out to big coorporations so that they are no longer a Government of the people; instead a Government of the big corporations.
I'm bitter that big corporations care only about profits and are acting in ways that cause the American worker to loose their jobs, homes, health care, pensions, and even safe food and clean water.
I'm bitter that the President said he doesn't care what the American public thinks nor what the Congress thinks; that he is the decider and will do whatever he wants.
I'm bitter that we the people elected our representatives to Congress with a mandate to end the war in Iraq; and nothing happened. Our Congressional representatives are not listening to the American people.
Most of all I am bitter that the Bush administration has smeared the reputation of the United States of America. America is seen throughout the world as The Evil Empire trying to take over the entire world. Attempting to gain control over the oil resources of Iraq (and threatening to do the same in Iran) by military force. The Bush administration did not care that the UN inspectors found NO weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The bush administration does not care that intelligence has found NO evidence that Iran has a necular weapons program. That the Bush administration is the only country that refuses to sign the accords to limit greenhouse gas emissions. I used to be proud to be an American; but because of Bush my country's reputation has been ruined; and I am bitter about that.
by
Philip Pease (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 110 comments)
on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 9:15:51 AM
I am bitter and fighting mad...it is time for REAL American's draw a line in the asphalt in the beltway and if need be run the streets red with blood once again...otherwise we will be the new slaves to the old republic.
by
Michael Morris (17 articles, 0 quicklinks, 14 diaries, 297 comments)
on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 10:00:22 AM
It is not about this administration, it's every administration since the founding of the Trilateral Commission in 1973 that has led us down the globalized path of free trade, and sent American jobs abroad. They have turned a productive economy into a financial services economy, which creates GDP growth with a credit-market-debt bubble that is profitable to the CEO's on Wall Street but does not do much for the real economy and the working class who live in it..
Bush's mission, after the previous 30 years of dismantling constitutional government has been to ruin the image of America as a benign or even a good superpower, show the world why democracy can not be relied on the protect human rights (look what happened in America), and to ultimately bankrupt America and plunge the world into a global depression, if not another world war , and set the stage for one world totalitarian government by the same monsters who rule us today, pulling the strings of those provisional leaders while hiding behind the curtain. His ability to do so was facilitated by his image as a man of god to dupe the Christian Right into support for policies that are more in line with Satan, much as the German policies his grandaddy helped finance 60 years earlier.
Obama, Hillary or McCain will just continue the destruction. Backing Obama are TLC members Volcker and Brzezinski. Backing McCain is Kissinger, Greenspan and Lieberman. Backing Hillary is Albright, Richard Holbrooke and Robert Rubin. There is no change here. All of these people are responsible for the last 35 years of wars, crony capitalism, and the destruction of the American middle class, to be followed by Americas sovereignty. Kissinger was said to have remarked in the 2007 Bilderberger meeting that in America they consider those against globalization to be the terrorists. Thats because he knows that when people wake up and find out what that globalization is all about, we might have Homegrown Terrorism, because it is going to mean a drastic lowering in standard of living for Americans. Thats why they have set up a global police state apparatus. They are not worrried about terrorism, they are the terrorists.
They justify it publicly over the need to preserve resources and protect the planet. Peak oil and man made global warming are both hoaxes, brought to you from the globalization movement, which is directly responsible for the food crisis today. Oil and Food prices are high because the Oil and agribusiness cartels, assisted with the financial speculators in our finance industry cartel and a government that looks the other way, because they want a global financial and food crisis to get people to accept Global Government and fulfill their neo-malthusian goal to depopulate the world. Thirty years ago Kissinger predicted that "Americans will one day welcome UN troops in LA" to provide security and stability. As Bush might say, Mission almost Accomplished.
by
pft (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 296 comments)
on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 3:54:39 AM
"More reasons for being bitter...that the Bush administration has smeared the reputation of the United States of America. America is seen throughout the world as The Evil Empire trying to take over the entire world. Attempting to gain control over the oil resources of Iraq (and threatening to do the same in Iran) by military force..."
kind of reminds me of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC) (http://www.newamericancentury.org). I've never come across that term in the mainstream media - only on the web. Note who the members were(are). Makes you wonder...
by
truthsearcher (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 3 comments)
on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 7:38:15 AM
I am so glad that Stephen wrote the piece, and others of you have supported his positioin with your own reasons for bitterness.
And, I want you to consider this: There are a lot of us out here, who are long ago retired, worried to death now about having enough to eat, trying to pay our taxes, keeping our homes warm and buy medicine, and we've moved beyond the bitterness, to an even worse position. We are now overwhelmed and heartsick, because we no longer have the physical stamina, and in many cases, the mental ability, to get out on the front lines and do battle with the selfish idiots who run our country through big money, big corporations, big religion and big government - now, unfortunately, the dominating crowd.
So, we suffer in silence. For all of us who fall into this never-talked-about group,(and you may be surprised to know how many of us there are) we only hope you will know that we are with you, as best we can be. And, in our golden years, we are sad - very sad - that what we worked so hard for, has now all gone to the rich and powerful elite.
We long for an America again, where folks really care for each other.
by
im4unity (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 44 comments)
on Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 1:36:27 PM
