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June 1, 2007 at 11:15:30
Cadet Repudiates Cheney at West Point Ceremony by Dan DeWalt Page 1 of 1 page(s) |
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Cadet Repudiates Cheney at West Point Ceremony I spoke with someone who attended the graduation ceremony at West Point where Dick Cheney gave the commencement speech. Cheney then stood on stage and shook hands with each of the 1000 graduates: wait, make that 999. Because one courageous and principled cadet faced Cheney, looked him up and down, decided not to offer his hand and walked on. Cheney was visibly taken aback, and turned to glare after the parting cadet. (We can only imagine the repercussions that this cadet may now face.) A West Point cadet is the epitome of honor, duty and respect. That this graduate was willing to show the assembled gathering that he would not deign to honor this dishonorable Vice President with a handshake should have sent tremors of excitement through the crowd. This is probably the first time in six years that anyone has had the temerity and honesty to face down the man whom we could arguably call the Big Evil. Cheney should be getting this treatment from every person he encounters, as should Bush, Gonzales, Rice and the rest of this renegade administration. Of course, these corrupted leaders have insulated themselves from almost any contact with the general public, to the extent of even blocking off the side streets as their armored motorcades (reminiscent of images of dictator governments the world over) take them from home to work. If they were regularly exposed to common Americans they would discover that there are many who would dare to tell them that this emperor has no clothes. This dovetails beautifully with a recent call by Scott Ritter for Americans to “repudiate” this administration and its policies. Unfortunately, Ritter feels compelled to preface his call with an imperfect and misleading understanding of impeachment efforts, leading him to dismiss the idea and call for repudiation instead. However, repudiation, as explained by Ritter, is more of a concept than a plan for action. How exactly do we go about it and how does it have an effect? The point he misses is that impeachment, a formalized and proscribed Constitutional method to curb executive abuse, is the perfect complement and comrade to whatever “repudiations” that we can muster. 
Very few of us will be given such a golden opportunity, as was this cadet to repudiate this administration. But we now need to ask ourselves, what do we have available? How can we take a stand every day in every act we take that says, No More Business as Usual? How can we turn our everyday acts into statements of defiance and patriotic dissent? We need to start to look at the connections behind every transaction or exchange that we make. We need to explain to every clerk who takes our money that we are sliding into early stages of fascism and they need to be worried. We need to figure out how to disrupt business as usual in our own neighborhoods. It is likely that any disruptions of business or blockading streets, flash mobbing town council meetings etc. will inconvenience and even anger some folks who are not directly responsible for the current occupation and erosion of rights. But at this point in the game, that will be a necessary cost of dissent. We need everybody to be angry. If they have to start by being angry at us for bringing this to their attention in an uncomfortable way, so be it. As they see how widespread our discontent is, and they understand how many of us are only going to escalate the disruptions, annoyances and inconveniences, they will start to understand the reasons behind our actions.
The next time that you say to yourself that “this isn’t the time to mention the occupation or constitutional crimes because it’s not the right setting”, know that you are fooling yourself. From today onward, there is no place where loud dissent is inappropriate. We need to make ourselves ungovernable, pure and simple. Let the bravery of one West Point cadet be your inspiration to take this struggle out of your heart and put in on the table front and center wherever you may be.
Democratic leaders like John Conyers are starting to soften their resistance to the calls for impeachment. They are asking us to show them that we really want accountability. We can make daily life so uncomfortable and unpredictable that impeachment will be a welcome balm to smooth the roiling waves. We can’t hold investigations and file articles of impeachment ourselves, but we must show our representatives that we no longer consent to be governed by them as they now operate.
It is time for a Constitutional Restoration. It is up to us to make it happen.
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| 9 comments |
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The courage of one
The proper way would be to find out the name of that person and ( of course, with his permission) to name the anti-war section after him. We did have those situations before. There was that poet who refused to attend the dinner witrh Bush saying that ' I do not want to break bread with you'. There are Cindy Sheehan and Efren Watada. There is Scott Ritter, obviously and Vincent Bugliosi, the glory of the US jurisprudence. Yes, the spirit of Atticcus Finch still lives in the USA. Only we don't protect it anymore. It is an endangered species. by Mark Sashine (72 articles, 19 quicklinks, 269 diaries, 4103 comments [131 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Friday, Jun 1, 2007 at 2:07:02 PM  (0+)
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Nonsense
We were at the graduation to see our neice graduate. This did not happen. All the cadets were polite and certainly did not refuse to shake hands. Another thing; get your story straight. There were 978 graduates, not 1000. by LaMan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Friday, Jun 1, 2007 at 9:56:04 PM (0+)
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Graduations
I've been to enough graduations to know that only a truly strange person watches every single person going throught the hand shake process. You watch YOUR relative in the stands, talk to the people you're with, look at the program. The above comment is not credible regarding the non-observation of the cadet. The count is no big deal, but thanks for the correction. by Rob Kall (955 articles, 4178 quicklinks, 374 diaries, 2091 comments [50 recommended, 3 rejected]) on Saturday, Jun 2, 2007 at 10:47:33 PM (0+)
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Reply: See for yourself
Go to the West Point site and watch the film. It DID NOT happen. by LaMan (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments) on Sunday, Jun 3, 2007 at 8:57:32 PM (0+)
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To many neocons blinded by the light
Have not noticed any other postings or opt ed by people who have gone to West Point. I have not seen any by their Mothers or fathers until after they are killed in the needless and Illegal War in Irag. The ones that do support the War, in my opinion have not been in the miltarty or have not had bother sent off to Vietnam. I did some fact checking for a candidate and found this out. by Gareece (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 46 comments) on Sunday, Jun 3, 2007 at 8:40:24 AM (0+)
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Repudiates
In the U.S. today it is dangerous to repudiate the evil power which is in control of the country, just witness the foolish gentleman who actually believed you could tell the Vice-president the truth as he saw it and told him so on the street. The gentleman was promptly arrested and taken off in hand cuffs leaving his very young son behind. Talk about tyranny in action! Uh, uh, you voted the Grotesque Old Party into power and you have to suffer the consequences. by Archie (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1761 comments [112 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Jun 3, 2007 at 1:58:35 PM (0+)
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A Brave Lieutenant Indeed
Thank you for your story. I have not seen anything about it in the mainstream media or on the several military or veteran websites that I subscribe to. He is a very brave soldier. He may be subject to disciplinary action, including court-martial, since although the vice president is not technically in the Army's Chain of Command, his actions may be interpreted as disrespectful to a superior member of government and therefore construed as Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer and Gentleman/Lady under the provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Please keep us updated. by Kenneth Barr (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 107 comments) on Monday, Jun 4, 2007 at 6:06:12 AM (0+)
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Cadet/Cheney Story
Dan- Impeachment is not a a formalized and "proscribed" Constitutional method to curb executive abuse. Bill by albury smith (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 401 comments) on Monday, Jun 4, 2007 at 6:49:33 AM (0+)
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someone's ideology is showing
In the original article Dan DeWalt says he "... spoke with someone who attended the graduation ceremony at West Point...", while LaMan tells us he was actually there. For some reason Dan DeWalt's second-hand account is more credible than LaMan's eyewitness report that no such incident took place. As LaMan suggests, we could go to the West Point website and see for ourselves. But then we couldn't all phantasize about the evil VP being snubbed in public by a very 'courageous' - but very imaginary - cadet. The decorum and dignified bearing and good manners of the West Point Cadet are legendary. Public disrespect to a Vice-President of the U.S.? Never happened. by tim bristol (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 28 comments) on Friday, Jun 8, 2007 at 4:17:48 PM (0+)
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