Article: Election Reflections

First of all, being a believer, I want to thank the Creator for the spirit of the American people, who on Tuesday went to the polls in droves to express their desire to overthrow the Bush regime. We the people refused to be terrorized by the "war on terror". We refused to put security ahead of freedom. We refused to believe the lies and follow the false shepherds. We refused to be hypnotized by propaganda. We woke up.

We also refused to allow the election to be stolen, despite all the GOP dirty tricks, which enabled them to steal the two previous presidential elections. Despite the gerrymandered districts, despite the voter disqualification, despite hackable machines, the people continue to believe in democracy, and understand its value, and exercise their right to vote.

The numbers voting against Bush and his corrupt cohorts in Congress was so overwhelming that the Democrats won both Houses. And the people were vigilant, they warned voters about dirty tricks, they watched the polls, they made sure that enough votes were counted accurately so that the will of the people would prevail. The people voted against Bush.

I'm thankful that the day was peaceful, unlike what happens in many other countries when an election is hotly contested. There were no riots, hardly any violent incidents; all was carried out in an orderly manner. Bush had no pretext to declare martial law.

Above all, I'm thankful for our Constitution, which continues to withstand the efforts of the Bush administration to belittle it, shred it, set it aside, ignore it, override it. Bush may have taken to himself the powers of a king, but he still abides by the forms of the Constitution, which gives ultimate authority to "we the people", through our elected representatives in Congress. And "we the people" spoke loudly on Tuesday, telling Bush that we want our country back.

All that being said, the battle is just beginning. Bush has made it clear that he wants the power of a dictator. He is counting on being able to work with the new Democratic leaders to continue to pursue his agenda, though perhaps not as smoothly as before. Nancy Pelosi has declared her eagerness to work with him. Impeachment is "not on the table". The Democratic Party is closely wedded to the GOP through their mutual interest in protecting corporate America. Both parties represent corporations, not "we the people".

The Democrats are now saying that we can't have impeachment because there is more important business to deal with, and the process would be too disruptive. I submit that there is nothing more important than getting this would-be dictator and his evil veep out of office. As long as they are in the White House, they will do everything they can to hold onto power and block efforts at reform. As long as they are there, they will find pretexts for continuing the military buildup and the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

And don't forget, Bush now has the power to declare martial law with almost any excuse, and turn the National Guard against the people without permission from the governers. He also can declare any one of us "an illegal enemy combatant", and "disappear" us without a trace, and with no legal rights whatsoever. He is still extremely dangerous. Only an immediate, vigorous move by the incoming Congress to impeach both Bush and Cheney and get them out of office- with a Democratic Senate as well, this can be done- will save us from fascism.

Somehow, it is taken as a foregone conclusion that Pelosi will become Speaker of the House.
In fact, this is not the case at all. The incoming Congress elects its own Speaker. The House Democrat with the most seniority is John Conyers, who has been the Congressional leader of the impeachment movement for the past few years. If he were Speaker, impeachment would be swift and certain.

Impeachment not only would rid us of the threat of dictatorship, it also could provide momentum for ridding Congress of corporate influence. The Bush White House has corrupted Congress almost beyond belief, through the Abramoff network of lobbyists, bribers and blackmailers. All this would come to light with an impeachment investigation, and Congress would once again be able to serve the people instead of enriching the corporations.

We have two months before the new Congress convenes, to let our newly elected Representatives know that we want impeachment. Ask your incoming Congressperson to nominate John Conyers as the new Speaker of the House. Tell your new Representative that impeachment is the first order of business.

Jn 2:13-16

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
http://www.usccb.org/nab/110906.shtml

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman