Coos County SSR

Here is a letter someone wrote to the editor of a small Coos County newspaper:

As the Coos County Democrats reflect on their first authentic caucus, I'm reminded of the people of Venezuela who elected their president leader, Huga Chavez. He was elected president of the country by the people with an overwhelming majority, but, within a few days a coup instigated by our CIA and that country's powerbrokers, removed him. However, the people, in numbers of over 1,000,000, marched in the streets of Caracas, demanding his return.

We, the people of the United States of America, also must rise up and unite to elect leaders who represent us, throwing aside those who represent big business, and oppress us through lies and filling us with fear.

Chavez has promoted councils throughout his country (communitywide assemblies), in every barrio, even in the poorest of the poor areas to give voice to the people, to teach them that they must participate in government to assure themselves of justice and the fulfillment of their rights. In our American way, we of Coos County, through our caucus, are making every effort to give voice to the people of this area.

Huga Chavez stated, "Latin America is leaving forever its role as the backyard of the North American empire." We, the Democrats of Coos County, want to forever eliminate the megalomaniac tyrannical power we have been subjected to these past six years, the kind that considers us insignificant, and thus trivializes our worth.

The progressive movements in Latin America, led by Hugo Chavez; Venezuela, are counting on the United States citizens to support them in building a new direction for all the countries of South and Central America, calling for "fair trade" instead of "free trade," and independence from Washington. They have gained a voice in their governments, whereas in the past, the U.S. government has silenced their voices.

Even the poor of Venezuela, living in shacks made of cardboard, have a voice in their government. It is our time to also recover our voices in our government, to demand our rights. That's why we had our own caucus.

I can only assume this person is a Bush-hater. I am no fan of many of his policies, they are too liberal for me. In fact, I am so far right of the Republicans, I quit their party. I disagreed with GWB's reasons for entering Iraq - not because I was following a party line, or because it was fashionable amongst the social circles in which I frequent, but because of what I feel are moral grounds based on my study of scripture and world history. The reasons for staying there is a subject for another blog.

I wonder if the author of this letter would approve of many of GWB's executive orders. I wonder if they would approve of the very idea of an executive order. I do not. The President should not have this sort of power. This is the sort of power a king has. Or a dictator. A President has veto power, not edict power. Mr Letter-Writer would disapprove of anything GWB did just because it was GWB doing it. I am sure the same or more criminal actions perpetrated by someone holding this man's same ideology would cause nary a batted eyelash.

But I wonder if this letter writer realizes that his Model Leader has had this same power by an "enabling act" which allows him to rule by decree on certain matters There was another famous 20th century figure who had this power.

Lionizing Hugo Chavez may be the first indicator that this guy is a nutball. I am quite sure that there are thousands if not millions of sycophants that follow bad leaders as well as good ones. Like Chavez, there is another historical figure of the 20th century that attempted a coup, failed, went to prison for it, and then eventually got himself elected leader of the government he had been trying to overthrow. See if you can look it up and figure it out. I would be surprised if the letter-writer could figure it out.

With regards to the United States: if this guy thinks that we have been under the thumb of a megalomaniac for only 6 years, he is demonstrating his crippling lack of historical perspective. This country has been under the influence of corrupt destabilizing forces from the beginning. Our bondage has happened gradually and carefully. We have been haltered with flaxen cords and are being led towards destruction. Meanwhile there are those who stridently fight to keep the cords around our necks and just as shrilly scream for more cords to be added.

It is ironic that this man calls for us to throw off our oppressors when his socialist ideas put in practice in our government are the very cause of our oppression.