Democratic Statements

I

Starfire applauds the majority decisions of the USA, to eject the Republican dellusionists from their posts as fully as is currently possible and to say 'enough is enough' to their imperialist pretensions. This action shows not just the ability of the US citizens to see through media smokescreens designed to protect their rulers from criticism, but also the wisdom of this great nation's founding fathers; enshrining a balance of power, to prevent too much from accumulating in one branch of government to the detriment of the nation as a whole. I can only hope that things do indeed get better, if not in Iraq then at least in terms of the West's relationship with that part of the world. Soldiers dying to make the world a better place is hard to accept, but at least makes sense; soldiers dying in a situation which they simply can't improve makes no sense whatever. Let the tide of bloodletting be stopped. Let sense prevail.

Yet, also, forget not the powerful forces in the maelstrom of this crisis- those in the oil and arms industries, who no matter what dream of increasing their profits. Talk of conspiracies and secretive religious groups cannot be simply put aside whilst evidence of their manipulations continues to mount. Somewhere between paranoia and naivety lies the truth, something which we will have to fight just as hard for as in any previous struggle that we have faced, against those who seek to hide it from the public eye.

We who witnessed the spread of the poison of tyranny into America's veins throughout the
Clinton era, with it's seeping dictatorial tendencies, cannot just sit back and accept a mere appeasement of populist desires on one particular issue. A deep and total resurgence of democracy and respect for human rights is needed- the possibility of an overt coup de ta still exists and our main defense against this is by continuing to unearth the truth. We must keep any such scandalous notions as dictatorship remain just that- unthinkably wrong and something that, no matter the manipulation, something the US citizens would not countenance, remaining instead loyal to the constitution. Rumours of vast, secret prison-camps and the fanatical implementation of Patriot Act or similarly unconstitutional legislation are currently just that, but in the current environment we would be foolish to in any way relax our vigilance.

II

The constitution is very clear in it's banning of cruel and unusual (sadistic) punishments for all and any crime. It would seem that the media and right-wing forces are trying to amend this restriction of their own accord, but they must be reminded of the binding nature of constitutional law and that any breach of it is merit-less vigilante-ism. Liberalism and a strong line against any threats to Liberalism will persevere and save the US from the horrendous fates of it's southern neighbours.

However, Starfire has detected certain strands in the media trying to make torture an acceptable practice in the 'war on terror', a 'war' which may well be forged by secretive groups in the midst of the US itself, creating a phantom menace so as to have an excuse for an 'endless war'; one unwinnable, yet self-justifying. As such, it does very much seem that the following of the constitution is in real peril and that more severe breaches may follow- something the general public is currently being 'softened up' for by so-called conservatives, who are anything but guardians of the established constitutional and legitimate order, demonising it's democratic defenders. So, at the same time as seeking to preserve this order by exposing it's enemies in places high and low, we must lay the seeds of a movement to return to it should it, in fact, for a time, fall.

"Prepare for war, and you will have peace." "Freedom is not free." Such statements apply just as much to domestic freedoms and the legal battles to protect them, as to external conflicts. The intelligentsia of America will have to remember their duties to protect freedoms won from former imperialists in the surge of revolution, yet also to be guided by contemporary figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King- such battles should be entirely peaceful and principled affairs, appealing to the better instincts of our opponents and aiming to rescue them just as much from their delusions as we from their wrong-headed oppression.

Note 18/11/2006: The fact that Bush has contradicted those opposing the Iraq war by suggesting sending an additional 20,000 soldiers can only indicate his lack of respect for the poll's findings. Whether as Commander in Chief this is the responsible thing to do, lest the insurgents detect a lessening of resolve, is another matter, a line of reasoning that can't be used forever- he is clearly on the road of putting military fantasies ahead of democratic reasoning. Only time will tell if the democracy can resolve this.