by Ben Heine / MWC NEWS

Add this to the puritanical, Christian fundamentalism permeating America, and we have a volatile mix, enough to keep the masses complacent and/or in perpetual fear.  The Founding Fathers, in envisioning the separation of Church and State, were not far removed from centuries of religious wars in Europe; a secular republic, in which all worshipped freely, seemed the ideal compromise. Indeed, both politics and religion thrive when one is not constrained by the other. During the last half century, however, the Christian right has emerged as a force in politics, driving a brutal, hypocritical agenda of material wealth, blatant elitism, power, and disregard for domestic and international law. George W. Bush and his corporate cohorts, with flaming religious fervour and zero spirituality, have pushed faith-based principles onto Americans – thereby successfully distracting from the real agenda. Here lies Jefferson’s hypocrisy half.

Pro-life (anti-choice), no stem cell research on “moral” grounds, Intelligent Design and creationism vs. evolution, abstinence based sex education, a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and woman only, attacks on science in favour of religion, a male dominated society – all serve as lightning rods for heated social debate. With values traced to Biblical origins, we tilt towards a theocracy. But in a world of outsourcing, a decrease in real income, increased housing prices, child poverty, a struggling educational system, reduced benefits, a fractured health care delivery system, global warming, Katrina, random violence, illegal wars, curtailing of civil liberties (Patriot Act, FISA violations), flouting the Geneva Conventions and international law – why are “values” so important? Why have they disproportionately dominated the Bush administration?

The answer is both simple and complex. Such distractions amuse the corporate elite. The wealthy become wealthier and the middle class become, well, poor. Despite a long history of free market, often cutthroat, capitalism, generations of Americans have expected and experienced standard of living increases. Not so anymore. If Americans are preoccupied with dissecting the godless horror of evolution, it is much easier to create a corporate structure that serves the wealthy. The Iraq War is a case in point: while we argue about who should marry, oil companies, desperate to secure that country’s natural reserves, receive no bid contracts. Subcontractors see a lucrative, if dangerous, market. This has led the United States to an official policy of global domination, exacted by military means: the infamous 1992 Defence Planning Guidance  report (Cheney, Libby, Wolfowitz, et al.), while rejected, foreshadowed the 2000 document Rebuilding America’s Defences: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century .

Such documents reveal reality: rather than “liberating” the benighted Middle East from fundamentalism, the United States must exercise military control of strategic locations for security reasons and economic control. 9/11, of course, boosts popular support for these plans.

Despite this, a sliver of hope is emerging. Last November’s election results, although ineffectual, nonetheless signalled a fierce desire for change. Bush’s brutality and indifference to the suffering of both Americans and Iraqis has finally worn thin; support is flagging.

Impeachment of Bush and Cheney is, of course, necessary, but it is only a first step; it does not guarantee removal from office, unless followed by charges. Although politically difficult, there are more than enough legal grounds, particularly if one considers Clinton’s impeachment for lying about sex under oath. The Constitution defines treason and bribery, but also references the still argued “high crimes and misdemeanours”.

What about deliberately misleading Americans on Iraq’s WMD? Invading a sovereign nation on the specious grounds of a pre-emptive war? Outing Valerie Plame to punish Joe Wilson? Linking al-Qaeda with Saddam Hussein? The Patriot Act? Misleading Canadian authorities to deport Maher Arar to Syria? Abu Ghraib? Flouting the Geneva Conventions and international law? Concentrating power in the executive branch? What about simply telling the truth on topics vital to national and international interest?

And why, when exposed as a liar, does George W. Bush simply not care?

Impeachment is not enough. Our society is in need of a political and economic overhaul. We need to align civic duty with genuine compassion, the desire to make a better world. We need, by legal means, to hold our leaders accountable. We need the empowerment of grassroots movements, using tools such as civil disobedience, meetings, formal pressure on representatives. Alternate voices must be heard at local venues as well as Capitol Hill. We must demand more of the mainstream media – truth in reporting, critical analysis without political bias, images of Iraqi and American dead – in order to make informed decisions. Our entire society needs to shift from a materialistic, elitist theocracy living by outdated norms of colonialism to a truly progressive one, where the dignity of all, regardless of nationality, is honoured.   

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