As a Political Junkie, whenever there is a Congressional "Town Hall" meeting in my district, I take the opportunity to go. The Downing Street Memo is so tied to Karl Rove's Outing of an undercover CIA agent for pure, spiteful revenge, one can't sneeze without the other hiccupping.
So, on Saturday, a clear, blue, 90-degree day in Detroit, when I would have rather been elsewhere (like sitting in an air-conditioned room watching a re-run of good times), I crowded into the Wayne State University law school auditorium, to hear what representative John Conyers had to say about the DSM, Karl Rove's implication in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, and other stuff.
My first thought was that, although the theater was packed, and many were standing, more people should have been there to ask questions and get information about what's going on inside the Beltway that you are not going to get from the MSM (or what's passing for the mainstream media these days). My second thought was me sitting there, fuming, at the apathy of my friends and colleagues, when I told them about this Town Hall Meeting.
" You should come with me to find out how the President has lied, manipulated evidence and events to facilitate attacking Iraq, and how he's now trying to cover it up", I said, with a catch in my voice.
"I'm not into that 'political' stuff. Leave me out of it", said a friend. But another good friend of mine who I will call K took me on the offer and the two of us brave the humid Michigan weather to listen and participate in “the political stuff” that the other friends derided.
I wept with the frustration that the "political" stuff are decisions being made in our name as American citizens, that are basically screwing up our communities, our very lives, the lives of our loved ones; our children. The "political" stuff is resulting in a one-party government, fascist dictatorship in a democratic land, and the rich getter richer on the backs of, and at the expense of, the poor, working-class and downtrodden.
Despite my friends' apathy, K and I went to spend our day on “Downing Street”, anyway. One day, I hope he will thank us for it, but I won't hold my breath. You never know what you have until it's gone, and thanks to Bush, it may be gone sooner than you think if this Administration is not stopped.
After getting through with the parking nightmare (seven blocks away from the theater and hoping our cars were not in a tow-away zone), we made it to the auditorium. The place was full to capacity. My friend and I had to make do by sitting on the floor. Yeah …it is that many people out there but I wish for more. I was encouraged by many who came, and said that they'd invited friends to attend and got virtually the same responses I did. So, we all bonded in solidarity, Jew and Gentile, African-American, Latino, White, Asian - wealthy and just-getting-by; children, and the elderly, who still have the wisdom to pass on to those of us who think we know everything. We united on common ground - the right to know the truth, and the right to hold our elected officials accountable for what they are doing in our name.
For every one of my "apathetic" friends who aren't into "political stuff" but will some day be screaming about the loss of social benefits as a result of the government's robbing of Peter to pay Paul, about the loss of civil liberties, K and I will continue to stand in your stead, because we want our country back.
So, on Saturday, a clear, blue, 90-degree day in Detroit, when I would have rather been elsewhere (like sitting in an air-conditioned room watching a re-run of good times), I crowded into the Wayne State University law school auditorium, to hear what representative John Conyers had to say about the DSM, Karl Rove's implication in the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame, and other stuff.
My first thought was that, although the theater was packed, and many were standing, more people should have been there to ask questions and get information about what's going on inside the Beltway that you are not going to get from the MSM (or what's passing for the mainstream media these days). My second thought was me sitting there, fuming, at the apathy of my friends and colleagues, when I told them about this Town Hall Meeting.
" You should come with me to find out how the President has lied, manipulated evidence and events to facilitate attacking Iraq, and how he's now trying to cover it up", I said, with a catch in my voice.
"I'm not into that 'political' stuff. Leave me out of it", said a friend. But another good friend of mine who I will call K took me on the offer and the two of us brave the humid Michigan weather to listen and participate in “the political stuff” that the other friends derided.
I wept with the frustration that the "political" stuff are decisions being made in our name as American citizens, that are basically screwing up our communities, our very lives, the lives of our loved ones; our children. The "political" stuff is resulting in a one-party government, fascist dictatorship in a democratic land, and the rich getter richer on the backs of, and at the expense of, the poor, working-class and downtrodden.
Despite my friends' apathy, K and I went to spend our day on “Downing Street”, anyway. One day, I hope he will thank us for it, but I won't hold my breath. You never know what you have until it's gone, and thanks to Bush, it may be gone sooner than you think if this Administration is not stopped.
After getting through with the parking nightmare (seven blocks away from the theater and hoping our cars were not in a tow-away zone), we made it to the auditorium. The place was full to capacity. My friend and I had to make do by sitting on the floor. Yeah …it is that many people out there but I wish for more. I was encouraged by many who came, and said that they'd invited friends to attend and got virtually the same responses I did. So, we all bonded in solidarity, Jew and Gentile, African-American, Latino, White, Asian - wealthy and just-getting-by; children, and the elderly, who still have the wisdom to pass on to those of us who think we know everything. We united on common ground - the right to know the truth, and the right to hold our elected officials accountable for what they are doing in our name.
For every one of my "apathetic" friends who aren't into "political stuff" but will some day be screaming about the loss of social benefits as a result of the government's robbing of Peter to pay Paul, about the loss of civil liberties, K and I will continue to stand in your stead, because we want our country back.
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