The Scarlett Letter D

[Generator]

Well, now, the time is getting late. I will never vote for a Republican. Will I vote for an Independent, maybe. I know they have no power, and very little voice, even if they have buckets of integrity.

There are moments, when the Dems really really tried, and slept overnight, and the fucking loyalist Republicans WHO KNOW that Bush and his whole administration are corrupt and just plain incompetent on Iraq and so much more, STILL and always side with him. They are so complicit in the downfall of this country that I will never forgive them, my highest scorn will abide with those that call themselves Republican and remain loyal to Bush and any of his cronies. They have no honor. NONE.

But.but but… I have this husband of a friend that always has claimed to be an “Independent.” Now, I’ve always been suspect of those that call themselves independent. To me it has been mostly, and now, with the lowest approval ratings for any President ever, a code word, for “I don’t want to admit I vote/voted Republican.” The shame. The stigma. It’s always been for those that like to think they are secretly open minded and savy. But if you’ve voted Republican in the last thirty years, I seriously doubt that claim. If you've been voting for Idpendents instead of Democrats especially with Bush in there-then this has nothing to do with you. You never believed in this party anyway.

But now, I don’t want that label of Democrat upon me. It brings me too much sorrow-to say I am of the party that enables, ignores, is complicit with silence, with tacit approval as Congress has made itself irrelevant-see this beautiful letter from the 9/11 widows::

http://www.carolcivicvoice.org/index_politics_september11.htm


The Bush Administration has repeatedly told us that American troops are fighting to spread democracy in Iraq. Ironically, here in America we seem to be losing the core principles that make us one. Mr. Gonzales’ testimony and the Administration’s refusal to have key people testify at the hearings, without any accountability, make a mockery of our system of checks and balances. We are supposed to have three equal branches of government: the Executive, Judicial and Legislative. While they are often on opposite sides of an issue, the three branches are to be unified in the maintenance of American civil liberties, not working in concert to covertly undermine and rescind them. Again, no one branch is supposed to have absolute power, nor should any combination of the other two be cowed or manipulated into consensus against the interests of the American people.
And, while we support these inquiries and applaud your patience and attempts to solicit truthful and substantive answers to your questions during all of the Gonzales hearings, it was disconcerting to watch the disdainful contempt that the Attorney General exhibited for the entire process.
Sadder still, it appears that you are becoming unwittingly complicit in your own undoing. It is evident that what we are watching is the U.S. Congress in the process of making itself irrelevant. When the Executive Branch alone is allowed to act without any oversight, or any accountability, then what we will become is a dictatorship. And once all Americans realize that Congress is unable to perform any oversight, whether it is due to lack of will or complicity, you will no longer be needed. Once it becomes apparent that the Executive Branch is not only making the laws but also deciding which laws to follow, the Congress will be just a quaint, unnecessary and useless artifact.
This Administration, aided and abetted by some members of Congress, has repeatedly deceived the American people by allowing the Executive Branch to ignore the rule of law and divisions of power specifically stated in the Constitution. This Administration’s “constitutionally and legally challenged” activities include, but are certainly not limited to: taking America into a pre-emptive war on false pretenses, warrantless wiretapping, illegal torture, and the political firing of attorneys. Where are those who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and are supposed to represent us in our government … our Congress?


~
I thought the Democrats stood for me. For the constitution. For human rights. For workers. For the poor. But I have witnessed things and become aware of things in the last six years that make me doubt all of it. YES, there are GREAT Americans-even politicians that are Democrats. I still believe they do want the best. Some here despise Kerry for instance, (the IWR vote) but I believe he has done what he BELIEVES is the right thing-even though I think he ultimately is wrong. Letting the election of 2004 go will be his legacy.

Challenging the legitimacy of that election was probably the most important thing he could have ever done for this country. I remember Keith Olbermann on Friday, Novermber 5th, (“Mr. Kerry, please don’t leave the country yet") he was going to Iraq I believe. But you know, Democracy was dying here. I can forgive, but I can’t ignore. I believe that moment, the “political capital” that Bush fooled the world into thinking he had “earned” was nothing more than denying hundreds of thousands of American the right to either vote or have their vote counted-MOST of them, Americans of color.

So many of us Democrats stand with the bile in our throats honestly believing that George W. Bush was never rightly elected in two elections.

Which brings me to Chairman Conyers. He is the one politician that has brought me hope in this time. He wrote a book outlying what really happened in Ohio and the election of 2004. He has stood with the righteous for decades. I don’t know what happened in his office with Cindy Sheehan and the rest, I will reserve judgement.

I don’t know what he has done in regards to impeachment. I don’t know who-or what is impeding him. I don’t know if he honestly believes it can’t be achieved and is wasted energy. I won’t judge him.

But I will say, if the rest of those with D’s behind their name allow all the abuses and law breaking to stand, I will never be able to call myself a Democrat again. Just like the “Independent” friend. I’m ashamed. I probably continue to vote Democratic, just as I have my whole life. But I won’t be claiming it. I don’t know when or if that day will come again. I don’t see it happening. I can’t pretend to be in denial and believe that the holy grail-the NEXT election will change things. Obviously we need to clone a few hundred John Conyers and Cindy Sheehans-but the fact that they are so rare is the point of why some of us admire them so much.

I’m not leaving the party. It left me. I never understood that dramatic crap anyway-are you issued little cards for this, are you canceling your dues? What is this leaving thing? Yeah, there is the Democratic registration. No, I won’t change to Independent. I will either not vote-or vote Democratic in the primary, the same with the general election. There is no independent party that has ever been that much to me.

The Democrat party WAS that much to me.

So it goes.