Zen Hodgepodge: The Story So Far

It's Thursday, September 6, 2007. Congress is back in session, reports are being produced on Iraq and The Surge, and over the next two weeks or so, there will be an overall accounting of the War on Terror as it exists in Iraq. The White House, and General Petraeus, will try to put a positive spin on things, of course, so before that happens, it might be useful to look back to the beginnings here, and do a quick replay of the Bush Presidency and what we've learned. My intention is to recount only the highlights of what is common knowledge, and would be pretty much the accepted version from both sides of the fence, if pressed. Some will disagree with my interpretation, and a list compiled by a solitary blogger is certainly subject to error, and a shortage of niceties that would have been added with greater available resources. But this is my blog, and this is how I see it.

Elections: The elections that have placed George Bush in the White House are still in serious question, with allegations of unfair activities in Florida and elsewhere. The 5-4 Supreme Court decision that gave Bush the Presidency in 2000 was passed over the shocked objections of the minority opinion, and the Presidential Caravan that drove Bush to the White House in January 2001 was the only one in American history ever to be egged.

Politicization: The politicization of work-a-day government machinery was soon to be witnessed, with a never-ending stream of appointments that favored loyalty much above compentency, and a flood of decisions and policy statements running counter to equal opportunity, labor interests, and environmental concerns.

Tax cuts for the wealthy: The great era of tax cuts for the wealthy began, and while the average American's tax savings were minimal at best, those on top of the money pile reaped huge dividends.

9/11: September 11, 2001 shocked the whole world, and traumatized America. We'll never be quite the same, but we have changed in many ways since then, perhaps not for better.

The hunt for Osama: Osama bin Laden was identified as the mastermind in the attacks, and the Bush Administration declared war not just on the al-Qaeda terrorists, but on all nations who harbor terrorists on their soil. Military operations were directed against the country of Afghanistan and its Taliban government we once supported against Soviet incursions. The Taliban were routed, but bin Laden escaped in the mountains of Tora Bora, as we outsourced our advancing forces to Pakistan, and left escape routes open to its porous borders.

Iraq: The War on Terror lost sight of Osama bin Laden, and turned all its attention to Iraq. The execrable dictator of that country saw his infamous history trumpeted in shocked and angry tones by both government and media, spurious ties between Hussein and the ideologically incompatible al-Qaeda were presented, and highly questionable, discredited intelligence was cited in the 2003 State of the Union address, and Colin Powell's presentation to the U.N., to manufacture a case for war. Despite its full compliance with United Nations inspection teams, Bush and his neocons ran out of patience, and Shock and Awe commenced on March 20 with scant international support, and over the U.N's objection. A few weeks later, on May 1, Bush landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and, beneath a huge banner that read "Mission Accomplished", declared that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended".

The Occupation: The occupation of Iraq began with far fewer troops than had originally been recommended by the generals, but those generals had been summarily dismissed. The chaos that followed in Baghdad and elsewhere ran unabated, with American forces completely outnumbered by looters and thieves who stripped, not only the palaces, but museums and libraries, dismantling in one month the collected heritage of millenia. The occupation continued in an orgy of incompetence, with untold billions unaccounted for, mass weapons stockpiles looted and sold, and corruption whistleblowers tortured and harassed. Any remaining societal structures within Iraq were disbanded, and the country fell into poverty, unemployment, and despair, left with little but the weapons they had looted in the confusion.

Torture: Extraordinary measures were taken to capture and detain a variety of suspects, and the instruments of torture began to be used in systemic fashion in detention facilities around the world. The ACLU has to date received more than 100,000 pages direct from the government relating to these activities, and much more can be presumed to exist. The general public was made aware through leaked sources that produced items like the photos from Abu Ghraib, and White House opinions have been rendered through such documents as Alberto Gonzales' description of Geneva Conventions as "quaint", and other defenders of the effectiveness of what is termed, in a revival of the old Nazi phrase, "enhanced interrogation". Despite overwhelming and definitive refutations of such practices in terms of effectiveness as well as humaneness, the practice continues, and stands on its own as a damning indictment of any claim by the United States to a moral high ground.

The 9/11 Commission: The 9/11 Commission study of the tragic attack on American soil was delayed, mismanaged, and underfunded. Controlled with an iron hand by Bush insider Philip Zelikow, the result was insultingly inadequate in its attempt to answer the haunting questions about that time. Even the Commission's most urgent recommendations for protecting America in the future were largely ignored until recently, when the 110th Congress addressed it with new legislation. Public opinion overwhelmingly favors renewed and extended review of these events, and unanswered questions continue to nag at the conscience of a troubled world.

Elections 2004: War on Terror policies continued to dominate American government, and the Politics of Fear was increasingly used to stifle dissent. Alternative views were derided as un-American, surveillance and wiretapping machineries far surpassed legal boundaries and safeguards, and threats of attack helped manipulate the voters in 2004 to retain the incumbent, along with the famous Swift Boat attacks and more highly questionable activities in key states such as Ohio. Ohio voting records in question appear now to have been almost entirely, illegally, destroyed.

Treason: While the blasted country of Iraq hurtled further into anarchy and decline, some of the voices of dissenters gained wider audience, and reviews of mistaken or managed intelligence darkened the horizon. The details of a leak that revealed the identity of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson was investigated, and disturbing ties were discovered that led to the Vice President's office. It was difficult to perceive what occurred as anything less than treason, with repercussions damaging to large undercover groups, their contacts, and extended families. Deaths may well have occurred as a consequence of this outing, but the outrage was nearly overwhelmed by a cacophony of specious arguments shouted out on talk shows and press conferences, and investigations were totally obstructed by misleading statements and outright lies. The sole convicted official could only be charged with lying, the truth being shrouded by those very words, but Scooter's sentence was commuted by George Bush.

Katrina: Through the shadows of wars, threats, and suffering, the natural world strained to make itself heard. Long ignored for its warnings of melting icecaps and failing species, it hurled huge tsunamis and hurricanes at the most helpless accretions of its sprawling two-legged infestation. In the waterlogged city of New Orleans, thousands were made homeless within hours, and many left unevacuated from danger died or survived to be stung by ill treatment and neglect. Many thousands of poor remain homeless, and the arrogant, callous ineptitude of the White House and FEMA served to cement bitter feelings against an uncaring administration.

Elections 2006: Massive policy failure at home and abroad, and mounting pressure from exposures of corruption and sexual predation within the Republican majority gave a boost to Democrats in the 2006 election, and new hope dawned for proponents of peace and justice. A tentative majority was won in both the House and Senate, and leadership for committees and agenda passed to Democratic control. Investigations were launched, and progressive legislation advanced, including initiatives designed to end the war. Some small gains have been made, and much has been revealed from the oversight hearings, but the war in Iraq has only intensified.

Oversight: Oversight hearings have sharpened the conflict between the protagonists, while Bush, Cheney, Gonzales et al. refused time and again to provide information, or even consent to questioning in many cases. Alberto Gonzales, who could not refuse, offered instead a humiliating comedy of lies, faulty memory, and transparent incompetence. He and others, including political machinist Karl Rove, have left the White House with their papers and private thoughts still unrevealed.

Corruption and Secrecy: Investigations have shown a panorama of politically-slanted treatment of purportedly independent arms of government, from scientific reports to elections to federal prosecutors, and more. Exposure of long-standing mistreatment of veteran health issues was compounded by its intolerable worsening beneath the strains caused by incoming floods of war-wounded, and an initially obtuse and uncaring response. Against concerns about federal wiretapping, details surfaced of seamy encounters like the late-night visit to Attorney General Ashcroft's hospital bedside by Alberto Gonzales and Andy Card. With obvious intent to cajole a heavily medicated official into signing unconstitutional surveillance approvals, they were thwarted by both Acting AG James Comey, and the ailing Ashcroft himself. To punctuate an atmosphere tilting towards the bizarre, Vice President Cheney positioned himself as external to any Executive Branch connections, and refused to comply with any Executive Branch obligations of his office.

Obstruction: The Democratic majorities in Congress have been routinely obstructed, filibustered, and stonewalled from any measures that would have a major impact. Unable to muster sufficient strength in its progressive leadership, America's prospects for peace in the near term are dim, and threats to expand the war still further into Iran, and possibly elsewhere, continue to mount. American civil liberties are further eroded by wholesale approvals for unchecked surveillance and executive authorities. American government proceeds unabated on multiple fronts disapproved of by a distinct majority of citizens.

The Road Ahead: Despite commanding a counterinsurgency with approximately one-third of the needed forces General Petraeus specified in his own counterinsurgency manual, and knowing that, even with sufficient manpower, the effort could easily require a decade or more to bear fruit, the General and the Bush Administration expect to continue existing policies in Iraq for the immediate future. Looming just over the horizon is the spectre of expanded military action into Iran, a direction so irrationally out of sync with the capabilities of an American military stretched so far beyond its current means that what would seem a majority of ranking officers outside Iraq have painted a bleak picture of troop health and readiness for even continuing the current pace, much less accelerating. With that conflation of inconsistencies and personal distresses, we're up to date.

Behind this disturbing history of our still-young 21st century in America is a clear picture of two elements locked in mortal combat. They are the same ones depicted on all the pages of Howard Zinn's great classic People's History, and that conflict will likely be fought for a long time to come. It is to the advantage of large corporate interests, the new landed gentry of our time, to manipulate people with wars and fear and propaganda. It is the people who work by the sweat of their brow, whether of conservative or permissive mindset, that struggle against them, whether or not they are fully aware. The secrecy, arrogance, and callousness of those elements now in power show they are not our friends, and they don't wish to be. They torture, kill and lie, and do all with seeming impunity. They are not my heroes, and I hope they are not yours. I cannot look at the beginning of this modern era and see it as a course that needs no correction, nor, I think, do you.

See it, finally, for what it is. See them, finally, for what they are. Don't be afraid, and look around you. Most of us just want to do what's right.

P.S. Any similarities between these words, and those spoken recently by Osama bin Laden in his newest video, are simply disgusting. We don't want or need your help, Osama. If you are guilty of the crimes with which you're charged (on this blog, everyone is innocent until proven guilty), the only thing I want to hear from you is a cry of pain. If that's not very Zen, or very Christian, ask me if I care.