Tuesday, December 20, 2005

A Shameful Act

I didn't follow your press conference yesterday, Bush. I was at the gym, and while their TV set was tuned to CNN, my elliptical walker was faced in the wrong direction to see the screen without twisting my head. But I caught a glimpse of you up thee, behind your podium. Oh, and saw a few clips that were rerun later, on the news. I particularly liked that bit about the "shameful act" of leaking the information about your authorization of secret spying on American citizens to the press. It must have been personally somewhat embarrassing to you, Bush, to have been revealed as someone who considers himself above the law. Not that it's any great surprise to those of us who have always seen that curious little trait in you. (Remember the 2000 elections?) But no wonder there's such outrage, not only among Democrats but within your own ranks: what people can't understand is why, when there was a perfectly legal way to do the job, you chose instead to skirt the law. Must be the influence of your wicked uncle, Dick.

Anyway, that was strong language, Bush, that you used to condemn the revelation. "A shameful act," indeed! Funny, I didn't hear you express the same kind of indignation at the outing of Joseph Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, as a CIA agent. We hardly heard peep from you on that subject, as I recall. Oh, there was some vague thing about wanting to know if anyone had broken the law... But no sign that you were particularly perturbed by the fact that someone in your White House had obviously revealed the identity of a CIA operative as an act of vengeance against her husband--a shameful act, if ever there was one. Perhaps even treasonous. But I guess that was a leak that worked in your favor, not against you, and if nothing else, you're a practical guy.

Just thought I should point out the double standard here, Bush. I see that your favorable poll numbers leaped up to 47 percent today. Ah, well. I suppose that proves the point that you can fool some of the people some of the time. As for me, I got out of bed the wrong side this morning. I'm just grumpy.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some thoughts, Peter,

I was just thinking that I would like to do a series of paintings based on the basic teachings of Lao Tsu. So many centuries ago, this Chinese man identified nearly all the decadent characteristics of society and men and wrote a Book of Changes as the ultimate guide to live by in a tranquil society. Incredible. And incredibly, though we know all of these ideas are completely sound, our society doesn't support even one of them.

Example: He taught that by not exalting superior men, the rulers can prevent the people from contending with one another. Admonish against public adulation of people who seem to be higher in external appearances. Do not honor them with official emoluments or high offices,

And: By not considering precious those things difficult to come by, one can prevent the people from agitation and thievery (oil). By intercepting the calculating impulse, the ideal rulers abate the ambitions of the people and promote peace through freedom from worry and competing desires.

As anyone can see, Lao Tsu stood for everything our society is not. It just kills me to see US officials go over there and admonish the Chinese, as you-know-who just did. Embedded in their culture, is the best wisdom ever conceived. As the Chinese grow more powerful, ours is awry, slowly spiraling, as George Carlin points out, around a drain about to flush away. And Peter, we watch it flush a little each day, a little sucking sound, don't we?

No doubt it's meant to be,, for according to Lao Tsu. "That which is full, becomes empty, and that which is emptly becomes full."

Anonymous said...

Yes Dennis, and Bush is full of it all right:):)! I noticed that the "Great Poo-bah" had gone to the N.Y. Times, or they were summoned to him, to tell them not to write about his little illegality of snooping on peace-nicks and Grandmothers, etc. :)) Oh ma gosh, it didn't work, for shame for shame! Shipped out an e-mail to our fearless House Leader, Nancy. Asked her why in hell he was allowed to continue with this, seeing that the war was found illegal. Everything forward should be classified as such too! Strike it all down and start over. That starts with The Patriot Act, then Bush and his minions. Sorry if I seem a tad pissed, but it hasn't been a good reading day:). Dennis, yours seems more thoughtful :), even as you say the same thing. I need to get off here I guess and go meditate for awhile before dinner. Hard to keep ones food down at the thought of the administration and their illegalities. Maybe we'll get lucky and won't see him on TV tonight. Oh, and the only reason his points went up was our sanitized media has enabled Bush. If they would stop listening to him, and start watching the truth and printing it, and showing it on TV, his points would go down. Then we could hear a good "sucking sound" :):).

Anonymous said...

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122005Q.shtml The good sound!! Impeachment! Not just talking about it. The real deal.

Peter Clothier said...

Thanks, Dennis, for the wisdom! A good thing to remind ourselves of the mutability of all things, including administrations, including empires. Including, even, Bushes. Let's aspire, with PK, to his premature removal. A blow job seems like a minor infraction by comparison with lies that cost lives and the outright theft of civil rights. As an old friend of mine, now deceased, would always say in signing off: onward and upward!