HAVE WE GOT THEIR BACKS?
A friend at work told me about her father taking the family dog for an evening walk in the nearby woods.
When the dog suddenly got aroused and commenced a furious barking at something ahead, his owner saw a black bear sauntering
across the trail.
The bear seemed oblivious to the dog and it's master and crossed with only a minor hesitation. ... until
the dog began barking at the two cubs who started across the path following their momma. Then all hell broke loose and without
hesitation, Momma black bear was in full charge right down the trail.
Although having to drag the damn snarling dog some 50 yards, the owner managed to get the hound moving in
time to flee the scene and outrun the angry momma.
So when is our inner Momma or Papa Bear going to grouch out and stick up for us, our families and our own
good name? Most of the major players in both parties to our current Congressional drama do not see us in a positive light.
They don't think they can count on us.
Why?
Because they've lost confidence in us AND in themselves. They don't trust us to watch their backs and have
no confidence in their ability to generate our trust of them.
To date apparently a majority of easily distracted citizens entertained-by-the-trivial have proven those
political assumptions quite valid.
Why are Republicans and broadcast personalities getting away with following a stubborn party discipline
that continues its pathetic betrayal of our country?
Honestly, it's because they consider us gullible and downright stupid.
That's why they keep playing the false and jingoistic patriot card. It's also why presidential candidates
from both parties believe and trust what their spin doctors tell them - because that's how we got to this shallow end of the
pool. It's called manipulation and over the years we've invited it.
Our elected envoys are reluctant to fight tooth and nail in the political arena - the arena where they're
supposedly expert and most experienced - because they themselves believe that the Republican tactics are effective and that
Republican assumptions about gullible voters are valid and justified.
When Republicans threaten to go to the American people with a presentation that Democrats hate America;
that Democrats want to betray the troops and are not patriotic because they want to end the war ... Democrats believe those
Republican tactics are unfair but accept them as tactically effective.
Without ever saying so, those we chose and to whom we gave as much political clout as possible seem afraid
to wield that power; wordlessly declaring their belief that we voters will remain gullible, dumbed-down and fickle. That's
why they can hide behind the 60-vote strategy which is about ultimate blame Democrats will be able to avoid when - as they
assume - we as citizens betray their trying to the right thing.
A majority of us will again believe Republican lies and then vote Dems back out of office. The sad part
is that Republicans will keep doing their thing as long as the only ones calling them on their words and deeds are political
rivals who lack confidence in their own backers.
I repeat, Democrats tremble in hesitation because they also believe that a majority of Americans will still
believe the Republicans. Yes, we citizens need to support our troops and insure that the government supports them in the most
significant areas of their lives.
Yes, we need to watch their backs and hold accountable a treacherous president with more blood on his hands
than Hussein himself.
But we need to watch somebody else's back. We need to assure or molly coddle those Democrats we sent back
East to do the right thing ... to help them do the right thing.
We need to cancel Democrats' reasons for being afraid. If we don't ... and if they don't turn this fight
into a knock-down drag out before the next election, these Democrats will leave way too many ugly precedents in place; precedents
that will tempt future presidents from whichever party.
We need to help those we sent so Bush will be stopped, MADE accountable, and made to pay a political and
personal price ... so the next president will think twice before trying something similar. ... or we may never unravel the
damage.
How long will we let Republicans and Broadcast stampeders insult us citizens?
Perhaps until we stop looking the other way and pretending that we have other more meaningful priorities.
