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We Cannot Escape History

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Patricia Hejny

Listening Saturday to Aaron Copeland’s beautiful Lincoln music and Peter Fonda’s splendid rendition of Lincoln’s words, I am reminded that a century and a half later we also “cannot escape history”...

And our history today is frightening, for we have truly reached the point at which action must be taken, and within the next two years, or we will pretty much have lost everything we think we have.

Last week we heard from several members of this administration testifying before Congress about the immediate threat posed to us all by Al Qaeda. This, of course, was for budgetary purposes.

My father would at once have been reminded of Hoover, who always went to Congress with a Communist plot whenever he wanted money for the FBI.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Al Qaeda is not stupid. And I am sure they know that they never have to attack us here again because the Bush administration will do an excellent job of keeping us loaded with fear and spending lots of money and effort on fighting terror. As long as Bush Republicans are in power, Al Qaeda can concentrate on gaining control in other parts of the world while throwing an occasional bit of ‘chatter’ our way just to keep the fear machinery well oiled.

The Bush Republicans have decided that marketing democracy is now their best position to take. It is really a compliment to this country that they see our basic idealism as the only really good place to attack. Fear tactics like WMD’s and the looming threat of terror don’t grab enough of us to keep us in thrall. But remind us that we are a people who believe we should spread freedom and democracy like ours to the rest of the crippled world, and everyone is captured and ready to support whatever they propose.

Their promoting democracy is a lie. They are only interested in the spread of their ‘business community‘. And right here at home, the privatization of all of our community functions, which is the way they are gaining control, is proceeding unchecked. .

Enough public upset was generated by the arthritis pain killers to force them to establish a review board. But the primary evil -- that the pharmaceutical companies pay to obtain a faster initial review of a new drug -- is still with us.

We have not only allowed the ’business community’ free rein in what the pharmaceutical companies can charge our elders for medicines they need, but we have turned the health of our children over to companies that produce all the carbohydrate loaded sodas and snacks and all the sedentary TV and internet games that have created an obesity crisis for our youth.

We are very close to losing any vestige of control of our election process.

We allow corporations to make money with no responsibility to the people from whom they make their money. Property owners in every state bear the total cost of the infrastructure these corporations need. And the final gift to them is the tax write-offs and tax cuts so that many corporations and really wealthy people pay little or no tax at all. Our ‘business friendly’ attitude has burdened our young people with incredible debt.

We cannot escape this history unless we begin to take action now. We need legislators at every level of government and legislation to reverse the Bush Republicans’ privatization of government and to bring the corporate business community back to being a responsible member of each community from which it makes its money.

Patricia Hejny
Williamstown, VT

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION