Turning point

A new year has dawned; it comes with a challenge.

A rogue regime rules the republic, waging war for “democracy” abroad and war against democracy at home. We must act to end it now, this year, at the midterm elections, before it is too late.

Dereliction of duty related to 9/11. Lying the country into war. Domestic spying. The torture of prisoners. Acts of treason. Skyrocketing national debt. Destruction of the environment. The list of transgressions committed by the Bush administration and its enablers is long and egregious.

If we are to turn the tide in 2006, we must move beyond traditional partisan politics. Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, all must come together to end the reign of the so-called neocons who have hijacked our country.

This is not as far-fetched as it may sound. Important voices opposing the war in Iraq and the assault on civil liberties have come from both sides of the political spectrum. The truth is, despite our differences, we have much more in common than we’d normally care to admit. But these are not normal times. George Orwell’s 1984 has become prophecy. Lie is truth. War is peace. Slavery is freedom. We must come together and end it, starting in 2006.

Make no mistake, the Bush regime is formidable and, in many ways, grows more fear-provoking each day it remains in power. Opinion polls tell us that Bush’s popularity is diminishing, but will that really alter the trajectory of a man who entered office in the first place without winning the popular vote?

With a few notable exceptions, Congress has been cowed into submission, its members smeared as traitors if they dare take a stand against the administration. The division of power between the three branches of government has been undermined, and the Supreme Court is in danger of being profoundly tilted to a majority willing to grant even more power to the executive branch. Do not look to the fourth estate to save us. The mainstream media, under the corrupting influence of power and money, has largely abandoned its traditional watchdog role.

The lines of communication that were set up among those of us who opposed Bush’s re-election in 2004 have broken down. It is up to us to re-establish these lines.

The midterm elections this November provide an opportunity to take our democracy back, but we must begin acting now. We must demand that the president be investigated by a bipartisan committee for his approval of domestic spying. We must let candidates, Democrat and Republican, know they will be held accountable at the polls. We must spread the word, through relatives and neighbors, friends and foes, that we are mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore.

As the new year dawns, we must find the courage to make a stand. If we fail to do so, we’ll have only ourselves to blame.