By Lee Gottlieb
Things Are Not What They Seem to Be

Some Americans believe the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq happened because the Bush Administration is comprised of oilmen who, from the start, have been obsessed with grasping control of the oil resources of these two countries for their American corporations. Some believe the Bush Administration, being comprised of wealthy and influential people, is conducting class warfare against the nation's working citizens. Others believe the men and women of the Administration have made colossal blunders; that they are honorable, but very incompetent people who have misinterpreted the information given them by the FBI and the CIA.

These are three different opinions, and an opinion is a mental conclusion formed after the brain has received information and contemplates its various possible meanings. But, the conclusion, or the opinion, is valid only if the brain has received full and truthful information.

The problem with the three opinions above is that they are formed by incomplete information, partial truths, and many lies. It's why the first and second opinions are only partially correct and the third totally wrong.

To help you to form a more accurate opinion of Mr. Bush and the people he brought into the White House to aid him accomplish his goals while president, it is necessary to look at the record for his first six years in office. How has Mr. Bush and his Administration fulfilled the responsibilities and obligations he swore to uphold when the office of the President of the United States? How have these people nurtured the welfare of the American people and the nation? How have theysecured the principles of democracy and the security of the American people?

First: Look at the facts involving 9/11.

Records show Bush had been notified in August, the month before the twin tower horror, of an Al Queda threat to U.S. targets, and also that U.S. spy agencies had discovered Muslims were being trained in the U.S. for suicide flights against U.S. targets. This truth was revealed to the American people by CBS in May of 2002, and subsequently verified by other reliable sources.
Yet Mr. Bush denies having been given knowledge of such activities and little, if any, precautions were taken by U.S. military and police forces to prevent such a catastrophe.

After 9/11, the Republican Administration immediately accused Osama bin Laden and the Afghanistani Taliban rulers of the horror, and insisted upon the invasion of Afghanistan. This despite the truth bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian not an Afghanistani, the men piloting those three planes were from Saudi Arabia, and the Bush family had a long and close relationship with the royal Saudi bin Laden family. Knowing this, is it really so strange, in our mercenary world that Osama bin Laden has not yet been captured or killed, despite the enormous $1,000,000 reward placed on his head, and that his capture has disappeared from Administration priorities, and he has disappeared from the American public's attention?

In addition, as soon as American troops occupied Afghanistan, American oilmen began the construction of a pipeline through the country: a pipeline presumably essential to U.S. security, which the Taliban had previously refused permission to build: a pipeline whose existence the Congress of a previous Administration had been told depended upon removal of the Taliban from power.

Second: the Administration is deliberately dismantling democracy
in the U.S., and weakening the nation's infrastructure.

After 9/11, the Administration's passed the so-called "Patriots Bill" that removed civil many long held liberties from the American people. Hundreds of Muslims, and some Americans, were arrested upon suspicion of being terrorists. Without any evidence of guilt they were whisked away to prisons and held incommunicado from their families for weeks, months, and years without charges made against them, and without benefit of legal counsel. To gain information, some of these people were moved to foreign nations tha were friendly to the Administration, or to locations where the CIA had secret bases. Some of them were tortured, beaten, and humiliated. All with pemission, or request, of the Bush Administration.

Dissent in the U.S. is being squelched. When the president appears in public, armed troops force peaceful protesters into so-called "Free Speech Zones, away from the president and view of the media. Americans wearing, often brutally beating them. T-shirts bearing anti-Bush, anti-war, or anti-Republican slogans are also banned from media view. Local Police have begun questioning peaceful protesters about their personaland privatepolitical views.

Open government, the hallmark of democracy, has been replaced by a policy of subversive secrecy. Flying the banner of "national security" the Administration denies requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, or releases the documents only after heavy censure. It has authorized the closure of some government websites. More ominous is the Administration's attempt to contain all government news by making leaks of "classified " information a federal crime. Alarmingly the Administration ordered the FBI to polygraph all members of Congress, but to their credit, alll refused to comply with the demand.

Spying upon Americans has become a national policy. Government spy agencies cull through millions of internet email and telephone messages of innocent, patriotic Americans in an attempt to discover, possible, subversive or terrorist activities.

The Administration has knowingly neglected maintenance of the nation's roads, sewer lines, bridges, public buildings, parks, schools and mass transportation by drastically reducing federal investment in the public welfare. In some instances, the condition of these public possesions is as bad as in third countries.

Third: the Administration is the most openly fascist government
the American people have ever tolerated.

Many Americans haven't the slightest idea what fascism is. A simple explanation is that fascists believe a government should function on behalf of the wealthy citizens who own the country (large landowners and owners of big or giant corporations). Fascists believe the government should encourage large families to create a large labor pool to work their factories and big armies to fight their wars. They condemn labor unions, and believe government should program common workers to be obedient and subservient to both employers and government. (Early in the 20th century, the original American Boy Scout oath required members to be obedient and loyal to employers also). Benito Mussolini, ruler of Italy, accomplice of Adolph Hitler, and generally credited with creating the first fascist government, claimed the concept was wrongly named, that it shouldn't have been named "fascism", but "corporatism." Today, we Americans should know all about corporatism.

The Bush Administration has passed laws drastically reducing taxes for the rich, throwing more of the burden of government upon those who can afford it least. In addition, it has passed laws making it still easier for corporations to utilize offshore tax havens and avoid taxes, and easier for corporations to close domestic factories and relocate overseas where they find cheaper labor. In addition the Administration has made it easier for corporations to outsource American jobs to foreign countries. In a most outrageous decision the men of the Administration ever made, and one rejected by Congress, it tried to outsource management of six U.S. ports to a state-owned, Saudi company.

The Administration's most dangerous decision has been to outsource support functions of the U.S. military, which now depends upon giant conglomerates—and the smaller subconractors it employs to do the job. The military no longer controls its sources for food, mail, communications, medical services, electricity, or construction of bridges and roads. Nor does it control the maintenance of its tanks, aircraft, warships and supporting military vehicles. These functions also have been privatized. But when a private corporation provides substandard work—which they all do—it cannot be punished, as a negligent soldier can. So the lives of our brave boys and girls armies serving in Afghanistan and Iraq are entirely at the mercy of greedy American businessmen.

Fourth: the Administration is anti-working citizen.

Since assuming the powers of government, the Administration has used the National Labor Relations Board with a viciousness not seen since passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947 to remove the rights of working Americans.

Not only has it restricted the rights of temporary workers, the disabled, and student employees to unionize and use the process of collective bargaining, but it has also excluded about 8 million "minor supervisory employees" who were previously allowed these rights: workers, who although they might be technicians or professionals, and not factory workers, still earn only an hourly wage and still need protection from greedy, uncaring employers.

The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 makes filing for bankruptcy difficult for ordinary workers, but protects the assets of wealthy filers. The Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 makes collective class action suits more difficult to initiate.

With more than 40 million Americans unable to afford insurance, the Republican Administration has tried to privatize healthcare. It has also tried to privatize social security, initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Democrat Administration 70 years ago, in an attempt to protect working Americans from callous and ruthless factory owners.

Fifth: members of the Administration are dangerous warmongers.

They have appropriated funds to develop new nuclear weapons and conduct nuclear tests, arrogantly stating to the world that it still considers the use of nuclear warfare, despite the voluntary freeze on nuclear testing initiated in 1992 by Mr. Bush's father when he was president.

Like WWII Nazi leaders, they support the torture and humiliation of prisoners without legally accusing them of crimes or determining their guilt. The Military Commissions Act allows Mr. Bush to legally declare anyone an "unlawful enemy combatant." This means anyone who donates money or is a member of an organization, which he disapproves, can be accused of being an unlawful enemy combatant.

They have authorized the creation of weapons to be used as tools to torture prisoners or to deter protesting marchers. One is called the Active Denial System (ADS). This weapon uses a 95-gigahertz microwave beam, and causes an unbearable burning sensation on the skin. It is designed to make "confessions" easier to obtain from prisoners, or to force political protesters away from a "forbidden" event. A second weapon is called Pulsed Energy Projectiles (PEPs). This weapon can emit a laser pulse up to one mile, hitting a target with a burning impact. Neither weapon marks, or leaves a trace on the victim. There is no proof of torture or harrasment.

They have authorized the creation of a new space policy that rejects future arms control agreements and access to space to any country deemed anti-American.

But, most dangerous of all, they have deliberately introduced into the U.S. government
––religion, humanity's most conflict-generating threat to peace. This, despite knowing the strength and longevity of the republic for more than two hundred years has, in large part, been due to the absence of religious controversy. They have used taxpayer funds to place religious dogma into public schools and under the umbrella of ' "faith-based initiatives", they taken funds from public programs to support religious organizations. They have created the very first federal ban on abortion, and have taken a stand to refuse equal civil rights to gays and lesbians, whose lifestyles are both rejected by organized religions and their members. These are religious issues, and not the business of government.


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Conclusions
After reviewing the information above, it's obvious the men holding the power of the White House, are neither bumbling idiots, nor honest patriots concerned with the wlfare of the nation or the American people. Nor are they men who simply have erred in judgment. These people have always known precisely what they are doing. Yes, currently the men of the Administration are of the oil industry, but it would be wrong—and dangerous—to believe the superficial appearance implying they care solely for the oil industry's welfare. The causes for the shift toward fascism and totalitarianism in the U.S. run deeper and are more ingrained within our social system, for it's obvious the Administration's past policies have been designed to thwart democacy and build empire for a mionority of Americans.

These people knew what they intended to do long before they took control of the White House. It's why they stole the 2000 election: it was essential the Republicans be in control of the government when the twin towers were destroyed, for it gave their accusations against Osama bin Laden authority, despite not a shred of concrete evidence he had been the culprit. It also gave them the power to invade Afghanistan, drive the Taliban from power, and invade Iraq.

The families and groups that control the federal government and many state governments are the same kind of men who have ruled human societies from the beginnings of time. They are arrogant, extremely selfish, and totally disdainful of the intelligence and capabilities of the less educated common people who serve in their homes, work in their factories, and fight their wars.

It's why so comparatively few people own or control the natural and productive resources of the U.S., and why American "employers" refuse to give a fairer share of company profits to the workers who actually produce these profits. It's why men of the Administration have callously sent innocent, young American boys and girls to kill and to die in Afghanistan and Iraq, and are planning to send them into Iran.

It's why the last two Republican Administrations have drastically reduced taxes for the nation's wealthiest families and their corporations, made it easier for them to establish offshore tax shelters and pay even fewer taxes. It's why they have allowed corporations to relocate production facilities overseas to take advantage of non-American, non-union, cheaper, foreign labor, despite throwing millions of Americans out of work and into the unemployment lines, or into jobs that pay less and offer fewer benefits. It's why corporate executives are allowed to loot corporate coffers and worker pensions. It's why the political and corporate worlds have been allowed to jointly loot the U.S. Treasury, and why the federal government faces bankruptcy and can continues to function only by borrowing money from foreign nations.

These are not the results of the nation's wisest citizens concerned with the welfare of their country and its people. Nor does the behavior—and apparent thinking—of the nation's highest officers reflect those of patriotic Americans. No! It's more like the behavior of a group of fanatics who are determined to destroy their enemies. And, indeed, that is exactly what it is: a one-sided class war conducted by wealthy Americans against ordinary, working citizens of the U.S. It's their attempt to destroy whatever chance true democracy might have to evolve in the U.S.

A bit of trivia: at the beginning of the twentieth century the majority of the American population lived and worked on farms. Family members worked outdoors, where it is natural, and healthy, for animals to be—and that includes human animals. Only some farmwomen and children worked in factories to help the family survive. Today, one hundred years later it has become essential to survival that both adults in the millions of families work, leaving the children unattended, without parental supervision, susceptible to all sorts of negative influences. Employment, today, is normally confined to a small box of a room for most of the day, and normally involves meaningless or trivial work. Millions of employees, who are restricted to the box, function little different than prisoners in a confined cell.

So, although we Americans of the 21st century posess many more conveniences and luxuries than working citizens did at the beginning of the last century, how much progress has the working American really made since then? Which of the two groups lived a healthier, meaningful, and probably, happier life?