In his book 1984, George Orwell summed up the propaganda message behind totalitarianism with three catch phrases: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. Today, we have a President who seems to believe in these slogans.War is Peace
George W. Bush has rushed into war by invading a country that was never a threat to us. Two years after he began his campaign to invade Iraq, the evidence has proven that the reasons he gave for going to war were all false.
Today, over 1,000 Americans and at least 20,000 Iraqi civilians are dead. Today we know that had the inspectors been given the opportunity to finish their job we would have known that Saddam Hussein had no chemical or biological weapons, no nuclear weapons, and no ability to produce them. Today we know that he was contained, and not a threat to anyone.
Yet despite all the proof that he rushed into war, George W. Bush insists that he waited as long as he possibly could. Bush insists that he prefers peace to war.
Freedom is Slavery
So far, every provision of the so-called "Patriot Act" that has been challenged in court has been overturned. This bill, created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, was supposed to protect us. Yet so much of this bill does nothing more than deprive us of our Constitutional rights. And every court that has ruled on this, including both liberal and conservative judges, has said so.
But despite the overwhelming number of rulings saying that the bill violates our freedom, George W. Bush insists that the bill protects our freedom. Furthermore, he wants to expand the government's intrusion into our lives and our privacy.
And Bush doesn't even accept the unanimity of the courts' rulings. Instead, he complains about "activist judges" and conspires with his right-wing partners in Congress to write laws stating that judges can't review the laws they write. Since the days of John Marshall, 200 years ago, the courts have maintained the rights of judicial review. This process is essential to keeping the system of checks and balances our founding fathers set up. Now, George W. Bush wants to get rid of this system.
Ignorance is Strength
George W. Bush has made a career of looking, sounding and acting stupid. He oversimplifies every issue, from tax cuts to the environment to war. He talks down to the electorate. In effect, he says, "Don't worry about the facts, just follow my dogma."
Is it any wonder his Secretary of Education is an inveterate liar? Is it any wonder his main education bill forces teachers not to teach subjects like history, science, art, social studies, and many other subjects that don't show up on narrowly defined standardized tests? And is it any wonder that he won't even fund his own education bill?
Meanwhile, Dick Cheney holds energy policy meetings in secret - so secret that we can't even learn who is advising him. Now, oil prices are at ridiculous levels with no end in sight. America is more dependent than ever on Saudi Arabia, the largest supporter of terrorism in the world. And we're paying Saudi Arabia more than ever - effectively putting money directly into the pockets of those who would attack us.
But there's George W. Bush, telling us not to question his actions. He and his surrogates claim that open debate is dangerous, that we need more secrecy, that the people shouldn't have any idea what the government is doing.
Putting it Together
It all adds up to an administration that is against everything America stands for. George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and their minions are doing everything they can to keep us at war, keep us under their iron grip, and keep us out of the loop.
Can you hear George Orwell's cynical laugh?
Copyright 2004, Dan Jacoby
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