September 25, 2007


IMPEACH BUSH


IMPEACH CHENEY

THE GOP RUNS ON RACISM

The Republican party has found ways to tap into the basest and most primitive emotions people have. They find a way to ramp up the hate against gays, against feminists, against environmentalists, against the poor, against immigrants, and notably against African-Americans. Richard Nixon crafted much of his strategy in the "southern strategy" that was designed to bring out the bigotry in white southerners upset about the gains made by blacks in civil rights. Ronald Reagan made a career of talking about "welfare Cadillacs," which is just code for blacks on public assistance. In denying the District of Columbia, comprised of a mostly black population, the right to real Congressional representation last week was just another example of Republican bigotry in action. And let's not forget how heavily black New Orleans has been left ravaged since Hurricane Katrina. This column by Bob Herbert is at www.nytimes.com:

The G.O.P. has spent the last 40 years insulting, disenfranchising and otherwise stomping on the interests of black Americans. Last week, the residents of Washington, D.C., with its majority black population, came remarkably close to realizing a goal they have sought for decades — a voting member of Congress to represent them.

A majority in Congress favored the move, and the House had already approved it. But the Republican minority in the Senate — with the enthusiastic support of President Bush — rose up on Tuesday and said: “No way, baby.”

At least 57 senators favored the bill, a solid majority. But the Republicans prevented a key motion on the measure from receiving the 60 votes necessary to move it forward in the Senate. The bill died.

COUNTRY MUSIC'S SHIFT

I've been a country music fan most of my life. I love Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, and several other artists. I got turned off on contemporary country music for a number of reasons. For one thing, it just sounds fake. Everyone sounds the same. And then prominent country music stars like Toby Keith and Darryl Worley jumped on the Bush war bandwagon. Now it seems that Toby claims he never supported the war. As I recall, Toby was one of the major critics of the Dixie Chicks for merely suggesting they were ashamed George W. Bush was from Texas. Now one of the best songs on the country charts is Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This" about a soldier killed in Iraq. This article by Tim Shipman is at www.commondreams.org:

But as the US death toll rises in Iraq and public patience with the conflict - and with George W. Bush - diminishes, many anti-war songs are emerging from Nashville, Tennessee, home of the genre.

No one has moved further than Toby Keith and Darryl Worley, two of the biggest names in country music.

In 2002, Keith had a huge hit with Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, which includes the lyric: “You’ll be sorry that you messed with the US of A, ’cause we’ll put a boot in your ass - it’s the American Way.”