When truth validates critical thinking

Critically speaking, American democracy is an unhurried process. Consequently, its sluggish nature creates a decisional stop-gap measure. Thus, it is a mechanism which decreases the likelihood of demagogues and fascist tendencies. For if democracy moved by the force of pure public will, which is fickle, or changed with the assertions of a chosen few then catastrophic events will occur. For example, war will be granted easily, rights will evaporate and the peoples sharing of sovereign power will erode. Democracy, as Aristotle pronounces, is the closest to tyranny. In effect, it is the most fragile of all governments, easily manipulated and cajoled.

We are now witness to this bastardization. An open and forthright speech by (ret.) Col.
Lawrence Wilkerson at the New America Foundation brought all of Aristotle’s forethought to bear. As Wilkerson notes, ''…the case that I saw for four-plus years,'' he said, ''was a case that I have never seen in my studies of aberrations, bastardisations, and perturbations in the national-security (policy-making) process'' Wilkerson was witness to the birth of a “cabal’ or more simply put the creation of a two headed demagogue: Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Both circumvented the policy making apparatus of the State Department and forged an alliance absent of the president. Why was the president involved? Wilkerson explains, ''You’ve got this collegiality there between the secretary of defence and the vice president,'' …''And then you’ve got a president who is not versed in international relations -- and not too much interested in them either. And so it’s not too difficult to make decisions in this, what I call the Oval Office Cabal, and decisions often that are the opposite of what you thought were made in the formal (decision-making) process.'' (bold and italics added)

Thus, democracy has been stabbed in the back and propped up by Cheney and Rumsfeld. The fear mongering, tactics of war, torture and illegal policy dealings were present from the creation. After 9/11 as Wilkerson explains, ''I think (Cheney) saw 9/11 and the potential for another 9/11 with nuclear weapons and suddenly became so fixated on that problem that it skewed his approach.'' Closed mindedness and power leads to ineffective and disastrous decisions. Thus, we have Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

I understand that this view point is one official; however this official, who has had a close working relationship with Sec. Powell for over 16 years, is just one of many. Remember Richard Clarke and Paul O’Neill they were the first to empty their conscious for the world and the American people. Will anyone listen now; will anyone want to know the truth? I weep for the generations to come, for they will carry the burden of truth which we have ignored.