Severe (Need To Write Legislators) on the Homeland Terror Warning System
[In case anyone reading this would like to send a letter to pertinent elected representatives, I offer mine (below) as a possible template and for encouragement. Congressional addresses are readily available through search engines on the Web. I sent the following letter Tuesday to my California representatives plus I e-mailed the Democratic leaders mentioned in the first line.]
Dear Senator ____,
I was gratified to hear that Senators Daschle, Byrd and Biden made comments recently putting the Executive branch on notice that Congress would not routinely rubber-stamp wholesale worldwide export of the War on Terrorism—at least without some detailed rationale. I don’t believe that President Bush’s speech yesterday provides much more content then he did in his State of the Union address, where he branded certain largely unrelated states an “axis of evil.”
Unlike other wars where we fought powerful yet discrete nation-states, this war promises to be an open-ended draining of our resources (once partly earmarked for pressing human needs and infrastructure) for ill-defined, possibly never-to-be-achieved objectives. For someone with even a cursory knowledge of history the demise of the Roman Empire comes to mind.
Little knowledge of history—little diplomatic subtlety—is reflected in our leaders’ pronouncements, unless they are “dumbing down” their remarks for our benefit. Already President Bush’s oversimplifications—lumping all varieties of disgruntled folks “terrorists”—have led to tacit U.S. support for Russia’s war in Chechnya, China’s persecution of Muslim dissidents, and Prime Minister Sharon’s policy of “self-defense” in the occupied territories. Lumping Palestinian refugees with the Trade Center terrorists is a vast obfuscation of Middle East history, which Britain and the U.S. bear substantial responsibility for and should contribute to sorting out before more innocent lives are lost. Misdeeds now will surely blowback one day, just as our onetime support of Noriega, Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden have done.
If the Democratic Party is to be viable in the next elections, it needs to articulate a different vision of the sole remaining superpower’s place in the world—not just on domestic issues. Polls have been used to make those who disagree with the current administration’s foreign policy cower, but, as someone who has worked in marketing, I know how polls, depending on how they’re worded and interpreted and who is being queried, can produce biased responses. Even if many Americans—so hurt and confused by the Trade Center terror—are still willing to give President Bush carte blanche to wage war, I’m sure it does not extend to the recently announced policy on developing destabilizing battlefield nuclear weapons and to the antiballistic missile shield.
The Enron debacle crystallized our need to have real campaign finance reform, if we are to have any kind of elected government responsive to people. After that issue, Congress needs to freely debate future courses given our present worldwide hegemony. How about strengthening the United Nations? The country I love is quite different from the one President Bush has described to the world. Before Democratic leaders found some backbone, leaders in France and Germany best represented me: so much for globalization. I hope that you, as an elected representative, will voice your own unique understanding and conscience on these issues.
posted by Paul at 9:13 AM
Live at the Fillmore
To reward myself for toughing out unemployment, albeit so far unsuccessfully, I went to the Rufus Wainwright concert at the Fillmore on Sunday. (My first and perhaps last time for that legendary venue; performers need to be as good as Rufus was to have this mature man stand the length of a performance.) Although I need to remember I'm a contemporary of his words(l)inging dad, Loudon, young Rufus is making waves as the latest queer cabaret singer to make good. This slender, long-haired 20-something looked out at a packed crowd for the second consecutive night and said, "Wow, the Fillmore. I'm on my way."
Besides a lovely rendition of his own 2-CD original work, Rufus covered Cohen ("Halleluiah"—quite recently popularized by the late Jeff Buckley [son of Tim]), Harrison ("Across the Universe") and, for his second ovation, Garland's signature ("Over the Rainbow"). Opening for Rufus was his likewise deliriously talented sister, Martha. A surprise guest was his mom, Kate McGarrigle, accompanying on piano. Rufus, flush with ambition, youth and talent, possesses a knack for songwriting, a powerful, lovely voice and a strong desire to make voluptuous sounds. Yet his patter betrayed his age: at one point he kissed a fellow band member, whom he introduced as Teddy Thompson (son of singers Linda and Richard) and alluded to their current relationship—one Teddy's mother approves of. (I can't remember ever being so young.)
posted by Paul at 9:05 AM
