PICTURE THIS
61Disclaimer
I expect there will be some people who will respond to this Hub as if I were suggesting it could really happen. They'll berate me as an idiot and tell me it's legally impossible or just say it's ridiculous, there's no way.
Duh! I know! I'm just trying to make a point.
Please consider this my first purely fictional contribution to Hub Pages. It should be categorized as unbridled fantasy. If there are factual errors or omissions please disregard them.
Barring some very extraordinary things happening very soon, this country and the rest of the world along with it is facing economic, humanitarian and, most significantly, ecological catastrophe of unimaginable dimensions. We have finally created a situation which gives the "end of the world" doomsayers a leg to stand on. So please take this as it is intended, wishful thinking to the nth degree.
Of course, if you think the Bush cabal has been doing a dandy job you can always attack me on that point.
My Fondest Wish
An Inauguration to Remember
Assuming Barack Obama is elected in November, if there is an election, the following scenario is the only thing that will convince me that his presidency will make a difference.
Chief Justice John Roberts has just heard Barack Obama complete the Oath of Office. As the observers applaud the new president steps to the microphones and makes his first statement as POTUS.
"As my first official act I wish to make the following announcement."
"Arrest warrants have been issued for George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, John Ashcroft, Colin Powell and several other members of the Bush administration. United States Marshalls have been dispatched to take them into custody. They will be held at an undisclosed location until all available evidence has been secured. During this period, investigations will be conducted to determine which members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat, will be charged as accessories to the crimes of the Bush administration. When these investigations have been completed, all defendants will be transported to Peace Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands, to stand trial before the International Court of Justice for treason, war crimes, crimes against humanity and many other charges too numerous to be mentioned here."
"Through these actions the United States intends to demonstrate to the world and any future would-be tyrants that crimes of this magnitude and depravity will not go unpunished regardless of the high station of the perpetrators."
"America stands ready to join with all the nations of the world, to work in cooperation and unity toward the solution of the crises that threaten us all. I wish to offer, in my capacity as President and as a human being, my sincerest apologies to all those who have been devastated by the inexcusable actions of the United States during the last eight years. It is my intention to do everything in my power to see that those wrongs and many others be redressed. I pledge that America will use every asset and resource available to work toward a world which reflects the original ideals upon which this nation was founded. Freedom, Justice, Equality, Peace and Prosperity are not the exclusive domain of one nation. They are in fact qualities of life that should be equally available to all the people of Earth. I call upon all Americans, all citizens of Earth and all world leaders to finally put aside our petty differences and work together to bring these qualities, in equal measure, to every corner of the globe."
This, or some similar event, is the only thing that will convince me that any change of substance will be possible. Only an action this extreme, this just, this radical, has any hope of changing the course of human events to an extent great enough to avoid the worst of a global extinction event that threatens our very existence.
http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/eldredge2.html
http://www.pnas.org/content/98/10/5466.full
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Comments
"Pass me my knitting" - is that a refernce to the French Revolution? LOL!!!
Well, if it happens, and I get to sit in on the court procedings, I'll learn to knit as well!
Does it seem odd to any other American citizen that Bush was elected as a uniter? He had a pretty good record in Texas of working in a truly bipartisan manner. He came in with every promise of making the government work again, in allusion to the unfortunate and many scandals that wracked the previous administration.
However, he soon laid to rest any hopes that he would keep even one of those promises to untie us into a better country. I blame Cheney for most of this, because he is, in my humble but correct opinion, a weasel whose only purpose from that start was to vindicate himself and Bush Sr. in their part in the Gulf War.
Cheney should, first and foremost, be brought up on charges of acting in an unconstitutional and extra-constitutional manner while Vice President, especially, but not exclusively for his antics and juggling act about just where he fits into the official, Constitutionally mandated scheme of our government.
He is not a "Fourth Branch" in government, and he is not a president, so he can not and does not legally, morally or ethically fall under Executive Privilege as might be invoked by the current and future presidents.
He and his cronies must and should be brought up on charges by an unobstructed Special Prosecutor, and should not, as happened when Fitzpatrick looked into this matter, be allowed to obsfucate, lie, hide or in any other manner of action, deed or word, fall under the Executive Privilege protection of the Presidential Office, who that provision of law was meant to protect from unreasonable questioning.
Well, in my opinion, it has gone FAR beyond the question of unreasonable questioning - President Bush has allowed his administration to lie, cheat and get away with things which must have Washington and Jefferson and all others who love this country to be spinning in their graves! It is hard to believe that the party of Lincoln has fallen so far, so low, and so desperate that they have to ruin the nation to try to save their own worthless legacies.
There is no excuse for Bush pardoning of Libby, and it makes the Republican protests over Clinton's pardons look feeble, indeed. Where are those Republicans for whom it was an immediate matter of conscience to protest some of the Clinton pardons, now that Libby walks the streets a free man?
Why are their consciences suddenly off duty? If they loved their country as much as they claimed, then why aren't they protesting Bush's pardon of Libby, a man guilty of far more, in my opinion, than he was prosected? Why aren't they demanding Cheney resign, much as Agnew was forced to resign, and later Nixon as well, after their disgraceful falling from grace?
Where indeed are those "Patriotic" Republicans, and Democrats too, who swear on their honor an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States?
Sunshine Patriots, one and all!
Hi Chef Jeff! Yes, that was the book I had in mind. We can get us a good seat and watch the guillotine fall all day. It would be too cool.
You know, in my darker moments, I do think we may be doomed. Why haven't these guys been brought up on charges? Well, I think we all know the answer to that. Cheney and his cronies have more money than God. It is so clear he feels like no one can touch him, and apparently he is right. But surely there must be a way for a world court to bring these guys to trial. If our own government is too wormish to do it, then definitely the world should do it.
I do think it isn't over. But at this point I have no clue which way the wind will blow. I truly think anything could happen in the next few years--very good, or unimaginably bad. We'll see I guess.
I have leard a few very optomistic friends claim that nancy Pelosi is just waiting for the elections to be over - no need to rock the boat and give fodder to the Republicans, after all. Personally I just think she is too afraid of the fallout of such actions. After all, how many politicians are cpmplicit with this nefarious Bush administration?
My greatest disppointment however has been that those very same self-righteous Republicans who railed and wailed against Clinton are now standing purposefully mute on the matter of charges when someone from their own party is so blatnantly breaking the laws and the dishonoring the Constitution they were all sworn to uphold and protect.
I still say that both parties should immediately demand that Cheney step downto face charges. In my humble but correct opinion he has a lot to answer for, and the day I see him being perp walked to the courtroom, I will feel a lot happier about the future of my nation.
Cold war baby, I share your dream, and although I doubt any of our leaders have the backbone to carry it out, I, too, would LOVE to see the day it happens!
Cold War Baby, you are my hero:-)
I think Bush and Cheney look fabulous in orange, don't you? I share your fantasy but think you ought to add Karl Rove to the club. There will be a leeetle problem,however, with your dream coming true if it is President McCain putting his hand on the bible next January < giggle> nice work CWB !
Pam, I'd like to see'em lined up also but I'm completely opposed to capital punishment. Even for this lot.
Thanks for reading. Always glad to see you!
Jeff & Pam, I always appreciate your comments and feedback. They are a source of reassurance in a world where I very frequently feel extremely isolated. As extreme as my views may sometimes be you always seem to understand. I can’t thank you both enough.
robie2, I don't think I've ever been described in those terms before! I’m not sure I’d want to assume that mantle!
I think orange is just the perfect color for them! I particularly love the matching wrist and ankle bracelets!
As far as Rove is concerned, I covered that in the Hub with, “…and several other members of the Bush administration.”
As to McCain winning, I just don’t see the possibility. I think the corporate masters have chosen Obama to cast some oil on our troubled waters. I don’t even think the republicans want McCain in charge. If they decide to keep the white house they’ll just have Bush declare martial law and stop pretending this isn’t a dictatorship.
Thanks for the read and comment.
Bush and co. go to jail? That would be the first reality show I would stay glued to the t.v. to watch. What better way to truly say we prosecute the guilty than to put our former president and members of his staff on trial for the wrongs they have commited.
Once again talented_ink, we're on the same page.
Thanks for reading.
Oh, what a world it would be if this could ever happen! Then again, would the imprisonment of the Bush administration do anything to erase the pain and death and destruction they've caused through their lies and greed over the past 8 years? Unfortunately, no. Still, I admire the vision you put forth for Obama's inauguration speech, particularly related to justice, freedom, equality, and peace... I don't suppose you've considered running for president? ;)
Please Melissa! I wouldn't live 2 weeks!
Putting those animals away wouldn't undo all the evil they've done, that's true. But it would send a very strong and clear message to those who wish to continue in their footsteps. The only reason Bush and company haven't been impeached is the simple fact that no one wants the precedents he has set to be invalidated. Anyone who assumes the office, from this time forward, can justifiably claim the same powers as Bush has afforded himself. If it was OK for him, it's OK for everyone.
Thanks for reading and especially for commenting. Should I run in 2012 or is that the year the world is supposed to end?
Ha! If we somehow manage to survive beyond 2012, yes, I think that might be the year for you. I've read that 2012 will actually mark a transition from our current capitalist ways to a higher plane of existence... the authors never seem to have much proof to back up their theories, though. so I guess we'll need to wait and see. In any case, I think it'll be an interesting time to be alive.
As far as I know, the Maya didn't suggest that the world would end in 2012. That's just as far as they went with their calendar.
If we wait until then to make the needed changes, I’m sorry to say, I don’t believe we’ll survive the extinction event we’ve started in great enough numbers to do much on the material plane for a long time. That actually might be for the best. We’ve stopped evolving. We need to stop making so much “progress” and give ourselves time to grow up.
Hi CWB,
You know, only today I was reading a similar piece in newspaper. The writer cited Nuremberg Trials as an example, saying that it was done from the perspective of who STARTED the war, and not who ENDED it.
Thanks for a good read.
Thank you SiddSingh.
This was my fantasy for a new beginning for America and the world. Sadly it was just that.
There is increasing talk of prosecuting members of the Bush administration. Talk is cheap. I'll believe it when I see it.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
pgrundy says:
16 months ago
That would be both exhilirating and scary. I wouldn't cry though. Hey, ColdWarBaby, we all have to have a dream, and this is a good one. Hang onto it. It may not happen on inauguration day, but it ain't over 'til its over, and the guy does have to get elected first. If he gets in, and the Senate turns over, who knows.
I'd like to see the lot of them lined up and shot. Pass me my knitting!