Home > If anyone is guilty of trying to make Venezuela unstable it is the United States

If anyone is guilty of trying to make Venezuela unstable it is the United States

by Open-Publishing - Sunday 12 February 2006
1 comment

Governments USA South/Latin America Mary MacElveen

by Mary MacElveen

The other day, I sat down to watch Molly Ivins on C-Span.org. Ms. Ivins is a columnist after my own heart. In the interview, a caller phoned in and cited that he was once a moderate Republican, but felt the need to leave that party since it no longer represented his values.

The date of the interview was January 27 and was one day off of my six year anniversary where I too felt as that caller did and left the Republican Party. While he did not say if he joined another party, I indeed felt his pain since six years ago ... I was in his very place.

At that time, I joined the Democratic Party since I wanted my values to be heard and, more importantly, reflected.

Well six years later and many issues now past, I still do not see my values being reflected within this (USA) government.
Yesterday, while being interviewed on a web broadcast by Drew Raines, I announced that I have now left the Democratic Party here in the United States. While that may anger some, it is something I felt I needed to do. Those who think I’m rejoining the ranks of the Republicans should forget it ... I am now a member of no party and there is nothing for me to celebrate.

The last straw was the confirmation of Samuel Alito to the US Supreme Court. I just do not understand those Democratic senators who did not vote to support his filibuster, yet voted no to his confirmation ... they should have joined those who were leading the charge to filibuster his confirmation ... the end result is that this country will move even further to the right and my voice, and those who believe as I do, will not be heard and our beliefs put into action.

It is my belief that the reason why many elections in South America ... Venezuela, Bolivia and now presently Chile ... have moved more to the left is to strike a hemispherical balance which I call the ’South American correction.’ It is a direction I pray the United States will move some day ... but, I am not holding my breath as long as dollars control the candidates that get elected. I am not speaking of donations made by everyday citizens, I’m speaking of war chests amassed by both parties which often corrupts the system.

To all Americans, I am not sure that you know this of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez ... but he does not take the normal salary provided to him as President of that Republic ... he takes less!

On being sworn in, President Evo Morales of Bolivia decided to take half the pay normally provided to that country’s president. I find that refreshing, considering the fact that our elected officials often vote themselves pay rises ... while there are still poor in this nation who are suffering, no one deserves a raise ... but, no one hears them since they’re not the large corporate donors.

If the Democrats want to be a strong opposition voice, what needs to be done is to stop pointing out what is wrong with Bush’s and the GOP’s leadership since most Americans (if you believe the polls to be correct) already know that.

Any opposition to Bush must be met with certain demands.

As we all know in the aftermath of Katrina, Bush said no to any aid from Venezuela and Cuba; it would have been great to hear an opposition voice demanding acceptance. Is that so hard to do?

I just know in my heart that Americans would have rallied behind such a message since we are always wondering if others will come to our aid.

President Hugo Chavez has rightly called Bush "Mr. Danger" because of our invasion of Iraq under false pretenses. Any elected official, knowing how he lied to them (which is an impeachable offense), should be clamoring for his impeachment. It is only on the tongues of a select few and that on so many fronts is so wrong!

Last night, I received an email from the Democratic National Committee asking: Should Bush and Cheney Be Impeached for the Iraq War? While I agree that they both should, Molly Ivins stated it without the numbers being there: "we are stuck with them for the next three years." Unless a majority on both sides of the aisle see that these two must go, indeed we are stuck with them.

In last night’s State of the Union address, Bush said of Iraq: "Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win ... and we are winning." When we see the body count of our soldiers increase and the murder of innocent Iraqi’s: How is that winning? Where he (Bush) stated: "In less than three years, that nation has gone from dictatorship, to liberation, to sovereignty, to a constitution, to national elections."

What many do see is a civil war.

In Bush’s speech he cited: "Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. Here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world."

Is he referring to Venezuela? Well, if anyone is guilty of trying to make Venezuela unstable it is the United States and I invite you to read: Military officers caught passing secret information to the US government

When Bush mentioned "America is addicted to oil" ... this is what President Chavez had to say at a news conference this past September while visiting the United Nations’ World Summit: "That’s crazy, one person with a huge car ... that’s using up gas and polluting the atmosphere ... the world can not tolerate this model of development called the ’American way’ of life.”

I am so glad to see that Bush is (belatedly) following President Chavez’ lead...

In Bush’s speech he brought up Osama bin Laden’s name several times and I’m left wondering: Why isn’t every elected official who is still of the "United We Stand" mentality demanding that Bush bring him to us as he promised: "Dead or alive"?

What I am trying to convey here is that we must hold these elected officials accountable to us and stand united in our protection of the United States Constitution ... while I have left the Democratic Party, I have not left my support of that sacred document. I was dismayed to see that every single senator with the exception of one (Russell Feingold) who voted for the Patriot Act, which ripped apart what this (USA) country should stand for ... and that is the rule of law.

I truly wish that all Americans would remember these words:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

 That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness"

Mary MacElveen
mary@vheadline.com

http://www.vheadline.com/MacElveen

Forum posts

  • Dear Mary

    There are a lot of people just like you, who have left the Republican Party. Or should I say as I told them in a survey, the Republican Party left me. I am now an independent, but I see where they are trying to change that in the senate and house of representatives, where you will be only able to vote for a Democrat or Republican

    I have voted since 1950, and this is the most secretive, lying in your face government I have ever witnessed. God help this nation, as I can see it going down into a third world country., We already are inheriting their lawless mentality, bribery, etc. When the Federal Government will not enforce our immigration laws, laws that are already on the books and expect us to live with crime they have allowed, I would say it is time to find a third party and every one get behind it. That is the only way I see where maybe this nation can be saved.

    Christina