Stephen Gyllenhaal at Huffington Post - Brilliant editorial.

[peacebird]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060420/cm_huffpost/019459;_ylt=AnZM9ReUe9icXg2SxnXs44ys0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3YWFzYnA2BHNlYwM3NDI-

Wow. This editorial really blew me away. This man writes beautifully. Logically. Intelligently. It is well worth a read, and then forward it far and wide, my friends - forward it far and wide! Here's the start....

"As Iran's nuclear controversy heats up one thing seems abundantly clear.
George Bush cannot be allowed to use nuclear weapons to solve the problem. There is no more pressing issue on this planet, not the civil war in
Iraq, not the crises in our immigration laws that have brought so many brave souls into the streets, not the voting machines that are dangerously uncheckable, not the nightmarish rollbacks of environmental laws that skew our resources for the benefit of a few desperate corporations, not the tax laws that rape more of our hard working citizens every day, not the decimation of the constitution by the Patriot Act and the domestic spying scandal, not the fading rights of women and working people."

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Link at the Huffington Post

From the Huffingto Post
Dated Thursday April 20

Bush's Nuclear Option
By Stephen Gyllenhaal

As Iran's nuclear controversy heats up one thing seems abundantly clear. George Bush cannot be allowed to use nuclear weapons to solve the problem. There is no more pressing issue on this planet, not the civil war in Iraq, not the crises in our immigration laws that have brought so many brave souls into the streets, not the voting machines that are dangerously uncheckable, not the nightmarish rollbacks of environmental laws that skew our resources for the benefit of a few desperate corporations, not the tax laws that rape more of our hard working citizens every day, not the decimation of the constitution by the Patriot Act and the domestic spying scandal, not the fading rights of women and working people.


Nothing is more important than stopping the strategic use of nuclear weapons against Iran, because if we open this pandora's box again it will surely be used against us in due time. Never mind the ethical issues, never mind the legal issues or the spiritual and psychological issues, let's talk about saving our own skin. We are the only nation on earth who has so far slaughtered fellow human beings with atomic weapons. Last time we barely got away with it, remember the Cuban Missile Crisis? This time I don't believe it will be so easy, not that the balance of terror between the US and Russia was easy. But this time there is simply no way we will be able to guarantee our safetly after an attack on a sovereign duly elected Islamic nation. Thousands of Muslims the world over will surely feel it's their right, in fact their solemn duty, to destroy New York, and/or Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington with a similar weapon. We will from this day forward be a justifiably terrified nation. The Republic, already at risk because of our security fears, will cease to exist. We will have no choice but to become a military state.

Is this what George Bush and his people want? The end of democracy? Clearly they are not comfortable with the democracy in Iran. Most of us aren't. Most of us are no longer comfortable with what democracy has wrought here (George Bush's popularity rating being what it is), but does that give us the right to nuke him?

Read more.

[Fridays Child]

2. I agree except for the view that the bushistas are merely "lost boys."

The driving force behind Bush and his associates is unmitigated greed. Period.

[Faygo Kid]

3. He is right. We can't release the nuclear genie. Overriding importance.

I fear the decision may already have been made, and I wonder if his declining poll numbers will encourage or discourage him to use "nuculer" weapons. He's nuts; that's clear. The missing equation is Congressional bipartisan leadership that makes it abundantly clear that any use or planned use of nuclear weapons will result in immediate introduction of articles of impeachment. No "tieing the hands of the president," please. This notion must be stopped, now. These guys are good at making sure we can't focus solely on vital issues like global warming, economic disparity, health care, etc. as we have to deal with fires like Iraq and now this. The world would despise us even more, and the world would be right.

[Demeter]

4. He Really Is As Evil As That--Lord of the Flies Evil

It was born and bred into Bush to be the psychopath he is today. He has no excuse. He does bad things because he CAN, NOT because he doesn't know any better and nobody's told him otherwise.

It's his free will, after all, that is robbing us of ours.

[OneBlueSky]

5. highly recommended . . . n/t

.

[PATRICK]

6. Meanwhile the public consciousness

is being spun to pretend the problem is Iran not Bush, to take the mind off our nut and let him do what he wants to take care of 'necessary" business, business largely fomented and set up by Bush to enable Bush to precisely take the worst actions.

[quiet.american]

7. It's hard to get past the excuse the author makes for Bush et al.

There's lately been a pattern where an amazing excuse for Bushco policy and behavior is inserted into the middle of an article that purports to take Bush to task. I'm thinking of another piece I recently read where the excuse for Bush's thuggery and murderous policies was that he and his administration were essentially overreacting out of frustration of having failed to get bin Laden in Afghanistan, and that's why they invaded Iraq -- I mean, come on!

While this author goes on to make good points, his ridiculous excuse for Bushco, that they're merely lost little boys in over their heads, completely upstages the rest of his piece for me.