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Introduction
Did Bush, Cheney, Rove & Co. Prove That Cheating Really Pays?
Give an honest day's work for an honest day's wages. Tell the truth and be honest. Don't cheat or steal....And always remember: You are responsible for the decisions you make. - George W. Bush, address at Texas A&M University, April 6, 1998
In late 2000, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and other Republicans stole the White House from Al Gore and other Democrats. Since that time, I have been bombarded with pleas from friends, enemies, media pundits, and others to "get over" that constitutional pilfering, as if they need my acquiescence to further legitimize the theft in their minds and soothe their nagging consciences.
My answer remains unchanged: Bush is not my president and never will be. I am 47 and seriously doubt I will ever get over it.
Every time I see Bush's smug smirk - which is way too often - I am reminded of how he enlisted the aid of his right-wing buddies on the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the legal counting of votes in Florida in a stunning, partisan decision and hand him the White House that Gore won in the popular vote by more than 540,000 votes. I am reminded of stories that never received serious play in the national media, such as the roughly 10,000 absentee votes in some 26 Republican-leaning Florida counties that were counted on Election Day despite them being spoiled.
Amazingly, with no impartial scrutiny, the county officials drew up new copies of the 10,000 ballots that the machines did not read and marked them for the candidates when they showed "clear intent," according to the Orlando Sentinel, one of the few media outlets that covered this story. Bush dominated absentee balloting in Florida by almost 2-to-1, and this sleight-of-hand by election workers that benefited Republicans was a clear contrast to the position Bush & Co. took against hand recounts following Nov. 7, 2000. 1
I am reminded of many more examples of lies, theft, hypocrisy - and cheating. Many have examined the backgrounds of Bush, Cheney, Rove, and other officials close to them, though few have put them together and presented a clear case of how they have broken the rules and laws throughout their lives so we can begin to understand how we got into our present predicament. Many have examined the lies of Bush and officials around them; I contributed to one such book myself, Big Bush Lies, published in 2004 by RiverWood Books of Oregon. Many of the episodes of cheating and breaking laws away from politics, including Bush's and Cheney's drunk-driving arrests and an insider stock sale when Bush was on the board of Harken Energy, have been widely covered before.
snip to the end of intro:
I will fight back with the truth uncovered through long hours of research. I will stand up to the Bush administration and venture down back alleys that few may dare to trod. I will keep working towards a society that truly practices "liberty and justice for all" - not just liberty and justice for Bush, Cheney, Rove, and their cronies.
I will keep fighting, believing that someday Bush, Cheney, Rove, and the forces who back them will be driven from power and can continue their cheating ways in a forum that does not so directly and adversely affect so many of us. - Jackson Thoreau Sept. 11, 2006
I know this is more than 4 paragraphs, but I also know Jackson and have his permission. I met with JT in DC a couple of weeks ago and was privileged to enjoy seeing Howard Zinn at Busboys and Poets with him.
Peace and thanks for the tip. I should have done better in the initial post.
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