Maybe a political rant will attract web surfers

Maybe a political rant will attract web surfers!

I AM NOT POLITICAL! Sorry to shout.
By Mitchell Kramer

Look, I’m a big fan of the good ol’ U.S. of A.

I’m an 18^th century history buff. I work in an American Jewish history museum and really appreciate the principles of our country. Equality – not just class equality, but religious and racial equality. That’s the point of this country. It’s never been perfect, our treatment of the Native Americans and the practice of slavery are embarrassing. It’s taken a long time, but slowly, so slowly it’s gotten better. The civil rights amendment is right up there with the best things our country has done. The Geneva Convention is pretty great too.

I can even admit that I’ve agreed with a couple of our president’s recent policy decisions. Allowing a company from Dubai to run a few ports and work visas for the migrant workers, these seem compassionate… and conservative.

But come on, the scandals and behavior of the republicans in the House and Senate and most disturbingly in the White House is well, just icky.
Very very icky.

I have a hard time accepting that because we have a republican majority in every branch of government, we can’t more seriously investigate questionable practices and make it stop. Well, at least stop making scandalous behavior so common, so regular, and so seemingly acceptable in our halls of power.

You know, I hate to say it, but the international reputation and national pride of the United States seems in short supply right now…

But I’m not political.

So having said all that…

here is my list, affectionately titled…

EMBARESSINGGATE

Tom Delay with your gerrymandering, redistricting, and illegal use of contributions

John Ashcroft, illegal use of contributions.
Not to mention that the singing is really embarrassing.

Karl Rove- Winning at any cost.
I wonder who he has the deed to his soul? That’s right, I said soul.

My unsolicited advice to Antonin Scalia.
I have the feeling that anyone who has ever gone hunting with Dick Chaney is corrupt. Don’t do that anymore, you’re a Supreme Court justice.

What did Valerie Plame ever do to you?
Revealing the secret identity of a political opponents wife is mean and dangerous.

Dick Chaney’s energy-policy task force secret.
Inquiring minds still want to know.

Jack Abramoff and his cronies.
Who didn’t they bribe?

Let me say that lobbying is not intrinsically bad. A lobbyist for the American Heart Association or the NAACP is getting the word out for causes and organizations that need a voice. But political influence and cronyism is obviously sleazy. The people who do it know it’s wrong, don’t they?

Halliburton’s No bid contracts.
War profiteering is evil. Bribery is unethical.

Weapons of mass destruction
The whole going to war on a false premise thing

Abu Ghraib Prison
Photographing torture is gross.
Don’t do that.

Guantánamo Bay
Torture – the United States. And not just a little bit of torture.
Apparently, it was a whole lot of torture.
I’m pretty sure the whole point of being the guys in the white hats is not doing that.

Illegally holding prisoners of war –
Who, more and more, are looking less and less like terrorist masterminds.

The opinions are mine, if you want a little more detail and less biased opinion, I would refer you to the article, “The Scandal Sheet” By Peter Dizikes, it was very helpful in compiling my list.