The consent of the governed; it is the
bedrock of our republic. Our system of self government serves to
measure the public decibel level. Public silence is a statement of
consent.
Silence is no longer useful. It’s time to
make noise. Literally. Because there’s no doubt about it, America has
been assaulted. From within.
Our nation has changed radically under
this administration, and today there are signs of an amorphous yet
rising discontent. More and more of us of all political stripes are
wondering: How can we get our America back?
The administration of George W. Bush is
without precedent (at least in America). Blatantly breaking the law by
spying on vast numbers of citizens, and then telling us this is the new
norm, folks, get used to it. Then cracking down on the patriotic
whistleblowers who dared reveal the truth. Bush’s spying was too much
for former NSA intelligence agent Russell Tice, who warned recently
that “our nation has decayed into a police state.”
The administration
launched a war based on lies, creating a new and welcoming home for
international terrorists. Our dependable allies throughout the world
have been pushed aside. The Cheney-Bush gang did this un-American act
and they demand that we quietly acquiesce. We must not and will not.
And who could have ever imagined that
torture would become American policy? It is an outrage. This
administration has crossed a constitutional line and patriotic
Americans can not let them get away with it. We must not be quiet.
Bush’s policies are undermining our economy,
shipping jobs overseas,blatantly raping our public environment, our
heritage for the short term gain of a few, enriching the already most
privileged, and decimating the middle class so essential to democracy¹s
survival. The neo-cons (who are anything but conservative) have created
unprecedented debt for future generations to bear. It’s unacceptable.
America’s traditional values have been
intentionally undermined. This government is determined to replace
democracy here with a theocratic plutocracy, government of, by, and for
the super rich, as it skillfully manipulates the absolutism of a narrow
religious-political sect. In five years, they’ve accomplished much of
their anti-American agenda. It’s time for vocal resistance.
Their continued hold on power relies on our
meek acceptance. They are counting on Americans who still treasure the
Constitution and the quaint belief in government of, by, and for the
people, to just roll over and give in to the fear they’ve so obviously
and effectively manipulated.
We can’t afford to be quiet. It is
incumbent on patriotic Americans, citizens in the true sense of the
word, to stand and challenge the attacks on basic American values and
the rule of law. It is time to defend our values, our Constitution, and
our country.
A new organization, World Can¹t Wait, has
taken out ads in newspapers across the nation, calling for a new and
creative, perfectly legal yet potentially challenging action in our
communities. Making noise, literally. Each of us exercising our own
small power. With all its power, the administration is still powerless
to take this away from us.
Here’s what’s planned: At the moment Bush
begins his State of the Union speech, at 9 PM, Tuesday January 31, the
public noise begins. Their ad calls for “a cacophony of sound …with
music: from drums to violins, from hip hop to classical; and with
noise: banging pots and ringing church bells, sounding car horns and
lifting our voices.”
Such a novel approach shows that the consent of
the governed is simply not there.
Some argue we should just let the President
have his say and then respond politely. But we’re in very different
times. Think of it this way: As citizens, when we see a crime being
committed, it is our responsibility to do what we can to stop the
criminal. This administration has committed many many crimes on the
people of America and the world. Clearly they don’t care. As citizens
who still believe in America, we have an obligation. And an opportunity.
On their web site(worldcantwait.org) it
says: “The agenda for 2006 must not be set by Bush, but by the people
determined to stop this whole disastrous course.” This event calls for
the exercise of our individual rights, to not only challenge the
relentless assaults on the laws, values, traditions, economy,
environment, and citizens of the United States. It’s also saying: We
still believe in America¹s potential. We want our America back.
***
Burt Cohen served as NH state senator from 1990 to 2004 when he ran for US
Senate.