Burythehatchet's manifesto for Democratic rule

[burythehatchet]

If we ever take control of policymaking, here are the first few things I propose we FORCE Democratic leaders do, as a beginning for restoring trust in government, and making government for "we the people"

1. Unseal all presidential records that are not critical to national security. Addeddum: Impose a 30 day limitation for compliance with FOIA requests from any organization or individual.

2. Pass a constitutional amendment covering gay rights. Make sexual orientation a "protected call" under the civil rights bill.

3. Pass a constitutional amendment making all elections publicly financed. Redraw all congressional districts fairly. Ask India to teach us how to have fraud-proof elections.

4. Dismantle all secret government agencies including the CIA, the FBI, the NSA and DIA, and remake them into institutions that reflect democratic values. Rename the FBI headquarters anything but the J. Edgar Hoover building.

5. Cut defense spending by 10 percent and apply the money to social security, and a universal health plan.

6. Abide by all treaties to which the US has been a signatory, including the world criminal court.

7. Nationalize the defense manufacturing industry. Eliminate sales of weaponry to any country and urge all world powers to do the same.

8. Make reparations to african americans, and to every country that has suffered at the hands of US foreign policy.

9. Begin a public works project to repair every school, bridge and tunnel in the country in order to avhieve full employment.

10. Make membership on the UN security counsel turn over every 5 years, on a rotating basis, open to members in good standing.

11. Forbid any member of the Bush family from running for any public office.

I realize there is a lot more that can be done, but I believe this will cure much of the disease, and therefore the accompanying symtoms of the disease.

[OneBlueSky]

1. interesting points, but . . .

#2, #4, and #8 would never fly in the real world . . . and others are marginal . . .

not that I wouldn't like to see all of it enacted . . . I would . . .

but in politics, you have to be politic . . . not compromise on the important issues, mind you . . . but select and frame them in ways that Americans will understand and support . . .

[burythehatchet]

3. Thank you OneBlueSky for that comment

because it opens the discussion to the one point that I am most interested in making. The initiatives mentioned in the OP were a way to get the REAL discussion started (although admittedly there does not seem to be much interest):)

In order to establish context I want to explain my theory of the how's and why's regarding the actions of the current administration. I do not believe they are incompetent. I do not believe they hate government. I believe they are extremely competent and love government. They are competent in executing their agenda, and their agenda is a takeover of every facet of government in order to establish a fascist state. Remember that fascists love government because that is the instrument by which they wrest control of the population, the media as well as the treasury. I think you might agree that those objectives have been largely accomplished.

How did they meet their objectives? They did it by creating outrage from day one, and never looking back. Consider for a moment all the incidents of malfeasance that have occurred in the past five years. It is hard to imagine that this was a result of sloppiness or an accident. No, they manufactured outrage in such volume that we, the people, simply are not able to even catalog their crimes. The pattern is as follows: HUGE crime - liberal outrage - series of smaller crimes - liberal outrage directed at the smaller crimes while the huge crime is largely left behind - HUGE crime - lather rinse repeat.

To summarize, they plotted their agenda, and they executed it to perfection. To use an analogy, it was as though we are playing a football game, they are on offense, they put 22 men on the field to our legal 11 men. They flood the end zone and score. The referees are bought and paid for and they call a touchdown. We are outraged and we complain. While we complain they kick an on-sides kick with their 22 men and start the cycle all over again.

DO you think that when they were plotting their takeover they said to themselves. "Stealing elections is really too much, we shouldn't go that far", "holding secret meetings with the VP is too much, we shouldn't go that far", perpetrating a terror attack on America is too much, we shouldn't do that", etc. etc. etc.

What I am proposing is that we do the same. Except we do it legally. We need to implement our visions and ideals in a bare-knuckle fashion. Let them endure the outrage and worry about how to deal with it. We can even give them tips on how. After all, we are practiced enough.

Does this make sense?

[H2O Man]

7. I do not think that

#2 is marginal. There are two reasons why not: first, I think the Constitution already provides the protections in question, but that these Constitutional rights are being denied in gross violation of that document. Denying any group their rights based on anything like race, religion, or sex is simply wrong. Just as in the past, people have had to expand their definitions to be inclusive, we need to recognize the crime being commited today with the ignorant and cruel treatment of citizens, based on their sexual identity. Denial of rights cannot be justified, based upon religious discrimination .... be it the denial of a religious minorities' rights, or a religious majority attempting to deny other citizens their rights.

Second, all tyrants know that in order to get a people to overlook their own misery and low level of being, all that is required is to get them to project hatred at some identified "enemy." We see no better example of that than the Bush-backing charlatans like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson creating a hateful atmosphere against the homosexual population. As a religious person, I find their hate-mongering offensive. As a citizen of the USA, I find it absolutely unacceptable that they are allowed to dictate social policy for people who do not subscribe to their hateful beliefs.

I think that it is important that the democratic party make it a priority to recognize human rights, and that we work to insure all people have Constitutional protections that recognize their right to marry the person they love. That's a basic building block of "comunity values" and "quality of life," both of which are central issues under the US Constitution.

[burythehatchet]

8. Thanks for your comments H2O Man

[PeachyDem88]

2. Number 3...

Why redraw congressional districts?

Why not abolish them, and hold Proportional Representation elections for the House?

We could probably stand to double the size of the House, while we're at it...

Also, what would a Gay Rights Amendment look like? The words 'sexual orientation' couldn't make their way into the Constitution... Especially if they could be construed as protecting incest, polygamy, bestiality, etc...

How would it be worded?

[burythehatchet]

4. agree with your first point

second point: What is against the law remains that way, sexual orientation would still be covered by civil rights law.

[KharmaTrain]

5. We'll Need Truth And Reconciliation...

To expect the pendulum to swing from hard right to hard left is asking for a social upheaval none of us either can predict, nor should we want.

Instead, we need to re-establish a sense of moral decency and responsibility in government...a restoring of the priorities of who works for who. It's time where money and greed are replaced by a true national and common good that makes it possible for all people in this country to live together and end the divisiveness that leads to a lot of the problems you describe above.

The first step is removing Repugnicans from at least one, if not more, levers of power. Nothing can be advanced as long as their fear mongering and greed remains in control. Then comes the discoveries of all the abuses and messes of this current regime. The first job is going to be to stop the bleeding that that's going on...fiscally and literally.

I hope one day we have the luxuary where we can push for Progressive ideals and that there's a strong possibility they'll be both accepted and passed. But it's gonna take a lot of work before we get to that point.

Peace...

[burythehatchet]

6. Thanks.

I hope you read post 3 as that is really the engine for change, IMHO.