Thursday, September 26, 2002

Andrew Jackson is In The House QUOTE OF THE DAY "When I tell any truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those who do." - - William Blake RHINO HERE: Finally, some of the Democrats are expressing some outrage. Top of the list was Al Gore's speech on Monday to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco entitled, "Iraq and the War on Terrorism" in which he clearly and eloquently criticized the proposed war powers resolution, the preemptive attack policy and the loss of freedom in America saying, "The idea that an American citizen can be imprisoned without recourse to judicial process or remedies, and that this can be done on the say-so of the President or those acting in his name, is beyond the pale." A draft of Gore's remarks is available at: http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/09.25A.gore.sf.htm or Quickly download a "realplayer" audio/video file of the speech by going to the c-span web site and doing a search on "gore": http://www.c-span.org Then there was Senator Robert Byrd, Democrat from West Virginia who spoke passionately on the Senate floor this week saying "I cannot believe the gall and the arrogance of the White House in requesting such a broad grant of war powers. This is the worst kind of election-year politics." For more of his comments, go to: http://www.wvgazette.com/display_story.php3?sid=200209213&format=prn But what fascinated (and repulsed) me today was coming across an article from last week's Washington Post reporting that shrub's strategist, Karl Rove, is likening his boss to "Ol' Hickory", President Andrew Jackson. For those who don't know U.S. history, or were taught the washed over version, suffice it to say that if the U.S. had a holocaust (an estimated 50 million Indians were killed by war starvation and European disease from 1492 to 1890), then Andrew Jackson was America's Adolph Hitler (having ordered the forced march of all Indians out of the Southeast toward Oklahoma which resulted in the infamous Trail Of Tears, and therein set down the tone for Indian policy for the next century). A LIST OF JACKSON'S QUESTIONABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS IS AT: http://www.choctaw.com/jackson.html Funny how last week shrub's company men were comparing him to our Adolph and this week they're pissed off at the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder for comparing him to Europe's Adolph. You can read an excerpt of the Washington Post Ol' Hickory article below or, SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26094-2002Sep16.html 8:05:04 AM    comment

Another Ol' Hickory in the White House? By Dana Milbank, Washington Post, Tuesday, September 17, 2002 ...the White House is convinced of the similarities... ...Jackson clashed with Congress and the judiciary as he sought to build the president's power. Opponents accused him of eliminating civil liberties and cartoonists portrayed him as King Andrew. The Bush administration has battled with Congress over intelligence sharing and war powers, and with the judiciary over the rights of the accused. Jackson was a frontiersman who spoke of the "idiots" in Washington. The cowboy-boot wearing Bush often ridicules Washington in speeches. Jackson had a fierce temper and was ruthless against his enemies. Bush, too, is known for his hot temper and for dividing his world into friends and enemies. Bush keeps a scorecard with photos of wanted terrorists and checks them off as they are killed. The greatest similarity, though, may be the Jackson and Bush worldviews. Since Sept. 11 in particular, Bush's aggressive use of American power -- "unilateralist" to critics -- follows very closely the Jacksonian approach... ...Jacksonians have little use for international law. When Jackson was fighting Indians, he crossed into foreign territory, arrested and hanged British subjects. As president, he sent the Navy to Sumatra to burn a settlement that had insulted the American flag. Bush, likewise, has incurred the wrath of allies for rejecting the International Criminal Court, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Kyoto Accord on global warming. Now he threatens to take unilateral action against Iraq if the United Nations will not join him. Bush's disdain for "nation building" fits closely with the Jacksonian view that foreign policy is not about spreading humanitarian values. Similarly, the treatment of terrorists in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and efforts to deny suspected terrorists the normal judicial protections follow the Jacksonian view that enemies do not deserve compassion. So what does this mean for the future of Bush's foreign policy? It's not terribly good news for Iraq and the others in the Axis of Evil. Jacksonians, Mead said, "fight wars ruthlessly and totally."... TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE, GO TO: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26094-2002Sep16.html Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law ( http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ). All copyrights belong to original publisher. "RHINO'S NEWS BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. Feedback is encouraged and can be emailed to him at: rhino@kifaru.com RHINO'S WEB SITES: http://radio.weblogs.com/0103207 (RHINO'S NEWS WEBLOG - PRESENT & PAST) http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Tell a friend about this weblog, or if you know someone who'd like to join the Rhino's News Blog mailing list, drop a line to rhino@kifaru.com. 8:01:03 AM    comment

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