Listening to Obama's inaugural speech impressed solely by its obvious continuity of the process that Bush and Cheney helped along it's way. The Project for a New American Century was in full swing as Obama parroted the aims and dreams of Zbigniew Brezinski, his foreign policy adviser and mentor. One pawn was replaced by another on "The Grand Chessboard" and, after the slight inconvenience of a Presidential election, the battle for Eurasia and the quest for control of America continues.
There are those who will be thinking right now.. But he's only been in office since last Tuesday - give the guy a chance. Read the transcript of the inaugural speech one more time and, without the flags, the applause and the carefully crafted delivery, see what was really said. Look at the actions of his administration since taking office. Look at his voting record as a senator. Judge the man on his actions and stated goals not on the vacuous pandering to a nation that has been brought to its knees by the policies and decisions engineered by the same people who now occupy his administration. This being a time for hope does not mean it's a time for blind hope. Most importantly, remember that he has sworn to "preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States". Even if he had to do it twice.
From his Speech:
"At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents. So it has been; so it must be with this generation of Americans."
The fourth Amendment of the Constitution states.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized"
Last Thursday, the Obama administration requested U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker in the case of Al-Haramain v. Obama (07-cv-109-VRW) (MDL06-cv-1791-VRW) to reverse his decision to bring exculpatory evidence to bear. The latter is a leaked memo from the U.S. Treasury Department which was sent to the plaintiffs' lawyers. The memo would prove that the plaintiffs were subjected to unlawful eavesdropping.
In a separate filing, the administration's new Attorney General, Eric Holder, stated his intent to fight the Electronic Frontiers Foundation's court case to overturn the immunity of Telecoms companies to prosecution over their complicity in illegal wiretapping of American citizens. Obama had voted for this immunity legislation in July, 2008 which included legislation that resulted in the NSA targeting "U.S. journalists, all domestic communications of Americans, including, faxes, phone calls and network traffic."
The Obama administration clearly does not want any interference in the NSA's unbridled and unconstitutional surveillance of Americans and is happy to abrogate the Fourth Amendment.
From the Speech:
"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers -- (applause) -- our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake."
.Obama vigorously defend the Patriot Act which illustrated his "choice between safety and our ideals"
Speech continues:
"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age."
The "far-reaching network of violence and hatred" has been created by his predecessors and is being brought to its next phase by him. The true definition of this network is U.S. imperial aggression throughout the Middle East and Asia. The illegal invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the support for murderous dictators from Pakistan to Chile, the meddling in the affairs of former satellites of Russia have rendered a body count that would bring a blush to the face of Pol Pot. It is not America that needs protection from the rest of the world, it is the rest of the world that needs protection from America.
The economic crisis cannot be blamed on the "greed and irresponsibility on the part of some", it was engineered to fail by the encouragement of rampant credit driven consumerism, a deliberately inflated housing bubble and theeasing of legislation to protect against predatory lending. New York Governor, Elliot Spitzer was one brave man to stand up against this and paid the price. Remember, the Bailout Bill was pushed by Obama before he became President and his economic team includes the architects of policies and legislation that created the environment to enable Banks to swing open the doors of the casino known as Wall St..- Obama's biggest campaign contributors.
The "hard choices" to prepare the nation for a "New Age" - read "New World Order" - will have to be made by the very people who have just been robbed of trillions of dollars by their own government. Spending $150 million on the Inauguration didn't seem to be a hard choice for Obama. But, hey, we're all in this together.
Continuing the speech:
"Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. "
Free Men and Women with "imagination joined to common purpose and necessity to courage" did indeed achieve real change in the past. The student and antiwar movement in the 60's succeeded in forcing their own government to finally stop murdering poor Asian people for corporate profit. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. founded a movement that brought equality in the eys of the law to Black Americans. But these achievements were against Government policies, not in partnership with them.
By "cynics" read anyone who exposes Government wrong doing. By "Stale political arguments" read Cynthia Mc Kinney and Dr. Ron Paul. It reminds me of the time when George H.W. Bush stated "Let us never tolerate outrageous conspiracy theories concerning the attacks of September 11th". The faces change but the message remains the same; We, the Government, speak the Truth, to deny the truth is to deny your country. "My country right or wrong", the battle cry of the Blind.
Speech continues:
"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."
The Government has already been an 800 lb gorilla in Americans' parlors and is now set to go crazy on steroids. Increasing Government control of more and more aspects of peoples' lives is now guaranteed by the engineered crisis that is upon the country. It's the "we're all in this together" mantra that sets the Government up as the Saviour that will work with the people to make things all better. No matter that they were the ones who created the crisis.
Talking about those who manage the publics dollars being held to account, is he going to hold himself to account for voting to hand over taxpayer billions to his banking buddies? If by programs that do not "help families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified" does he mean repealing the legislation that encouraged U.S. companies to outsource U.S. jobs ? His promise to go through budget spending line by line to eliminate wasteful spending leaves out trillions of dollars in funding for more war and a bigger military. The lies and deception pile up higher and higher.
Moving on..
"And so, to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born, know that America is a friend of each nation, and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity. And we are ready to lead once more"
How can anyone in Iraq, Palestine or Afghanistan consider America as their friend ? Obama's silence when thousands of men, women and children were being bombed to pieces with weapons provided by him - yes, Obama consistently voted to send Israel all the weapons they wanted, including Phosphorous shells - didn't qualify as being a friend.
His order on 23rd January for missile strikes on poor villages in Pakistan's tribal areas because he "believed" that "insurgents" - read inhabitants that are working to throw the murderous U.S. military machine out of their country - were living in these villages does not qualify as being a friend. 18 people were summarily executed. It's now officially Obama's watch, the blood is officially on his hands.
But I suppose that this is what he meant when he said..
"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. (Applause.)"
Speech continues..
"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. (Applause.)"
I suppose he could have been talking about his own Government but probably meant President Musharraf of Pakistan, America's ally in the "War on Terror".
The lies and deceptions continue as a mendacious and disingenuous sermon that was crafted by his delivery and intonation to bring the spectre of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to hover behind him like a halo.
The final paragraph, quoting Thomas Paine during the 1776 War of Independence against the tyranny of the British..
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
Is ironically prescient in that, never before since the War of Independence, have her citizens stood before such a corrupt ruling elite who have chosen one of their own to lead them further down the road to tyranny and bondage.
God Help America.