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SEVENTY PERCENT of the American people oppose the Iraq War. EIGHTY FOUR PERCENT oppose any U.S. participation in a widened Mideast war. Yet we don't see these numbers even close to being represented in the new Congress, and, frankly, with the Senate the way it is, I expect a lot of dithering on Iraq withdrawal, no real withdrawal, continued huge U.S. military presence in the Middle East tinderbox, and more war. The U.S. economy, which never demobilized after WW II, NEEDS war, so that's what we're going to get--at whatever expense of lives and treasure--unless we can restore transparent vote counting.
I've also been wondering about the electronic central tabulators that, as I understand it, came on line in CT (for the first time) between the primary and the general elections. CT has the old-fashioned, reliable, virtually unriggable lever machines--like New York--but if the votes were "sent" to central electronic tabulators, run on TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by Bushite corporations, as is true in most of the country, who knows what the real vote was?
My other concern was Jewish voters in CT, worried about Israel, in the wake of the failed Iraq War, and loss of support for Israel due to its rightwing politicians' (and war profiteers') alliance with the despised Bush Junta. There is no bigger nor more powerful advocate for Israel than Lieberman. And Lamont was an unknown. Tragic mistake, I think, to wed the two causes--Israel's survival and Bush Junta fascism, thievery, war profiteering and genocide. But short-term, fearful thinking may have prevailed, in votes for Lieberman. Bush policy has turned Iraq into a disaster area that threatens to destabilize the Middle East, a situation in which Israel has never been more vulnerable, and a large-scale conflagration could result, which Israel won't likely survive. Lieberman, a pivotal vote in the Senate, will surely makes matters worse. His brain is stuck back in 2001-2002 thinking. Israel needs to forge an entirely new path, make peace with its neighbors, and begin to act in the best interests of its region and of all Middle Eastern peoples. It must develop the vision to end "the endless war." And, absent any visionary leadership in the U.S. on this matter, and with militaristic Lieberman protecting warmongers and war profiteers here, and there, Israel's path to real security in its region is blocked, or at least severely, and perhaps, fatally, retarded. Bushites are the most treacherous of friends. I could easily see them scapegoating Jews/Israel for their own heinous crimes. It's built into the 'christian' nutball ideology that they have fostered. They have no real concern for Israel whatsoever, and I think the Israeli people are going to bitterly regret that rightwing/war profiteer alliance. And I think CT voters are also going to end up bitterly regretting their votes for Lieberman--votes for the past, for the illusory safety of militarism and the medieval fortress mentality--if, indeed, the majority voted for him. Peace is a very scary path for a country that has been at war for more than half a century. I understand that. But true friends of Israel will help them get past that continual trauma, and aim at a positive future, rather than feeding upon and promoting fear.
And it doesn't surprise me in the least that a whole bunch of war profiteer and rightwing money was poured into Lieberman's campaign. On top of Bushite corporations now "counting" all our votes with TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, we still have our OTHER problem of the filthy campaign contribution system (feeding billions into the corporate news media, for TV ads), by which all political debate is skewed way to the right. The secret vote "counting," the money and the corporate news media effectively combine to defeat the clear will of the majority of Americans on this war, and on everything else, with the demoralization of people like those who ran the Lamont campaign one of the most serious casualties of this unbalanced situation.
However, I want to say this: It took many decades of plotting by rightwing billionaires and other fascists to create the current handicap against progressive politics, and it is not going to be undone overnight. We have Ned Lamont and the Lamont campaign to thank for being among the greatest and bravest pioneers of restoring open debate in the U.S. They helped bust down the corporate media wall against honest discussion of the Iraq War, and brought that reality front and center into these elections. That's what the American people wanted to talk about. That was the number one issue on the minds of 60% of the voters, with 70% of the American people opposed to the war. And Lamont and his campaign--whether they won or lost (in transparent vote counting terms)--deserve a whole lot of credit for this overall Democratic win, such as it is. People voted for Democrats BECAUSE OF their opposition to the war and their dismay that it still goes on, and their anger at the pack of lies that got us into it.
As I've said before, Ned Lamont is the Eugene McCarthy of this era. He may have lost at the polls--but the American people, who have had no say in this war policy--despite 56% opposition to the war way back in Feb. '03, before the invasion--at long last gained a voice in this matter, through his efforts and those of his supporters.
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