We should be ashamed of Cheney

Vice President Cheney is a perfect example of the type of despotic leader our constitution was SUPPOSED to guard against. The fact that he still retains a powerful position in our government is something we the people should be ashamed of.

Are we so fearful and weak that we can be led around like a herd of frightened sheep by an insanely secretive tryant?

The executive branch of our government is supposed to manage and lead according to the laws passed by the legislative branch. These laws are written through a deliberative process representative of the will of the people. These deliberations are slowed by the process itself to dampen the swings of popular opinion. The judicial branch is there to insure that we follow the law.

This whole structure was put in place because our founders knew from experience that power unfettered by law and residing in an unbridled executive was (and is) the source of practically all of the evil that governments bring to our world. And much of that evil comes from self-righteous leaders who tell us they know best what is good for us or some variation of "If you knew what I know, you wouldn't question what I have done for you/am doing for you/am about to do for you. But I can't tell you what I know, because then I wouldn't be able to do it."

What is now coming to light are things done in our name that are so horrific that we should be ashamed. These things continue to this day, and they are evil.

The problem is that there is such a long trail of horrific things done in our name that the current set of bastards can literally ask, "What are you complaining about? This is nothing new. What do you think was done at Wounded Knee?"

We should not cower from responding. From our Christian heritage, we know the answer. It is redemption. This is combining repentance with conversion ... renouncing the past and then doing what love commands ... for God is love.

But we have no one calling us to "oughtness" born of love ... what we ought to be ... out of our "isness" ... what we are.

It's a shame.

Reference:
Pushing the Envelope on Presidential Power
By Barton Gellman and Jo Becker
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, June 25, 2007