Because of these circumstances, the Busheviks have made some powerful enemies, both foreign and domestic. As the discontent of these adversaries becomes more evident and manifest, a resistance movement may evolve. Among these dissidents are disaffected moderate Republicans such as John Dean and Kevin Phillips, some of whom, like James Webb in Virginia, are running for office as Democrats. In addition, resistance is forming among members of the federal civil service, foreign investors and creditors, and as noted above, retired military officers and veterans, and CIA professionals. And finally, more and more ordinary citizens are being alerted as the media curtain dissolves, exposing the lies and criminal activities of the Busheviks. To their everlasting shame, the Washington Democrats are not conspicuous among this opposition.
As the November election moves ever closer, it becomes increasingly likely that Karl Rove and the GOP will manage to hold things together long enough to steal one more election - to keep control of Congress, regardless of the will of the voters.
But then what?What happens if, after the opinion polls continue to show an overwhelming desire by the voters to turn the GOP out of the Congress and the state houses, the Republicans nonetheless remain in power? What if they do so despite statistically impossible upsets, e.g. in Ohio (
Kenneth Blackwell, now down by 19 points), and Florida (
Katherine Harris down by 18 points). What if, as before, virtually all these "upsets" are in the Republicans' favor by means of vote totals that are, by deliberate design, impossible to validate?
Might it finally dawn on the American public and the Democratic Party that elections are now meaningless charades, and that as long as unverifiable paperless e-voting prevails (and what is to stop it?), the United States will be, for all practical purposes, a one-party dictatorship.
In short:
what are citizens to do when it is finally recognized and acknowledged that it is impossible to vote the ruling party out of office - when, in effect, that party rules without the consent of the governed?The founders of our republic, in Congress assembled on July 4, 1776, had an answer:
That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That, whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.... (W)hen a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.So am I suggesting a new revolution or a
coup d'etat?
Not exactly, and not necessarily.
First of all, let's be clear: were a coalition of institutions, elites and citizens to overthrow the GOP autocracy, this would not be a coup. It would be a counter-coup, for the Bush regime came to power in 2000 in a coup which was fraudulently re-instated in 2004. Due to widespread election fraud and a suspension of ballot counting by a rogue Supreme Court, the United States today is ruled by an illegitimate regime. Even if, however improbably, the election returns of 2000, 2002 and 2004 were accurate, we can not know this because e-votes are, by design, unverifiable. An unverifiable vote is an invalid vote. Accordingly, offices obtained through such "elections" are illegitimate. Compounding that illegitimacy are Bush and Cheney's deliberate violation of their oaths of office, "to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Second, by a "counter-coup," I do not envision Bush and Cheney frog-marched out of a White House surrounded by tanks and troops in battle fatigues. I devoutly hope that such an eventuality will never take place and fully believe that it is both unlikely and unnecessary. Tanks surrounding a Presidential palace install or replace dictators far more frequently than they remove them. I would trust a military junta even less and fear it even more than I do the ruling Busheviks. Dear Lord, never let it come to this!
Instead, I envision a restoration of our democracy through "people power" - a peaceful "velvet revolution" such as we've seen in South Africa, in the Philippines, in Poland, in Czechoslovakia, in Russia, and in the U.S. south in the sixties. It would be a restoration funded by wealthy and progressive individuals, publicized by what remains of a free media and by a mainstream media "constructively pressured." Propaganda is not necessary, the simple truth will suffice, since, as Steven Colbert correctly noted, "reality has a liberal bias".
The struggle for restoration would be assisted by agencies and individuals within the governments, federal, state and local. On the federal level, individuals in the CIA and other agencies might disrupt the functioning of the regime (by methods that they know best), and whistleblowers might expose and publicize corruption and abuse of power. Just enough GOP Senators and members of Congress might be "persuaded" to join the Democrats in
a coalition of resistance that would reorganize the Congress and then proceed to investigate the crimes of the Bush administration. If so, impeachment, conviction, and removal from office would become distinct possibilities.
State governments might pass resolutions of non-compliance and calls for impeachment, or even, in extreme cases, threaten secession. (Secession would fail, as it should, but resolutions of secession would ignite public debate and publicize citizen grievances). Local prosecutors might, at last, investigate, indict and bring to trial individuals (e.g. politicians and voting machine manufacturers and technicians) guilty of election fraud.
The military, from general officers down to privates, might refuse to obey illegal orders from the White House. For example, orders to continue an illegal war in Iraq, or to commence an illegal war in Iran. If so, they would have the support and sanction of the Nuremberg accords, which have the force of law.
And finally
ordinary citizens, in ever-increasing numbers, would, in the words of The Declaration, publicly "absolve" themselves of "allegiance" to the illegitimate regime. As in Alabama and Mississippi in the sixties, the jails would then be jammed with non-violent resisters, and the streets would be filled with angry citizens demanding the restoration of a government that rules with their consent - as in Manila, Johannesburg, Gdansk, Prague, St. Petersburg, Moscow.
It could happen here in the United States of America if We the People finally come to understand and appreciate that redress through the ballot box is no longer available to us. And if, furthermore, this aroused public has the good sense and discipline to renounce violence.
On the other hand, none of this may be attempted or, if attempted, succeed. If so, and if, once again, the will of the majority of American voters is thwarted in November, then the United States will likely descend into a long night of despotism.
In the meantime, what are we ordinary citizens to do today, just six weeks before the election?
First of all,
vote! - even in elections fated to be "Diebolded." Every impossible ("miracle") GOP victory erodes the credibility of e-voting and by implication the legitimacy of the GOP regime. Conversely, every obviously fraudulent election increases the legitimacy of extra-electoral protest and resistance. And who knows? A flood of votes against Republicans by an angry and alerted citizenry just might overwhelm the Congressional "fix" that is presumably in place.
Support the Democrats
selectively - individuals, not the corrupt and complaint national party. Send contributions to individual progressive candidates, never to the Democratic National Committee or the Senate or Congressional Campaign Committees. And when the solicitations arrive from the DSCC, the DCCC or the DNC, let them know why you won't contribute.
Keep pushing the election fraud issue with letters to the editor, to the media, and to Congress, and in your personal, business and professional contacts. And contribute to the citizen organizations working toward election reform, and
listed here.
Boycott the mainstream broadcast media and their sponsors, except for rare mavericks such as Keith Olbermann. And again, write to them and tell them why. Support and distribute the work of progressive print columnists such as Paul Krugman, E.J. Dionne, Bob Herbert, etc.
Support alternative and independent media: publications (The Nation, The Progressive, American Prospect, etc.), broadcasts (Pacifica, DemocracyNow, Air America Radio, etc.) and of course the Internet.
Above all we must always remember that this is our country. The regressive oligarchs have taken it away from us.