Mourning before Inauguration

Though I accept the political process of my country and I wish
George W. Bush absolute success in brandishing compassion, lovingkindness,
peace and economic recovery through sustainability practices (alternative energy,
mass transit, organic farming, small family businesses, community services,
non-polluting, renewable fuel transportation, bicycle lanes, electric-assist bikes and
scooters, tool sharing, home garden produce, voluntary simplicity, service/product barter,
disincented military-industrial complex and expanded "green" business)

I hereby register my protest of the Inauguration based on the illigitimacy of the Iraq war.
George Bush should be summarily impeached for this action and all funds currently being spent
on this fiasco should be curtailed immediately. I have never heard the courage of Jimmy Carter to wage the equivalent of war on OIL CONSUMPTION. In the last four years we could have developed whole fleets of high mileage cars, outfitted thousands of homes and businesses with energy efficient lighting, appliances, installed millions of kilowatts of solar and wind energy, insulated, reduced consumption, and reduced our thirst for foreign oil (which drives our "National Interests"). Big oil and big carmakers have had no shame backing the killing of innocent Iraqi citizens and children.

The smokescreen of "Moral" committment that carried George Bush to the presidency is absurd. With the world population soaring and a virtual third Crusade taking place between the Christian and Muslem peoples, it is ridiculous to site abortion and gay marriage as major priorities of the President. Peace is our number 1 priority, with economic prosperity based
on environmentally sensitive development number 2.
America is rightfully seen by the rest of the world as an arrogant, rich, overpowerful nation
abusing its powers and using up the worlds natural resources while dictating
moral and political processes worldwide. We have degenerated from the worlds saviour in WW II to a hostile, self-conceited empire driven by a small brigade of greedy, racist, right-wing radicals. We have not signed the Kyoto Accords yet. We have lost any threads of hegemony taking leadership in energy policy, family planning, empowerment of women, environmental restoration, diplomacy, sustainable forestry, fisheries, farming. It is shear ignorance to continue growing tobacco (a proven cause of cancer) and to avoid the large scale development of hemp, which could provide amazing benefits for our economy, in fuel oil, extremely durable clothing fabric, food and many other products.

General Eisenhauer warned us back in the 1950's about the military industrial complex. Today
it runs almost 20% of the economy. We need to get out of the WAR business. The cold war ended and suddenly we had new enemies. How long will it take the American people to wake up? The military industrial complex is in the business of fabricating paranoia and wide-scale fear. And the humongous defense budget and now Homeland security are heading us toward the same bankruptcy that plagues Russia. We can literally spend ourselves poor and destitute by keeping to this path.

The answer is prosperity based on people learning to work together and create an America that is strong economically. We need jobs, manufacturing jobs, home-based businesses, small family farms, neighborhood businesses, we need to produce instead of overconsuming.
We are running a dangerously large debt that is being financed by other nations and has the potential to ruin the American dollar on international money markets.
The short-term answer of our current administration is CONQUER, control the oil fields, make the oil ours and subjugate anyone who gets in our way. We base our whole democracy on the
right of SELF-DETERMINATION, (read the Declaration of Independence George W.!) and
what did we do in Iraq? The propaganda that we were liberating the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein is hogwash. The Bush family is totally in cohoots with the Saudis. When Saddam Hussein took his army into Kuwait, he scared the heck out of the Saudis. They wanted him deposed, they wanted their oil fields kept safe and they bought the Bushes to accomplish this.
I didn't approve of Saddam Hussein and then again there are hundreds of governments that torture and kill their dissidents and because they do not have oil we don't bother "liberating" their peoples.
Plainly we have lost touch with the world since the mountain of fear that has buried us since 911. Europe is unifying and Asia is growing. Africa is suffering terribly at the hands of AIDS and policies that hamper their traditional ways of life. We are not displaying maturity and
skillfullness in dealing with a profoundly changing world. Our educational system has major deficiencies and we are frankly being outsmarted and outcompeted by countries like China, Japan and Germany.
How much longer can American companies relocate their plants to foreign soil (eliminating millions of American jobs) so that we are buying products that shifts money permanently abroad and into the hands of overpaid CEO's? We need to create a balance of trade and
that means we must be a producer.

Join me in wearing black tomorrow and protesting the dark policies of George W. Bush,
I say PEACE instead of WAR , solar energy over the blackening effects of Oil,
conservation, energy-efficiency and sharing instead of
blatant consumption, pollution and debilitating waste.

Pray for light, for awakening, for the empowering of our people and practicies that can bring
sustainable prosperity to US and simultaneously to the rest of the world.
Live simply so that other beings may simply live.
Blessings and Love to you.