The Crisis Papers -- A Policy Statement
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The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise
with the
occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must
disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.
Abraham Lincoln |
Tom Paine, the firebrand pamphleteer in the American
colonies' War for Independence, wrote in "The Crisis" that "these are
the times that try men's souls." He was right in 1776, and he would be
right today.
The Bush Administration's engagement in war and imperialism abroad and
incipient theocracy and proto-fascism at home is washing over our land
of liberty, and is eroding the political and moral ideals that have made
our country great. The U.S. Constitution, the foundation for our
democratic republic -- what Tom Paine and others fought to establish,
and which has stood us in good stead for more than two centuries -- is
being trampled and shredded.
This assault on our civic covenant -- which is ostensibly taking place
because "we are at war!" -- is in fact being carried out by an
ideological faction of a political party that figures it can get away
with these abuses under the guise of "national security" and "homeland
defense." Indeed, a good share of this faction's greed-and-power program
is being enacted with little interference from those who ordinarily
oppose "big government," although more and more traditional
conservatives are expressing their outrage at Bush & Co.'s extremist
excesses.
Amidst this Hard-Right lock on power, unfettered progressive opinion has
been largely banished from the commercial media. However, it has found
refuge in the internet, where the progressive opposition makes its
stand, boldly and eloquently. The Crisis Papers will feature original
commentary and criticism of current political events, and will serve as
a gateway to other web-sites devoted to a restoration of our
once-magnificent democratic republic.
Our present soul-trying times call out for the same courage and
ingenuity that Tom Paine spoke of more than two centuries ago, as we
fight to return to civil political dialogue, progressive programs for
our citizens, and sanity and respect for others in our foreign policy --
all the while not neglecting to protect ourselves from the very real
terrorists (alien and governmental) both at home and abroad. We welcome
you, and hope to hear from you. Together we can make a difference.
