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The Occasional Muse February 23, 2003 Dubya's a King! I'll bet you couldn't identify the exact moment American became a monarchy. Just when did George Dubya Bush, elected by the American people in 2000, become a king? His appointed Cabinet is a gaggle lackeys and yes-men who unquestionably carry out his bidding and obey his every command. We the people are unthinking dupes who believe all the propaganda churned out by King Dubya's heralds. You didn't know this? You think I'm full of it, that I'm making it all up? Well, that means you are not part of the loony left and gaggle of Lew Rockwell-type libertarians who very much believe that President Dubya is the modern reincarnation of King George. These lesser lights believe Dubya is royalty because they oppose war with Iraq. They've deluded themselves into thinking that Dubya is dragging an unwilling country into an unpopular and unjustified war against another sovereign nation. They liken Dubya to some potentate who commands his subjects to fight his battles in his place. The main problem with this view is that is so breathtakingly stupid. A king is an all-powerful dictator who rules by force. He is subject to no one and answers to nobody. He alone is the state, the supreme power. He makes all the decisions. There are no limits to his power. The subject populace has no voice or say in affairs of state. To suggest that a similar situation exists in America is laughable. Dubya is no more a king than the Easter Bunny. Virtually anything a president wants to do must be approved by Congress. The judiciary is independent of his whims and desires. His Cabinet members can resign at will and must be approved by the Senate. He can sign treaties but they must be approved by the Senate to become law. The Congress can impeach and remove a Senate by simple majority votes. To be fair, maybe these dim bulbs don't believe Dubya is an actual king (though they call him one), but they are convinced he is acting like a king. If Dubya had his way, the entire Middle East would be a U.S. protectorate, with all that oil revenue flowing into the coffers of the rich pukes who really run the world and command Bush to do their bidding. Never mind that Dubya first asked Congress to authorize any war with Iraq. Never mind that Dubya has bent over backward to build a coalition against Iraq. Never mind that Dubya has sought the approval of the worthless United Nations. Never mind that Dubya worked to get a Security Council resolution that once again demanded that Saddam Hussein disarm or face the consequences. Never mind that Saddam Hussein has violated that resolution and all other past ones. Never mind that Dubya is even now working to get another resolution authorizing the use of force against Saddam, although he clearly believes he does not need another resolution. Never mind that the whole world, including France and Germany, has demanded the disarmament of Iraq. Why let the truth get in the way of some serious name-calling, and not very imaginative name-calling, at that. My unsolicited advice to you who think that Dubya is a king: Please, at least try to come up with decent arguments against war in Iraq. Maybe then we'll take you more seriously. You are Jesse Jackson... You are the Reverend Jesse Jackson. You have a friend named Dwain J. Kyles, who owns a restaurant called Epitome and, above the restaurant, a nightclub called E2 in Chicago. You are a very powerful presence in the city of Chicago. You use that power to help your friend, writing to city officials that Mr. Kyles' club is "an example of the best that our business community has to offer." You wrote this letter because the club had been cited for numerous code and safety violations and had even lost its liquor license for several days in January. You ordered your people to order local black pastors to publicly support the club. Your people did the job - according to one pastor, "There was a move to close ranks around this business. There were people who felt, including myself, that maybe the city was on a witch hunt to close black businesses." Your esteemed friend who is the best the community has to offer was defying a court order to close access to the club. You say you had no knowledge of this court order. You say this because your friend's club was the site of a dangerous stampede that left 21 people dead. You invited the survivors and the families of victims to grieve at your Rainbow/PUSH headquarters. You have consulted with Johnnie Cochran to sue the city and the club's owners (including your long-time friend who is the best the community has to offer) for keeping a dangerous business open. You say the city is at fault for not enforcing the court order. You are the Reverend Jesse Jackson. You are hiding behind the bodies of the dead and betraying a long-time friend to cover your considerable backside.
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