Not on Little Cat Feet*

*with apologies to Carl Sanburg

Americans are used to a crisis coming in like gangbusters. See, for instance, the Cuban missile Crisis, the Iranian Hostage Crisis, etc. Well, I think we can honestly say that we are in a crisis in our country. That crisis is now in the government and not an external threat (there hasn't been a terrorist attack on the American mainland since 2001, almost 5 years. Some WOT!)

Its about to blow wide open.

Here is a list of situations that, cumulatively, lead me to say that we are now in a bona fide crisis:
1. The awful, illegal Civil War in Iraq which is a direct consequence of dissimulation, greed and poor planning on the part of our government. Every day children are murdered and our government says "freedom and democracy is taking hold." One has to append "not" to everything that comes out of our government's mouth.

2. The threat of an attack on Iran which may include tactical nuclear weapons. The whole issue of nuclear proliferation from our inability to dearm Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and India to our refusal to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban, to our withdrawal from the ABM treaty to our proposed testing of new nuclear weapons.

3. A national fiscal situation that, even in the short run, is leading to disaster. The dollar is sinking like a rock against the euro, the stock market is crashing, and the Chinese own a large chunk of our debt. This was compounded in the Senate by passage of further tax breaks this week. One could go on for pages about this problem but suffice it to say that we are hanging a gigantic albatross about our children's necks. The present government is, and has been, totally irresponsible on this issue.

4. A health care crisis. I can speak to this personally. At the same time as tax cuts, we have cuts in Medicaid. Who will take care of poor people when they can't pay a doctor? The idiocy of Health Savings Accounts is, again, a totally irresponsible ploy.

5. Global warming that is a result of the runaway industrialization and gas emission. Our government denies there is a problem. America is the prime culprit with our SUV's and refusal to sign the Kyoto tray.

6. A a growing number of officials indicted for corruption. Almost every one is part of this government: Tom Delay, Scooter Libby, Duke Cunningham, soon we will have Karl Rove, Dave Foggo, Porter Gross and maybe even Bill Frist (if the last is indicted, it will mean both leaders of the House and Senate will be probable criminals.)

7. A government that spies on its citizens, massively. Whose officials through my town in a convoy of black SUV's with tinted windows at 60 mph. Citizens are kept indoors and traffic is stopped.

8. A government that refuses to divulge information under the cloak of national security. Over, and over, and over again.

9. A president whose approval rating has gone below 30%.

10. And the worst of all, a government that tortures.