Bill Maher's "Fatwa" and American Unity

The other night I was watching MSNBC, and Chris Matthews was interviewing Bill Maher, (the host of HBO's Real Time). Matthew's asked Maher what he believed was (paraphrasing now) ailing this country? (You can watch the entire video by going to the MSNBC website, clicking on Hardball, and selecting the video about Bill Maher. I don't know how to do video links). Among other things, in the video Maher refers to Bush as "stupid" and states that Bush, Cheney & Rumsfeld should get on television and tell everyone in the country that they lied about the war in Iraq - "and lost it" - and that they lied about everything else. Maher believes that Bush should be impeached and hopes that Sen. Conyers carries through on his threat to bring impeachment hearings to the floor of the Senate. Maher's intimation was that if they (bad Republicans), could impeach Clinton for lying - this is no different. Near the end of their interview Maher offered his suggestion that we change our Constitution, and bring about a Parliamentary Democracy, so that at the very least the people could record a "No Confidence Vote" against President Bush and his administration.

I'm happy that we live in country where everyone can freely offer their "personal fatwa" regarding our government.

(Before any of you go nuts on me for using the term - chill!! - a fatwa is simply an opinion of one individual, and is binding only on the person who gives it. Unfortunately, the term today has been bastardized by many who use it. In ages past, the term described a legal opinion based upon religious reasoning - mostly Islamic. In today's amphitheater of political discourse, any Tom, Dick, or Abdul can issue their own fatwa. Hence, we have Maher's fatwa, Osama's, and those on The Daily Kos.)

Let's remember what they are, they are simply opinions. Bill Maher's opinion, his desire for a binding "No Confidence" vote is no more ridiculous than me calling Chris Matthew's an objective non-partisan newscaster! And Bill should remember that in a Parliamentary setting, only the members of Parliament vote.

This morning I read a wonderful column by former New York Mayor Ed Koch. Obviously Maher and Matthews didn't read it! It's entitled: Time for the United States to Unite. Here's the link if you'd like to read the full article; http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/9/14/155034.shtml . In addition, one of my favorite columnist's, Barry Farber wrote another exceptional piece on September 9th., entitled: Today's American Patriotism Falls Short. Again, the M&M boys must've missed this one! Here's the link to Mr. Farber's column; http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/9/8/214428.shtml .

Both Farber and Koch frequently use a writing tool, that all Americans of whatever "stripe," can understand and appreciate. They reflect on what has happened in the past, the outcomes of those actions, how it made this country better or worse, thereby giving us guideposts that we can learn from today. Now, neither of these learned gentlemen support President Bush's policies wholeheartedly. (Neither do I). But they both understand that there are times in life, that we all must put aside our personal opinions & differences, stop talking to hear ourselves speak, and unite in support of the common goal. In this case, winning the war (including Iraq) on global terrorism.

What I believe is tearing this country apart, (my fatwa), is the petulant belief by millions of Americans that they have no stake in this war - they don't like it, they don't agree with it, they want it stopped. It's what they want, and to hell with everybody else! And, that because they don't believe they have a vested stake in this war, that it is their responsibility as American's to malign our government, publicly defame its leadership, and create as much dissent as is possible until it is stopped. After all, how bad could it be? I can still go shopping at the mall, Daddy still gave me my Lexus, and there's a new iPod!!

Horse hockey! (Thanks Col. Potter!)

Unfortunately they're doing it during wartime, to the detriment - some would say causing the deaths of - our men & women in uniform. You don't think so? Look at the latest al-Quada tapes, where al-Zawahiri or bin Laden reference the dissent here in the United States and call for more insurgents to enter the war in Iraq! Don't be blindly led - these people aren't stupid! They may crawl around in caves, but they have satellite television and the internet just like you do! (They've stopped using cell phones because we can track them).

I actually believe that 75% of the dissent in this country is caused by some '60's Baby Boomer's who realized (and are frantic) that this is the last time they'll get a chance to go to a protest march, fire up a doobie, and hopefully un-seat a President! And if they have kids - they're trying valiantly/or vainly to show their kids their relevance/or irrelevance before they fade away (thankfully!) into obscurity.

As far as Bill Maher's "call" for a No Confidence Vote, we have one of those, it's called an election. Later this year we will have midterm elections, and in 2008 there'll be another chance for everyone to vote their confidence for another presidential candidate.

Until then, as Laura Ingraham would say, "Shut Up and Sing!"


Dum Spiro Spero