“Which
Side are You On?”
Steven
Jonas, MD, MPH
Dr. Jonas’ article today is a rerun of his perspectives of Sen. Dick
Durbin’s speech on the floor of the US Senate in summer of 2005 questioning
Bush’s inhumane treatment of prisoners at Gitmo and comparing the treatment to
the techniques used by the
Soviet Union
. Sen. Durbin was roundly attacked by Republicans and their allies in the
press at the time for daring to compare Bush’s policies to those of the
Soviet Union
. Dr. Jonas’ article published in TPJ can be found at this
hyperlink, “THE
DICK DURBIN DISASTER.”
The
point Dr. Jonas so clearly made was that there are “sides” in the fight to
preserve constitutional democracy. My take on his article at the time was that
Dr. Jonas was making a critical point. Does the Democratic Party really
want to win and maintain constitutional democracy in the
United States
?
Dr.
Jonas wrote this follow-up article, which has been slightly edited for
republication, making the case that there are but two sides; and Americans have
to choose.
There
are many perspectives circulating on Lamont’s victory over Sen. Lieberman on
Tuesday. We invite you to reread Dr. Jonas’ article below in the context
of the choices that citizens of
Connecticut
made on Tuesday.
"THE DICK DURBIN DISASTER:" A FOLLOW-UP
Last
week I in this space, I published a lengthy column on what I called “The Dick
Durbin Disaster.”
Stephen
Gheen kindly introduced my article with the following words [slightly amended]:
“Dr. Steven Jonas authors an article today that
[puts in bold letters] the problem that threatens the vitality and reemergence
of the Democratic Party. Dr. Jonas frames the issues with simple
perfection: ‘Do we want to win? Do we really want to restore and
preserve our precious constitutional democracy and above it, the Rule of Law?
[If we do], the first thing we have to do is recognize that there are sides in
this battle and then recognize who is on which side.’ [In his column]
Dr. Jonas draws the sides and provides some critical [recommendations] for
Democrats.”
Over
the years since 9/11 and the Georgites’ response to and use of it to undertake
in earnest their long planned full assault on Constitutional democracy in the
Untied States, I have occasionally thought of a union song from the 1930s by a
woman named Florence Reese. Although we in the upper middle-class,
left-wing, Depression/New-Deal Era households of the type in which I grew up, in
New York City had not-too-much in-depth knowledge of, and certainly no direct
experience with, the events, or even the type of events, to which it referred,
the song was a staple.
The
song was about the situation in the coal-mining
county
of
Harlan
,
Kentucky
that came to be known as the “Harlan War,” during which the county came to
be known as “Bloody Harlan.” The “J.H. Blair” referred to in it
was the local sheriff who, after he had his men violently break up a local
meeting of the National Mineworkers Union, famously said: “The Red revolt in
Harlan
County
has been crushed!” For a further brief history of the period, I refer
you to http://www.carlestes.com/bloodyharlan.html.
Let
me share with you the lyrics of that song, which often bring tears to my eyes
when I think of them, and do now as I write this. Will we need to have a
book entitled Cry the Beloved Country written about our glorious
land too? For me, these words just resonate so well down to our own time,
sadly on so much larger a scale.
“They
say in
Harlan
County
there are no neutrals there
You’ll either be a union man or a thug for J.H. Blair.
“Chorus:
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
“My
daddy was miner and I'm a miner's son
And I'll stick with the union 'til every battle's done.
Come
all you good workers, I have good news for you
I'll tell of how our union has come in here to dwell.
“Chorus:
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?”
“Oh
workers can you stand it?
Oh tell me how you can;
Will you be a lousy scab or will you be a man?
Don't scab for the bosses, don't listen to their lies
Us poor folks haven't got a chance unless we organize.
“Chorus:
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?”
In
defense of the Constitution, there are only two sides. Just as on the
slavery question, there is no middle ground. You are either for it, or
agin’ it, as they would say in the hills of
Kentucky
, and
North Carolina
too, for that matter. The only question now is: is our side going to
organize for its defense and protection before it is destroyed by the Republican
Religious Right, lead by the Georgites, and win the battle through organizing
and electoral politics? Or will we have to fight for its Restoration after
they have completed the campaign of total destruction leading to theocratic
fascism they are currently engaged in?
________________
Dr. Steven Jonas is a contributing author for The Political Junkies
(www.thepoliticaljunkies.net).
He is a
Professor of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University (NY) and
author/co-author of over twenty books. Dr. Jonas is one of
America
's most perceptive Democratic political analysts.
In his book The New Americanism, Dr. Jonas presents his proposal for that
“new vision and mission” for the Democratic Party that so many, for so many
years, have been urging it to find. A new vision and mission are obviously
needed with increasing urgency as with increasing speed and determination the
Georgites drive our nation towards frank theocratic fascism. Dr. Jonas
finds the needed vision and mission in the Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution. "The
New Americanism: How the Democratic Party Can Win the Presidency is available from Amazon.com (go to "Books;" enter the
title) and BarnesandNoble.com (same).
He is also the author of The 15% Solution: A Political
History of American Fascism, 2001-2022. Under the pseudonym
"Jonathan Westminster" this book was originally published in 1996.
It was republished with a New Introduction in 2004. Under Georgite rule,
the “fictional non-fiction” scenario of this work of “future history”
is, most unfortunately, becoming all too real, now almost day-by-day. The 2004 edition is available at www.barnesandnoble.com (search with the book title) and
www.xlibris.com (click on “Bookstore,” then
“Search” with the title). Both versions are available at www.amazon.com (go to "Books;" search with
the title).
Dr. Jonas is also a Contributing Editor
for the Weblog http://planetarymovement.org/blog/, produced by The Planetary
Movement Ltd. UK (http://planetarymovement.org/blog/), TPJ's own Michael
Carmichael, President and Chief Executive Officer, a Contributing
Columnist for the Project for the Old American Century, POAC (http://www.oldamericancentury.org/), on which
his TPJ columns appear regularly, and a Columnist for the webmagazine BuzzFlash
(http://www.buzzflash.com/) on which short(er)
articles are published once a week or so. By invitation, Dr. J's TPJ
columns are also posted periodically on the weblog Thomas Paine's Corner (http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/).
2006
August 3, 2006 Democratic
Ideas, IX:, "Let's Hear It For Strict Construction (V. 3), Part 1"
Jul
27, 2006 “What's
It All About, Alfie?”
Jul 19, 2006 "Democratic
Ideas, VIII: Let's Play Capture The Flag"
Jul 13, 2006 "Ann
Coulter: The New Face Of The Republican Party"
Jul 6,2006 "Ideas
For Democrats, VII: Bipartisanship On Iraq"
Jun
29, 2006 "Ideas
For Democrats, VI: Attack On Defense, II”
Jun 22, 2006 "Ideas
For Democrats, V: Attack On Defense"
Jun 15, 2006 "Ideas
For Democrats, IV: The Ten Commitments, Re-visited”
Jun 8, 2006 "Ideas
For Democrats, III: Dealing The DLC”
Jun 1, 2006 "Ideas
For Democrats, II: Why Don't The Democrats?”
May 25, 2006 "Ideas
For Democrats, I: The Vision”
May 18, 2006 "On
Conspiracy Theories"
May 11, 2006 "The
Significance Of The Tony Snow Job”*
May 3, 2006 "Bush
Is Not Hitler, II"
April 25, 2005 "Bush
Is Not Hitler, I”
April 20, 2006 "Some Thoughts On The 'Immigration Problem'"
April 13, 2006 “The Georgite State Of The Union Address Revited"
April 6, 2006 "A
Firebell In The Night: The So-Called 'Gay Marriage' Amendment, II"
April 2, 2006 "A Fireball In The Night:
The So-Called ‘Gay Marriage’ Amendment, I
Feb 22, 2006 “The
German Reichstag Fire of 1933 and 9/11: Some Comparisons. A Revisit,
Part II”
Feb 16, 2006 “The
German Reichstag Fire Of 1933 And 9/11: Some
Comparisons. A Revisit, Part1"
Feb 9, 2006 "A Comment On The Democratic Alchemy,’
Appearing In The American Prospect”
Feb 2, 2006 "Vengeance Is Mine, Saith The LORD"
Jan
26, 2006 "George
Bush And The Doctrine Of Original Intent"
Jan 19, 2006 "Let's Hear It For Original Intent (Version 2)"
Jan 12, 2006 "A Quick Visit To Mexico"
Jan 5, 2006 "Why
The Patriot Act, Redux: Fascism In The Here And Now, Cont."
Dec 22, 2005
"Why The Patriot Act, Redux: Fascism In The Here
And Now"
Dec 15, 2005 "An
Iraq Exit Proposal"
Dec 10, 2005 “Exiting
Iraq, The Georgite Way"
Dec 1, 2005 "The
Future Of The Democratic Party, VIII:
A Politically Viable Progressive Position On The War"
Nov
25, 2005 “The Future Of The Democratic Party, VII: ‘The Ten Commitments’”
Nov 17, 2005 "The
Future Of The Democratic Party, VI: An Organizing Proposal For Progressives”
Nov 10, 2005 “The
Future Of The Democratic Party, V:
There Is No Middle Ground"
Nov 3, 2005
“On
The (Possible) Indictments.”
Oct
27, 2005 “The
Future of the Democratic Party, IV:
Bush, Bennett, Miers, and the DLC.”
Oct 20, 2005 “The
Future Of The Democratic Party, III:
First Thoughts On Dealing With The DLC.”
Oct 13, 2005 “The Future Of The Democratic Party, II: On The Republicans”
Oct 6, 2005
“The Future Of The Democratic Party, I”
Sept
29, 2005 "The
Bush Flood, And The Georgites: New Orleans, III"
Sept 22, 2005 "On The Great New Orleans Flood Of 2005, II"
Sept 15, 2005 "On
The Great New Orleans Bush Flood Of 2005, I"
Sept 8, 2005 "Let's
Hear It For Original Intent"
Sept 1, 2005 "An
Iraq Solution"
Aug
25,2005 "Some
Thoughts On The Atomic Bombing Of Japan"
Aug 18, 2005 "Why
God Sent Us George W. Bush"
Aug 12, 2005 "John
Bolton And The Nuclear Option II"
Aug 5, 2005
"The
Significance Of The Karl Rove Speech"
July
28, 2005
“Iran
Nukes, Revisited"
(Expanded Edition)
July 21, 2005
“Iran
Nukes, Revisited"
July 14, 2005
"The
Dick Durbin Disaster" A Follow Up
July 7, 2005
"The Dick Durban Disaster"
June
23, 2005 "Why
All Of This Repression Abroad?"
June 16, 2005 “Not Very Intelligent Design"
June 8,2005
"Pat
Buchanan's "What If, "III?"
June 2, 2005
"Pat Buchanan's 'What If,' II?"
May
26, 2005 "Pat Buchanan's 'What If?'"
May 18, 2005 "The
Schiavo Case, V: The Attack On Science"
May 12, 2005 “Possible
Explanations For Bush-Behavior On And Around 9/11"
May 5, 2005
"Bill
Frist's Declaration Of War"
April
28, 2005 "The
Schiavo Case, IV: The Definitions Of Life And Death"
April 24, 2005
"The
Schiavo Case, III: Further Legal Considerations And Their Political
Implications"
April 14, 2005
“The
Schiavo Case, II: William Bennett And The Beginning Of The End Of The Separation
Of Powers"
April 7, 2005
"The
Schiavo Case And The Locus Of The 'Police Power'"
March
31, 2005 “John
Bolton And The Nuclear Option"
March 22, 2005
Of
"Moolahs," Putin and Bush
March 17, 2005
Georgite
"Freedom And Democracy"
March 10, 2005
"We
Won't Have To Worry Any More"
March 3, 2005
"Iranian
Nukes"
February
24, 2005 "Going
Nuclear In Iran"
February 16, 2005 “The
Georgite Social Security Scam: Bases For Suspicion”
February 10, 2005 “The
Georgite Version of ‘Freedom and Democracy’ ”
“The Coming 2nd Civil War (Unless),” No. 6
Feb 3, 2005
“WMD
Discovered --- In Washington”
Jan
27, 2005
“Comparing
George W. Bush And Adolf Hitler”
Jan 18, 2005 “The
Bush Second Inaugural: A Preview” “The Coming 2nd Civil War
(Unless),” No. 5
Jan 13, 2005 “The
Georgite Concept of Constitutionalism and the Rule of Law”
Jan 6, 2005
“The
‘Unless’ Of The ‘Coming Second Civil War’ Series; Part II”
Dec
30, 2004
“The
‘Unless’ of the ‘Coming Second Civil War’ Series, Part I”
Dec 23, 2004
“The
Real Meaning Of The ‘Faith-Based Presidency;’ Part II”
Dec 15, 2004
“The
Coming Second Civil War (Unless)”
Dec 9, 2004
“The
Real Meaning Of The ‘Faith-Based Presidency’ ”
Oct
28, 2004
Why
The Patriot Act?”
Oct. 21, 2004
“The
Cheneys’ Daughter Flap”
Oct 14, 2004
“George
Bush’s America”
Oct 7, 2004
“The
Debate”
Sept
30, 2004
“Four
800 Lb. Gorillas In The Campaign Room”
Sept 23, 2004
"Fixing
The Kerry Campaign, 9/15/2004"
Sept 16, 2004
"Lessons
From Japan. Part II: Successful Occupations"
Sept 9, 2004
"Thoughts
On the Third Anniversary of the Tragedy of 9/11/2001"
Sept 2, 2004
"Lessons
From Japan, Part 1"
August 26,2004
“Dealing
with the Republican National Convention and Related
Issues”
August 18, 2004
"The
Best Of Dr. Jonas"
August 12, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, VI”
August 5,2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, V”
July
29, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign, IV”
July 22, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For and About The Kerry Campaign III”
July 15, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign II”
July 7, 2004
“Some
Thoughts For And About The Kerry Campaign,I”
July 1, 2004
“Counsel
To The President”
June 24, 2004
“
’You Know me Al:’ On the German Reichstag Fire of Feb. 27, 1933
and the 9/11/01 Bombing of the World Trade Center, Part II”
June 17, 2004
“ ‘The Ralph Nader Problem’ --- A Re-run plus”
June 10, 2004
“Ronald
Reagan’s Legacy”
June 3, 2004
“’You
Know Me Al:’ On The Reichstag Fire Of Feb. 27, 1933 And The
9/11/01 Bombing Of The World Trade Center,
Part I”
May
27, 2004
“On
Fascism -- And The Georgites”
May 20, 2004
“On
John Ashcroft -- And Jefferson Davis”
May 13, 2004
“Karl
Rove’s Personal Political Notebook”
May 6, 2004
“Possible
Explanations For Bush Behavior And 9/11”
April
29, 2004
“On
George Bush and Religion, Part 2”
April 22, 2004
“What
Condi Rice Might Have Said”
April 8, 2004
“On
George Bush And Religion”
April 1, 2004
“Some
Political Thoughts For Senator Kerry”
March
25, 2004
“Brief
Essays”
March 16, 2004
“You
Know Me Al: The Iraq War --- So What Was It About, Anyway?
March 11, 2004
“A
Word (Or Two) On Ralph Nader”
March 4, 2004
“A
Firebell In The Night”
February
27, 2004 “On
Doctor Dean”
