Florida Death Row Advocacy Group

DIANNE’S RANT

Hello!

Hi Everyone! Tis’ the Season! November is behind us (thankfully!), winter is fast approaching, and we move on to the final month of the year. I know what some of you are wondering—did I gnash my teeth down to the gums during the election; and yes, of course, I am horribly saddened and disappointed with how the election turned out. Well, let me rephrase that… I’m more than just disappointed. I feel like the nation has been gutted like a carp. What were voters thinking?!
I know, we have to accept it, as hard as that may be to do, and it’s time to stop licking our wounds and move on, but damn, it’s hard to do. Already, with one Justice battling cancer, speculation swirls as to how soon a new Supreme Court Justice will need to be nominated. I fear it will be soon, and it terrifies me to think of who it might be.
We’ve seen several key cabinet officers drop like flies since the election, and although it’s no loss to see Ashcroft depart, the confirmation of Gonzales in his place is maybe an even scarier thing. Gonzales was one of Bush’s good ole’ Texas boys and he orchestrated execution orders at the bidding of Dub’ya. He also wrote legal arguments that stated "enemy combatants," as designated by the president, could be held without the right to challenge their detention. It took the Supreme Court to rule earlier this year that this was unconstitutional. Gonzales even sent a memo to Bush in which he suggested the Geneva Conventions were “obsolete”, which only suggests that the abuses that took place at Abu Ghraib were totally acceptable to him. Gonzales has demonstrated that he’s a Bush “team player” and more than willing to violate civil liberties in guise of fighting terror. Why does this scare me? Many feel that the appointment of Gonzales as US Attorney General is designed to give him a few more credentials in order to slide him in as a Supreme Court justice nominee in the not too distant future. Gulp.
So, yeah, I’m gutted, and scared to death of where we’ll all be in four more years. I’m afraid for us all. I fear we’ll not only still be at war in Iraq, but perhaps maybe Iran as well.

I fear the draft may be reinstated, and I fear for the future of the young soldiers that will fight and die as we carry on in this unnecessary war. I fear further undoing of environmental protections that took so long to be put into place. I fear the increasing attack on civil liberties that is surely to come, and the continued merging of church and state, and I fear the continuation of thousands of jobs being out-sourced to foreign countries. I fear these vacancies in the Bush Cabinet being filled with yes-men (and women) and more of his cronies, and I fear a Republican majority in the Congress. It all sounds pretty bleak, doesn’t it? But, there is always hope. In the darkest days, regardless of how bleak the future may look, there is hope!
So, it is during my final rant of the year that I can hopefully put political discussion to bed for awhile. I’ve had enough of it, and I’m sure you’ve all heard enough of my whining these last few months as well. It doesn’t look like anything will change much for the better over the next four years, we can only pray it doesn’t get as bad as it has the potential to be. Let’s stand together for change, enlightenment, and a return to sanity. Let’s move on.
Oh, before we completely turn the page and put political comments behind us… Did you hear that our “compassionate” Prez commuted the death sentence of a turkey for Thanksgiving? Yup, it made the news, and most people gave a chuckle at the comical imagery. To those of us who know better, it’s really not funny considering that he executed 152 men and women while governor of Texas. Four more years, eh? I’m not bitter…really…
Let me take a few moments at the end of my rant this month by wishing you all the peace and joy of the season. Thanks to those of you who I know personally for your ongoing love and continued friendship. Your presence in my life is the greatest of all gifts, and you give me the inspiration and courage to fight on, and speak up, and I love you for it. To those of you who have written and are still waiting for a reply, I promise I’ll get to you. Thanks for taking the time to write! Blessings and Love to you all---Dianne