Tomorrow Brattleboro voters will have the opportunity to decide whether President Bush and Vice President Cheney, if they happen to show up in Vermont, should be arrested for war crimes. Neither man, by the way, is planning to visit us anytime soon.
Perhaps I should mention that Brattleboro doesn’t actually have the authority to arrest anybody for war crimes. I presume that the people of Brattleboro, and their elected officials, are smart enough to know this. On the other hand ...
I happen to dislike both Bush and Cheney intensely. To my mind, they have betrayed conservatism with their big-spending ways at home and their interventionism abroad. Their administration reminds me all too often of the worst presidency I have lived through, that of Lyndon Johnson.
The fact remains, however, that they were re-elected in 2004 by a majority of the voters. Moreover, no one in the U.S. House of Representatives, not even our own arrogant lefty Mr. Welch, has stood up and impeached either man for war crimes or anything else. So just what do the shmucks in Brattleboro think they are doing?
What this comes down to is a bunch of leftists seeking self-gratification. As opposed to real action based on moral principles, they will present an empty show of opposition. It’s easy, it’s base, and it’s spineless.
A few weeks ago, a commenter on this site noted that some parents in Burlington had refused to accept free books offered to their kids by General Dynamics, because the parents didn’t want the children to associate “people who make bombs” with people who give out free books. No doubt, it made the parents feel good. But it didn’t stop a single bomb from being produced or used.
I’d like to see the folks in Brattleboro refuse to pay a portion of their income taxes as a protest against Bush’s policy in Iraq. When they are prepared to accept real consequences – like prosecution and jail time – for their convictions, I’ll give them some respect. Until then, they deserve nothing but our contempt.
Absolute right on Jon! I happen to live in Brattleboro, and this arrest nonsense started with a retired machinist who loves nothing better than to flaunt his BDS tantrums in public. Brattleboro is not a generally nutty place, but we do have our village idiots. They just stand out a little more than usual.
Posted by: Brattleboro_right_winger | March 03, 2008 at 05:27 PM
I'd love to see these folks hauled off to gitmo for treason. Probably best ignored lest they became martyrs. Although all the national press they get out of this tomorrow will certainly bring more moonbats to VT and one of them will buy my house, so I can escape. There is a silver lining in everything.
Posted by: GreggB | March 03, 2008 at 05:49 PM