The Catskill Chronicle

By Mort Malkin

On the first weekend of October, progressives from all over the nation came to Washington to say to the Tea Party and to Glenn Beck, “Take this, you political Neanderthals.” The progressives, with little advanced publicity from the media, came in pretty strong numbers, about 175,000. Though they were not satisfied with President Obama’s pace of change, they were uncritical that the White House and the Democratic majority have made mere mini changes over the past two years.

Obama has neither prosecuted John Yoo nor seen to an unequivocal ban on all forms of torture, including simulated drowning and real “walling.” He hasn’t ended surveillance of Americans, such as the anti-war groups who have unfurled banners in Congress. Code Pink may be fierce, but they are pacifistic and have First Amendment rights. The President has kept Lawrence Summers and Rahm Emanuel at his side for close to two years, and Timothy Geithner is still at Treasury.

At the Lincoln Memorial Rally, few dared to say “Mr. Obama, yes you can. Just do it.” Gadfly is more forthwith. Today’s column is a compendium of the kind of change we elected Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress to bring:

1.  Leave Iraq — no “enduring bases,” no troops except for a few marines to secure a down-sized embassy, no armed private contractors. We have forcibly occupied Iraq on false pretenses.
2.  Leave Afghanistan. Follow Al Qaeda out to Somalia and Yemen, leaving only 50 soldiers to match the 50 Al Qaedists that General Petraeus says are still in Afghanistan. Especially, close up and padlock the prison at Bagram … or send over a Predator drone after releasing all the prisoners.
3.  Ban torture in all its forms. Incorporate the Geneva Accords and the Nuremberg Laws into the US Law Code and the Army Manual of Acceptable Activity. [OK, there is no such Manual, but there ought to be.] Apply the ban on torture to the CIA, the Armed Forces, private contractors … everyone who operates in foreign countries. While we are at it, ban torture on US soil as well.
4.  It’s time to recognize the International Court of Justice, even over the objections of Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney, who may feel personally liable.
5.  It’s also time to ratify the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (NTBT). Are we holding back all these years just in case?
6.  Repeal the Patriot Act, and direct the FBI to stay away from libraries and bookstores. Such places are sanctuaries of learning and must remain uncontaminated by the Feds.
7.  Stop the National Security Agency (NSA – once so secretive it was called No Such Agency) from collecting a database of our phone calls and e-mails. Dissemble the 72 Fusion Centers that share classified surveillance information among state and local police, Homeland Security, and the Pentagon. Then press delete to erase their enormous databases. No spying on: anti-war groups, protesters at the G 20 Finance Ministers meetings, and anti gas drilling demonstrators in NY and PA — all responsible non-violent Americans. Didn’t the Magna Carta say that the King (the Unitary Executive) was forbidden to do such things?
8.  Twist a few Congressional arms and enlist the active support of the American Public to sunset the B-C (Bush-Cheney) tax breaks for the  Capitalists earning over $250,000 a year. Include bonuses and stock options in the $250,000 limit.
9.  Ban off-shore corporate accounts, or at least tax them as wage earners are taxed — up front.
10.  Repeal the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act that lets banks do everything: offer savings accounts, issue and hold mortgages, handle commercial accounts, and juggle stocks and derivatives (investments?). Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act to separate these functions in separate and different banks or investment houses. Glass-Steagall had kept the financial community relatively honest for 33 years from 1933 till 1999.
11.  Say the words “Single Payer” just once when discussing health care reform. You must be aware that Maggie Thatcher, the sublime privatizer, did not dare touch the British National Health Service. C’mon Barack, at least you can offer a public option instead of forcing private health care on everyone except for members of Congress. You, of course, have Bethesda National Naval Medical Center.
12.  Stop pressing nuclear power on the American people who don’t want the enormous cost, the frightful dangers, or the radioactive waste. It can’t be worth the risk to the environment if the public won’t back you. It can’t be worth the financial risks if Wall Street won’t invest in the inevitable cost overruns or the insurance premiums of nuclear power plants. Whatever happened to the magic of the market?
13. While you are talking green, how about signing the Kyoto Protocol. You know, the one you criticized George Bush for unsigning. That would be easy enough. Then you will have the really hard work of getting the Senate to ratify an international treaty. Al Gore could help you.
14. How about decommissioning five of the 10 aircraft carrier groups deployed around the world? One per ocean ought to make us safe enough — North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In fact, the one in the South Pacific can be replaced by swarms of outrigger canoes armed with conch shell horns — scary.
15, 16, 17, 18 … Ban the patenting of life (genes); require labeling of genetically engineered foods; outlaw the use of cloned animals for lamb chops, hamburgers, and spare ribs. When the government is sued by the ACLU, do not claim Sovereign Immunity in any of Justice Department briefs when you really mean government embarrassment.

OK, Mr. President, we’ll give you credit for not nominating another Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito or, heavens preserve us, Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. If Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan turn out to be as good as John Paul Stevens, we’ll add three cheers. But, we elected you for more than easy layup shots. You need some three-point goals re: foreign policy. You must defend against credit default swaps.  How about an assist for clean, renewable energy? At your current change rate you’ll never be nominated to be a member of the Gadfly Revelry & Research Team.