NEWS

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me....I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now, I see.T'was Grace that taught...my heart to fear.And Grace, my fears relieved.How precious did that Grace appear...the hour I first believed.Through many dangers, toils and snares...we have already come.T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...and Grace will lead us home.The Lord has promised good to me...His word my hope secures.He will my shield and portion be...as long as life endures.When we've been here a thousand years...bright shining as the sun.We've no less days to sing God's praise...then when we've first begun."Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me....I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now, I see.

I hate to say it because it might seem both corny and sacrilegious but after reading Blinded by the Right, The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative, I thought of the hymn "Amazing Grace." I remembered this hymn of transformation because it was written by a zEnglishman that had been a slave ship captain and had turned from a godless life. Although he continued being a ship captain for several years after, he apparently treated the slaves humanely. Later in his life, he became a minister and influenced William Wilberforce who would become a leader in the fight against slavery.

David Brock, the writer of Blinded by the Right has turned from a hypocritical life of lies as a writer for the right-wing into facing the truth about himself as well as his former associates. His book is quite remarkable in its brutal self-analysis and stunning condemnation. It's a remarkable read for anyone interested in uncovering the motivations of the anti-Clinton conspiracy that almost destroyed the presidency and wrecked havoc on our nation. As Brock writes, the right wing was terrified of Bill Clinton, the most talented, intelligent and charismatic president in more than twenty-five years. Clinton was not only able to co-opt the Republican's agenda, he was also trying to put his own into place (national health care, tax increase for the wealthy, abolition of the discrimination of gays and lesbians in the military etc.) In passing, Brock mentions that the Republicans thought they had a lock on the presidency until Clinton was elected and at another point in the narrative Brock mentions right wing envy. This fits the pattern outlined in an archived Aquila News article, "Bill Clinton's Enemies are Fat, Ugly, and Sexless."

The most distressing element of Brock's book is the knowledge that some of the most hypocritical, greedy, selfish, and nasty individuals that he identified are now in control again in Washington. The most gratifying parts of the book include the outing of various "family values" freaks or Clinton-haters as either closet homosexuals (Matt Drudge) or adulterers (James Baker, Newt Gingrich, Dan Burton).

Brock's book also illustrates that there is a difference between Democrats and Republicans. While he doesn't let the Demos off the hook, he clearly sees a difference between them because he voted for Al Gore in the last election.

Since Brock confirms that the Republicans will do anything to stay in power, the question remains as to how to remove the present Bush administration filled with some of the same greedy, selfish, nasty, and hypocritical individuals. The same people that tried to destroy Bill Clinton are now trying to destroy our American way of life with their embrace of nuclear weapons and their inclusion of Russia and China as possible targets for their use. I read a column today by Thomas Friedman warning of suitcase nuclear bombs set off in the Middle East if something isn't done to stop the violence. The Bush administration has done little to alter the bi-partisan genocide over there, possibly because Sharon is Bush's good buddy.

But as we all know it's not only the Middle East peace process that has suffered since Bush and his ilk has been in the White House. On all levels, we are worse off now than we were when Clinton was in office. Many writers have outlined numberous outrages from environmental damage to loss of the budge surplus, from loss of legal due process to the 9-11 disaster. The latter might have been prevented if Bush hadn't ignored the numerous warnings given us by the Mossad, the Russians, Hart and Rudman, among others, and tried to back away from investigation of the Saudis and the Bin Laden family after he absconded with the presidency. Our American way of life is severely threatened with the Republicans back in the White House.

Karma

It has been mentioned in past diary entries that various members of the Clinton haters club and other Republicans have been experiencing quick karma in the last year. While the karmic machinery can take years to grind forward, many of us have been noticing that it seems to be speeding up. Not only did Rush Limbaugh lose his hearing (I don't know if it has improved or not after surgery), Barbara Olson (Solicitor General Ted Olson's wife and writer of a nasty Clinton screed) died in the Pentagon plane crash, Jeb Bush's daughter was arrested for impersonating a doctor to get a prescription filled, George Bush's twin daughters were arrested numerous times for drinking under age, Laura's Bush's mother lost $8000 in the Enron debacle, numerous Enron executives and Bush supporters are being investigated for the financial rape of their ex-employees, Linda Tripp has breast cancer. Further, Eric Alterman in his newest column "Back Into the Muck" for the Nation online mentions the case of John Fund, former Clinton hater and Wall Street Journal editorial writer. Fund was mentioned in Brock's book as well. According to Alterman, Fund had an affair with his former girlfriend's daughter who had an abortion and then tried to somehow rationalize the abortion with his family values rhetoric in a taped phone conversation. The two women, Melinda Pillsbury Foster and her daughter, Morgan, put the tape on the web. Fund was subsequently arrested for battery of Melinda and has a restraining order against him. This hypocritical Clinton hater has pleaded innocent to those charges and he very well may be, but it's interesting that most of the charges he lodged against Clinton in his writings were also false.