I care

from Even a Bag-Lady Can Teach Bush About Human Rights:

At the last count, Bush has discreetly claimed the authority to disobey 740 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the constitution.

This state of affairs has gradually developed since the days of the Depression, when Roosevelt used the economic crisis to gain more power for the executive branch. Before the Thirties, legislation had been precisely drafted so as to minimise interpretations by the executive branch. Now the executive branch can ignore anything it wants and only consults Congress when it needs a law to bypass the remaining obstacle to total and unfettered power - the Supreme Court.

You may think I exaggerate, but the facts speak for themselves. The majority of Americans cares not one jot for the constitution and lawyers and politicians are content to set aside any of the revered articles whenever it suits them. Nobody complains. There are no demonstrations on Massachusetts Avenue, no mass rallies in Central Park in defence of the constitution.

"It is paradoxical," says American author Paul Craig Roberts, "that American democracy is the likely casualty of the 'war on terror' that is being justified in the name of expansion of democracy." Quite.

I care. I vote. I speak my mind and try to inform others of the Truth. I give money to people and organizations who believe that the Constitution is not an antiquated impediment to the consolidation of money and power but, rather, a flawed but vital foundation for a nation that values its citizens and the public good. I do this because I believe - in the face of the lies and fear-mongering, torture, terror, and aggressive war of Bush and his administration - I still believe in human decency, in treating others as I wish to be treated, and in loving God and loving my neighbors, all of them, as I love myself.

*emphasis mine