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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us February 28, 2006 American values From the RIGHT side MIKE GREEN Available now! Click here for a 37% discount If you asked one hundred people what American values are, it is likely you will receive at least that many different answers. So, it stands to reason that we the people, and our leaders, are a bit slipshod and inconsistent when it comes to incorporating American values into our daily decisions. Take, for example, the 5 million American taxpayer dollars that some unknown and unnamed appointed authority in our government offered to a coalition of Syrian political groups that call themselves the Damascus Declaration. Is it within the scope of American values to allow our government leaders the option to engage in acts of capricious bribery anywhere in the world they desire for any reason they deem legitimate? It certainly appears that way. Let’s take that line of rationale to its logical conclusion. If it’s acceptable for unknown and unnamed individuals within our government structure to open the giant wallet of the American taxpayers and take out any arbitrary amount they wish to use in securing access to and control over political powers in foreign governments, is it not also just as acceptable for those very same unknown and unnamed sources within our government structure to use the very same monies to engage in the exact same manipulations of government here at home? After all, Democrats argue that Republicans will destroy our way of life … and Republicans offer us the very same argument regarding the consequences of the motives of Democrats. And if we listen carefully, both parties use exactly the same argument to define those they characterize as the enemies of America. Those enemies want to destroy our way of life. Sure, you and I know that our government uses money as a means of economic influence and even warfare around the world. But if it is ethical, lawful and moral for our government to give $5 million to a political opposition group in Syria, isn’t it also ethical, lawful and moral to give $100 million to the political opposition group in Iraq? Or Italy? Or China? Or France? Or anywhere our leaders determine we should toss a few bucks in order to gain power and control? This line of reasoning isn’t as fanciful as you may think. In fact, it is the foundation upon which our leaders make decisions daily. While this administration has spent hundreds of billions of dollars fighting a war in the Middle East and financing political groups that it wishes to assist into power in various countries, the very same policy was employed under Bill Clinton. In fact, the Iraqi National Congress, which opposed Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath party, received more than $100 million from our government. Certainly, there are those who will excuse our government for using literally billions of American taxpayer dollars to finance civil wars, political opposition groups in foreign countries where we don’t like the ruling parties, and big fancy vacations. Well, okay, it may be a bit of a stretch (or perhaps not) to say that the public’s policy of blind trust of our leaders would continue if congressional leaders and those in the White House were to use $5 million to pay for ski vacations in Aspen and beachfront resorts in Cancun. But if they wish to offer that kind of cash secretly to Syrians that oppose the ruling Ba’ath Party in the Middle East … well, that’s okay. And under that logic it stands to reason that the very same unknown and unnamed individuals within our government ought to be able to offer any arbitrary amount of American taxpayer dollars to any group that might be able to use that money to come to power and remain in power … even if that group might be called the Democrats or Republicans. Therefore, if it is acceptable for clandestine agreements to be made overseas by shadowy individuals that are unaccountable to the American people, yet have unlimited access to our cash, why can’t these very same individuals use their authority to manipulate and undermine our own political process? After all, that’s the American way, isn’t it? What American values will prevent the appointed Secretary of the Interior of American Wallets from extracting a few hundred million dollars to give to Syrians, Saudis, Iranians, Chinese, Indonesians, Russians and others while simultaneously tossing a few million at American organizations and political leaders … all the while sunning himself on the beaches of Morocco? While leaders like John McCain talk a good game of campaign finance reform, he and others like him are well aware of the unlimited access to the treasury that is given to folks whose names will never appear in print, whether that ink is in a newspaper or on a ballot. And if we the people authorize our government to employ bribery and other types of unethical clandestine agreements between our government and individuals and groups around the globe ad nauseam, haven’t we also given that same government permission to apply the same American values to the political system that governs us as well? To respond to this column send email to [email protected] . Only those responses containing the writer's name, city and phone number (for verification purposes only) will appear on our site. Mike Green is an award-winning columnist and author of, " The WHOLE truth about the U.S. War on Terror: answers to every question you never knew to ask ." ( www.thetruthaboutterror.com ) From the RIGHT Side is a web-only column published by the Daily Tidings. Letters to the Editor and Guest Forums should be e-mailed in text-only format to [email protected]. Please include your address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached for confirmation. Submissions cannot have run in any other publication. Letters are limited to 250 words, Guest Forums are limited to 600 words, and may be edited for length, content and clarity. 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