Thistles, Thorns, and Weeds

MS. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON

BuzzFlash,  

"Die when I may, I want it said of me by those who know me best, that I have always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow." -- Abraham Lincoln

Listening to President Obama yesterday, he is beginning to realize that for this Republican Party, there will be no growth, no working for the people of this country, and the last election didn't knock them into the real world at all. If it weren't so criminal, these last eight years of invading two countries and killing a city in the US, giving American citizens the highest debt ever in US history, and responsible for the deaths and destruction of "millions" of lives, their explanation that they are too "conservative" to pass a stimulus bill that will only begin to help to solve the problems this Republican Party has brought down upon this nation since the beginning of Reaganomics ...  it's almost comedic for Republicans in Congress to call themselves conservative, if it weren't so unpatriotic, un-American, and just plain stupid to think that we Americans will fall for such propaganda, when all they are really thinking about is continuing the power and the greed that came along with their solidarity under a Bush Republican regime.    

President Lincoln had his thistles, the common pasture variety, in the Republican Party, and ironically their leader, the top thistle, his name was Mr. Thurlow Weed. In my Collier's Encyclopedia the coincidences between the Republican Party back then and today are remarkable. For instance, Mr. Weed used his newspaper to advance his own career as a politician. He was a Whig and when that party died, he joined the Republicans.  

Weed had a reputation for shady business dealings from his years as Seward's political czar in New York. The Civil War only contributed to that reputation because Weed was active in many business dealings from shipping to stock speculation which contributed to his growing wealth and questionable reputation.

Weed also maintained very good relations with businessmen who wanted to make money off the war.  

Thurlow Weed (1797-1882) - Abraham Lincoln's White House  

Weed's impact on President Lincoln's administration was negative, according to historian Brummer. He wrote that "those who upheld the national administration in New York were not only weakened by the existence of a strong opposition party but also embittered by internal feuds. (snip)  

Thurlow Weed (1797-1882) - Abraham Lincoln and New York  

Thistles are a prickly plant with large blooms that die, wither, and re-seed into the hundreds and thousands every year and will continue until they take over crops and pastures. They can grow from one foot to 8 feet high. I used to admire them. Silhouetted against the sky, beautiful plumage, like tall very skinny birds, but untouchable, and my father would smile and just shake his head. Standing tall, arrogant, defiant. They serve only themselves, even in the pastures and fields. They are weeds that farmers fought every year to protect their bountiful crops when I was growing up on the farm. There are about 200 varieties and they don't become flowers just because they have blooms.  

It was unbelievable to see such a vote against the stimulus package by all Republicans in the House when they are responsible for the problems this nation faces and they want more of the same. They gave their full support to Bush regardless of how criminal his and Cheney's actions were. Remember the bricks full of cash? Remember we invaded/occupied Iraq and Afghanistan, two countries that never attacked the US. Remember the suffering in New Orleans. Life means nothing to these people, other people's lives that is. Tax cuts to line their pockets. Fraud found in the no-bid contracts and contacts.  

President Lincoln did not allow Mr. Weed to take over and use his power against him, although Weed tried, and when he failed, he became a follower of President Lincoln. Not all of Congress reacts as these thistles do. But, if the Republican Party today does not change, they must be held accountable for they are the reason we are no longer a leader in the world today, but a dysfunctional third world economy with a debt owned by China.  

I assume that many Americans vote in the same way their parents did. Opposition of power to check on one another in Congress is a good thing if the power is honest, but the last thirty odd years of solid Republican support in Congress for the Reagan/Bush/Bush administration was rife with criminal activity and fraud. After the mess that President Clinton was stuck with cleaning up, they did nothing but harass him, and pulled the stupid stunt of impeachment for nothing, yet the crimes by the Bush/Cheney administration, they voted for. Bush number two would never have become a resident in the White House except for a corrupted Supreme Court and election fraud.  

The Bush GOP ruled with fear. President Obama rules with truth and trust for the good of this country and humanity, and yes, he did want a country of bipartisanship, however, we can't expect the robbers who just robbed our bank to hunt down the criminals and put them in jail, can we? How different is that? We Americans should all be afraid of the consequences of these last eight years, especially, if the Republicans put their Party before this country. Let the criminals stick together, but President Obama must look for the flower among the thistles' blooms. There must be a few roses, with thorns that can be clipped, among those thistles. I can't believe they are all that loyal and would put their Party first before the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Even if they have done this already for Bush, they have the opportunity to vote their conscience without fear of revenge.  

Many Americans grow up and vote as their parents did. Those Americans who keep voting for this Republican Party must examine their own lives and start voting for those who work for the people of this country. Even during President Lincoln's era, those Republicans stood up against Mr. Weed because of who he was and what he was.  

President Obama has to do what is right for this nation and he can't be bothered about whether or not he is liked by the likes of those who put themselves before this country. They have foolishly sacrificed the lives and livelihoods of innocent men, women, and children for nothing more than the continuing greed for power and the worship of their almighty dollar.  

February 12 is President Lincoln's birthday. And, what should be a reminder that we Americans don't have to talk about, they (the Bush GOP in Congress) told on themselves ... this GOP is not the Party of Lincoln and never could be. The Republican Party today does not want American citizens to be thinkers, they want them to just take their word for everything and take orders, (Bush even said government was much easier for Dictators and he did what he pleased most all of the time) and most of all, sink or swim, don't expect anything from US government. They own US government. It's theirs. That's what they want Americans to believe, and some still do because the propaganda and the out and out lies through the GOP media, not liberal media, has never been stopped. If we had a liberal media, most of the American people would know what has been going on in US government since Nixon.  

This government belongs to the people of this nation and those in government "work" for us, and if they are not doing their job, they must be fired by the people. And, we need changes with the Supreme Court while we are at it. They too, have quit working for the people. Don't think we can't change an old tradition that doesn't work any more. Throw it out. Begin anew. This is Black History Month, a great addition to the media and American culture, however, along with that, what we could use in this country is a month of US History and a month of World History. It can't hurt.  

To recover this Nation, even the economists, such as well known Professor Krugman, say we could use an even larger stimulus package. The Bush GOP want us to fail, they want President Obama to fail. They have stolen and pilfered enough money to survive, so they don't care what happens to the rest of us.  

We American citizens must face reality without fear (we have already lost everything, the only direction is up) and demand accountability, which means, we have to pull up all of those who are the thistles in government (Democrats and Republicans), roots and all, and replant them with flowers. We can do this in remembrance of a great man, President Lincoln, and all of the other great leaders of our time. It's up to the people of this Nation to bring the US back to become known, not as a threat to the world, but as a great Nation once again. A vote in Congress against the citizens of this country will be seen as a vote against that politician in the future. To clean up this country, we have to weed out all of those who refuse to do their job for the people's government.  

Thanks BuzzFlash,  

Shirley Smith

MS. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON