Turse: Casualties of the Bush Administration
Via TomDispatch comes a powerful piece by Nick Turse, chronicling 40-some-odd people who have been fired, forcibly retired, or who have resigned as a result of their unwillingness to go along with the fiction that Emperor Bush’s clothes look really, really nice: The fallen legion: Casualties of the Bush administration.
I was already familiar with most of these individuals’ stories, and have posted about pretty much all the high-profile ones before, but seeing them gathered together in one place and reading them in one sitting brought home to me just how proud I am of these people. In their willingness to stand up for what’s right, even at personal cost, they’ve shown themselves to be true patriots, and in telling their stories Turse is giving us a modern Profiles in Courage.
The piece closes with an appeal for people to send in other names for inclusion in the list. Here’s what I sent:
Thank you for the excellent summary of these many great Americans who have taken principled stands in response to the venality that pervades the Bush administration. The one thing I think strikes a slightly off note is the sense I get that they are being portrayed as victims, or “casualties,” of the Bush team. While they certainly are that, for myself I prefer to believe that in sacrificing their own immediate career interests they actually were helping their country, and on a deeper level were helping themselves to live truer, more fulfilling, and ultimately better lives. To me that makes them heroes rather than victims, and I look forward to the day when they will be recognized more widely for their courage to do what their conscience told them was right.
Although their story is a little different than the cited ones, Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame Wilson probably deserve a place on the wall. They’ve certainly suffered as the price of doing the right thing for their country. I look forward to the day when they, too, will be acknowledged as heroes.
A story that unfortunately lacks that hope for a happy ending is that of Marlene Braun, whose suicide was covered in the LA Times earlier this year. See the following:
BLM suicide ripples across West
In a reckoning of the costs of the Bush administration’s style of governing, I think Ms. Braun belongs in there somewhere.
Thank you again.
John Callender
jbc@west.net
http://www.lies.com/
October 17th, 2005 at 5:29 am
The Marlene Braun story is really sad. I found many of the comments appended to the “BLM Suicide Ripples Across West,” interesting -and disheartening – as those who seem to have the most personal involvement with Federal Land Management seem to have been treated much the same way Braun was, at least since Clinton – and probably a long time before that.
October 20th, 2005 at 5:17 am
The only happy ending that can come from this is the protection of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, by drawing attention to its incredible species, landscape and value. The Bakersfield Californian reports Oct. 19, 2005 that the office of the inspector general–it’s a federal office within BLM–is looking into personnel issues. That seems like a good thing. When I read the LA Times article there was a subtext of intimidation there, and the Californian supports the idea that Ms. Braun may have been “bullied.” That seems like kind of a weak word, but look at what is going on around the country with so many people being fired or reassigned and cronies get positions for which they are not qualified. Ms. Braun’s death is very sad. I hope the inspector general reads the web site listed above and this one and knows how concerned everyone is.