James Russell Lowell, Revisted


James Russell Lowell was an American poet, editor, satist who lived during one of this nation's great political crises that was not resolved until the Civil War. Make no mistake, we are in the mist of a constitutional crises again, far worse than Watergate and perhaps as serious of the one that precipitated our Civil Ware more than a hundred and fifty years ago. Once again we have a nation deeply divided with human rights and liberties being at the heart of discussions. Hopefully it will not take a bloodbath to regain our lost liberties.

Here are a few of Mr. Lowell's quotes that still ring true:

Once to every person and nation come the moment to decide. In the conflict of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side.

I believe that this is as true today as it was in the mid-nineteeth certury. We need to opt for the truth, however ugly it may seem and return to the roots of our liberties, which means a renewal of the Constitution and an elevation of our Bill fo Rights.

The foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions.

What does tell us about the Bush/Cheney Cabal? That Gerald Ford, who supervised both Rumsfield and Cheney thought they had both committed a grave error in invading Iraq, cannot be dismissed. He knew both men, knew the consequences of abuse of presidential power, so his opinion carries some weight. Certainly, they are foolish, but perhaps they also dead, their hearts and minds numb and deaf to what they choose not to know and worse yet, choose not to face.

The greatest homage we can pay to truth, is to use it.

A handpicked bipartisan group, the Iraq Study Group, spoke a watered-down truth to power a few weeks ago. This administration clearly wishes to ignore it. Bush and company ignore Truth when it comes visiting and attempt to dress her to suit their own selfish purposes. But Truth goes naked for she has nothing to hide and those that ignore her, do so at their own peril.