(6/13/2005) George W. Bush and the Republicans in Congress are a bunch of money whoring political pigs. They are whoring themselves for a few families that got extremely wealthy from one of their family patriarchs who was a corrupt capitalist dog. Both of these groups are conspiring to rob the U.S. government, undermine America's democracy, and exploit the American people like we are all just a bunch of ignorant sheep.

In both George Orwell's book "Animal Farm" and in Pink Floyd's album "Animals" symbolism and satire are used to expose the dangers from unbalanced political systems. Both of these works show how these dangers can negatively effect both citizens and leaders. Both works also show the true nature of people at different levels of the political power structure by using farm animals as stereotypes of people in different positions of the political hierarchy. Also, both works are written as disguised political condemnations.

Orwell's book is intended to be a hidden criticism of communism, and Floyd's album is an obscured criticism of capitalism. But, in both these artist works three different farm animals are used to symbolize the three types of people that are typically found in the real world of politics, and the inherent dangers to people who are considered sheep from the people who are considered pigs and dogs.

I believe that this political symbolism and satire is analogous to what is currently happening in the American political system and they unwittingly expose what the American people (sheep) need to do to protect their rights, freedoms, and opportunities from corrupt politicians (pigs) and mega rich greedy capitalist (dogs).

In both Orwell's book and Floyd's album the pigs and the dogs collude and conspire to use, abuse, and dominate the sheep. The pigs are tyrannical, self-righteous hypocrites who force their beliefs on the dogs and sheep. The dogs are greedy money-grubbing cutthroats who will do anything to get ahead. And the sheep are the mindless followers who are used, abused, dominated by, and live in fear of the pigs and the dogs.

I believe that many of America's politicians have become the symbolic "pigs" by way of a corrupt system of financing political campaigns. Many of our top capitalist have earned the symbolic title of "dogs" by way of a catch 22, dog eat dog mentality, demanded of them by their "top dog" shareholders and encouraged by some corrupt politicians. The American people represent the mindless sufferance "sheep" followers who are increasingly being used, abused, and dominated by the politicians (pigs) and the capitalist (dogs).

In reality, as in the Pink Floyd's song "Sheep", the pigs and the dogs are leading the sheep into the valley of steel from which there is no return, no opportunity, no justice, only death.

The American political system was designed specifically to protect the sheep from the pigs and dogs. This was done in the Constitution by giving the sheep powers over the pigs. The founding fathers thought that these powers would be used by the sheep to demand that the pigs keep the dogs in-line. However, a singular unforeseen weakness in the American political system has allowed the dogs to override the voices of the sheep. As a result the pigs increasingly only hear the concerns of the dogs and the sheep's voices are ignored.

This situation is causing the best system of governance ever devised by human animals, America's constitutional representative democratic republic, to be subverted and regressed back to just another one of the old un-evolved oppressive political systems. Systems where rights and freedoms are by the few, for the few. Systems like the one's that our founding fathers were trying to avoid when they wrote the Constitution. The type of ruthless, corrupt, and oppressive governments that existed in Europe, like: monarchies, totalitarian, plutocracies, and dictatorships. The type of governments that motivated our founding fathers to leave these countries and try to find better opportunities else where, and that inspired them to write our Constitution.

If the GOP succeeds in their effort to rob the sheep and give all that money to the dogs it will be a giant step backwards for all the world's democracies, and a death sentence to the rights, freedoms, and opportunities of the American people.

I believe that the American political system is under attack from within. These treasonous attackers have infiltrated our government and they are helping these few mega wealthy families rob our government of its assets and undermine our democratic form of government. Timothy McVeigh recognized that America was under attack and he reacted in the way the U.S. military taught him to react, and in the way his conscience told him to react. Clearly, McVeigh did not believe that there is any place for remorse, compassion, or mercy in his act of war that killed innocent people in the Oklahoma city bombing. Personally, I disagree with what McVeigh did, but than I don't think the death penalty should be legal either.

If America's democracy is going to survive this threat, the lowly sheepish American people must rise up against the idolized pigs and dogs, and as the Pink Floyd's song says, "through quiet reflection and great dedication Master the art of karate....we shall rise up".

In these lyrics I interpret the word "reflection" as a realization by the American people that there is a problem (campaign financing), the word "dedication" is the determination by the American people to fix the problem (campaign finance reform), and the words "master the art of karate...we shall rise up" is a beacon call to the American people to do everything in their power to see to it that the problem is fixed, one way or another.

The American people must learn the truth about the dangers and vulnerabilities to our rights, freedoms, and opportunities from a singular flaw in our Constitution's foundation (campaign financing). They need to recognize that it's the Republican Party that has been most corrupted by this system. And they need to understand that a few wealthy families are taking advantage of this system because they want more wealthy, more power, and more control over all aspects of our government.

This singular flaw, that our founding fathers could not predict and our forefathers have failed to address, is threatening all we posses, all our we have built, and all the future potential yet to be realized.

We must rise up and join together in a insistent unified voice and demand that our leaders pass corrective legislation before it's to late. If they fail to act we must use our constitutional rights to force out the corrupt politicians who stand in the way of campaign finance reforms and elect new politicians who will pass this needed legislation.

If we fail to get our leaders to make these needed changes we must rise up against the treasonous tyrants and exact the constitutional specified price for their high crimes against our government, or we must learn to be meek, submissive, and obedient as we follow our leaders into the valley of steel.

Now is the time for the American people to "shake off this creeping malaise" and stand their ground if they ever hope to find their way out of this growing complex of political mazes designed by the few to distract, obscure, and confuse. Following are some of Pink Floyd's song lyrics that express the danger:

"You better watch out there may be dogs about.....Things are not what they seem....What do you get for pretending the danger's not real. Meek and obedient you follow the leader down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel. What a surprise!...With bright knives he releaseth my soul. He maketh me to hang on hooks in high places....For lo,m he hath great power and great hunger....Wave upon wave of demented avengers march cheerfully out of obscurity into the dream.....The Lord is my shepherd" (Floyd - Sheep).

The Pink Floyd lyrics I just quoted foretell the danger of being a sheep in a world run by pigs and dogs. The danger is real, the powerful in America do have great hunger for more wealth and power, and the valley of steel represents the world without rights, freedoms, and justice.

If the American people don't wake-up and shake off their foolhardy aloofness and demand that our leaders pass major campaign finance reforms ASAP, we may all find ourselves in the "valley of steel" from which there is no escape except death.

I find some of my inspiration and motivation for political activism through literature and music. But regardless where you find your motivation the key is to become involved. Write, call, or visit you representatives in Congress and ask, beg, and demand that they pass real campaign finance reforms. Do not stop your lobbying efforts until they pass it.