From what is surely the most neoconservative cabinet ever, a cast of characters that never ceases to appall and dismay:
June 2003: It’s a flashback to September 11, 2001, and Dick Cheney is running the government.
July 2003: Donald Rumsfeld is a rabid right-winger, despite his poetry prowess:
Evasion Haiku
I’m working my way
over to figuring out
how I won’t answer.
September 2003: Tom Ridge announces threat inflation:
”... the fact is that our level of security at yellow today is better than it was a year ago, and our level of security at yellow today will be better a year from now. So the threshold to go from yellow to orange will be higher. That does make a difference.”
March 2004: Dick Cheney emerges from his undisclosed location to inform us he’s not going anywhere.
There is "no credible evidence" that Saddam Hussein's government in Iraq collaborated with the al Qaeda terrorist network on any attacks on the United States, according to a new staff report released this morning by the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.Although Osama bin Laden briefly explored the idea of forging ties with Iraq in the mid-1990s, the terrorist leader was hostile to Hussein's secular government, and Iraq never responded to requests for help in providing training camps or weapons, the panel found in the first of two reports issued today. (CNN)
September 2004: Dick Cheney, still full of class, announces that the U.S. will suffer a devastating hit if John Kerry becomes president.
As Election Day draws near, I thought it was time to update you on a situation that affects all of us -- and one that has had a special impact on me and my family. Many Americans are familiar with the facts of this matter from earlier information I provided.
In short, as the Chief of the United States Park Police, I was aware that there were many shortcomings in our ability to safeguard some of America's symbols of freedom for which we were responsible. Additionally, in focusing on those invaluable icons, we could do little to take care of the parks and parkways in your communities or along your commuter route. For being candid -- for being "honest" -- while still being supportive of my superiors, I was, without warning, stripped of my law enforcement authority, badge, and firearm, and escorted by armed special agents of the National Park Service from the Department of the Interior last December. Seven months later, the Department of the Interior terminated me. The entire story with all related documents can be seen at a website, www.honestchief.com, established by my husband soon after this ordeal began.
What continues to impact all of us is that the issues I brought to light about your safety and security and the future of these American icons have not been addressed -- other than to silence me. In fact, there are fewer United States Park Police Officers today than there were one year ago when I was sent home for daring to say that we weren't able to properly meet our commitments with existing resources. Other security concerns I raised internally have also gone unaddressed.
Awareness of this case is still growing strong, with new supporters joining the group of informed, outraged citizens who are standing with me. An administrative judge recently dismissed two of the six administrative charges against me. We are in the process of taking our appeal to the next step, yet we know that it does not require a court of law to reverse this situation. It is within the power of any administration to return me to duty to fulfill the responsibilities for which I was hired.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are cheering me on, wanting to ensure that Federal employees to whom they entrust their well-being are free to speak up when things need to be improved. Imagine the outcry if I had previously stayed silent and if one of those symbolic monuments or memorials had been destroyed or the loss of life had occurred to someone visiting one of those locations. I did not want me or my superiors to be standing among the ruins of one of these icons or in front of a Congressional committee while trying to explain why we hadn't asked for help.
As you talk about important issues affecting all of us, feel free to make mention of this situation and to refer folks to www.honestchief.com. The site is updated regularly and is filled with links to actual news articles and documents so that the reader can decide for himself or herself what the truth of the matter is. It also includes an on-line petition where viewers can leave their thoughts -- anonymously if they would like -- as well as a link that provides an opportunity to be personally kept abreast of significant updates.
Thank you for your interest. I look forward to your thoughts and emails, and I appreciate the support of the countless individuals who have reached out thus far.
With gratitude,
Teresa Chambers
tcchambers@honestchief.com
www.honestchief.com
Posted by: Teresa Chambers on October 30, 2004 09:14 AM
