BlakeHuggins.com

Well, now I feel dumb for even posting on this yesterday. Rev. Mike Poage, a United Church of Christ minister in Wichita, Kansas, wrote a letter conveying the same feelings I’ve had about the possibility of President Bush boycotting the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I’m posting it in its entirety here with permission:

“Sometimes a boycott is helpful and important. However, the idea of President Bush considering a boycott of the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in China, strikes me as ludicrous and hypocritical.

This is a President whose arrogant and oligarchical reign has had lies, violation of human and civil rights, torture, and an illegal war as the foundation of his Presidency. His administration lied to get us into a horribly violent war in which we have practiced the disregard for human and civil rights through various torture techniques at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and other non-U.S locations reached through “extraordinary rendition.”

Within our own borders unwarranted wire-tapping and infiltration of peace groups by informers comes right of out of J. Edgar Hoover’s playbook. In Iraq, between one-half million and one million Iraqi civilians have died since March, 2003, with over 4,000 U.S. military deaths and over 30,000 casualties - many more if you count PTSD.

Where does President Bush find the high moral ground to even consider a boycott of the Olympics’ opening ceremonies? In fact, where would any of us? As a nation what have we done to end the war that here in 2008 70% of us oppose? In humility and with deep conviction I propose a military crimes court to put on trial President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Mr. Rumsfeld, and Mr. Wolfowitz.

In my opinion, that process could be the beginning of reconciliation, restoration of a democracy, and healing. Also, while we are at it, let’s get out of Iraq, now.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m grateful for those like Rev. Poage who unapologetically exercise their responsibility to by prophetic.