Like a blazing torch lighting up a dark, untrodden path, the shining jewel of Democracy illuminated the founding of the United States of America with ideas of equality and freedom that marked a giant step forward in the evolution of human consciousness. In the New World, no king would rule by Divine Right and supercede the laws of men, no aristocratic class would rule by accident of birth. Instead, we were given the promise inherent in these immortal words from the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...
The ideas of freedom and equality that pervaded the country's founding were given further definition in the subsequently written Constitution and its many amendments, added over the course of years as the meaning of democratic principles evolved further. The Constitution itself represents the foundation upon which the rule of law is built. Most significant is the First Amendment, which resolutely and without exception provides for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble, and freedom to petition the government for redress of grievances. Interestingly, not only are these freedoms guaranteed to all individuals, but their very existence creates the free flow of ideas and the interchange of opinion that stimulate the development of healthy and fruitful policy, as well as the unmasking of abuses of power, when necessary.
At present, through a series of extraordinary trespasses on the vulnerable fabric of democracy, the Bush administration is deeply mired in a failing war in Iraq, now further complicated by a humiliating prison abuse scandal that threatens to shred American's reputation throughout the world. Under the current White House regime, the flourishing garden of American democracy has been struggling under drought conditions. Freedom of speech has been shriveled by the administration's intolerance of any criticism or even any opinions at variance with its own. There are numerous stories of character assassination directed at those who spoke out and exposed administration mistakes or weaknesses and examples of threatened job loss for those who wished to. As a consequence of this, because truth was bludgeoned and then buried under an avalanche of pre-existing ideology and an inability to hear opposing views, Colin Powell, General Shinseki, and the allies at the UN were all marginalized and dismissed. We ended up in a war that should never have been fought, a war based on lies and now mired in corruption. In a healthy democracy, the free interchange of ideas can be the cornerstone of a sound, flexible policy, whereas a tightly circumscribed debate, suffocated by a rigid worldview, often leads to a bitter failure.
Another basic tenet of American democracy is that the rule of law supercedes the will of individual men, no matter how elevated their position in government. Since George Bush's inauguration, however, his administration has demonstrated a thinly veiled contempt for any treaty or law that in any way thwarts the administration's will to do as it pleases. Nuclear treaties have been cancelled, an environmental treaty rejected (Kyoto), and the Geneva accords largely ignored. Environmental regulations have been trashed by executive order and Congressional funding specified for Afghanistan has been secretly transferred to prewar, unlegislated planning for Iraq. It is easy to see the trickle down effect of such thuggery in the recent prison abuse scandal, where nothing so trivial as regulations, treaties, or laws hindered the stated goals of extracting information. When the rule of law is supplanted by the will of the powerful, the heartbeat of democracy goes on life support.
Another tragic casualty of the Bush administration is Truth. Though truth is not specified in our founding documents, it underlies all honorable human interactions, and its absence, ultimately, creates profound and unrelenting chaos. Although politicians are famous for their manipulation of facts and figures to suit their agendas, the Bush administration has taken dishonesty to such new heights of proficiency that virtually nothing its members say can be taken at face value. There are soldiers in Iraq who still believe they are fighting the perpetrators of 9/11, a deception repeatedly promulgated by the White House. There are those who hear of the administration's Clear Skies initiative and think it suggests an actual environmental policy rather than an enrichment scheme for corporations. Virtually nothing is as it seems in Bushland. Unfortunately, the consequences of such deceit are very grave. Even before the prison scandal, the nation's international credibility was at an all-time low due to its flagrantly dishonest presentation of its case for war against Saddam Hussein. Like the Boy Who Cried Wolf, the Bush White House is neither listened to nor trusted in many areas around the world.
Interestingly, neoconservative doctrine, the foundation of the Bush administration's foreign policy, also carries within it a basic disconnect with both the fundamentals of democracy, as well as with the basic goals of the War on Terror, despite its flowery rhetoric to the contrary. Essentially, the neoconsevative drive for "benevolent" global empire, including a huge military and strategic American presence in the Middle East, is diametrically opposed to the War on Terror's quintessential need to dissipate Arab antipathy towards the United States and the West. The Arab World recognizes the underlying coercion inherent in a policy that strives for the economic and military dominance of America and for the prevention of any competitors to emerge. And the Arab world resents the growing American military presence on its soil. In fact, the more the aggressive, imperial neoconservative agenda is pursued, the greater the mistrust of America in the Middle East and the greater the recruitment pool for terrorism. There is nothing appealing or inspiring about a global hegemon dictating how others should live "for their own good" with the firepower present to make it happen.
A look at both George Bush’s birth chart and his Inaugural chart offers an understanding of this penchant for limiting free speech, on the one hand, and for resenting and ignoring limitations set by outside forces, on the other. The White House Resident’s resistance to criticism and his inability to hear disagreement comes primarily from the Mercury/Pluto/Ascendant conjunction in his chart. Mercury, the planet of thinking agility and capacity for thought is in the sign of its fall, Leo, the sign where it is least able to manifest its qualities. Mercury is best expressed in the signs of Aquarius and Gemini, where it is able to be objective and grounded in a clear thinking process. In Leo, on the other hand, the thinking can become personalized due to self-absorption and lose its objectivity, as well as become quite rigid and emotional rather than flexible and rational. These negative attributes are greatly intensified by Mercury’s placement here conjunct the Ascendant, which adds to the ego-centered focus, and by Mercury’s conjunction to Pluto, which intensifies the deep, emotional and rigid undercurrent to the thinking process, at times rendering it suspicious and distrustful.
In addition, the Pluto/Ascendant combination brings the very controlling qualities inherent in Pluto to Bush’s interaction with the environment, the Ascendant. Generally, the Plutonian nature feels very threatened, at times terrified, when it is not able to have tight control over conditions. This has manifested in the very tight rein the administration keeps over the White House and its members in terms of zero tolerance for leaks, a strict dress code, and an unwavering insistence upon a uniform message. No breaches are tolerated.
The Plutonian theme of strict control in Bush’s chart is mirrored in the Inaugural chart’s Sun/Pluto semisquare and Moon/Pluto conjunction. Although Pluto in hard aspect to the Sun brings focus and determination to an entity’s goals (the Sun), it can also suggest an unrelenting need for control and a lack of flexibility. The Moon/Pluto conjunction, however, suggests that the control issues permeate the underlying emotional tenor of the administration as well. Located in the 8th house of potential life/death struggles, the Moon/Pluto conjunction suggests an overwhelming, compulsive need in this administration to protect against what seem intensely threatening forces. The battle for control becomes a life/death struggle for survival. This can be seen in the administration’s experience of terrorism as an omnipresent menace, justifying the need to be hyper-vigilant and, at times, indiscriminatingly ruthless against this danger. It can also be seen in the administration’s overreaction to criticism and disagreement, perceived as political threats to its very existence. Anything even remotely interpreted as threatening is aggressively attacked and suppressed.
George Bush’s personal tendency to resent outside restrictions on his freedom of action derives from the placement of the Moon’s South Node in his birth chart. The North and South Moon Nodes always form an axis, with the former describing healthy integrative qualities that facilitate goals, and the latter, falling in the opposite degree of the zodiac, describing a person’s unconscious characteristics that sabotage efforts and cause havoc when overindulged. With the South Node in the 5th house in Sagittarius, we find an unconscious tendency toward reckless, ill-thought-out behavior, and a “go-by-the-gut” nature that craves no restrictions on its freedom (Sagittarius). It is the quintessential configuration of the gambler. The North Node position in Gemini in the 11th house, on the other hand, suggests that a successful outcome derives from working in a collegial way with allies (11th house), sharing goals, and thinking rationally (Gemini) rather than ideologically (Sagittarius). Sound familiar?
Beginning in December 2003 and continuing through early November 2004, transiting Pluto is crossing Bush’s South Node. May, June, and October 2004 are especially highlighted. When Pluto transits a point in the chart, it tends to accentuate the qualities represented by that placement. In particular, Pluto will so intensify any dark, hidden patterns of behavior that they move into acute awareness. This shift into consciousness often elicits a very painful transformation. In Bush’s case, this transit is making it very apparent that his pattern of ill-thought out, reckless action and his inability to work in a respectful alliance of equals has led ultimately to failure. The South Node is also know as “the point of self-undoing.”
As is always the case in astrology, this Pluto transit is tied into other concurrent Pluto transits. Thus, while Pluto crosses Bush’s South Node during 2004, it is simultaneously opposing the US Mars and conjunct the Gulf War chart Midheaven. These three transits are working in concert.
Transiting Pluto opposing the US Mars has put a very intense focus on our military, bringing it into fierce confrontation with a relentless enemy. Because Saturn also looms ever more largely in the picture - conjunct the US Sun and Bush’s Sun in June - a feeling of deep pessimism is becoming increasingly attached to the entire war enterprise. But another dark undercurrent of this war has also been highlighted of late, something that was hidden and is now very much in everyone’s awareness. This is the brutal prison abuse scandal that is now threatening America’s moral credibility in the world and rapidly unveiling the administration’s callow disregard for international law in its handling of prisoners of war. Despite the White House’s endless denials and attempts to scapegoat low-level soldiers, it is becoming clear that the administration ignored many warnings, concerns, and reports about abuse for months before the infamous photos became public. It is also being revealed that these techniques have been far more pervasive and accepted than Bush’s bullyboys are willing to admit. As is always the pattern with Pluto, the lurid disclosures are leading to a painful but much needed transformation.
The Gulf War ll chart also shows signs of profound metamorphosis during 2004 due to the Pluto transit to the chart’s Midheaven. This aspect suggests that the war’s entire definition is in the process of transformation, manifesting through intense power struggle, most especially during May and November 2004. The widely circulated, vivid photos of prison abuse and the tales of overly aggressive interaction with the Iraqi people (Pluto/Mars) have clearly led to a further breakdown between the Iraqis and the US. With the progressed Gulf War Midheaven opposite natal Saturn from April 2004 through April 2005, it would seem that the war’s initial grandiose goals will increasingly dissipate by early 2005. The pressure of a sullen, angry, and unhappy people (Saturn/IC) is likely to completely subvert the US-led Coalition’s control of the situation (Pluto/MC). Furthermore, the Uranus transit opposite Iraq’s natal Ascendant throughout the summer suggests growing upheaval and rebellion against any residual US influence.
The overwhelming fear of a menacing terrorism may underlie the Bush administration’s compulsion to viciously subjugate any real or imagined threat. Or it may simply be an inability to grasp the deeper meaning of democracy with its presumptions about inherent human dignity and the protection of human rights. But the current prison abuse scandal, which has brought with it an extraordinary compendium of human rights abuses, shows us that the rule of law must be the bedrock of our civilization no matter what the perceived danger. Without it, nothing differentiates us from those we so righteously oppose.
As a nation, we have already gone well beyond the fork in the road - to our great shame. If this abuse scandal can truly bring the hidden poisons of our current system to the cold, clear light of day, it will provide us an enormous opportunity. Continuing on our current journey will only lead to less and less respect for individuals, greater contraction of our liberties, and the ultimate death knell for our democracy. The untrod road left behind at the fork is the one we must struggle to find and to traverse with firm footing. This other road will return us to our founding principles and enable those truths to once again be “self-evident,” evolving even further in a newly globalized world. For equality, basic rights, and the rule of law must not only be reaffirmed within America but also in America’s dealings with the world and its citizens.
