It is not the first time that genocide has been the unofficial policy of the U.S. government, nor is it the first time that we haven't given a thought to the toll on the soldiers who eventually return to try to lead "normal" lives here at home. Nevertheless, we are about to declare victory in Fallujah.
Of course, George W. Bush will argue that he is merely "fighting the terrorists there instead of here." And while he may really believe that, he's missing two critical points.
First, the "terrorists" (or "insurgents," or "revolutionaries," or "guerrillas" -- we've used different labels depending upon the circumstances) this time are much more mobile and, frankly, have got much better information than ever before, which makes it foolish to believe that distance alone will keep them from us. In the past it was simply not possible for a Vietcong cell to arrange travel to the U.S., and there wasn't much chance that freedom fighters in the Congo would envision bringing their battle to Omaha.
And, second, realistically we will never be able to kill or imprison all of our enemies, which means we've got to find another way.
But why seek another way when victory is ours!?!
And so, instead of looking for lasting solutions we're treated to what has been unfolding in Fallujah these last few days: "Hey! There's nobody here! Wonder where they went? Oh, but look, here are "torture rooms" and other paraphernalia (never mind the suspicious looking piles of the exact same weapons that we gave to the "loyal" Iraqis just a few weeks ago). So see, it was good that we liberated this city," ... while the reality is that "they" have blended back into "their" society to live and fight another day.
Nevertheless, we'll celebrate another glorious victory in George W. Bush's War on Terror.
And those Americans who aren't killed first will return home eventually. And the ones who don't have their legs amputated on the way will walk among us for the rest of their lives trying to shake off the nightmares of the things they did in Iraq ... like first taking over the hospitals and then exterminating every living thing in a city ... things they did because we told them to.
Sydney Morning Herald (AU) - Victories Rooted in Barren Ground: The forthcoming election in Iraq will be as hollow as the latest US triumph there
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Attack on Fallujah Can't Be Justified
Friday, November 12, 2004
The Victorious Exterminators of Fallujah
It is not the first time that genocide has been the unofficial policy of the U.S. government, nor is it the first time that we haven't given a thought to the toll on the soldiers who eventually return to try to lead "normal" lives here at home. Nevertheless, we are about to declare victory in Fallujah.
Of course, George W. Bush will argue that he is merely "fighting the terrorists there instead of here." And while he may really believe that, he's missing two critical points.
First, the "terrorists" (or "insurgents," or "revolutionaries," or "guerrillas" -- we've used different labels depending upon the circumstances) this time are much more mobile and, frankly, have got much better information than ever before, which makes it foolish to believe that distance alone will keep them from us. In the past it was simply not possible for a Vietcong cell to arrange travel to the U.S., and there wasn't much chance that freedom fighters in the Congo would envision bringing their battle to Omaha.
And, second, realistically we will never be able to kill or imprison all of our enemies, which means we've got to find another way.
But why seek another way when victory is ours!?!
And so, instead of looking for lasting solutions we're treated to what has been unfolding in Fallujah these last few days: "Hey! There's nobody here! Wonder where they went? Oh, but look, here are "torture rooms" and other paraphernalia (never mind the suspicious looking piles of the exact same weapons that we gave to the "loyal" Iraqis just a few weeks ago). So see, it was good that we liberated this city," ... while the reality is that "they" have blended back into "their" society to live and fight another day.
Nevertheless, we'll celebrate another glorious victory in George W. Bush's War on Terror.
And those Americans who aren't killed first will return home eventually. And the ones who don't have their legs amputated on the way will walk among us for the rest of their lives trying to shake off the nightmares of the things they did in Iraq ... like first taking over the hospitals and then exterminating every living thing in a city ... things they did because we told them to.
Sydney Morning Herald (AU) - Victories Rooted in Barren Ground: The forthcoming election in Iraq will be as hollow as the latest US triumph there
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Attack on Fallujah Can't Be Justified
Of course, George W. Bush will argue that he is merely "fighting the terrorists there instead of here." And while he may really believe that, he's missing two critical points.
First, the "terrorists" (or "insurgents," or "revolutionaries," or "guerrillas" -- we've used different labels depending upon the circumstances) this time are much more mobile and, frankly, have got much better information than ever before, which makes it foolish to believe that distance alone will keep them from us. In the past it was simply not possible for a Vietcong cell to arrange travel to the U.S., and there wasn't much chance that freedom fighters in the Congo would envision bringing their battle to Omaha.
And, second, realistically we will never be able to kill or imprison all of our enemies, which means we've got to find another way.
But why seek another way when victory is ours!?!
And so, instead of looking for lasting solutions we're treated to what has been unfolding in Fallujah these last few days: "Hey! There's nobody here! Wonder where they went? Oh, but look, here are "torture rooms" and other paraphernalia (never mind the suspicious looking piles of the exact same weapons that we gave to the "loyal" Iraqis just a few weeks ago). So see, it was good that we liberated this city," ... while the reality is that "they" have blended back into "their" society to live and fight another day.
Nevertheless, we'll celebrate another glorious victory in George W. Bush's War on Terror.
And those Americans who aren't killed first will return home eventually. And the ones who don't have their legs amputated on the way will walk among us for the rest of their lives trying to shake off the nightmares of the things they did in Iraq ... like first taking over the hospitals and then exterminating every living thing in a city ... things they did because we told them to.
Sydney Morning Herald (AU) - Victories Rooted in Barren Ground: The forthcoming election in Iraq will be as hollow as the latest US triumph there
Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Attack on Fallujah Can't Be Justified
Thursday, November 11, 2004
College Republicans: Eat the Elderly
Picture the young College Republicans. Clean shaven. Upstanding. Serious. Every mother's pride and joy. The sort of young American who might wear a tie to a street demonstration. The future leaders of the Compassionate Conservative movement in America.
And what a great start! This year the College Republicans discovered a new and highly lucrative fund raising opportunity: elderly and vulnerable adults.
Eric Hoplin, a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, who chairs the College Republican National Committee, a job was once held by top White House strategist Karl Rove, noted that the group had a record breaking year, raising more than $8 million, but said that he would "look into" the accusations.
"We've come to discover that there are a few donors who have been confused, a few donors who have some form of dementia, who aren't entirely sure of the amount of money that they're giving -- and how often they're giving," Hoplin said this week. He also acknowledged one source of that confusion: The College Republicans raise funds "using a lot of project names" in letters that neglect to mention his group at all.
In fairness, it should be noted that the College Republicans also support other less direct methods of fleecing elderly Americans like privatizing Social Security, limiting Medicare coverage while increasing premiums, and prohibiting the importation of low-cost prescription drugs.
Star Tribune (Minnesota) - College Republicans' tactics raise questions
And what a great start! This year the College Republicans discovered a new and highly lucrative fund raising opportunity: elderly and vulnerable adults.
An 88 year-old window proved her party loyalty when she got a stream of fundraising letters from the National College Republicans by sending in 91 checks totaling $42,985.
An 87 year-old wrote 256 checks totaling $10,789 this year, sometimes making several donations on the same day.
Another senior citizen agreed, when solicited by phone and mail, to "lend" nearly $60,000 to the group, but hasn't gotten her money back. "They were supposed to give it back, and I haven't heard nothing," she said.
Eric Hoplin, a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, who chairs the College Republican National Committee, a job was once held by top White House strategist Karl Rove, noted that the group had a record breaking year, raising more than $8 million, but said that he would "look into" the accusations.
"We've come to discover that there are a few donors who have been confused, a few donors who have some form of dementia, who aren't entirely sure of the amount of money that they're giving -- and how often they're giving," Hoplin said this week. He also acknowledged one source of that confusion: The College Republicans raise funds "using a lot of project names" in letters that neglect to mention his group at all.
In fairness, it should be noted that the College Republicans also support other less direct methods of fleecing elderly Americans like privatizing Social Security, limiting Medicare coverage while increasing premiums, and prohibiting the importation of low-cost prescription drugs.
Star Tribune (Minnesota) - College Republicans' tactics raise questions
College Republicans: Eat the Elderly
Picture the young College Republicans. Clean shaven. Upstanding. Serious. Every mother's pride and joy. The sort of young American who might wear a tie to a street demonstration. The future leaders of the Compassionate Conservative movement in America.
And what a great start! This year the College Republicans discovered a new and highly lucrative fund raising opportunity: elderly and vulnerable adults.
Eric Hoplin, a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, who chairs the College Republican National Committee, a job was once held by top White House strategist Karl Rove, noted that the group had a record breaking year, raising more than $8 million, but said that he would "look into" the accusations.
"We've come to discover that there are a few donors who have been confused, a few donors who have some form of dementia, who aren't entirely sure of the amount of money that they're giving -- and how often they're giving," Hoplin said this week. He also acknowledged one source of that confusion: The College Republicans raise funds "using a lot of project names" in letters that neglect to mention his group at all.
In fairness, it should be noted that the College Republicans also support other less direct methods of fleecing elderly Americans like privatizing Social Security, limiting Medicare coverage while increasing premiums, and prohibiting the importation of low-cost prescription drugs.
Star Tribune (Minnesota) - College Republicans' tactics raise questions
And what a great start! This year the College Republicans discovered a new and highly lucrative fund raising opportunity: elderly and vulnerable adults.
An 88 year-old window proved her party loyalty when she got a stream of fundraising letters from the National College Republicans by sending in 91 checks totaling $42,985.
An 87 year-old wrote 256 checks totaling $10,789 this year, sometimes making several donations on the same day.
Another senior citizen agreed, when solicited by phone and mail, to "lend" nearly $60,000 to the group, but hasn't gotten her money back. "They were supposed to give it back, and I haven't heard nothing," she said.
Eric Hoplin, a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, who chairs the College Republican National Committee, a job was once held by top White House strategist Karl Rove, noted that the group had a record breaking year, raising more than $8 million, but said that he would "look into" the accusations.
"We've come to discover that there are a few donors who have been confused, a few donors who have some form of dementia, who aren't entirely sure of the amount of money that they're giving -- and how often they're giving," Hoplin said this week. He also acknowledged one source of that confusion: The College Republicans raise funds "using a lot of project names" in letters that neglect to mention his group at all.
In fairness, it should be noted that the College Republicans also support other less direct methods of fleecing elderly Americans like privatizing Social Security, limiting Medicare coverage while increasing premiums, and prohibiting the importation of low-cost prescription drugs.
Star Tribune (Minnesota) - College Republicans' tactics raise questions
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Ashcroft Declares an End to the Domestic War on Terror
In his five-page hand-written resignation letter, submitted on election day but withheld from the public for a week, John Ashcroft said, “The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.”
Does that mean I can have my civil liberties back?
“I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons,” Ashcroft said.
Nope, I guess not.
Scotsman News (Scotland) - Bush Cabinet Resignations Prompt Speculation
Does that mean I can have my civil liberties back?
“I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons,” Ashcroft said.
Nope, I guess not.
Scotsman News (Scotland) - Bush Cabinet Resignations Prompt Speculation
Ashcroft Declares an End to the Domestic War on Terror
In his five-page hand-written resignation letter, submitted on election day but withheld from the public for a week, John Ashcroft said, “The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved.”
Does that mean I can have my civil liberties back?
“I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons,” Ashcroft said.
Nope, I guess not.
Scotsman News (Scotland) - Bush Cabinet Resignations Prompt Speculation
Does that mean I can have my civil liberties back?
“I believe that my energies and talents should be directed toward other challenging horizons,” Ashcroft said.
Nope, I guess not.
Scotsman News (Scotland) - Bush Cabinet Resignations Prompt Speculation
Monday, November 08, 2004
Demolishing Fallujah to Bring Democracy to Iraq
Guess that didn't work so well...Does anyone know if we have a Plan B?
"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A powerful group of Sunni Muslim clerics called Tuesday for a boycott of national elections set for late January to protest the U.S.-led attack against the Sunni insurgent stronghold Fallujah. The group's director, Harith al-Dhari, said the election was being held 'over the corpses of those killed in Fallujah and the blood of the wounded.'
"In the past weeks, al-Dhari's Association of Muslim Scholars has been warning it would call such a boycott if a Fallujah offensive took place. The association is influential among Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority, and U.S. and Iraqi officials have expressed concern that a lack of Sunni participation would raise question about the legitimacy of the vote."
Demolishing Fallujah to Bring Democracy to Iraq
Guess that didn't work so well...Does anyone know if we have a Plan B?
"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) A powerful group of Sunni Muslim clerics called Tuesday for a boycott of national elections set for late January to protest the U.S.-led attack against the Sunni insurgent stronghold Fallujah. The group's director, Harith al-Dhari, said the election was being held 'over the corpses of those killed in Fallujah and the blood of the wounded.'
"In the past weeks, al-Dhari's Association of Muslim Scholars has been warning it would call such a boycott if a Fallujah offensive took place. The association is influential among Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority, and U.S. and Iraqi officials have expressed concern that a lack of Sunni participation would raise question about the legitimacy of the vote."
"We ain't got time to bleed."
The body of 25 year old has been found inside the "Ground Zero" site in New York City with a shotgun nearby. A friend says she believes the suicide was a protest to the election results.
To paraphrase the one-time Governor of Minnesota, "We ain't got time to bleed." This is a fight to the finish for the heart and soul of America. We will define what it is to be an American and we will not allow narrow and fearful people to take our country away. Self inflicted shotgun blasts to our own heads won't accomplish anything.
Sure, it was hard watching watching Kerry concede. And while Bush's gloating acceptance speech an hour later was about what you expected, the bleepin' press conference the next day was designed to put all of us right over the edge! "I've earned some political capital and now I'm going to spend it because that's who I am," as if George W. Bush ever devoted any effort to introspection or reasoning!
George W. Bush has also earned some political anger, and we need to capitalize on that. The first step is to tell ourselves that the American people aren't really greedy, fearful, and unthinking like they seem to be, but rather just ignorant of what's really going on. And we need to believe that once they figure it all out, there will be hell to play. (Have you yet talked to anyone who is proud to say "I voted for Bush?" In a few years, like Nixon, no one will admit having committed this atrocity.)
Is that rationalization? Sure. But there's real hope in the fact that 56 million others are, in varying degrees, as angry as you are.
And we've got to keep in mind that if the result had been just the reverse, no one would be saying that a 3 point margin gives Kerry a mandate or that it spells the death of conservativism.
Maybe it's just the bargaining phase that Kubler-Ross talked about, but there are really hopeful signs. It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of strangers working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've each found out that many of our neighbors share our beliefs, but they've been too fearful to speak up.
We should have been doing this all along. Shame on us for not getting started sooner. But the baby boom generation has always been slow to start and unstoppable one we get rolling.
Daily Breeze (Los Angeles) Young man shoots himself at ground zero in New York
To paraphrase the one-time Governor of Minnesota, "We ain't got time to bleed." This is a fight to the finish for the heart and soul of America. We will define what it is to be an American and we will not allow narrow and fearful people to take our country away. Self inflicted shotgun blasts to our own heads won't accomplish anything.
Sure, it was hard watching watching Kerry concede. And while Bush's gloating acceptance speech an hour later was about what you expected, the bleepin' press conference the next day was designed to put all of us right over the edge! "I've earned some political capital and now I'm going to spend it because that's who I am," as if George W. Bush ever devoted any effort to introspection or reasoning!
George W. Bush has also earned some political anger, and we need to capitalize on that. The first step is to tell ourselves that the American people aren't really greedy, fearful, and unthinking like they seem to be, but rather just ignorant of what's really going on. And we need to believe that once they figure it all out, there will be hell to play. (Have you yet talked to anyone who is proud to say "I voted for Bush?" In a few years, like Nixon, no one will admit having committed this atrocity.)
Is that rationalization? Sure. But there's real hope in the fact that 56 million others are, in varying degrees, as angry as you are.
And we've got to keep in mind that if the result had been just the reverse, no one would be saying that a 3 point margin gives Kerry a mandate or that it spells the death of conservativism.
Maybe it's just the bargaining phase that Kubler-Ross talked about, but there are really hopeful signs. It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of strangers working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've each found out that many of our neighbors share our beliefs, but they've been too fearful to speak up.
We should have been doing this all along. Shame on us for not getting started sooner. But the baby boom generation has always been slow to start and unstoppable one we get rolling.
Daily Breeze (Los Angeles) Young man shoots himself at ground zero in New York
"We ain't got time to bleed."
The body of 25 year old has been found inside the "Ground Zero" site in New York City with a shotgun nearby. A friend says she believes the suicide was a protest to the election results.
To paraphrase the one-time Governor of Minnesota, "We ain't got time to bleed." This is a fight to the finish for the heart and soul of America. We will define what it is to be an American and we will not allow narrow and fearful people to take our country away. Self inflicted shotgun blasts to our own heads won't accomplish anything.
Sure, it was hard watching watching Kerry concede. And while Bush's gloating acceptance speech an hour later was about what you expected, the bleepin' press conference the next day was designed to put all of us right over the edge! "I've earned some political capital and now I'm going to spend it because that's who I am," as if George W. Bush ever devoted any effort to introspection or reasoning!
George W. Bush has also earned some political anger, and we need to capitalize on that. The first step is to tell ourselves that the American people aren't really greedy, fearful, and unthinking like they seem to be, but rather just ignorant of what's really going on. And we need to believe that once they figure it all out, there will be hell to play. (Have you yet talked to anyone who is proud to say "I voted for Bush?" In a few years, like Nixon, no one will admit having committed this atrocity.)
Is that rationalization? Sure. But there's real hope in the fact that 56 million others are, in varying degrees, as angry as you are.
And we've got to keep in mind that if the result had been just the reverse, no one would be saying that a 3 point margin gives Kerry a mandate or that it spells the death of conservativism.
Maybe it's just the bargaining phase that Kubler-Ross talked about, but there are really hopeful signs. It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of strangers working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've each found out that many of our neighbors share our beliefs, but they've been too fearful to speak up.
We should have been doing this all along. Shame on us for not getting started sooner. But the baby boom generation has always been slow to start and unstoppable one we get rolling.
Daily Breeze (Los Angeles) Young man shoots himself at ground zero in New York
To paraphrase the one-time Governor of Minnesota, "We ain't got time to bleed." This is a fight to the finish for the heart and soul of America. We will define what it is to be an American and we will not allow narrow and fearful people to take our country away. Self inflicted shotgun blasts to our own heads won't accomplish anything.
Sure, it was hard watching watching Kerry concede. And while Bush's gloating acceptance speech an hour later was about what you expected, the bleepin' press conference the next day was designed to put all of us right over the edge! "I've earned some political capital and now I'm going to spend it because that's who I am," as if George W. Bush ever devoted any effort to introspection or reasoning!
George W. Bush has also earned some political anger, and we need to capitalize on that. The first step is to tell ourselves that the American people aren't really greedy, fearful, and unthinking like they seem to be, but rather just ignorant of what's really going on. And we need to believe that once they figure it all out, there will be hell to play. (Have you yet talked to anyone who is proud to say "I voted for Bush?" In a few years, like Nixon, no one will admit having committed this atrocity.)
Is that rationalization? Sure. But there's real hope in the fact that 56 million others are, in varying degrees, as angry as you are.
And we've got to keep in mind that if the result had been just the reverse, no one would be saying that a 3 point margin gives Kerry a mandate or that it spells the death of conservativism.
Maybe it's just the bargaining phase that Kubler-Ross talked about, but there are really hopeful signs. It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of strangers working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've each found out that many of our neighbors share our beliefs, but they've been too fearful to speak up.
We should have been doing this all along. Shame on us for not getting started sooner. But the baby boom generation has always been slow to start and unstoppable one we get rolling.
Daily Breeze (Los Angeles) Young man shoots himself at ground zero in New York
Sunday, November 07, 2004
The Next Holy War: Evangelical Marines Prepare to Battle Barbarians
"What it really comes down to is this: Are the American voters going to sit still for this? Are we going to treat our democracy like some sort of spectator sport, like watching the Super Bowl, or are we going to ask a little more of ourselves this time? Are we going to explore the Bush Administration's claims? Are we going to look at the details of what this administration has actually done?" — William Hartung, Senior Fellow, World Policy Institute
Some answers are emerging...
More Americans believe in the virgin birth of Christ than believe in evolution.
Most of those who voted for George W. Bush still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that we just haven't been able to find them and that Saddam Hussein directed the attacks on 9/11.
And American Marines are being anointed with oil and assured that god wants them to vanquish the Philistines.
You don't any additional commentary, you just need to click on the link below.
Agence France Presse - Holy War: Evangelical Marines Prepare to Battle Barbarians
Some answers are emerging...
More Americans believe in the virgin birth of Christ than believe in evolution.
Most of those who voted for George W. Bush still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that we just haven't been able to find them and that Saddam Hussein directed the attacks on 9/11.
And American Marines are being anointed with oil and assured that god wants them to vanquish the Philistines.
You don't any additional commentary, you just need to click on the link below.
Agence France Presse - Holy War: Evangelical Marines Prepare to Battle Barbarians
The Next Holy War: Evangelical Marines Prepare to Battle Barbarians
"What it really comes down to is this: Are the American voters going to sit still for this? Are we going to treat our democracy like some sort of spectator sport, like watching the Super Bowl, or are we going to ask a little more of ourselves this time? Are we going to explore the Bush Administration's claims? Are we going to look at the details of what this administration has actually done?" — William Hartung, Senior Fellow, World Policy Institute
Some answers are emerging...
More Americans believe in the virgin birth of Christ than believe in evolution.
Most of those who voted for George W. Bush still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that we just haven't been able to find them and that Saddam Hussein directed the attacks on 9/11.
And American Marines are being anointed with oil and assured that god wants them to vanquish the Philistines.
You don't any additional commentary, you just need to click on the link below.
Agence France Presse - Holy War: Evangelical Marines Prepare to Battle Barbarians
Some answers are emerging...
More Americans believe in the virgin birth of Christ than believe in evolution.
Most of those who voted for George W. Bush still believe that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and that we just haven't been able to find them and that Saddam Hussein directed the attacks on 9/11.
And American Marines are being anointed with oil and assured that god wants them to vanquish the Philistines.
You don't any additional commentary, you just need to click on the link below.
Agence France Presse - Holy War: Evangelical Marines Prepare to Battle Barbarians
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Takin' it to the Streets
The police are already preparing for the Bush inauguration. Sources familiar with law enforcement planning said a Bush win means that the D.C. Police Department will beef up its security presence much more significantly than if Kerry were the one taking the oath of office. A Bush inauguration means many more demonstrations and protests that require policing. More demonstrators equal more cops on-duty and more crowd-control measures in place.
The Hill (Washington, D.C.) - Man the barricades, it's Bush again
The Hill (Washington, D.C.) - Man the barricades, it's Bush again
Takin' it to the Streets
The police are already preparing for the Bush inauguration. Sources familiar with law enforcement planning said a Bush win means that the D.C. Police Department will beef up its security presence much more significantly than if Kerry were the one taking the oath of office. A Bush inauguration means many more demonstrations and protests that require policing. More demonstrators equal more cops on-duty and more crowd-control measures in place.
The Hill (Washington, D.C.) - Man the barricades, it's Bush again
The Hill (Washington, D.C.) - Man the barricades, it's Bush again
The Ten Commandments Condemn "Lying" but Fortunately They are Silent on "Concealing Information"
A Moral Man, like George W. Bush, wouldn't lie, right? Unlike President Clinton, who quibbled over the definition of "is," a Moral Man, like George W. Bush, can be counted upon to be honest and forthcoming, can be trusted, right?
What if there was an investigation, completed last summer by the CIA, that named the individuals responsible and pinpointed major national security lapses that led to our nation being asleep at the switch on 9/11? Wouldn't that be a helpful bit of information that all Americans ought to have when deciding who should be president? And a Moral Man would want to ensure that Americans have the information they need to make a reasoned decision, right?
As it happens, there is just such a report. But under pressure from George W. Bush it was been withheld until after the election.
And remember, one in five voters said they chose George W. Bush because of his strength on "moral issues."
Los Angeles Times - The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket
What if there was an investigation, completed last summer by the CIA, that named the individuals responsible and pinpointed major national security lapses that led to our nation being asleep at the switch on 9/11? Wouldn't that be a helpful bit of information that all Americans ought to have when deciding who should be president? And a Moral Man would want to ensure that Americans have the information they need to make a reasoned decision, right?
As it happens, there is just such a report. But under pressure from George W. Bush it was been withheld until after the election.
"It is infuriating that a report which shows that high-level people were not doing their jobs in a satisfactory manner before 9/11 is being suppressed," an intelligence official who has read the report said, adding that "the report is potentially very embarrassing for the administration, because it makes it look like they weren't interested in terrorism before 9/11, or in holding people in the government responsible afterward. What all the other reports on 9/11 did not do is point the finger at individuals, and give the how and what of their responsibility. This report does that."
According to the intelligence official, release of the report, which represents an exhaustive 17-month investigation by an 11-member team within the agency, has been "stalled" by Porter J. Goss, the former Republican House member (and chairman of the Intelligence Committee) who recently was appointed CIA chief by President Bush. The official stressed that the report was more blunt and more specific than the report produced by the 9/11 Commission.
By law, the only legitimate reason the CIA director has for holding back such a report is national security. Yet Porter Goss has not invoked national security as an explanation for not delivering the report to Congress. "It surely does not involve issues of national security," said the intelligence official. "The agency directorate is basically sitting on the report until after the election," the official continued. "No previous director of CIA has ever tried to stop the inspector general from releasing a report to the Congress, in this case a report requested by Congress."
And remember, one in five voters said they chose George W. Bush because of his strength on "moral issues."
Los Angeles Times - The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket
The Ten Commandments Condemn "Lying" but Fortunately They are Silent on "Concealing Information"
A Moral Man, like George W. Bush, wouldn't lie, right? Unlike President Clinton, who quibbled over the definition of "is," a Moral Man, like George W. Bush, can be counted upon to be honest and forthcoming, can be trusted, right?
What if there was an investigation, completed last summer by the CIA, that named the individuals responsible and pinpointed major national security lapses that led to our nation being asleep at the switch on 9/11? Wouldn't that be a helpful bit of information that all Americans ought to have when deciding who should be president? And a Moral Man would want to ensure that Americans have the information they need to make a reasoned decision, right?
As it happens, there is just such a report. But under pressure from George W. Bush it was been withheld until after the election.
And remember, one in five voters said they chose George W. Bush because of his strength on "moral issues."
Los Angeles Times - The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket
What if there was an investigation, completed last summer by the CIA, that named the individuals responsible and pinpointed major national security lapses that led to our nation being asleep at the switch on 9/11? Wouldn't that be a helpful bit of information that all Americans ought to have when deciding who should be president? And a Moral Man would want to ensure that Americans have the information they need to make a reasoned decision, right?
As it happens, there is just such a report. But under pressure from George W. Bush it was been withheld until after the election.
"It is infuriating that a report which shows that high-level people were not doing their jobs in a satisfactory manner before 9/11 is being suppressed," an intelligence official who has read the report said, adding that "the report is potentially very embarrassing for the administration, because it makes it look like they weren't interested in terrorism before 9/11, or in holding people in the government responsible afterward. What all the other reports on 9/11 did not do is point the finger at individuals, and give the how and what of their responsibility. This report does that."
According to the intelligence official, release of the report, which represents an exhaustive 17-month investigation by an 11-member team within the agency, has been "stalled" by Porter J. Goss, the former Republican House member (and chairman of the Intelligence Committee) who recently was appointed CIA chief by President Bush. The official stressed that the report was more blunt and more specific than the report produced by the 9/11 Commission.
By law, the only legitimate reason the CIA director has for holding back such a report is national security. Yet Porter Goss has not invoked national security as an explanation for not delivering the report to Congress. "It surely does not involve issues of national security," said the intelligence official. "The agency directorate is basically sitting on the report until after the election," the official continued. "No previous director of CIA has ever tried to stop the inspector general from releasing a report to the Congress, in this case a report requested by Congress."
And remember, one in five voters said they chose George W. Bush because of his strength on "moral issues."
Los Angeles Times - The 9/11 Secret in the CIA's Back Pocket
Friday, November 05, 2004
National Guard Opens Fire on N.J. School, Young Girl Looses Leg
A supersonic F-16 jet fighter fired 25 rounds into Little Egg Harbor Middle School in New Jersey. Officials would not confirm rumors that the public school had failed to make "adequate yearly progress" as required under No Child Left Behind, however observers noted that New Jersey was a blue (Democratic) state in the hotly contested Presidential election.
Robert Brown, whose twin daughters attend the school, about a quarter-mile from their home, said, "Twenty five rounds? Wow! That can be dangerous. That kind of scares me." Brown said planes sometimes fly so low while approaching the nearby military practice range that he can see the pilots' heads. "It's kind of like an air show when they're out there."
Fortunately the attack on the middle school occurred at night when the building was unoccupied except for a custodian.
Meanwhile, half a world away, AC-130 gunship aircraft and tanks bought by American citizens and dispatched on the orders of George W. Bush, who declared that he had a mandate from the voters, dropped bombs and shot shells into a city called Fallujah. "Marine Expeditionary Forces will continue to conduct operations and will not cease until Fallujah is free of foreign terrorists and insurgents," read an official military statement.
Issam Mohammad, spokesman for the Fallujah hospital, said that a woman was "badly wounded" and a young girl lost her leg.
Washington Post - D.C. Guard Jet Fires, Hitting N.J. School
Robert Brown, whose twin daughters attend the school, about a quarter-mile from their home, said, "Twenty five rounds? Wow! That can be dangerous. That kind of scares me." Brown said planes sometimes fly so low while approaching the nearby military practice range that he can see the pilots' heads. "It's kind of like an air show when they're out there."
Fortunately the attack on the middle school occurred at night when the building was unoccupied except for a custodian.
Meanwhile, half a world away, AC-130 gunship aircraft and tanks bought by American citizens and dispatched on the orders of George W. Bush, who declared that he had a mandate from the voters, dropped bombs and shot shells into a city called Fallujah. "Marine Expeditionary Forces will continue to conduct operations and will not cease until Fallujah is free of foreign terrorists and insurgents," read an official military statement.
Issam Mohammad, spokesman for the Fallujah hospital, said that a woman was "badly wounded" and a young girl lost her leg.
Washington Post - D.C. Guard Jet Fires, Hitting N.J. School
National Guard Opens Fire on N.J. School, Young Girl Looses Leg
A supersonic F-16 jet fighter fired 25 rounds into Little Egg Harbor Middle School in New Jersey. Officials would not confirm rumors that the public school had failed to make "adequate yearly progress" as required under No Child Left Behind, however observers noted that New Jersey was a blue (Democratic) state in the hotly contested Presidential election.
Robert Brown, whose twin daughters attend the school, about a quarter-mile from their home, said, "Twenty five rounds? Wow! That can be dangerous. That kind of scares me." Brown said planes sometimes fly so low while approaching the nearby military practice range that he can see the pilots' heads. "It's kind of like an air show when they're out there."
Fortunately the attack on the middle school occurred at night when the building was unoccupied except for a custodian.
Meanwhile, half a world away, AC-130 gunship aircraft and tanks bought by American citizens and dispatched on the orders of George W. Bush, who declared that he had a mandate from the voters, dropped bombs and shot shells into a city called Fallujah. "Marine Expeditionary Forces will continue to conduct operations and will not cease until Fallujah is free of foreign terrorists and insurgents," read an official military statement.
Issam Mohammad, spokesman for the Fallujah hospital, said that a woman was "badly wounded" and a young girl lost her leg.
Washington Post - D.C. Guard Jet Fires, Hitting N.J. School
Robert Brown, whose twin daughters attend the school, about a quarter-mile from their home, said, "Twenty five rounds? Wow! That can be dangerous. That kind of scares me." Brown said planes sometimes fly so low while approaching the nearby military practice range that he can see the pilots' heads. "It's kind of like an air show when they're out there."
Fortunately the attack on the middle school occurred at night when the building was unoccupied except for a custodian.
Meanwhile, half a world away, AC-130 gunship aircraft and tanks bought by American citizens and dispatched on the orders of George W. Bush, who declared that he had a mandate from the voters, dropped bombs and shot shells into a city called Fallujah. "Marine Expeditionary Forces will continue to conduct operations and will not cease until Fallujah is free of foreign terrorists and insurgents," read an official military statement.
Issam Mohammad, spokesman for the Fallujah hospital, said that a woman was "badly wounded" and a young girl lost her leg.
Washington Post - D.C. Guard Jet Fires, Hitting N.J. School
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
An American Caliphate
Don't run for the dictionary! A caliphate is form of government headed by a man believed to be a direct descendant of god -- and it is the form of government that American voters seem to prefer.
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the election of is that so many Americans cited "moral values" in their decision to ignore reason and vote for Geroge W. Bush. He won because of an outpouring of people who don't just favor different public policy -- that would be well within the tradition of American democracy -- these people favor a whole different definition of America.
As Tom Friedman wrote in his New York Times column, we disagree on the answers to fundamental questions that define what America is:
Bush was able to construct a mandate by cobbling together votes from two groups, the evangelical and the fearful, in support of the greedy. Bush won majority votes of whites, married women, white born-again Christians, military families, and regular church goers. By contrast, Kerry was supported by single women, working women, blacks, youth, gays and lesbians and those who rarely or never attend religious services.
The foreign newspapers headlined it as "Divided States of America" and "Torn in the USA." Their editorial writers warned that the newly elected George W. Bush will use his mandate to consolidate his conservative and militaristic platform. The Guardian of London issued a two word editorial, "Oh God!"
Last month tax policy expert David Kay Johnston warned an audience in Minneapolis that twenty years from now the United States is in danger of being a "fascist theocracy," and predicted that, "it could happen sooner if George W. Bush is elected."
He may be right. The largest economy the world has ever known, with the mightiest military in the history of humankind, is now firmly under the control of a man who many voted for in the hopes that he would carry out a religious mandate.
The Times of India - Why George Bush won the poll: God, Gays and Guns
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - What We Call Peace is Little Better Than Capitulation To a Corporate Coup
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the election of is that so many Americans cited "moral values" in their decision to ignore reason and vote for Geroge W. Bush. He won because of an outpouring of people who don't just favor different public policy -- that would be well within the tradition of American democracy -- these people favor a whole different definition of America.
As Tom Friedman wrote in his New York Times column, we disagree on the answers to fundamental questions that define what America is:
Is it a country that does not intrude into people's sexual preferences and the marriage unions they want to make? Is it a country that allows a woman to have control over her body? Is it a country where the line between church and state bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers should be inviolate? Is it a country where religion doesn't trump science? And, most important, is it a country whose president mobilizes its deep moral energies to unite us - instead of dividing us from one another and from the world?
Bush was able to construct a mandate by cobbling together votes from two groups, the evangelical and the fearful, in support of the greedy. Bush won majority votes of whites, married women, white born-again Christians, military families, and regular church goers. By contrast, Kerry was supported by single women, working women, blacks, youth, gays and lesbians and those who rarely or never attend religious services.
The foreign newspapers headlined it as "Divided States of America" and "Torn in the USA." Their editorial writers warned that the newly elected George W. Bush will use his mandate to consolidate his conservative and militaristic platform. The Guardian of London issued a two word editorial, "Oh God!"
Last month tax policy expert David Kay Johnston warned an audience in Minneapolis that twenty years from now the United States is in danger of being a "fascist theocracy," and predicted that, "it could happen sooner if George W. Bush is elected."
He may be right. The largest economy the world has ever known, with the mightiest military in the history of humankind, is now firmly under the control of a man who many voted for in the hopes that he would carry out a religious mandate.
The Times of India - Why George Bush won the poll: God, Gays and Guns
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - What We Call Peace is Little Better Than Capitulation To a Corporate Coup
An American Caliphate
Don't run for the dictionary! A caliphate is form of government headed by a man believed to be a direct descendant of god -- and it is the form of government that American voters seem to prefer.
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the election of is that so many Americans cited "moral values" in their decision to ignore reason and vote for Geroge W. Bush. He won because of an outpouring of people who don't just favor different public policy -- that would be well within the tradition of American democracy -- these people favor a whole different definition of America.
As Tom Friedman wrote in his New York Times column, we disagree on the answers to fundamental questions that define what America is:
Bush was able to construct a mandate by cobbling together votes from two groups, the evangelical and the fearful, in support of the greedy. Bush won majority votes of whites, married women, white born-again Christians, military families, and regular church goers. By contrast, Kerry was supported by single women, working women, blacks, youth, gays and lesbians and those who rarely or never attend religious services.
The foreign newspapers headlined it as "Divided States of America" and "Torn in the USA." Their editorial writers warned that the newly elected George W. Bush will use his mandate to consolidate his conservative and militaristic platform. The Guardian of London issued a two word editorial, "Oh God!"
Last month tax policy expert David Kay Johnston warned an audience in Minneapolis that twenty years from now the United States is in danger of being a "fascist theocracy," and predicted that, "it could happen sooner if George W. Bush is elected."
He may be right. The largest economy the world has ever known, with the mightiest military in the history of humankind, is now firmly under the control of a man who many voted for in the hopes that he would carry out a religious mandate.
The Times of India - Why George Bush won the poll: God, Gays and Guns
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - What We Call Peace is Little Better Than Capitulation To a Corporate Coup
Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the election of is that so many Americans cited "moral values" in their decision to ignore reason and vote for Geroge W. Bush. He won because of an outpouring of people who don't just favor different public policy -- that would be well within the tradition of American democracy -- these people favor a whole different definition of America.
As Tom Friedman wrote in his New York Times column, we disagree on the answers to fundamental questions that define what America is:
Is it a country that does not intrude into people's sexual preferences and the marriage unions they want to make? Is it a country that allows a woman to have control over her body? Is it a country where the line between church and state bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers should be inviolate? Is it a country where religion doesn't trump science? And, most important, is it a country whose president mobilizes its deep moral energies to unite us - instead of dividing us from one another and from the world?
Bush was able to construct a mandate by cobbling together votes from two groups, the evangelical and the fearful, in support of the greedy. Bush won majority votes of whites, married women, white born-again Christians, military families, and regular church goers. By contrast, Kerry was supported by single women, working women, blacks, youth, gays and lesbians and those who rarely or never attend religious services.
The foreign newspapers headlined it as "Divided States of America" and "Torn in the USA." Their editorial writers warned that the newly elected George W. Bush will use his mandate to consolidate his conservative and militaristic platform. The Guardian of London issued a two word editorial, "Oh God!"
Last month tax policy expert David Kay Johnston warned an audience in Minneapolis that twenty years from now the United States is in danger of being a "fascist theocracy," and predicted that, "it could happen sooner if George W. Bush is elected."
He may be right. The largest economy the world has ever known, with the mightiest military in the history of humankind, is now firmly under the control of a man who many voted for in the hopes that he would carry out a religious mandate.
The Times of India - Why George Bush won the poll: God, Gays and Guns
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - What We Call Peace is Little Better Than Capitulation To a Corporate Coup
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
I didn't know the world would last this long...
This has happened before: the American people spoke with stunning clarity on one issue and astonishing ambivalence on most others ... and in so doing have triggered a series of consequences that will take an entire generation to rectify.
Although we'll all have to get used to calling him President Bush now (without the quotation marks), the ultimate outcome is not so certain. Even though we will inevitably see a further swing to the hard right (there will be a viciously conservative Supreme Court and dangerous times for gays, intellectuals, the poor and minorities of any classification are upon us), ultimately it will fall to each of us to define what it really means to be an American.
Those of us in the baby boom generation have been here before. The bad news is: last time my generation really blew it and that's a big part of why we're in this mess right now. Those of us in the baby boom generation fell asleep at the switch, and that's the reason why America now teeters on the brink of being a conservative theocracy.
When I was in grade school Governor Ronald Reagan called out the National Guard to take over the University of California. I was a high school student when the Vietnam war was in full rage and young Democrats were being beaten on national television in the streets of Chicago. We read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and thought it was a travelogue.
Today it's difficult to believe, but back then many of us thought that the revolution must surely be right around the corner. It was common wisdom: tomorrow morning, or certainly by the end of the week, the revolution would be starting because it was the only way to restore some sense of justice and humanity, and the only way to control this huge and violent society of ours. Even though the police were hunting down the Black Panthers and the National Guard was killing students in Ohio their violence would only postpone the inevitable restoration of justice.
But then, about the time we were finishing college, everything changed. The U.S. retreated from Vietnam and Richard Nixon finally resigned in shame. We were so relieved! Obviously justice had prevailed and it seemed that America would naturally lead the world into a period of peace and opportunity and the idea of respect for all people no matter the color of their skin or their beliefs was such a sensible notion that it simply had to prevail, and there would be no need for us to be constantly on guard anymore.
We were so ebullient, so comforted by our small success, and, frankly, so tired, that we fell asleep at the switch. We forgot that the fight for justice never ends. And we didn't recognize that the forces of fear and greed would never rest.
Some of it too was that we got caught up in ... well, growing up. You know, acting like adults. We convinced ourselves that our recent fights were really youthful affairs and that since we were "grownups" now we needed to act our age and quit being so outrageous. And so we set about getting on with our lives confident that the really important fights had been fought and that the war was won.
But, while we were busy getting on with our lives, the conservative voices became stronger ... and smarter ... and richer. They never rested. And over a couple of decades they managed to pull off something like a mass hypnosis on an unimaginably huge scale. They played on the twin emotions of fear and greed and cynically hijacked religion to build the awful juggernaut that has now taken full control of America.
The conservative voices convinced the majority of Americans that they have much more in common with the rich than they do with the poor ... and then dismantled the social safety net in the perverse belief that somehow if only we make it very hard to get help, then the helpless will help themselves, but knowing that in any case the fear of poverty will keep the masses docile and unwilling to fight back.
The conservative voices led us to believe that the world is a dangerous place and that the violent force of the American military is the only thing standing between us and the unwashed hordes who want to come and take our stuff without having to work for it. (And then, in a cruel but calculated irony, they made aggression our official foreign policy, which confirmed the suspicions of the rest of the world and gave even the uncommitted real reasons to hate us.)
The conservative voices insisted that collective action is a seditious idea and that no one need feel compelled to take any responsibility for others. The conservatives falsely defined government as the problem and demanded that if only government would get out of the way, then the "market forces" (ruled by fear and greed) would ensure that everyone prospered. The conservatives perversely twisted Adam Smith, who was talking only about economic fortunes not the welfare of the people, to the point where today a politician can seriously argue that the capitalism is actually the will of god.
The fact is that while my generation was sleeping America has come dangerously close to being a right-wing theocracy, and it has become the most violent and aggressive nation on the planet.
We didn't mean for that to happen. We certainly didn't expect it to happen. But being sorry won't help. We need to recognize that the current state of affairs is the result when those of us of liberal mind are not always on guard.
But there is a new wind blowing. On this cold November morning it feels like the winds of a major winter storm. You can feel it around the country and it will bring change. And we will determine what kind of change.
It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of my generation working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've found others who share our beliefs, but who have been too fearful to speak up. We should have been doing this all along, but our generation has always been slow to start, and now we've begun. We've met neighbors and made new friends who believe as we do.
Americans are tired of being afraid and suspicious. Americans are realizing that they actually feel better when they care about others and that they feel the best when they have the chance to give their best. We're realizing that we've been taken advantage of and lied to and misled. And most importantly, we are beginning to understand that only when every human being truly has real justice and real economic opportunity will we have succeeded and only then will be we truly safe.
The revolution begins now.
Although we'll all have to get used to calling him President Bush now (without the quotation marks), the ultimate outcome is not so certain. Even though we will inevitably see a further swing to the hard right (there will be a viciously conservative Supreme Court and dangerous times for gays, intellectuals, the poor and minorities of any classification are upon us), ultimately it will fall to each of us to define what it really means to be an American.
Those of us in the baby boom generation have been here before. The bad news is: last time my generation really blew it and that's a big part of why we're in this mess right now. Those of us in the baby boom generation fell asleep at the switch, and that's the reason why America now teeters on the brink of being a conservative theocracy.
When I was in grade school Governor Ronald Reagan called out the National Guard to take over the University of California. I was a high school student when the Vietnam war was in full rage and young Democrats were being beaten on national television in the streets of Chicago. We read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and thought it was a travelogue.
Today it's difficult to believe, but back then many of us thought that the revolution must surely be right around the corner. It was common wisdom: tomorrow morning, or certainly by the end of the week, the revolution would be starting because it was the only way to restore some sense of justice and humanity, and the only way to control this huge and violent society of ours. Even though the police were hunting down the Black Panthers and the National Guard was killing students in Ohio their violence would only postpone the inevitable restoration of justice.
But then, about the time we were finishing college, everything changed. The U.S. retreated from Vietnam and Richard Nixon finally resigned in shame. We were so relieved! Obviously justice had prevailed and it seemed that America would naturally lead the world into a period of peace and opportunity and the idea of respect for all people no matter the color of their skin or their beliefs was such a sensible notion that it simply had to prevail, and there would be no need for us to be constantly on guard anymore.
We were so ebullient, so comforted by our small success, and, frankly, so tired, that we fell asleep at the switch. We forgot that the fight for justice never ends. And we didn't recognize that the forces of fear and greed would never rest.
Some of it too was that we got caught up in ... well, growing up. You know, acting like adults. We convinced ourselves that our recent fights were really youthful affairs and that since we were "grownups" now we needed to act our age and quit being so outrageous. And so we set about getting on with our lives confident that the really important fights had been fought and that the war was won.
But, while we were busy getting on with our lives, the conservative voices became stronger ... and smarter ... and richer. They never rested. And over a couple of decades they managed to pull off something like a mass hypnosis on an unimaginably huge scale. They played on the twin emotions of fear and greed and cynically hijacked religion to build the awful juggernaut that has now taken full control of America.
The conservative voices convinced the majority of Americans that they have much more in common with the rich than they do with the poor ... and then dismantled the social safety net in the perverse belief that somehow if only we make it very hard to get help, then the helpless will help themselves, but knowing that in any case the fear of poverty will keep the masses docile and unwilling to fight back.
The conservative voices led us to believe that the world is a dangerous place and that the violent force of the American military is the only thing standing between us and the unwashed hordes who want to come and take our stuff without having to work for it. (And then, in a cruel but calculated irony, they made aggression our official foreign policy, which confirmed the suspicions of the rest of the world and gave even the uncommitted real reasons to hate us.)
The conservative voices insisted that collective action is a seditious idea and that no one need feel compelled to take any responsibility for others. The conservatives falsely defined government as the problem and demanded that if only government would get out of the way, then the "market forces" (ruled by fear and greed) would ensure that everyone prospered. The conservatives perversely twisted Adam Smith, who was talking only about economic fortunes not the welfare of the people, to the point where today a politician can seriously argue that the capitalism is actually the will of god.
The fact is that while my generation was sleeping America has come dangerously close to being a right-wing theocracy, and it has become the most violent and aggressive nation on the planet.
We didn't mean for that to happen. We certainly didn't expect it to happen. But being sorry won't help. We need to recognize that the current state of affairs is the result when those of us of liberal mind are not always on guard.
But there is a new wind blowing. On this cold November morning it feels like the winds of a major winter storm. You can feel it around the country and it will bring change. And we will determine what kind of change.
It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of my generation working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've found others who share our beliefs, but who have been too fearful to speak up. We should have been doing this all along, but our generation has always been slow to start, and now we've begun. We've met neighbors and made new friends who believe as we do.
Americans are tired of being afraid and suspicious. Americans are realizing that they actually feel better when they care about others and that they feel the best when they have the chance to give their best. We're realizing that we've been taken advantage of and lied to and misled. And most importantly, we are beginning to understand that only when every human being truly has real justice and real economic opportunity will we have succeeded and only then will be we truly safe.
The revolution begins now.
I didn't know the world would last this long...
This has happened before: the American people spoke with stunning clarity on one issue and astonishing ambivalence on most others ... and in so doing have triggered a series of consequences that will take an entire generation to rectify.
Although we'll all have to get used to calling him President Bush now (without the quotation marks), the ultimate outcome is not so certain. Even though we will inevitably see a further swing to the hard right (there will be a viciously conservative Supreme Court and dangerous times for gays, intellectuals, the poor and minorities of any classification are upon us), ultimately it will fall to each of us to define what it really means to be an American.
Those of us in the baby boom generation have been here before. The bad news is: last time my generation really blew it and that's a big part of why we're in this mess right now. Those of us in the baby boom generation fell asleep at the switch, and that's the reason why America now teeters on the brink of being a conservative theocracy.
When I was in grade school Governor Ronald Reagan called out the National Guard to take over the University of California. I was a high school student when the Vietnam war was in full rage and young Democrats were being beaten on national television in the streets of Chicago. We read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and thought it was a travelogue.
Today it's difficult to believe, but back then many of us thought that the revolution must surely be right around the corner. It was common wisdom: tomorrow morning, or certainly by the end of the week, the revolution would be starting because it was the only way to restore some sense of justice and humanity, and the only way to control this huge and violent society of ours. Even though the police were hunting down the Black Panthers and the National Guard was killing students in Ohio their violence would only postpone the inevitable restoration of justice.
But then, about the time we were finishing college, everything changed. The U.S. retreated from Vietnam and Richard Nixon finally resigned in shame. We were so relieved! Obviously justice had prevailed and it seemed that America would naturally lead the world into a period of peace and opportunity and the idea of respect for all people no matter the color of their skin or their beliefs was such a sensible notion that it simply had to prevail, and there would be no need for us to be constantly on guard anymore.
We were so ebullient, so comforted by our small success, and, frankly, so tired, that we fell asleep at the switch. We forgot that the fight for justice never ends. And we didn't recognize that the forces of fear and greed would never rest.
Some of it too was that we got caught up in ... well, growing up. You know, acting like adults. We convinced ourselves that our recent fights were really youthful affairs and that since we were "grownups" now we needed to act our age and quit being so outrageous. And so we set about getting on with our lives confident that the really important fights had been fought and that the war was won.
But, while we were busy getting on with our lives, the conservative voices became stronger ... and smarter ... and richer. They never rested. And over a couple of decades they managed to pull off something like a mass hypnosis on an unimaginably huge scale. They played on the twin emotions of fear and greed and cynically hijacked religion to build the awful juggernaut that has now taken full control of America.
The conservative voices convinced the majority of Americans that they have much more in common with the rich than they do with the poor ... and then dismantled the social safety net in the perverse belief that somehow if only we make it very hard to get help, then the helpless will help themselves, but knowing that in any case the fear of poverty will keep the masses docile and unwilling to fight back.
The conservative voices led us to believe that the world is a dangerous place and that the violent force of the American military is the only thing standing between us and the unwashed hordes who want to come and take our stuff without having to work for it. (And then, in a cruel but calculated irony, they made aggression our official foreign policy, which confirmed the suspicions of the rest of the world and gave even the uncommitted real reasons to hate us.)
The conservative voices insisted that collective action is a seditious idea and that no one need feel compelled to take any responsibility for others. The conservatives falsely defined government as the problem and demanded that if only government would get out of the way, then the "market forces" (ruled by fear and greed) would ensure that everyone prospered. The conservatives perversely twisted Adam Smith, who was talking only about economic fortunes not the welfare of the people, to the point where today a politician can seriously argue that the capitalism is actually the will of god.
The fact is that while my generation was sleeping America has come dangerously close to being a right-wing theocracy, and it has become the most violent and aggressive nation on the planet.
We didn't mean for that to happen. We certainly didn't expect it to happen. But being sorry won't help. We need to recognize that the current state of affairs is the result when those of us of liberal mind are not always on guard.
But there is a new wind blowing. On this cold November morning it feels like the winds of a major winter storm. You can feel it around the country and it will bring change. And we will determine what kind of change.
It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of my generation working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've found others who share our beliefs, but who have been too fearful to speak up. We should have been doing this all along, but our generation has always been slow to start, and now we've begun. We've met neighbors and made new friends who believe as we do.
Americans are tired of being afraid and suspicious. Americans are realizing that they actually feel better when they care about others and that they feel the best when they have the chance to give their best. We're realizing that we've been taken advantage of and lied to and misled. And most importantly, we are beginning to understand that only when every human being truly has real justice and real economic opportunity will we have succeeded and only then will be we truly safe.
The revolution begins now.
Although we'll all have to get used to calling him President Bush now (without the quotation marks), the ultimate outcome is not so certain. Even though we will inevitably see a further swing to the hard right (there will be a viciously conservative Supreme Court and dangerous times for gays, intellectuals, the poor and minorities of any classification are upon us), ultimately it will fall to each of us to define what it really means to be an American.
Those of us in the baby boom generation have been here before. The bad news is: last time my generation really blew it and that's a big part of why we're in this mess right now. Those of us in the baby boom generation fell asleep at the switch, and that's the reason why America now teeters on the brink of being a conservative theocracy.
When I was in grade school Governor Ronald Reagan called out the National Guard to take over the University of California. I was a high school student when the Vietnam war was in full rage and young Democrats were being beaten on national television in the streets of Chicago. We read Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and thought it was a travelogue.
Today it's difficult to believe, but back then many of us thought that the revolution must surely be right around the corner. It was common wisdom: tomorrow morning, or certainly by the end of the week, the revolution would be starting because it was the only way to restore some sense of justice and humanity, and the only way to control this huge and violent society of ours. Even though the police were hunting down the Black Panthers and the National Guard was killing students in Ohio their violence would only postpone the inevitable restoration of justice.
But then, about the time we were finishing college, everything changed. The U.S. retreated from Vietnam and Richard Nixon finally resigned in shame. We were so relieved! Obviously justice had prevailed and it seemed that America would naturally lead the world into a period of peace and opportunity and the idea of respect for all people no matter the color of their skin or their beliefs was such a sensible notion that it simply had to prevail, and there would be no need for us to be constantly on guard anymore.
We were so ebullient, so comforted by our small success, and, frankly, so tired, that we fell asleep at the switch. We forgot that the fight for justice never ends. And we didn't recognize that the forces of fear and greed would never rest.
Some of it too was that we got caught up in ... well, growing up. You know, acting like adults. We convinced ourselves that our recent fights were really youthful affairs and that since we were "grownups" now we needed to act our age and quit being so outrageous. And so we set about getting on with our lives confident that the really important fights had been fought and that the war was won.
But, while we were busy getting on with our lives, the conservative voices became stronger ... and smarter ... and richer. They never rested. And over a couple of decades they managed to pull off something like a mass hypnosis on an unimaginably huge scale. They played on the twin emotions of fear and greed and cynically hijacked religion to build the awful juggernaut that has now taken full control of America.
The conservative voices convinced the majority of Americans that they have much more in common with the rich than they do with the poor ... and then dismantled the social safety net in the perverse belief that somehow if only we make it very hard to get help, then the helpless will help themselves, but knowing that in any case the fear of poverty will keep the masses docile and unwilling to fight back.
The conservative voices led us to believe that the world is a dangerous place and that the violent force of the American military is the only thing standing between us and the unwashed hordes who want to come and take our stuff without having to work for it. (And then, in a cruel but calculated irony, they made aggression our official foreign policy, which confirmed the suspicions of the rest of the world and gave even the uncommitted real reasons to hate us.)
The conservative voices insisted that collective action is a seditious idea and that no one need feel compelled to take any responsibility for others. The conservatives falsely defined government as the problem and demanded that if only government would get out of the way, then the "market forces" (ruled by fear and greed) would ensure that everyone prospered. The conservatives perversely twisted Adam Smith, who was talking only about economic fortunes not the welfare of the people, to the point where today a politician can seriously argue that the capitalism is actually the will of god.
The fact is that while my generation was sleeping America has come dangerously close to being a right-wing theocracy, and it has become the most violent and aggressive nation on the planet.
We didn't mean for that to happen. We certainly didn't expect it to happen. But being sorry won't help. We need to recognize that the current state of affairs is the result when those of us of liberal mind are not always on guard.
But there is a new wind blowing. On this cold November morning it feels like the winds of a major winter storm. You can feel it around the country and it will bring change. And we will determine what kind of change.
It's like we're gradually awakening from a long trance. These last months there were legions of my generation working on political organizing who hadn't done that in decades. We've found others who share our beliefs, but who have been too fearful to speak up. We should have been doing this all along, but our generation has always been slow to start, and now we've begun. We've met neighbors and made new friends who believe as we do.
Americans are tired of being afraid and suspicious. Americans are realizing that they actually feel better when they care about others and that they feel the best when they have the chance to give their best. We're realizing that we've been taken advantage of and lied to and misled. And most importantly, we are beginning to understand that only when every human being truly has real justice and real economic opportunity will we have succeeded and only then will be we truly safe.
The revolution begins now.
Life During Wartime
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance
I'm getting used to it now
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain't got time for that now
Get your instructions, follow directions
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
whatever you think is best
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive
Try to be careful, don't take no chances
you better watch what you say
(from Life During Wartime,
lyrics by David Byrne)
I'm getting used to it now
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain't got time for that now
Get your instructions, follow directions
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
whatever you think is best
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive
Try to be careful, don't take no chances
you better watch what you say
(from Life During Wartime,
lyrics by David Byrne)
Life During Wartime
The sound of gunfire, off in the distance
I'm getting used to it now
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain't got time for that now
Get your instructions, follow directions
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
whatever you think is best
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive
Try to be careful, don't take no chances
you better watch what you say
(from Life During Wartime,
lyrics by David Byrne)
I'm getting used to it now
This ain't no party, this ain't no disco
this ain't no fooling around
No time for dancing, or lovey dovey
I ain't got time for that now
Get your instructions, follow directions
then you should change your address
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day
whatever you think is best
Burned all my notebooks, what good are notebooks?
They won't help me survive
My chest is aching, burns like a furnace
the burning keeps me alive
Try to be careful, don't take no chances
you better watch what you say
(from Life During Wartime,
lyrics by David Byrne)
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Sins of the Cold-blooded
John F. Kennedy, in a campaign speech at a rally at the University of Minnesota in 1960, said,
Woodburydadd may not post much the next few days because we'll all be working 24-hours a day until the end of the election doing whatever it takes to over throw the Pretender and begin the long path to the reconstruction of America.
"We have all made mistakes. But Dante tells us that divine justice weighs the sins of the cold-blooded and the sins of the warm-hearted on different scales. Better the occasional faults of a party living in the spirit of charity than the consistent omissions of a party frozen in the ice of its own indifference."
Woodburydadd may not post much the next few days because we'll all be working 24-hours a day until the end of the election doing whatever it takes to over throw the Pretender and begin the long path to the reconstruction of America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)