Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain . . .

Our leaders are a bunch of sickening people:  the Republicans who are nothing more than the servants and pr firm of the ruling class, and the Democrats who give new meaning to the terms, ineffective, weak, vascillating, and gutless.  Meanwhile our country lumbers along, fat, bloated, and insipid.  We no longer create anything other than virtual experiences or bombs, individually and collectively we've lived way beyond out means for years, and the income disparity between the wealthiest and the shrinking middle class increases by the nanosecond.

Alrighty Then!

Well here we are FINALLY - back in the 60's.  Mass demonstrations, arrests, police brutality, corporate and goverment corruption, unnecessary wars,  massive inequality.  Yep, the good old days are back with several important twists:  it's a more fascist state in which we live, the inequalty isn't limited to race, ethnic group or gender considerations, the mainstream media is far less independent or reliable.  On the other hand the tools for organization and information sharing have improved tremendously and this makes ongoing shams much more difficult to maintain.  It's going to be interesting.

EVOLUTION

There often is a tension, and generally it is useful, between the urge to maintain the known and to embrace the new. In one's personal life this can manifest as habits versus new behaviors. In politics this is classically demonstrated by the conflict between the left and right, liberal and conservative. The end result of these conflicts inevitably moves the individual and body politic forward.

This process is not without it's problems however. Everybody needs to play their part and realize that slanting too much to one side or the other presents dangers. It is also true that times vary in the proportion of change versus conservation that is inherent and/or required.

These are times requiring a new vision of ourselves and our realtionships with others. Catabolic forces are acting rather forcefully on all our internal and external structures. This is fear inducing and reactions occur.

It is odd to witness the president and his cabinet holding views of reality that clearly bear little resemblance to reality. This is most apparent in Iraq. In some sense this is the tip of the iceberg. the entire situation in Iraq is the manifestation of a world view which has gone well beyond its usefulness.

How far in the future lies the point where technology puts in the hands of millions the capacity to destroy the world. I don't think it is that far off. In that world can the pursuit of one's own parochial interests with no concern for the consequences make any sense? It makes very little sense now let alone in that future.

A new way of being in this world and with the earth itself and all its creatures is needed desperately for us to survive. Reactionary forces will not assure safety at this time. Their actions in the world continue to fail dramatically. We must move forward, and quickly.

OH MY GOD, WE'RE NUTS!

Well my last post was back in November around the time of the mid-term elections and here we are. My latest insight into America? It's this: As a whole we seem to be a culture almost completely incapable of any type of meaningful introspection.

Oh don't misunderstand me, we do engage in prolonged breast beating, wailing and finger pointing after it becomes undeniable that we have screwed up (Watergate, Vietnam). But do we actually learn anything from our misssteps? Not really. Or I should qualify that by saying that the people who run things don't seem to learn anything?

It's really not all that difficult (if you're paying attention) to get a disturbing sense of deja vu from the current political and foreign policy (Iraq) climate. Didn't we already go to a foreign country filled with people that look and believe differently than us, attempt to democratize them, and basicallty succeed in getting a bunch of them and us killed? I seem to recall something similar happening a few years back.

Now that I think of it though, perhaps I'm being naive and in fact the real lessons of politics and war are learned. Those of us who are not part of the power elite but are still somewhat rational see the futility of these exercises in aggression. And those in power understand that war is one of the best ways to redistribute wealth to them and to manipulate the populace through fear.

The one thing I'm not sure about is whether this operates on a totlally conscious and cynical level with those in charge, or whether they are in fact somewhat unaware of their actual motivation. The net effect is the same.

So we merrily SURGE on in Iraq (I think good ole' Doc Freud might have something to say about that word usage). People die, other people get rich and the sense of unreality and disconnection grows here in America.

But like any other binge drinker, reality has a way of slamming into you when you're not expecting it. I hope we're wearing our seat belts when it happens.

BUSH THE DESTROYER

If there is one thing you can say about George W. it's that the man is consistent. He's spent the last 6 years tearing down the social safety net, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Iraq, America's reputation in the world community, our safety and security, our pride in our country . . . So I think it's only fitting that now he has managed to tear down his own political party!

I don't think George W. has ever had a reputation of being a great builder of things, he is a great tearer down of things however. And he does seem to be rather comfortable with death - other people's. He's actually way too comfortable apparently, or perhaps we wouldn't be in the situation in which we currently find ourselves.

So I think its good that his basic destructive tendencies have finally turned around on those who have supported him. I sincerely believe that George W's greatest talent is in fomenting destruction around him. However, I think somehow he will always personally remain untouched. I would take that as a warning for anyone who gets too close to him.

I've thought for a long time that Bush and the Neocons serve a great purpose for the body politic. Namely they are a collective virus, which has infected the body politic to demonstrate and feed on its weakness. The recent election has demonstrated that the country still has an operating immune system capable of fighting off such attacks. I only hope that we will not be lulled into a false sense of security.

The infection that is the president and his cronies is still capable of destroying us. They are what they are and they will do what they do. As long as we all recognize the test they represent and respond accordingly, we'll be okay. But we must remember that a destroyer can only ever be that. We must not expect the president to be a statesman or a leader or to even possess a rudimentary level of basic empathy. These functions are beyond his capabilities. We must accept this and we must vow not let down our guard again.

THE FACE OF CORRUPTION

It is not unusual for nations to face great tests from external enemies. It is not even that unusual for democracies to struggle against internal enemies who seek to gain control and power for their own parochial interests. And it does occur, sometimes, that that internal enemy is represented by our own elected officials. This is the situation we face today.

There is a creeping corruption overtaking the body politic of America. As the president has alluded to, we are being tested. What he appears to be blissfully unaware of however is that he and his administration are the test.

The recent "compromise" regarding torture of prisoners represents a dark day, one of many as of late, for freedom and democracy. The rights of "enemy combatants", are determined to be unimportant compared to the need for security. Yet it doesn't take a PhD in Political Science to realize that when the definiton of enemy combatant is left to the administrative branch (any adminsitrative branch democratic or republican)to determine, we are all in danger.

It is interesting how things play out here in America. Corruption has become a huge issue in this campaign with sex and money scandals taking the headlines. What often happens, and the current situation is no exception, is that there is some awareness of what the real issue is but we shine the flashlight elsewhere.

Corruption is an issue and those scandals need to be adressed, but they are far less important than the corruption of our democratic values that has tasken place under the Bush administration. That is too terrifying to look at and in all honesty, the Bush administration tactics have shown that perhaps we don't, as a nation, value our democracy or our rights so much. If we had, much of what has transpired in the last 6 years would not have occurred.

There will be consequences to the way we have let this administration shred the Constitution. But perhaps we will once again learn its value once we no longer have its protection. As Joni Mitchell said "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till its gone."

FRAT BOYS GONE WILD

I can see the film clips now: Bush talking about WMD's in Iraq, Rumsfeld saying we have more than enough troops, Cheney snarling and Rove... well .. skulking somewhere. Oh it will be HILARIOUS. Someday.

It's incredible the lengths that the mainstream propaganda machine(formerly known as the media)will go to excuse the actions of this wayward bunch of prolonged adolesents. We do love our bad boys in this country, don't we?

It is however an unfortunate reality that adolescents, and adolescent boys in particular have this habit of causing car wrecks. Most make it out of their teen years withought killing themselves or someone else, but a certain percentage...

Which brings me back to the Christobusinessfascist gang occupying the White House at present. They really need to have their licenses suspended for everybody's sake. I don't really know how to put this any more clearly: WE NEED GROWN-UPS RUNNING THE COUNTRY!!!

It's great that a lot of people (friends of the administration) are making a bunch of money on this gig but people are dying and we're less safe as a country and as general inhabitants of planet earth. Logical arguments seem to have the same effect as discussions with hormone driven teens (in fairness to any teen type person reading this you're not all hormone driven and even when you are its not all the time - unlike, apparently, the current administration)blank stares and being told that we just don't understand.

We need to learn a lesson in this country and that is that chronological age, pedigree, religious affiliations - none of these things have any bearing on emotional maturity. That is something that can not be purchased with Daddy's oil money. You have to earn it.

It is increasingly apparent that the President has not. And I for one don't like being in the back seat of this car with him driving.

THE INSTINCT TO LEAD

THE INSTINCT TO LEAD

There is in human nature an instinct to lead. Not all have it, and those that do, have it to a greater or lesser degree. But it is a necessary quality in anyone responsible for the lives of others, and certainly in a Commander in Chief.

It is an instinct because it goes beyond rational analysis. Someone who has it in abundance knows when it is time to allow subordinates to make decisions and when they must take control. Someone with the instinct can differentiate between truly dangerous, and merely uncomfortable circumstances. They know what is in their control to influence and they act on that knowledge.

A general with this instinct to lead prepares for the enemy to the best of his ability. When facing a formidable enemy, he would not hesitate for a minute in removing from command any subordinate officer who was not up to the task at hand. This would be the rational decision in the best interest of the soldiers and in the best interest of completing the mission.

Decisiveness and the automatic response of moving towards the action are other hallmarks of this instinct. In dire circumstances, a leader who has this drive to lead, is a comfort to his people and a warning to all enemies.

By these criteria, George W. Bush has failed this nation egregiously.

These are dangerous and unstable times. It is not sufficient to wage wars of choice. We must shore up our physical and security infrastructure and prepare for obvious threats.

But this nation must also respond forcefully when the battle is brought to our shores, whether that is by terrorists or the terror of nature run wild. Hesitation in these circumstances means death. The body count and the number of missing coming from the Gulf Coast emphasize this reality.

And we miust not forget that in a time of great national emergency, the Commander in Chief of this land was far from the front lines.