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When last we spoke, I was sitting in the nosebleed section of Kentucky Theater for the Arts waiting for King George II, aka "The Monkey King", to commence his dialogue with us Louisvillians on the merits of creating private accounts for Social Security.
On stage, if you remember, were bleachers full of people, and one lonely guy in a wheelchair. I guess he was the chimp's token gimp; after all, W. doesn't have much of a chance to show off his compassionate conservatism, so sharing the stage with a disabled person is probably about as good as it gets. And all the guy had to do was sit there during W's dog and pony show and represent all the disabled people who weren't invited.
(Some weeks later I actually met the mother of this disabled veteran, as it turned out, who said that the Republican Party of Kentucky actually called them to ask if her son would sit on the stage. Turns out the poor guy wasn't even really a Bush supporter....just some poor sap who figured he'd get his 15 minutes of fame by sitting on the same stage as the President of the United States....).
Eventually G.W. swaggered onto the stage in that way that so many redneck guys have (no offense to any anti-Bush rednecks out there) that tells you he's thinking "every woman wants me and every man wants to be me". Well, that's "his" fantasy, anyway - it doesn't have to be true.
Of course, all the mindless automatons went beserk. You'd have thought it was God himself walking onto the stage.
To Bush's credit, he actually pronounced Anne Northup's name correctly (on a previous visit he had mispronounced it as 'Northrup') and then proceeded to let us all know that not only was she a supporter of his privatization plan for Social Security, but actually brought some ideas to the table. (Three months later, the citizens of Louisville and the 3rd Congressional District are still trying to get her to sit down and explain to us just what those ideas are....Inquiring minds want to know).
To the left and right of G.W. were two older men and two young gals who looked starstruck. I guess W's charm must have that effect on women, since they seem to like him so much even as he's basically telling them they don't have enough sense to take control of their own bodies and aren't capable of running their own affairs.
Well, I kept waiting for the "dialogue" to begin. G. W. began by talking about freedom and peace interchangeably - I guess he must take every opportunity he can to stump for the Iraq war - and it was apparent he'd learned that framing stuff well. Either that, or he was wearing an earpiece and someone was telling him what to say. Could have gone either way, but I was too far away to tell.
At any rate, after only a few minutes I felt that I was truly "in the belly of the beast". There's something intrinsically evil about that man.
Well, ole' G.W. kept going on about how we should be able to "own" our accounts and be able to leave our money to our descendents. Right. Like that's going to happen with 99.9% of the people. All he had to do was dangle dollar signs in front of these people, like a rabbit in front of a greyhound, and you could just see them drool. He could have just as easily have said "we're gonna steal from the poor and give to the rich" and they would have still clapped.
Now, there were a few dissenters in the crowd, people I knew, that had vowed to stand up and try to have an actual dialogue with G.W. Unfortunately, the accoustics in this theater are not conducive to this type of speaking, and although three people stood up and voiced their opinions, concerns, and questions - you couldn't hear what they said.
First of all, as I said, the accoustics were terrible. Second, those Republicans know exactly what to do at the first sign of democratic discourse - they clap and cheer and drown any dissenting opinion or questions out. And that's exactly what happened. But, I applaud their efforts.
As far as the "dialogue" with G.W., the only ones who got a chance to talk to him were the grandpas and their granddaughters on stage. And that was obviously scripted and rehearsed. There were no questions from anyone. And even though Bush had no plan to lay out for anyone, no one seemed to care. All they heard was "more money". G.W. told people he wanted to privatize accounts, period.
I could have stayed home for that.
One thing that did impress me though, was the giving away of bumper stickers and yard signs after the "show". I know the Republican party has more money than God and the Democratic party has virtually no money whatsoever in comparison, but Democrats need to start digging a little deeper and have comparable materials to give away, rather than sell. Selling this stuff just makes them look cheap.
I came away from this feeling cheated. It was "much ado about nothing", as far as I was concerned. It was like watching an old fashioned "tonic" salesman plying his wares. Ole' "Slippery George" was telling those tall tales almost as good as Mark Twain. He was the huckster, the trickster, and the hustler all rolled up into one.
And all I could keep thinking was, "why can't these people SEE THIS!" My only answer is that God has allowed scales to cover their eyes, and eventually they will realize that they have been selfish and greedy, and because of their greed, have been deceived. After all, it is written that "Satan is the father of all lies" - and G. W. , along with his cronies, just have to be related.....
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Monkey King Monologue, Part One
Well, I survived. I'm still here, and I wasn't brainwashed or turned into a Republican clone. But I don't think I'll be in any great hurry to attend another Republican function again anytime soon, Monkey King or no.
I began my day on Thursday by standing on a street corner in downtown Louisville holding a sign protesting Bush's Social Security agenda. From 7:30 until around 9 am my friends and I braved the cold wind coming up from the Ohio River and were warmed only by the honks of like-minded Louisvillians on their way to work. A few pedestrians even stopped to say "thank you" as they passed by, including one gentleman whose parents were Canadian, and who told us that for him to return now to Canada would take about 6 months. Apparently it's not as easy to go to Canada as it used to be, even if you're Canadian!
Around 9:15 am we headed up to the Kentucky Center for the Arts, where the Monkey King would be speaking. There was already a long line, and we soon learned that there were different colored tickets - gold, red, and blue. A young Repub came out every few minutes to gather the golds and whisk them away. But the line moved fairly quickly, so it wasn't too bad. Some of my friends going in were planning to stand up and say something, but I was going to abstain. First of all, I just didn't feel like getting arrested for civil disobedience, especially in a day and age where people are arrested and never heard from again....Second, intuition told me that there weren't enough dissenters on the inside to make a difference. Third, I was curious enough to want to see firsthand, up close and personal, just how the Monkey King was going to spin his web of deceit. (There's always a kind of fascination with the perverse, isnt' there? It's kind of the same thing with serial killers. They're horrible people, they do dastardly things, but for some reason they hold a morbid fascination for you - like Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy.)
Standing in line with so many Republicans was a real trip. The first thing that annoyed me was the people behind us making fun of Bill and Hillary Clinton. We were biting our tongues, but I finally had to make a "loud-enough-to-hear" comment about people living spiritual lives and how people who were mean-spirited and gossiped about others or made fun of people weren't acting like Christians. Of course, it went right over their heads - they were CLUELESS. Republicans just don't think any of this stuff applies to THEM.
Finally we got to the doors and went inside. Of course, I would be the one who "beeped" going through the metal detector. I had put my keys in the basket, and my purse on the belt moving through the scanner, but I still beeped. So I was "hand scanned" and my ankles "felt up". That's right. They felt my ankles. They never asked me to empty the pockets of my jacket, which are quite large, but they felt the need to feel my ankles up. Perhaps the guy had an ankle "partialism", who knows. As long as they didn't make me take off my underwire bra or check my underwear, I could handle it.
There were two doors marked, of course, "gold tickets" and "red tickets"; the "blue tickets" sign was over by the stairway leading to the nosebleed section, but that was ok. Debbie and I said goodbye to Carol and proceeded to go upstairs where we met another Progressive on her way to the same section we were. I got to sit in one of the box seats (I won't say why....) and eventually they let Debbie come over to sit by me, but not Amy, even though she asked at least three times. There were only three seats there, so it was me, Debbie, and an usher - an old man that had to be at least 75 if he was a day. To my right was a Secret Service agent. We couldn't have shouted anything if we had wanted to....
Once seated, I immediately took out my pen and paper, as I had determined that I was going to take notes from beginning to end. I was particularly interested in how Bush was going to frame his message, and I was hoping that we would get to ask some questions. But it wasn't to be that kind of "forum". In fact, it wasn't a forum at all.
I think some of the "gold ticket" holders were who was seated on stage, but there were bleachers directly behind, and to the left and right of a semi-circle of 5 chairs with a sheet holder off-center of the middle chair (like the kind that holds music for orchestra musicians, only bigger.) I guessed that this was for Bush's notes.
While we waited for the Monkey King to arrive we were entertained by some Christian singers, Christian music, and Terry Miners. He's a local Republican ass-kisser who came out and made fun of Dan Rather and Peter Jennings. I must say that I am truly amazed at how much Republicans make fun of other people. The word "jerk" comes to mind, and visions of the school-yard bully. So here are all these people dressed to the nines, many with kids in tow (yes, I was also surprised at how many parents had pulled their kids out of school to attend this event - but I was also impressed at how well most of the kids behaved. That is, no running around, no whining, none of the usual stuff you usually see kids doing, I have to admit), but many of them were acting like ill-mannered kids themselves. No wonder that their own kids will probably grow up just like them. Hateful, hateful, hateful. I just had to shake my head at some of the stuff I heard.
Finally the Brownies came out and we said the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a singer from St. Stevens. There's history here, too. Republican Congresswoman Anne Northup gave huge amounts of money to this African-American church right before her re-election.... That's her modus operendi - buy the Black vote. She's been so successful at it that she even managed to buy a Black Metrocouncilwoman this last time around. The public and televised support of this Black Metrocouncilwoman got her a $75,000 job - created JUST FOR HER. Hmmm. But that's another story.
Stay tuned for Part Two of the Monkey King Monologue....where I'll talk about how these "town hall" meetings REALLY go....
Patriot Gal
Remember: Dissent is Patriotic!
I began my day on Thursday by standing on a street corner in downtown Louisville holding a sign protesting Bush's Social Security agenda. From 7:30 until around 9 am my friends and I braved the cold wind coming up from the Ohio River and were warmed only by the honks of like-minded Louisvillians on their way to work. A few pedestrians even stopped to say "thank you" as they passed by, including one gentleman whose parents were Canadian, and who told us that for him to return now to Canada would take about 6 months. Apparently it's not as easy to go to Canada as it used to be, even if you're Canadian!
Around 9:15 am we headed up to the Kentucky Center for the Arts, where the Monkey King would be speaking. There was already a long line, and we soon learned that there were different colored tickets - gold, red, and blue. A young Repub came out every few minutes to gather the golds and whisk them away. But the line moved fairly quickly, so it wasn't too bad. Some of my friends going in were planning to stand up and say something, but I was going to abstain. First of all, I just didn't feel like getting arrested for civil disobedience, especially in a day and age where people are arrested and never heard from again....Second, intuition told me that there weren't enough dissenters on the inside to make a difference. Third, I was curious enough to want to see firsthand, up close and personal, just how the Monkey King was going to spin his web of deceit. (There's always a kind of fascination with the perverse, isnt' there? It's kind of the same thing with serial killers. They're horrible people, they do dastardly things, but for some reason they hold a morbid fascination for you - like Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy.)
Standing in line with so many Republicans was a real trip. The first thing that annoyed me was the people behind us making fun of Bill and Hillary Clinton. We were biting our tongues, but I finally had to make a "loud-enough-to-hear" comment about people living spiritual lives and how people who were mean-spirited and gossiped about others or made fun of people weren't acting like Christians. Of course, it went right over their heads - they were CLUELESS. Republicans just don't think any of this stuff applies to THEM.
Finally we got to the doors and went inside. Of course, I would be the one who "beeped" going through the metal detector. I had put my keys in the basket, and my purse on the belt moving through the scanner, but I still beeped. So I was "hand scanned" and my ankles "felt up". That's right. They felt my ankles. They never asked me to empty the pockets of my jacket, which are quite large, but they felt the need to feel my ankles up. Perhaps the guy had an ankle "partialism", who knows. As long as they didn't make me take off my underwire bra or check my underwear, I could handle it.
There were two doors marked, of course, "gold tickets" and "red tickets"; the "blue tickets" sign was over by the stairway leading to the nosebleed section, but that was ok. Debbie and I said goodbye to Carol and proceeded to go upstairs where we met another Progressive on her way to the same section we were. I got to sit in one of the box seats (I won't say why....) and eventually they let Debbie come over to sit by me, but not Amy, even though she asked at least three times. There were only three seats there, so it was me, Debbie, and an usher - an old man that had to be at least 75 if he was a day. To my right was a Secret Service agent. We couldn't have shouted anything if we had wanted to....
Once seated, I immediately took out my pen and paper, as I had determined that I was going to take notes from beginning to end. I was particularly interested in how Bush was going to frame his message, and I was hoping that we would get to ask some questions. But it wasn't to be that kind of "forum". In fact, it wasn't a forum at all.
I think some of the "gold ticket" holders were who was seated on stage, but there were bleachers directly behind, and to the left and right of a semi-circle of 5 chairs with a sheet holder off-center of the middle chair (like the kind that holds music for orchestra musicians, only bigger.) I guessed that this was for Bush's notes.
While we waited for the Monkey King to arrive we were entertained by some Christian singers, Christian music, and Terry Miners. He's a local Republican ass-kisser who came out and made fun of Dan Rather and Peter Jennings. I must say that I am truly amazed at how much Republicans make fun of other people. The word "jerk" comes to mind, and visions of the school-yard bully. So here are all these people dressed to the nines, many with kids in tow (yes, I was also surprised at how many parents had pulled their kids out of school to attend this event - but I was also impressed at how well most of the kids behaved. That is, no running around, no whining, none of the usual stuff you usually see kids doing, I have to admit), but many of them were acting like ill-mannered kids themselves. No wonder that their own kids will probably grow up just like them. Hateful, hateful, hateful. I just had to shake my head at some of the stuff I heard.
Finally the Brownies came out and we said the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a singer from St. Stevens. There's history here, too. Republican Congresswoman Anne Northup gave huge amounts of money to this African-American church right before her re-election.... That's her modus operendi - buy the Black vote. She's been so successful at it that she even managed to buy a Black Metrocouncilwoman this last time around. The public and televised support of this Black Metrocouncilwoman got her a $75,000 job - created JUST FOR HER. Hmmm. But that's another story.
Stay tuned for Part Two of the Monkey King Monologue....where I'll talk about how these "town hall" meetings REALLY go....
Patriot Gal
Remember: Dissent is Patriotic!
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
The Monkey King Is Coming To Town
The Monkey King comes to town tomorrow, and I actually have tickets. Why? That's a good question. It all began with an email I received this past Monday where the sender was lamenting the fact that no tickets were to be found for Bush's one-act play "Town Hall Meeting on Social Security".
There's nothing I like more than a good challenge, and so I immediately set out to find some tickets. At least I was going to give it a good try.
I first called the Republican Headquarters. "No tickets here", I was told. All tickets were being dispensed through Rep. Anne Northup's (R-KY) office. So I called Northup's office. There I was told that there were no more tickets, period, and in fact, this particular volunteer said she was receiving phone calls at home all weekend.
Receiving phone calls at home? Hmm. Myself not being privvy to this person's home phone number, I "innocently" said that I presumed that tickets would be made available to ALL constituents and not just Republicans. After a slight hesitation, the woman agreed that that was true, of course. So I reminded her that I didn't know her home phone number, and where could I get tickets, or at least, could I get on a waiting list. I think she just pretended to take my name and phone number - you know how you can tell when people "pretend" they're writing down the information, but you know they can't possibly write that fast, especially when you have a name that EVERYONE asks you to spell....but they don't?
So, I called the Republican HQ back after that, just to say that it sounded like only certain people were going to get tickets, and apparently many of these were people who happened to know the home phone numbers of Republican workers. This woman literally tripped over herself trying to assure me that there were only a certain number of tickets available for the entire State, etc., etc., etc.
Fine. But I was still left with no tickets. So I then did what every red-blooded American with internet access does - I googled the event. And lo and behold, I came up with a newspaper article that said that not only would Rep. Northup's office have tickets, but Republican Headquarters and Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) office would as well. Hmm.
I had specifically asked both Northup's office and Republican HQ if McConnell's office would have tickets, and was told "no" both times. I was specifically told that Northup and a woman in her office personally "spearheaded" this event. That made sense, in a way, because Bush actually came here to stump for Northup this past fall during her election campaign - as well as his own - even if he did mispronounce her name as Northrup instead of Northup. Could we expect anything else?
Anyway, it took about a split second to figure that McConnell, being a pretty powerful Senator and married to the Secretary of Labor, to boot, just might have tickets. So I called. Lo and behold, a very nice lady told me that yes, they would have some tickets, but she didn't know how many or when they would get them, but what was my name and phone number and how many did I want?
How many did I want? I wasn't prepared for that, and for some reason "four" just popped into my head and out of my mouth. "Four", she asked? Thinking that was too many, I said, "If I can get them, but I'll take two, or even one if that's all I can get." "Just give me a number", she said, and so I said, "Four".
Mind you, I didn't have four people in mind, but I thought I could find at least three other people that would be interested in hearing what Bush had to say about the Social Security (non-) Crisis. Truthfully, the thought of just being in the same room with someone who I believe could quite possibly be the anti-Christ turns my stomach, but I am very curious by nature, and I really want to see how he spins this. I may even write a freelance article, who knows. I want to see if progressives can actually get their questions asked, and how Bush and his SS handle people who might disagree with him. Above all, I want to see how the media reports the whole shabang.
Of all the Presidents in my lifetime, who would have ever thought that it would be the one I despise the most (so far) that would be I would get to "see". Life is full of ironies, and this is a biggie.
Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from Sen. McConnell's office this morning to tell me that my tickets were there - all four of them! I immediately called a friend of mine, who jumped at the chance to go, and figured I'd give the other two away. (I later received a phone call from my friend saying she had gone home from work sick with the flu, and won't be going - so I ended up with three extra tickets instead of two).
As it turns out, tickets to this event have been harder to give away than I ever would have thought. NO ONE, and I mean, NO ONE, wanted tickets! As it turns out, there will, of course, be a rally to protest Bush's anti-Social Security stand, and most people would rather attend that than actually be on the inside....
As if they'll get within 3 blocks. They actually think they might be able to march right up to the venue and protest, but if this is anything like Bush's other appearances, they'll be lucky if they're even in the same time zone. I say this because I've attended many rallies since 2000, and this is the MO.
But, unless I'm on the FBI's short list, I'll be on the inside, where I plan to do NO civil disobedience, unlike some people I know who also have tickets, who shall remain nameless.....
I don't feel like being arrested by the Secret Service and going to jail. Call me wimpy, I don't care. I will be a witness, but tomorrow I am not going to engage in civil disobedience on the inside. But I will KNOW. I will be able to observe first-hand what goes on in these meetings, how biased or not they are, etc. And I will also know how the media in my town report - and just how biased or not, truthful or not, they are. And to me, that's worth having to sit there listening to him tell one lie after another with that smirky, chimpy, shit-eating grin on his arrogant face.
I want to get in early to get a good seat, but I don't want to shake his hand, so I hope he doesn't offer it. He might have cooties. Or worse.
I just had an awful thought. What if they somehow practice some kind of mind control and we all come out Republicans! Agghh!
To protect myself, I've come up with a list: Don't shake his hand; don't drink the water; don't eat any food if offered; don't look anyone directly in the eyes; and don't breathe the air. Okay, that last one might be a little hard to do, but I'll just try not to breathe too deeply....
I'll let you know what happens.
There's nothing I like more than a good challenge, and so I immediately set out to find some tickets. At least I was going to give it a good try.
I first called the Republican Headquarters. "No tickets here", I was told. All tickets were being dispensed through Rep. Anne Northup's (R-KY) office. So I called Northup's office. There I was told that there were no more tickets, period, and in fact, this particular volunteer said she was receiving phone calls at home all weekend.
Receiving phone calls at home? Hmm. Myself not being privvy to this person's home phone number, I "innocently" said that I presumed that tickets would be made available to ALL constituents and not just Republicans. After a slight hesitation, the woman agreed that that was true, of course. So I reminded her that I didn't know her home phone number, and where could I get tickets, or at least, could I get on a waiting list. I think she just pretended to take my name and phone number - you know how you can tell when people "pretend" they're writing down the information, but you know they can't possibly write that fast, especially when you have a name that EVERYONE asks you to spell....but they don't?
So, I called the Republican HQ back after that, just to say that it sounded like only certain people were going to get tickets, and apparently many of these were people who happened to know the home phone numbers of Republican workers. This woman literally tripped over herself trying to assure me that there were only a certain number of tickets available for the entire State, etc., etc., etc.
Fine. But I was still left with no tickets. So I then did what every red-blooded American with internet access does - I googled the event. And lo and behold, I came up with a newspaper article that said that not only would Rep. Northup's office have tickets, but Republican Headquarters and Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) office would as well. Hmm.
I had specifically asked both Northup's office and Republican HQ if McConnell's office would have tickets, and was told "no" both times. I was specifically told that Northup and a woman in her office personally "spearheaded" this event. That made sense, in a way, because Bush actually came here to stump for Northup this past fall during her election campaign - as well as his own - even if he did mispronounce her name as Northrup instead of Northup. Could we expect anything else?
Anyway, it took about a split second to figure that McConnell, being a pretty powerful Senator and married to the Secretary of Labor, to boot, just might have tickets. So I called. Lo and behold, a very nice lady told me that yes, they would have some tickets, but she didn't know how many or when they would get them, but what was my name and phone number and how many did I want?
How many did I want? I wasn't prepared for that, and for some reason "four" just popped into my head and out of my mouth. "Four", she asked? Thinking that was too many, I said, "If I can get them, but I'll take two, or even one if that's all I can get." "Just give me a number", she said, and so I said, "Four".
Mind you, I didn't have four people in mind, but I thought I could find at least three other people that would be interested in hearing what Bush had to say about the Social Security (non-) Crisis. Truthfully, the thought of just being in the same room with someone who I believe could quite possibly be the anti-Christ turns my stomach, but I am very curious by nature, and I really want to see how he spins this. I may even write a freelance article, who knows. I want to see if progressives can actually get their questions asked, and how Bush and his SS handle people who might disagree with him. Above all, I want to see how the media reports the whole shabang.
Of all the Presidents in my lifetime, who would have ever thought that it would be the one I despise the most (so far) that would be I would get to "see". Life is full of ironies, and this is a biggie.
Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from Sen. McConnell's office this morning to tell me that my tickets were there - all four of them! I immediately called a friend of mine, who jumped at the chance to go, and figured I'd give the other two away. (I later received a phone call from my friend saying she had gone home from work sick with the flu, and won't be going - so I ended up with three extra tickets instead of two).
As it turns out, tickets to this event have been harder to give away than I ever would have thought. NO ONE, and I mean, NO ONE, wanted tickets! As it turns out, there will, of course, be a rally to protest Bush's anti-Social Security stand, and most people would rather attend that than actually be on the inside....
As if they'll get within 3 blocks. They actually think they might be able to march right up to the venue and protest, but if this is anything like Bush's other appearances, they'll be lucky if they're even in the same time zone. I say this because I've attended many rallies since 2000, and this is the MO.
But, unless I'm on the FBI's short list, I'll be on the inside, where I plan to do NO civil disobedience, unlike some people I know who also have tickets, who shall remain nameless.....
I don't feel like being arrested by the Secret Service and going to jail. Call me wimpy, I don't care. I will be a witness, but tomorrow I am not going to engage in civil disobedience on the inside. But I will KNOW. I will be able to observe first-hand what goes on in these meetings, how biased or not they are, etc. And I will also know how the media in my town report - and just how biased or not, truthful or not, they are. And to me, that's worth having to sit there listening to him tell one lie after another with that smirky, chimpy, shit-eating grin on his arrogant face.
I want to get in early to get a good seat, but I don't want to shake his hand, so I hope he doesn't offer it. He might have cooties. Or worse.
I just had an awful thought. What if they somehow practice some kind of mind control and we all come out Republicans! Agghh!
To protect myself, I've come up with a list: Don't shake his hand; don't drink the water; don't eat any food if offered; don't look anyone directly in the eyes; and don't breathe the air. Okay, that last one might be a little hard to do, but I'll just try not to breathe too deeply....
I'll let you know what happens.
Friday, February 11, 2005
God's Politics and the Progressive Movement
I'm in the process of reading God's Politics by Jim Wallis. As a Christian, I sometimes get a little pissed off by my leftist compadres when they "shush" me for talking about Christian values in a political venue. I really am tired of hearing "we must be inclusive and respectful of those who don't hold our same religious beliefs". They have no problem with not being inclusive when it comes to the right-wing extemists. So why do they have a problem with inclusiveness within their own ranks?
Well, I've got three words for them these days: "Get OVER it!" I'm no longer going to "shush" when I want to talk about how my faith affects my politics. I've been inclusive long enough, and now it's the politically correct, the atheists, the agnostics, and the "other" religious believers that are just going to have to be inclusive and let me and other Christians have their say. We might actually have a clue.
So here's me, having my say.
I believe that God is a God of light and in Him is no darkness at all (IJohn 1:5). And I don't know, but maybe God evolves, too. Or at least changes his mind. It seems that the God of the Old Testament seemed very "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" leaning. Or maybe that's just what the people wanted so that's what He gave them. After all, God didn't even like the idea of a King, and resisted until the Israelites demanded He give them one. In my book, that says that God doesn't think it's a very good idea for one man or a few men or any men, for that matter, to rule over another, let alone a whole country. I think the right-wing religious fundamentalists overlook that little tidbit of Biblical history.
But God was very explicit when He told the children of Israel, who had always been ruled by priests and holy men, what he expected from the king they would demand. First, God said He would give them a king of His choosing - not of their choosing. (Probably where the kings of old got the "divine right" stuff from, but probably not what God had in mind...) Second, God said the king would not be a foreigner but one of their own (Sorry, Arnold.) Third, God said that the king would not endeavor have alot of women or to make himself rich...yep, that's what He said. Fourth, God said the king should always keep God's laws by putting them in a book and reading them daily, and by respecting and revering God.
I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very much like any of our current world leaders, and it especially doesn't sound like Dubya and his band of merry fascists.
This stuff can all be found in Deuteronomy 17, but the point is that God didn't really think Kings were such a good idea, He preferred a nation ruled by no one but where grievances were solved by the "priests" of the day, I presume in a non-violent manner. And when He did give in to the Israelites demands for a King, God was very specific about what kind of a man that would be.
God didn't want anyone who would let power go to his head. And to prevent that, God outlined the rules - something those who rule in America today have seemed to conveniently forgotten, if indeed, they ever knew of them.
Back to basics.
I don't believe God ever wants war. Maybe He had enough of it in the Old Testament. Maybe He, as we should, found a better way. All I know is that the God of the New Testament is a "kindler, gentler" God. In the Old Testament the people kept asking for rules and regulations in order to "please" God by obeying them. The trouble was, they couldn't keep all those laws and God knew it. He knew man's nature better than man himself knew it, because God created man (and I don't want to get into the creationism versus evolution argument, because I believe it could be both or neither and it's one of those mysteries that have been lost to the ages and one day we'll know one way or the other. Until then, I'm not seriously going to argue one way or the other. I have a hard time believing we all came from a single cell, though....).
Anyway, for all the laws of the OT, Jesus summed them all us when He said we were to love God first and foremost and love our neighbors as ourselves. (Mt. 12: 30-31). I don't think we think about that much, really, but we ought to.
Jesus also talked a great deal about the poor, the sick, the disabled, the widow, and the orphan. He didn't have alot of good to say about the rich or the religious leaders of His day. In fact, he often "gently" rebuked them and criticized them by saying things like it was better to heal on the Sabbath than to leave someone in need.
So why do the right-wing fundamentalists concentrate only on gay marriage and abortion, when the major theme of God's Word is poverty? If you cut out all the verses in the Bible that have to do with abortion and homosexuality, you'll still have 99.99% of the Bible left. But if you cut out all the verses that talk about poverty, your Bible will be left literally in pieces.
So why don't progressives start putting Jesus on the map for what He REALLY was concerned about and preached about, instead of letting some right-wing nut jobs use smoke and mirrors to take the focus off what really matters to God?
I think that's a good question, and a valid one. After all, the right-wingers have kicked the football of faith onto the playing field, so to speak, and it's up to us progressives to pick up the ball and run with it. If we refuse to learn the rules of the game, how can we expect to play to win?
So I've decided to jump into the game and play to win. I'm a Christian. In another life I used to study the Bible somewhat, and I've probably forgotten more than most fundamentalists will ever know - and I don't say that to be smug; it's that they're just not "getting" it, probably because they're not being taught.
I'm not saying that progressives that don't believe in Christianity should pretend to do so, but I'm sure there are plenty of closet Christians within the progessive movement that have been silent or have been told to "stifle it". I encourage all of you to speak up and out for what you know to be the truth, not as this minority of narrow-minded, fundamentalist right-wingers see it, but for what you know it to be.
It's time.
Well, I've got three words for them these days: "Get OVER it!" I'm no longer going to "shush" when I want to talk about how my faith affects my politics. I've been inclusive long enough, and now it's the politically correct, the atheists, the agnostics, and the "other" religious believers that are just going to have to be inclusive and let me and other Christians have their say. We might actually have a clue.
So here's me, having my say.
I believe that God is a God of light and in Him is no darkness at all (IJohn 1:5). And I don't know, but maybe God evolves, too. Or at least changes his mind. It seems that the God of the Old Testament seemed very "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" leaning. Or maybe that's just what the people wanted so that's what He gave them. After all, God didn't even like the idea of a King, and resisted until the Israelites demanded He give them one. In my book, that says that God doesn't think it's a very good idea for one man or a few men or any men, for that matter, to rule over another, let alone a whole country. I think the right-wing religious fundamentalists overlook that little tidbit of Biblical history.
But God was very explicit when He told the children of Israel, who had always been ruled by priests and holy men, what he expected from the king they would demand. First, God said He would give them a king of His choosing - not of their choosing. (Probably where the kings of old got the "divine right" stuff from, but probably not what God had in mind...) Second, God said the king would not be a foreigner but one of their own (Sorry, Arnold.) Third, God said that the king would not endeavor have alot of women or to make himself rich...yep, that's what He said. Fourth, God said the king should always keep God's laws by putting them in a book and reading them daily, and by respecting and revering God.
I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very much like any of our current world leaders, and it especially doesn't sound like Dubya and his band of merry fascists.
This stuff can all be found in Deuteronomy 17, but the point is that God didn't really think Kings were such a good idea, He preferred a nation ruled by no one but where grievances were solved by the "priests" of the day, I presume in a non-violent manner. And when He did give in to the Israelites demands for a King, God was very specific about what kind of a man that would be.
God didn't want anyone who would let power go to his head. And to prevent that, God outlined the rules - something those who rule in America today have seemed to conveniently forgotten, if indeed, they ever knew of them.
Back to basics.
I don't believe God ever wants war. Maybe He had enough of it in the Old Testament. Maybe He, as we should, found a better way. All I know is that the God of the New Testament is a "kindler, gentler" God. In the Old Testament the people kept asking for rules and regulations in order to "please" God by obeying them. The trouble was, they couldn't keep all those laws and God knew it. He knew man's nature better than man himself knew it, because God created man (and I don't want to get into the creationism versus evolution argument, because I believe it could be both or neither and it's one of those mysteries that have been lost to the ages and one day we'll know one way or the other. Until then, I'm not seriously going to argue one way or the other. I have a hard time believing we all came from a single cell, though....).
Anyway, for all the laws of the OT, Jesus summed them all us when He said we were to love God first and foremost and love our neighbors as ourselves. (Mt. 12: 30-31). I don't think we think about that much, really, but we ought to.
Jesus also talked a great deal about the poor, the sick, the disabled, the widow, and the orphan. He didn't have alot of good to say about the rich or the religious leaders of His day. In fact, he often "gently" rebuked them and criticized them by saying things like it was better to heal on the Sabbath than to leave someone in need.
So why do the right-wing fundamentalists concentrate only on gay marriage and abortion, when the major theme of God's Word is poverty? If you cut out all the verses in the Bible that have to do with abortion and homosexuality, you'll still have 99.99% of the Bible left. But if you cut out all the verses that talk about poverty, your Bible will be left literally in pieces.
So why don't progressives start putting Jesus on the map for what He REALLY was concerned about and preached about, instead of letting some right-wing nut jobs use smoke and mirrors to take the focus off what really matters to God?
I think that's a good question, and a valid one. After all, the right-wingers have kicked the football of faith onto the playing field, so to speak, and it's up to us progressives to pick up the ball and run with it. If we refuse to learn the rules of the game, how can we expect to play to win?
So I've decided to jump into the game and play to win. I'm a Christian. In another life I used to study the Bible somewhat, and I've probably forgotten more than most fundamentalists will ever know - and I don't say that to be smug; it's that they're just not "getting" it, probably because they're not being taught.
I'm not saying that progressives that don't believe in Christianity should pretend to do so, but I'm sure there are plenty of closet Christians within the progessive movement that have been silent or have been told to "stifle it". I encourage all of you to speak up and out for what you know to be the truth, not as this minority of narrow-minded, fundamentalist right-wingers see it, but for what you know it to be.
It's time.
Monday, February 07, 2005
With A Few Strokes of the Pen
And so it begins. Make no mistake, the radical right-wing extremist agenda is on the march. The question is, will we be able to stop it?
Now that Fuhrer Bush feels he has his majority mandate, the Republican double-speak is in full swing. On NPR today the airwaves were abuzz with Bush's newest budget cuts. I'm sure Frank "sold my soul to the devil for 30 pieces of silver" Luntz had everything to do with Bush's 30-second sound-byte defense -
1. Social programs "sound good" .
This is a frame that says that in reality, social programs aren't good. The problem with this is that most of us know that social programs are not only good, but necessary. But the Bush radical right-wing extremist agenda's credo is that if you can't make it on your own, you don't deserve any help. If you don't work, you don't deserve help. Of course, what is ignored is that you can't work if there are no jobs, if you're sick or disabled, if you're discriminated against because of age, race or gender, etc. In Bushworld there are no excuses. There are no soft edges, no shades of gray. Simply black and white. No matter that many of Bush's elitist "base" (including Bush himself) didn't get where they are today because of their own hard work and efforts. Most of them were born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. Of course, those that subscribe to Bush's agenda have an answer for that, too. If God wanted you to be born one of the privileged elite, you would have been. Therefore you must be paying for the sins of your forefathers and deserve to be punished. Don't forget that Bush and many of his cronies (Ashcroft, for example) are Christian evangelists, that hard-core group of fundamentalist Christians that preach hell-fire-and-brimstone but forget to read what Jesus said about love, tolerance, and helping the poor. One must wonder if they even bother to read their Bibles or just use them to hit others over the head - "weapons for the Lord".
2. When someone said that the poor and disadvantaged would be most hurt by Bush's budget cuts and asked Bush what he thought about the poor asking why he was making these cuts, Bush replied "The poor should be asking the question of whether the program is meeting its goal(s)".
He's running a con. This is a frame that suggests that the programs aren't doing enough to help the poor and are not meeting the goals of the program or the needs of the people who are depending on it, and therefore should be scrapped. What Bush doesn't say is that there is no plan to replace any of these programs with something that does work, except, of course, the admonition to "get out and work for your living and all will be well with you." Again, there are no excuses. Too old? Disabled? Sick? No jobs? Discriminated against? Gay? A woman? Not enough experience? Too much experience? Might need too much healthcare? (And that's another thing Bush thinks Americans can and should do without unless they can pay for it out of their own pockets, but that's another story.) So Bush is trying to get the nation's poor to actually agree with him that these programs aren't meeting their goals because they're not doing enough to help.
Of course not. They're underfunded and the rolls of the poor increase daily.
Make no mistake, the Bush regime's agenda from the very beginning was to repeal any and every law that protects workers, the poor, the disabled, the sick, those that are marginalized, minorities, women, etc. Why? Because they cost Bush and his wealthy elitist buddies money. Which is why one of the first things Bush did was to cut taxes for the wealthiest elite of this country. The next thing he did was allow this country to be attacked from the outside - and I won't equivocate on this issue - so that he could make an excuse to go to war. Never mind that he invaded the wrong country and went after the wrong terrorist. But the point of this post is that by cutting taxes for the very rich and by taking this country to war, Bush and his regime has succeeded in driving up the national debt and depleting our country of not only the surplus that President Clinton left us as his fiscal legacy, but they have also raided the Social Security funds to finance their own agenda. Which brings me back to another point. Social Security is in trouble, not as much as the Bush regime tries to hype, but it is only in need of tweaking because of the robber barons who stole from it to finance a dirty war.
Bush and his merry band of fascists are waging war all right - they are waging war on every poor American in this country. They are working to roll back legislation protecting labor just as they've repealed every environmental protection law in the last 10 years. They are hacking away at overtime laws and eliminating unions through repealing laws that prohibit intimidation by corporate henchmen.
They are working at so underfunding the educational system in this country that only the wealthy will be able to afford a decent education. Already they have reduced funding for universities and pell grants. State grants have been reduced as they've been forced to go into survival mode. Those states with Republican Governors have been quietly adhering to the same kind of onslaught on our freedoms and services to the needy, as well as labor and education.
The Bush agenda includes world domination through "democratization" of second and third world countries. By invading those countries where he can claim a link to terrorism, he will be able to install puppet governments that will of course be U.S. friendly. It's all about oil and trade. Some countries will agree to play by his rules only to avoid invasion, occupation, and annihilation. Iraq is just practice, and it is merely the tip of the iceberg.
In Bush World, which is his aim, make no mistake, there will be no freedom as most of us interpret it. Even now, in cities where Bush makes appearances, those that disagree with him or seek to expose his agenda are banned from attending. In some cities, protesters have been arrested for carrying signs against the war. In all cities where he or his cronies appear there are "free speech zones", usually in areas that are blocks, even miles, away from the main event. The point is to isolate anyone who disagrees with the mighty Bush. Only those who agree with his agenda are allowed to attend his staged appearances. So the next time you see Bush on TV, surrounded by smiling, clapping and laughing people, many of them women (he must make it look like women agree with his schtick), just remember that these people have been hand-picked, literally. And that those that disagree weren't even allowed within 1-3 miles of Bush, let alone in the same building or room. It isn't that they're worried someone will get in with a weapon, because everybody is thoroughly searched - no, what they are most concerned with is that no one heckles, frowns, makes a face, or even looks like he/she disagrees.
And who does this remind you of? Well, I can tell you who it reminds me of: Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, and the AntiChrist. Take your pick, no matter which you choose, we lose. We lose as individuals, as families, as citizens, as a society, as human beings.
In Bush World there is chaos. There is mass poverty, and people die everyday from starvation, exposure and disease. But, all is not lost.... Because it is inconvenient for the deserving wealthy to have to see this, poverty has been declared illegal. Privately owned prisons have been built and those who "will not" pay their debts are sent there. There are no "excuses". They provide much of the work that low-income people used to perform - they are the ones who pick up our highways, parks, and public lands. They mow the grass and take out the trash. They work in state laundries and make things like license plates. Some of them are trained to do such menial work as planting flowers and mowing the grass for some of the more benevolent wealthy elite who feel sorry for them. It works out well for them, too, of course, because the labor is cheap. The wealthy are so grateful that they actually contribute to these privatized "debtors' camps".
In Bush World those who are sick, disabled, elderly, poor, etc., now live in privately owned "Camps for the Poor, Sick & Disabled". No one visits these camps much, and each camp has their own private cemetary - for convenience, of course. It saves the state so much money because they don't have to bury the poor for free. Of course, most people are cremated - it's cheaper and so that's the way to go. It also saves space. There are doctors and nurses to take care of the poor. Of course, these are privately-owned camps, so there really is not much regulation - states have pretty much done away with all that paperwork. Not much is known about how these people make enough money to keep these places going, but there is some speculation. No one knows how many people die or what kind of medical care they get, but that's none of our business. Better to not ask too many questions.
In Bush World there has also been a resurgence of Orphanages. Parents that are not able to take care of their children are "encouraged" to give them away, and if they refuse or are arrested for public begging or loitering, or found guilty of establishing an "illegal or fraudulent residence", such as in a car, abandoned building, subways, etc., they are forced to give up their children anyway. These laws are based on the Texas statutes, where many unsuspecting parents have lost custody of their children in the past. Of course, these children are much better off. Many of the upper class who either cannot have children or who don't want to ruin their figures can freely adopt these children. Also, since everyone must learn the moral lesson of productivity, corporate farms (there are no more family farms - they lost their "hand-outs in Bush's second term and all farms were eventually bought out by corporations) are allowed to "foster" some of these children, who are in turn taught how to work on the farm and learn what it means to be a responsible citizen. Of course, these children don't receive an education or pay (although they do receive room and board - again, privately regulated) but that is due to their lower class status, as it has been determined that the government is not obligated to provide an education for any citizen.
Of course, there is always the National Service. Some children, those that the government deems fit, can join the National Service once they are 14 years of age. These lucky boys and girls are able to travel all over the world enforcing the global domination by the U.S. that was begun in Bush's second term of office. Of course, there are many casualties, and the life of a soldier is hard. The pay is low and there isn't enough food or armor, guns or ammunition, but it's better than living in the Debtors' Camps. And once a child turns 14, he or she must leave the Orphanage, as they are now considered adults and must work to pay their way. If they can't get work on the Corporate Farms or in the Corporate Factories, either here or in U.S. holdings outside of the country, then they must either join the National Service or face Debtor Camp. Since they cannot afford an education, most jobs are off-limits to them. Of course, those responsible enough to have been born into wealthy families do not have to worry about all of this, as their parents have been responsible and have either earned or inherited wealth and are therefore able to properly take care of their children, as are all "good" parents.
In Bush World, the only people who are educated are the ones who can afford to go to school. There are no more government subsidies for education. The voucher system works well for the wealthier families, although the poor families soon found out that for them the voucher wasn't worth the paper it was printed on, since it only paid a fraction of the cost of tuition and they couldn't afford to make up for the rest. But by that time funding for public education had been cut so much that most schools had closed, and so there was really no alternative. It did tend to create a kind of "slave society", but again, in Bush World, that is just the natural order of things. Those that are superior will survive.
You think some or all of this is far-fetched? Think again. Most of this is just a few pen strokes away from becoming reality. We have a Republican dominated Congress. Bush has already changed the Constitution and he wants to do it again. What he wants is what he gets. Period. What will we do when it is too late to speak up? Consider the changes to our society in the last four years. Is it really so hard to imagine what will happen during the next four? Already they are grooming Arnold to become President. How do you think they will be able to do that, since our Constitution expressly forbids a foreign-born individual to become President? Why, with a few strokes of the pen, of course.
Now that Fuhrer Bush feels he has his majority mandate, the Republican double-speak is in full swing. On NPR today the airwaves were abuzz with Bush's newest budget cuts. I'm sure Frank "sold my soul to the devil for 30 pieces of silver" Luntz had everything to do with Bush's 30-second sound-byte defense -
1. Social programs "sound good" .
This is a frame that says that in reality, social programs aren't good. The problem with this is that most of us know that social programs are not only good, but necessary. But the Bush radical right-wing extremist agenda's credo is that if you can't make it on your own, you don't deserve any help. If you don't work, you don't deserve help. Of course, what is ignored is that you can't work if there are no jobs, if you're sick or disabled, if you're discriminated against because of age, race or gender, etc. In Bushworld there are no excuses. There are no soft edges, no shades of gray. Simply black and white. No matter that many of Bush's elitist "base" (including Bush himself) didn't get where they are today because of their own hard work and efforts. Most of them were born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. Of course, those that subscribe to Bush's agenda have an answer for that, too. If God wanted you to be born one of the privileged elite, you would have been. Therefore you must be paying for the sins of your forefathers and deserve to be punished. Don't forget that Bush and many of his cronies (Ashcroft, for example) are Christian evangelists, that hard-core group of fundamentalist Christians that preach hell-fire-and-brimstone but forget to read what Jesus said about love, tolerance, and helping the poor. One must wonder if they even bother to read their Bibles or just use them to hit others over the head - "weapons for the Lord".
2. When someone said that the poor and disadvantaged would be most hurt by Bush's budget cuts and asked Bush what he thought about the poor asking why he was making these cuts, Bush replied "The poor should be asking the question of whether the program is meeting its goal(s)".
He's running a con. This is a frame that suggests that the programs aren't doing enough to help the poor and are not meeting the goals of the program or the needs of the people who are depending on it, and therefore should be scrapped. What Bush doesn't say is that there is no plan to replace any of these programs with something that does work, except, of course, the admonition to "get out and work for your living and all will be well with you." Again, there are no excuses. Too old? Disabled? Sick? No jobs? Discriminated against? Gay? A woman? Not enough experience? Too much experience? Might need too much healthcare? (And that's another thing Bush thinks Americans can and should do without unless they can pay for it out of their own pockets, but that's another story.) So Bush is trying to get the nation's poor to actually agree with him that these programs aren't meeting their goals because they're not doing enough to help.
Of course not. They're underfunded and the rolls of the poor increase daily.
Make no mistake, the Bush regime's agenda from the very beginning was to repeal any and every law that protects workers, the poor, the disabled, the sick, those that are marginalized, minorities, women, etc. Why? Because they cost Bush and his wealthy elitist buddies money. Which is why one of the first things Bush did was to cut taxes for the wealthiest elite of this country. The next thing he did was allow this country to be attacked from the outside - and I won't equivocate on this issue - so that he could make an excuse to go to war. Never mind that he invaded the wrong country and went after the wrong terrorist. But the point of this post is that by cutting taxes for the very rich and by taking this country to war, Bush and his regime has succeeded in driving up the national debt and depleting our country of not only the surplus that President Clinton left us as his fiscal legacy, but they have also raided the Social Security funds to finance their own agenda. Which brings me back to another point. Social Security is in trouble, not as much as the Bush regime tries to hype, but it is only in need of tweaking because of the robber barons who stole from it to finance a dirty war.
Bush and his merry band of fascists are waging war all right - they are waging war on every poor American in this country. They are working to roll back legislation protecting labor just as they've repealed every environmental protection law in the last 10 years. They are hacking away at overtime laws and eliminating unions through repealing laws that prohibit intimidation by corporate henchmen.
They are working at so underfunding the educational system in this country that only the wealthy will be able to afford a decent education. Already they have reduced funding for universities and pell grants. State grants have been reduced as they've been forced to go into survival mode. Those states with Republican Governors have been quietly adhering to the same kind of onslaught on our freedoms and services to the needy, as well as labor and education.
The Bush agenda includes world domination through "democratization" of second and third world countries. By invading those countries where he can claim a link to terrorism, he will be able to install puppet governments that will of course be U.S. friendly. It's all about oil and trade. Some countries will agree to play by his rules only to avoid invasion, occupation, and annihilation. Iraq is just practice, and it is merely the tip of the iceberg.
In Bush World, which is his aim, make no mistake, there will be no freedom as most of us interpret it. Even now, in cities where Bush makes appearances, those that disagree with him or seek to expose his agenda are banned from attending. In some cities, protesters have been arrested for carrying signs against the war. In all cities where he or his cronies appear there are "free speech zones", usually in areas that are blocks, even miles, away from the main event. The point is to isolate anyone who disagrees with the mighty Bush. Only those who agree with his agenda are allowed to attend his staged appearances. So the next time you see Bush on TV, surrounded by smiling, clapping and laughing people, many of them women (he must make it look like women agree with his schtick), just remember that these people have been hand-picked, literally. And that those that disagree weren't even allowed within 1-3 miles of Bush, let alone in the same building or room. It isn't that they're worried someone will get in with a weapon, because everybody is thoroughly searched - no, what they are most concerned with is that no one heckles, frowns, makes a face, or even looks like he/she disagrees.
And who does this remind you of? Well, I can tell you who it reminds me of: Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, and the AntiChrist. Take your pick, no matter which you choose, we lose. We lose as individuals, as families, as citizens, as a society, as human beings.
In Bush World there is chaos. There is mass poverty, and people die everyday from starvation, exposure and disease. But, all is not lost.... Because it is inconvenient for the deserving wealthy to have to see this, poverty has been declared illegal. Privately owned prisons have been built and those who "will not" pay their debts are sent there. There are no "excuses". They provide much of the work that low-income people used to perform - they are the ones who pick up our highways, parks, and public lands. They mow the grass and take out the trash. They work in state laundries and make things like license plates. Some of them are trained to do such menial work as planting flowers and mowing the grass for some of the more benevolent wealthy elite who feel sorry for them. It works out well for them, too, of course, because the labor is cheap. The wealthy are so grateful that they actually contribute to these privatized "debtors' camps".
In Bush World those who are sick, disabled, elderly, poor, etc., now live in privately owned "Camps for the Poor, Sick & Disabled". No one visits these camps much, and each camp has their own private cemetary - for convenience, of course. It saves the state so much money because they don't have to bury the poor for free. Of course, most people are cremated - it's cheaper and so that's the way to go. It also saves space. There are doctors and nurses to take care of the poor. Of course, these are privately-owned camps, so there really is not much regulation - states have pretty much done away with all that paperwork. Not much is known about how these people make enough money to keep these places going, but there is some speculation. No one knows how many people die or what kind of medical care they get, but that's none of our business. Better to not ask too many questions.
In Bush World there has also been a resurgence of Orphanages. Parents that are not able to take care of their children are "encouraged" to give them away, and if they refuse or are arrested for public begging or loitering, or found guilty of establishing an "illegal or fraudulent residence", such as in a car, abandoned building, subways, etc., they are forced to give up their children anyway. These laws are based on the Texas statutes, where many unsuspecting parents have lost custody of their children in the past. Of course, these children are much better off. Many of the upper class who either cannot have children or who don't want to ruin their figures can freely adopt these children. Also, since everyone must learn the moral lesson of productivity, corporate farms (there are no more family farms - they lost their "hand-outs in Bush's second term and all farms were eventually bought out by corporations) are allowed to "foster" some of these children, who are in turn taught how to work on the farm and learn what it means to be a responsible citizen. Of course, these children don't receive an education or pay (although they do receive room and board - again, privately regulated) but that is due to their lower class status, as it has been determined that the government is not obligated to provide an education for any citizen.
Of course, there is always the National Service. Some children, those that the government deems fit, can join the National Service once they are 14 years of age. These lucky boys and girls are able to travel all over the world enforcing the global domination by the U.S. that was begun in Bush's second term of office. Of course, there are many casualties, and the life of a soldier is hard. The pay is low and there isn't enough food or armor, guns or ammunition, but it's better than living in the Debtors' Camps. And once a child turns 14, he or she must leave the Orphanage, as they are now considered adults and must work to pay their way. If they can't get work on the Corporate Farms or in the Corporate Factories, either here or in U.S. holdings outside of the country, then they must either join the National Service or face Debtor Camp. Since they cannot afford an education, most jobs are off-limits to them. Of course, those responsible enough to have been born into wealthy families do not have to worry about all of this, as their parents have been responsible and have either earned or inherited wealth and are therefore able to properly take care of their children, as are all "good" parents.
In Bush World, the only people who are educated are the ones who can afford to go to school. There are no more government subsidies for education. The voucher system works well for the wealthier families, although the poor families soon found out that for them the voucher wasn't worth the paper it was printed on, since it only paid a fraction of the cost of tuition and they couldn't afford to make up for the rest. But by that time funding for public education had been cut so much that most schools had closed, and so there was really no alternative. It did tend to create a kind of "slave society", but again, in Bush World, that is just the natural order of things. Those that are superior will survive.
You think some or all of this is far-fetched? Think again. Most of this is just a few pen strokes away from becoming reality. We have a Republican dominated Congress. Bush has already changed the Constitution and he wants to do it again. What he wants is what he gets. Period. What will we do when it is too late to speak up? Consider the changes to our society in the last four years. Is it really so hard to imagine what will happen during the next four? Already they are grooming Arnold to become President. How do you think they will be able to do that, since our Constitution expressly forbids a foreign-born individual to become President? Why, with a few strokes of the pen, of course.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Musings on the Impending Coronation of the King and his Beastly Buddies
The King's coronation is less than two weeks away, and I find myself wishing I could attend. I have the irrepressible impulse to throw eggs and yell epithets like "traitor", "antiChrist", and "murderer". It's probably just as well that I won't be there, because I would most likely be arrested and thrown in some rotten prison cell, labeled a terrorist, for the rest of my miserable life. I would be tortured, I'm sure, and I'd never see my family again. And the terribly sad fact about this Walter Mittyish construction is that these things really do happen in the Land of Fraud.
Right in the heart of America today there are prisons where "terrorists" languish because they disagreed with the beasts who are the real threat to this country and to democracy. And they will very likely die in prison, bereft of family contact and legal representation, all because of an administration run amok with individuals who could care less about freedom and democracy. They live instead for greed and power and God help anyone who gets in their way. Although they spout platitudes about moral values and religious ideals, it's all propaganda to them. Just a way to con mainstream America into thinking they right.
Hitler did the same thing. Remember what Hermann Goering said, "...it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy...the people can always be brought to do the bidding of the leaders...tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger...."
I am convinced that we did not have an election. Notice I did not say "fair" election, but just plain old "election". An election is where people vote, and their vote is counted. Again, in 2004, people were disenfranchised, more boldly than in 2000, and more votes than voters were counted toward the King in some precincts.... What possible objection could these radicals have to a voting system with a verifiable paper trail? There is no honest objection. The only plausible objection is that without a paper trail they can't get caught. Period.
Here in Kentucky we have another brazen crew of radical Republicans. They ran a candidate for State Senate that was not qualified to run as a candidate. When the opponent took the matter to court, the Republicans said the courts were not qualified to interpret the law - that only the State Senate could do that. Of course, the State Senate is Republican-run. The State Board of Elections certified the contester, a Democrat, as the winner of the election. The Republican State Senate refused to adhere to the Board of Elections and instead seated the individual who was unqualified to run (she didn't meet residency requirements) - a woman whose father is a Republican State Senator.... (And of course, there will be no help coming from our Governor, also a Republican. In fact, our Governor, a physician, is also under scrutiny by the AMA at this point, because as a physician he promised to do no harm - as Governor, he just signed a death warrant to execute a prisoner. )
Now what are we to make of that? There is only one conclusion we can come to - this new breed of radical, rogue Republicans have no regard for the law, and frankly, consider themselves above it. And apparently, they are getting away with it -
The question is, do we let them?
Right in the heart of America today there are prisons where "terrorists" languish because they disagreed with the beasts who are the real threat to this country and to democracy. And they will very likely die in prison, bereft of family contact and legal representation, all because of an administration run amok with individuals who could care less about freedom and democracy. They live instead for greed and power and God help anyone who gets in their way. Although they spout platitudes about moral values and religious ideals, it's all propaganda to them. Just a way to con mainstream America into thinking they right.
Hitler did the same thing. Remember what Hermann Goering said, "...it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy...the people can always be brought to do the bidding of the leaders...tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger...."
I am convinced that we did not have an election. Notice I did not say "fair" election, but just plain old "election". An election is where people vote, and their vote is counted. Again, in 2004, people were disenfranchised, more boldly than in 2000, and more votes than voters were counted toward the King in some precincts.... What possible objection could these radicals have to a voting system with a verifiable paper trail? There is no honest objection. The only plausible objection is that without a paper trail they can't get caught. Period.
Here in Kentucky we have another brazen crew of radical Republicans. They ran a candidate for State Senate that was not qualified to run as a candidate. When the opponent took the matter to court, the Republicans said the courts were not qualified to interpret the law - that only the State Senate could do that. Of course, the State Senate is Republican-run. The State Board of Elections certified the contester, a Democrat, as the winner of the election. The Republican State Senate refused to adhere to the Board of Elections and instead seated the individual who was unqualified to run (she didn't meet residency requirements) - a woman whose father is a Republican State Senator.... (And of course, there will be no help coming from our Governor, also a Republican. In fact, our Governor, a physician, is also under scrutiny by the AMA at this point, because as a physician he promised to do no harm - as Governor, he just signed a death warrant to execute a prisoner. )
Now what are we to make of that? There is only one conclusion we can come to - this new breed of radical, rogue Republicans have no regard for the law, and frankly, consider themselves above it. And apparently, they are getting away with it -
The question is, do we let them?
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Are You a Patriot?
Hmm. I wonder if George Washington would be considered a patriot today? How about Thomas Jefferson, or Thomas Payne? I'm willing to bet that Sam Adams would be in prison today, for his revolutionary actions. In fact, we probably wouldn't have had a Revolutionary War if it hadn't been for Sam Adams.
Time sure makes a difference, doesn't it? 240 years ago, G.W. would probably have been called King George, and his "associates" would have been Tories - some would have been colonial Governors, some others would have less noble titles, but would still have wielded considerable power here in the colonies.
Maybe we should go back to the mindset of 1760. Perhaps a little trip down memory lane might remind us of where we came from, and give us a clearer vision of where we're going. Our country is barely recognizable, and increasingly so day by day. I worry about our freedom - of speech, of religion, of the pursuit of happiness....
How many of you have ever read the Constitution? Well, just for fun, why not pick up a copy and read it. Give yourself a little early Christmas present and take a trip to your favorite bookstore or the public library, and take a gander at the document upon which our country was founded. And while you're there, grab a few books on the colonies and the history of what led up to our revolution. You might be surprised at some of the similarities, or you might not. Either way, education is as good for the soul as confession. Ahem.
After you've completed this little assignment, let's have a discussion. I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Patriot Gal
Time sure makes a difference, doesn't it? 240 years ago, G.W. would probably have been called King George, and his "associates" would have been Tories - some would have been colonial Governors, some others would have less noble titles, but would still have wielded considerable power here in the colonies.
Maybe we should go back to the mindset of 1760. Perhaps a little trip down memory lane might remind us of where we came from, and give us a clearer vision of where we're going. Our country is barely recognizable, and increasingly so day by day. I worry about our freedom - of speech, of religion, of the pursuit of happiness....
How many of you have ever read the Constitution? Well, just for fun, why not pick up a copy and read it. Give yourself a little early Christmas present and take a trip to your favorite bookstore or the public library, and take a gander at the document upon which our country was founded. And while you're there, grab a few books on the colonies and the history of what led up to our revolution. You might be surprised at some of the similarities, or you might not. Either way, education is as good for the soul as confession. Ahem.
After you've completed this little assignment, let's have a discussion. I'm curious to hear your thoughts.
Patriot Gal
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