Bertrand and the rest of the list, George Bush. I can barely talk about this subject. It is such an unimaginably awful thing that he has managed to get re-elected. I am very disappointed in my country and very very worried about the future. I think things may be even much worse here (where the politics and culture are going) than anyone really knows. George Bush got people to vote for him in the 2000 election by pretending to be part "compassionate" and part "conservative." It became clear very early on in his illegitimate presidency that he (and his crowd) are a dangerous bunch of religious and political extremists the likes of which have never before had so much power in this country. Because these people are extremely out of touch with reality and blinded by their own ideologies, they launched a number of radical and disasterous projects that are undermining the constitution, the economy, and the security of the United States (let alone the rest of the world). The military attack on Iraq is one of the most sad and obvious monunmental blunders this group has made. The fact that George Bush could actually get re-elected AFTER everyone in the US could SEE how dangerous and incompetent and extremely radical he is, is the most chilling thing I have witnessed in my lifetime.
I grew up in the aftermath of World War II and we always wondered how the nice German people let the ugly Nazi's come to power. Now I look at my "nice" affluent and privledged neighbors with their "Bush" signs on their lawns and I am worried I now know. There are very ugly forces as work in the US and in the world today. Primary among the evils on this planet are, in my humble opinion, the rightwing religious extremists... I believe in God. I believe in a higher Power. I believe much of my life on this earth is on a spiritual path. I believe it is a completely personal, private and unique journey that needs no religious dogma or organized religion to guide it. I also believe the ugliest force at work throughout the world today is politicized rightwing religious fundamentalism--including but not limited to the rightwing Christian fundamentalists, the rightwing Islamic fundamentalists, and the rightwing Jewish fundamentalists...the religious extremists who seek political power and who want to tell us all how to live (and eat and drink and dress and work and play and make art) and ultimately how to pray. This is the real evil in the world today. George Bush and his group act as a catalyst and as an exponent on this evil formula. It is ironic and sad really. Part of the wonderful mythology we used to tell ourselves here in the US is that many people immigrated here to get away from religious persecution--which always seems to happen when organized dogmatized religions get or cooperate with political power and begin persecuting the "heathens." One of the wonderful founding principles of the US constitution is the clear separation of Church and State--the removal of religion from political power and its exercise. There are major forces at work in the US now to overturn this and weld a rightwing Christian fundamentalist view of the world (which is truly ugly and uncompassionate) to the political, military, and economic power of the US. I believe we are now seeing the beginnings of a massive project to "clean up" culture and advance Christian fundamentalist oppression in the US. God help us ALL. Allen Bukoff simply expressing apologies to the world is too cute for me Bertrand Clavez: >�Funny how this subject didn't appeared on the list since his >�brilliant election... >�All my sympathy to all of you compelled to live under the "low" of >�W.
