Kate and Bob wrote: ------------------------------- Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 14:09:26 EST From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: NJC Re: speaking of democracy njc
In a message dated 3/29/2003 12:59:55 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > (a) 0 > (b) zero > (c) none > (d) not a one > (e) a whole number between -1 and +1 > I wish the multiple choice in Cheistry 101 had been this easy! Ummm, all of the above? ;~) And this is a significant point. A Democracy works in America because we've got mostly middle class, with smaller groups of rich & poor (of course this is beginning to radically shift I'm afraid). In the countries you named, and in Iraq, there's virtually NO middle class, a small VERY rich and powerful class, and a HUGE poor class. Democracy would never work there. I don't know whether or not Bush realizes this, but I don't see any way he can "win" this particular conflict. Bob ------------------------------ Hey, it's Kay, emerging from a long lurking state. Sorry I missed you guys last week at W2W, I was in NC for family reasons. I feel like the prodigal daughter returning home. ;-) I've been meaning to post a mild hello-type post for a while, since usually I emerge from the shadows with a bombastic political diatribe... but alas, I can't help myself. ;-) Kate, thanks for referencing William Blum. Anyone who wishes to know the truth of the impact of US foreign policy over the past 60 years needs to read his book "Killing Hope." (Not to mention "The Fire This Time" by Ramsey Clark, a book which offers a more accurate view of the first Gulf War (and the fact that it never really ended in the first place) than you will ever find in mainstream media.) Sorry to offend those who will disagree with me, but I must say that anyone who takes the mainstream media's word for it, not to mention the company line coming out of Washington, is just hopelessly misinformed about this conflict, its real motives, its complex historical roots and its likely long-term consequences. Bob, I totally concur re: the class issue; in addition, you bring up an interesting point by saying, "I don't know whether or not Bush realizes this, but I don't see any way he can "win" this particular conflict." I think that really, more to the point, the Bush administration has no intention of setting up a democracy in Iraq. In their view, "winning" consists of nothing more than ousting Hussein and taking control of Iraq's natural resources. And hang the long-term consequences. This is old-fashioned, arrogant imperialism, plain and simple. The statistics that Kate referenced speak louder than any of the rhetoric blowing out of Washington. They know full well that democracy can't work there, for precisely the reasons you cited, among others; but "making the world safe for democracy" is one of the oldest bits of wool to be pulled over the eyes of the American public in its relatively short history; it's a favorite chestnut that they have extremely successfully re-introduced to a public that really ought to know better. In other words, they are lying. (Did we learn nothing from Vietnam? Over 10 years of illegal warfare -- and Vietnam fell to the Communists anyway. And no, it wasn't the "unpatriotic" protestors' fault; it was the fault of arrogant men who, like the current administration, had a fatal hubris and disconnection from reality.) I don't even need to cite the current state of affairs in Afghanistan. But the current administration counts on the short attention span and the malleability of the average American. Sadly, their cynically low estimates of our intelligence and analytical ability are usually right. The older I get, the more I am convinced of the validity of my hypothesis regarding the Republicans: they always want to cut education funding before anything else because their hold on power is utterly dependent on the ignorance of the average American. The dumber we are, the more power they have. It's the only way I know to explain why people whose interests are NEVER served by the Republicans consistently vote for them. Or why this nation has tolerated the blatant coup d'etat that occurred in December 2000, courtesy of our politically motivated Supreme Court. Jingoistic rhetoric loves to fill the vacuum created by ignorance. And don't even get me started on Ashcroft and Poindexter. If we are not vigilant in exercising our right to voice dissent; if we are not vigilant in exercising our right to vote; in short, if we do not make sure that we kick these bums out in 2004, then democracy as we know it will be subject matter for the history books. This is not exaggeration. The "Patriot Act II" that Ashcroft is crafting in his Greek statue-less office, if passed by a compliant, fearful Congress, will destroy the balance of power that the Founding Fathers worked so hard to safeguard (and for which so many people died during the Revolutionary War). Patriot Act II will do irreparable damage to this country. It is the road to fascism. That is also not exaggeration. All of us, not just lefties, should be terrified by the prospects of an Executive Branch without effective checks and balances, not to mention terrified by a police force unfettered by laws protecting our civil rights. It rather makes one question just who's "patriotic", doesn't it? This country was founded by dissidents and revolutionaries, not complacent apologists for the status quo. These are extremely dangerous times we live in, and the health of our democracy will continue to deteriorate the more people feel it necessary to "fall in line" behind the president and not question our government's actions. What the more-patriotic-than-thou Hawks fail to appreciate is that the freedom to express dissident views is the very essence of democracy. So, in short, it's appallingly dishonest of the Bush administration to be waxing poetic about democracy and freedom in Iraq while here at home, they are busily destroying the freedoms that define us as a nation. I will be marching in DC on the 12th. My sign will say, "I Am Also Fighting to Protect American Freedom" on one side, and "Support Our Troops: Bring Them Home" on the other. On a lighter note, I have also recently rediscovered STAS (just bought the HDCD version), and it just blows me away, all over again. I wanna play Sisotowbell Lane at JoniFest! :-) Later! :-) Kay "The first job of a citizen is to keep your mouth open." ~ G|nter Grass
