01-07-02: A Voice from Abroad: Give greed a chance By Linda Deak
January 7, 2002 -- The 47 percent of the country who voted for Bush wanted some or all of the things that Republicans support: all stops pulled out to give greedy money-making free rein; less governmental controls; smaller government; reduced taxes, more and "better" religion in government; more baseball and less policy, a simpler America, by America and for America. His supporters were attracted by his down home simplicity, his black/white, evil/good thinking. The steam rolling that had Bush declared the president was fueled by money, a lot of it oil money. The press and the polls were loyally Republican and they did their part. It did not matter that the greed candidate had a pitifully stocked brain and we had entered the Information Age. It did not matter that he was clueless about the outside world as the globe spun towards a one-world vision. It was about money and the belief that money was what mattered most in America. It was about not being fancy, not being complicated. Let's make an assessment of the bomb damage in our country and I do not mean the plane bombs. I mean the damage the Supreme Court inflicted on us by not allowing us to have the winner of our election lead our country. It has occurred to me at several junctures since Election 2000 that perhaps the angst that many of us feel is a waste of energy. There is an enormous backfire building; the ironies are beautiful. Everyone in the world knows that Bush and friends brought shame to our nation and that democracy in our country is in serious jeopardy. His presidency is not a win for America. It is not a win for Republicans and it is not a win for the corporations that fought with vigor and paid handsomely to give greed a chance by having their corporate puppet appointed. Here is an irony: corporations are all looking pretty nasty right now. Enron, the leader of the pack, has shamed the oil industry and is taking others down through association. There is going to be so much sunshine put on their avarice and shenanigans that it will take decades for that industry to recover, if ever. In spite of Bush never suggesting such a thing, "alternate methods" are back in vogue. Perhaps it is the beginning of the end for the oil industry. Then there is the wonderful backfire to the Christian Coalition. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell made themselves infamous in the days after the attack. It has been distressing to watch these fellows take religion and reduce it to a very base and low level, insisting on their brand of religion being wedged into our government. Now they have even had to settle a disgraceful racial discrimination lawsuit. Whose religion is this? There is the matter of the economy. Look at the graphs. Ever since Bush's appointment there has been a steady decline. We are now deep into the recession and even though Republicans paid fortunes to place him in office, it is costing them their shirts because he is staying in office. They are not going to get their corporate welfare checks after all. The greed again is not attractive. Bush makes American business and our country look like sharp-elbowed, completely selfish people. We are not citizens of the world; we are vultures of the world. The Bush policy is: what is good for America is all that matters and business is what we care about, not the environment. Nice folks we are. Do you know about Lynn Cheney's ACTA group that puts academics on lists for not being patriotic enough, being too intellectual, asking the wrong questions? You got to love that hypocrisy. The people who stole the election, made a sham of American democracy, now decide who is patriotic and who is not. I lodge this complaint wrapped in an old fashioned flag, the Betsy Ross flag, the one that flew when our forefathers carved out America, not the cheap imitations being fashioned and flown now. I would be proud to be on Lynn Cheney's list. My descendents would be able to claim to be Daughters and Sons of Lynne Cheney's ACTA List. (ACTA stands for American Council of Trustees and Alumni and her report can be found on the Internet at goacta.org). The corporatized media have betrayed their integrity and their profession. They have betrayed their readership, the thinkers, who are their customers. This independent press, which is publishing this article, is going to flourish as a result, maybe even usurp the big guys. In spite of threats, our freedom of speech is deep inside us; it lies on the double helix in the American DNA. Ashcroft cannot wrest that out of us, no matter how many bibles and guns he flashes at us, his Draculas, the American Terrorist Truth Sayers. Bush and his minions tell us that the American lifestyle is the envy of the world. That is simply not true. Because corporate media decide what we should and should not know and the choices they make are based on what is best for their corporations, we are served a dismally shallow coverage of the news and world events. Our news comes in two flavors, vanilla or sensationally spicy. The world is richly diverse, not black and white, vanilla or always sensational. Too many Americans are not aware of that, perhaps even afraid of the outside world and that is a shame. Many in the outside world think Americans are dumb and Bush is not exactly an ambassador for brilliance. Jerry Springer and Jenny Jones do America no service by showcasing the pathology that seems to abound in our culture. The screaming idiocy does not foster jealousy, even though this practice seems to make a lot of Americans wealthy. Money beats knowledge and information on our American corporate list of priorities. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Scalia insisted on the votes not being counted in Florida with his statement "the counting of votes…threatens irreparable harm to petitioner [Bush], and to the country by casting a cloud upon what he claims to be the legitimacy of his election." Obviously, Scalia wanted Bush to be president whether he won the election or not. Now look how big Scalia's cloud has become. It not only covers Bush. It covers our whole country. It covers the Supreme Court. It is a cloud full of foreboding and it will not go away. The Democratic Senate is right to scrutinize each judge nominated by Bush very carefully. Look what careless appointments did to our democracy. Our attorney general is an embarrassment to justice. The people destroying our freedoms (except for the gun rights as outlined by the National Rifle Association) insist our judicial system is the envy of the world. This is laughable. I can hardly wait for the world courts to chime in on the issue of the American Bush-appointed military tribunals. Bush wants to be in Crawford. He looks miserable deplaning anywhere outside of America. It was an astonishing irony when he had to call on Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf, also a self-appointed leader, whom he could not name during the campaign, to form a fierce partnership. Bush does not have the savvy, the curiosity, and the knowledge of the outside world necessary to garner global support. Terrorism can rally support, but not Bush. Bush is not a popular man in the world. "Howdja like that game last night?" does not work on the global stage. Even skewed Republican-financed polls prove this. Then there is our growing government. A huge irony was made clear during the anthrax terrorist attack. The people who derided government and lamented its very being and did not understand that Social Security is a federal program and wanted it privatized anyway, did not know Public Health from the Centers for Disease Control. Bush has added more layers of government. Watch it grow. Watch the surplus decline. We cannot really expect a man who failed in business, but was successful as a baseball team owner, thanks to government payouts, to be a shrewd and capable CEO of the American government. People are very complex and all of us share humanity. The Republicans I know who are not dripping with greed or radiating stupidity or both are having a very hard time making eye contact with others. I watch them. The shame is deep. Bush put it there. He has no compunction about seizing power without winning. He has no problem with thumbing his nose at the outside world, tearing up treaties, scoffing at history, and parading our greed as the greatest part of America. Well, guess what, Mr. Bush? Your parade is going to get rained on. Greed is not a winner. It never has been and never will be. The 53 percent of us who did not vote for you don't have to do a thing. We can just sit by and watch. Linda Deak is an American currently residing in the Netherlands. Copyright © 1998-2002 Online Journal™. All rights reserved. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. http://www.monthly-messenger.org/Short%20Studies/STUDY_Feb01.htm#End%20Times:%20Armageddon > In the book of Revelation, John refers to the final and ultimate >Antichrist as the Beast. The Beast will be the embodiment of the entire >spirit of antichrist. He will have supernatural power and global >influence. > > The Beast first appears as a political leader, who will make a >covenant with Israel and assume world leadership. Later he takes on the >role of a religious leader who is worshipped. Supported by his sidekick >'The False Prophet' the Beast will deceive the world. He, his prophet, and >Satan will form an unholy trinity to rule all of creation. http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?passage=Revelation+13
