Eriposte, I hope you are sending your letter to Reid. You speak for all of America.
Bush played chicken and lost on the Patriot Act today.
Posted by Judith at December 21, 2005 08:45 PMThank you Eriposte and ditto to sending the letter to Senator Reid.
My son and I just watched "Two Days in October" on American Experience about the Dow protest at Wisconsin University, the massacres in Vietnam and the change in American's support for that war.
What struck me deeply is that because media coverage has been so denied, Americans are not seeing the truth in Iraq. There are no pictures of body bags that each and every American sees during dinner every night on the one nightly news episode.
What also occured to me is that here we are, all over the US and the world even, typing our disgust and dissatisfaction. Typing our fears and our outrage. We are not gathered in halls and kitchens. Our outrage is not turned into action as the protestors in the sixties.
I do a few things and attend some protests. I write and I call Congress. However, my writing, here alone, will not change public opinion. You and I know how wrong things are right now. Unless we are gathered in public square how can we ever hope to tell others how wrong things are? How can we DEMAND that they look and see? How do we force them to open their eyes?
Unless there is massive protest that people cannot turn away from and cannot change the channel to change the spin on - then how can we hope to garner a change? How can we really open the eyes of Joe Sunday who mows his lawn on some midwest street and does not know that there are people high up in the government who perpetuate this war in order to war-profiteer?
The protestors of the sixties had great optimism. They felt they could make a difference. Some, as do I, feel powerless because my anger is not turned into enough action.
Perhaps we can have real action items, more than just writing. How can we expect two Senators and a Representative to do all that we need to do?
My kid, who looked on with great sorrow at the police who beat the protestors, wants and deserves greater action from me.
Just my thoughts.
Good night all.
Posted by Anjha at December 21, 2005 09:32 PMAlso, important to note: because the students and some of the faculty witness the police beat the students unprovoked and then they witnessed the media and the University's spin - that it was the protestors fault, it changed their minds. They thought hey, we saw how wrong and how it was spun, maybe this whole war is being spun and they joined in protesting.
Also, when the military attempted to spin the ambush, that it was not an ambush, the soldiers and the commanding officers changed thier minds. One of the officers is still angry at the president and his cabinet for that war and the mistakes and how it was all for nothing.
People will not change their minds, public opinion will not change unless we step out into public and demand that they see the truth.
Posted by Anjha at December 21, 2005 09:42 PM"We are not gathered in halls and kitchens. Our outrage is not turned into action as the protestors in the sixties."
Anjha, how many times have I expressed that same sentiment. Protesting by millions of Americans cannot be spun by the MSM and Government or ignored very long (and I mean millions of protestors and weekly). If there was ever a time to take to the streets of America, it is now.
"The protestors of the sixties had great optimism. They felt they could make a difference. Some, as do I, feel powerless because my anger is not turned into enough action."
Truer words have never been spoken. When you are protesting with thousands of others, you feel empowered and begin to believe that you can make a difference. And as VietNam protesting proved, you can make a difference.
Kent State was a turning point for millions of Americans. Seeing student shot to death on TV sent every American, who believed in freedom of dissent, out into the streets along with the protestors against the war.
"There are no pictures of body bags that each and every American sees during dinner every night on the one nightly news episode.
That is exactly why Bush has forbidden those kinds of pictures. Out of sight, out of mind. In the 60's, you knew a war was going on, and each night you knew the human cost.
"Perhaps we can have real action items, more than just writing. How can we expect two Senators and a Representative to do all that we need to do?"
AMEN
good governing requirers honesty, a soul, something that seems to get lost along the way ....
we can be a nation based on decency , just not with our current
representatives. i remember the constitution from the sixth grade, we have the right to change the government. this is not bipartisan matter this government is corrupt and has brought us as a nation to an all time low. our actions here and in the rest of our daly lives will control that outcome.
Very well said Anjha, very well said.
Posted by at December 22, 2005 06:01 AMExcellent erisposte. I've been frustrated that no one on the left has pointed out that if we're giving up our liberties and freedom, we're losing, not winning. No one has pointed out that Bush says our enemies hate our freedom, but hey, let's give some of it up. Our president says that our enemies hate us because of our freedom. Now he's trying to win the war on terror by taking away our freedom. Will that make them stop hating us?
Posted by CG at December 22, 2005 07:18 AMEriposte,
Good work. I've been pushing this same line of thought in various comment threads. It's time that the D's point out that Bush is a wimp. He is the one who has rolled over and allowed Osama BL to win, by compromising our basic freedoms and civil liberties. OBL has succeeded in destroying America's regard for our Constitution, and Bush is the putz that has conceded.
Posted by gator at December 22, 2005 09:07 AMBush proved his cowardice and wimpiness when he dodged Vietnam.
His sissified acts should surprise no one. He's not a real man.
Posted by God Of War at December 22, 2005 10:42 AMThis is the first really effective reclaiming of the moral high ground that I've seen. Well, well done.
Posted by Karin at December 22, 2005 10:43 AMOne of the points that I was trying to make last night is that I think that this medium (internet and blogging) actually diminishes our usefulness in this fight.
What we have is a group of highly educated and well-studied people on the issues at hand. Experts at the absolute corruption and incompetence and cronyism in this administration. However, we are discussing amongst ourselves - singing to the choir if you will.
As a result, we can never change anyone's minds. The trolls who come do so for entertainment and to antagonize; they have no desire to learn anything or study that facts that we present that contradict their talking points.
So, because we have this medium available to us, we get a false sense of having aired our anger, but no real action results. Nothing reverberates in our communities, just across the wires.
We can do this at 1 AM, in our homes, alone - no one sees the actual fruit of this labor.
This is not to say that there aren't many who participate in groups and protests and do things actively to fight, but we do not have the need to gather in groups because we have an electronic group.
If the internet were not here and if blogs were not here, we would be craving to meet with people who share these views and share in the need to DO SOMETHING immediately. We would be seeking each other out and learning from each other in person and we would gather where those who are oblivious or indifferent or have other views would become curious and perhaps educated.
Thoughts on this?
Posted by Anjha at December 22, 2005 11:38 AMThis is one of the best commentaries I've ever read on what Bushism actually is: Surrender. That's a talking point we all ought to remember.
Brilliant. Thanks a lot.
Posted by jb at December 22, 2005 12:10 PM"Bush and his patsies send to dictators and communists everywhere
What got "communists" included in that sentence? It doesn't even follow. I see how referring to dictators is appropriate, but why make reference to those that would follow a particular economic system? You may not like communinsts but I don't see your logic.
I specifically mention capitalism (v. communism) because capitalism has been one of the factors that facilitated greater liberties in western democracies. You can see that even in China today. The desire to create wealth is gradually opening up governments that have a history of repression.
Posted by eriposte at December 23, 2005 07:01 PM