Looking back over my recent posts, I’m surprised at how much hostility I’m expressing about this Administration’s antics. I sound like the Neocons must’ve sounded as the Clinton years drug on and on – sitting in their little think-tanks dreaming of taking over the government. I was just watching a video on t·r·u·t·h·o·u·t.org. They were talking about a film, the thesis of which was that Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush1 , and Bush2 have basically been about undoing the Civil Rights Movement[s] of the 1960’s.
As simplistic as that seems, it feels right. I feel naive for not knowing it intuitively. I guess I’m so much a child of the 1960-1968 era that I don’t realize what a cataclysmic change that time was. I remember the hatred and prejudice in the South of my youth and the incredulity of people that we would "oppose" a war. But somehow, I guess I thought those ideas of Civil Rights and Peace were so obviously right that the struggle was over. It never occurred to me that it had been a hundred years since the Civil War, and that in spite of all that carnage, it still wasn’t over in my lifetime.
The American experiment claims that people of all kinds can live together in harmony. It may be true that people can live together, but it’s damned hard work, and the harmony part is questionable. It feels like "All Men Are Created Equal" is still more of a question than a principle – whether it’s race, religion, sex, gender preference, class, or wealth that separates us. That piece of the human kind that controls prejudice is a potent force, not easily tamed.
And it’s alive in my mind too. I can see it in my own hostility towards this Administration. So, I guess I’m as much a part of the political see-saw as any. And I reckon we’ll go up and down until the end of time…
You are no different than the rest of us in regards to this President . I have often said to people that I talk to about this situation(I don’t talk to many people about my feelings about Bush 2), That the difference between us and them are that we want this country to be running well. If the country was doing OK we wouldn’t be jumping up and down frustrated and mad. When Clinton was in office the country was prosperous and the average American was doing OK and the world seemed a little better. Right wingers couldn’t stand that a so-called draftdodger Democrat beat a WW11 hero etc. They didn’t care how well the country was doing just that they bring Clinton down at any cost So what they did from day 1 is try to bring his Administration down in flames. They did succeed in after almost 8 years of trying by getting him impeached for personal misdeed. this Presidency in the last 6 years are far different than Clintons. We were attacked 911 after he received a warning in August 2001 at his ranch and he did nothing. We went to war after they cherrypicked intelligence that was wrong under false pretenses. They ignored the Geneva Convention and we tortured people. We keep them in jail and we spy on Americans. The world is worse off now and so are we. The list goes on. You and I and others of us have every reason to feel upset or as the saying goes “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”. Clinton lied about sex and Bush lied us into war. You tell me that we shouldn’t be mad as hell.
Joy,
“You tell me that we shouldn’t be mad as hell.” I can’t tell you that, because I’m madder about this than I can recall being mad about anything! ever! I wish I enjoyed anger more. This anger actually hurts…
You are not alone. There are so many of us that are in physical pain. I’m afraid that the Bush Administration has done so much damage that reversing the damage will probably not be in our lifetime. Before I forget I’d like to say that you are doing a great service to people like me who want this country to be a beacon of hope and freedom by writing about things going on in this country. I thank you for being an outlet to those of us who are frustrated with Bush and Cheney and all those who have done terrible things to our country and the world. today I sat next to my nephew who is 20 years old and a Junior at Rutgers University. I worked hard in the Kerry Edwards campaign. I spoke to him the night Bush was re-elected and I was depressed. My nephew laughed and said he thought it was funny and that he was happy Bush won. I sat there tonight and I wondered if he might finally realize Bush’s winning wasn’t funny anymore. I didn’t ask him but I hope he knows how bad Bush really is now.