i'm watching "hardball." matthews is interviewing karen hughes & pretty much letting her give the company line. listening to her is hearing the feminine, polished, eloquent george w. bush. (contrast her to the president answering questions.)
hughes used a phrase, "the freedom deficit." something about those words smacked me across the face. we are in iraq apparently because the middle east has a "freedom deficit." we are the leading exporters of this etherous merchandise. we are very aggressive on the marketing & sales end. we really won't take no for an answer.
it's the product i'm concerned about - "rightwing republican corporate" brand "freedom." is it the best freedom on the market? for most of my life i would've sworn the american brand was the best, but now... i have my doubts. i wonder if we are freer than the swedes or canadians or japanese or aussies or the irish or english.
i live in a country with the most secretive of governments. honestly, i have no idea what my government is doing in the world at any given moment. my government is the product of elections wildly skewed toward big money. beyond that, i can not really trust the integrity of the elections.
the press & 95% percent of the media is wildly skewed toward big money. basically we have a state press, as mute & obedient as 50s pravda. social services, as they relate to the neediest of our citizenry, are being cut & cut again. we have no system of public health. we have lots of guns though.
i don't know, if we are now the planetary walmart of freedom, i guess i want the buyers to beware.