So it has come to this yet again: Wading hip-deep through political chaos with our elected officials blowing smoke up our collective butts. We've waded through this nasty leachate before, of course, but it's never seemed so deep, nor so damned toxic. Our President, the guy your sparkly neighbors voted for has turned out to be as sharp, in Foghorn Leghorn's words, as a pound of wet leather---utterly incapable of
a train of thought and surprisingly petty/incompetant/crazy? to boot. If any of your neighbors' kids displayed such behavior, they'd be consulting their pediatrician/exorcist. .
And as for Cheney, it's for certain that the scriptwriters on
Night Stalker are taking some serious notes on his behavior and probably learning a few things. And, it gets worse. Abramoff, Delay, Santorum, the Florida mob stuff. . .the gold standard for appropriate public behavior has tumbled downhill to the ninth circle of hell--home of the truly creepy--Roberts, (and Robert*son*) Coburn, Feith--and of course, the creepiest of the creepies---Fibby Libby's Faustian replacement, David "Puff" Addington. Don't smile: this person's paycheck is coming out of your pocket. Whatever he does, whatever he whispers in Mr. Cheney's ear---you are, in part responsible. Sleep tight
So, okay. What exactly did we do to deserve this? Did we step on the wrong frog? Blaspheme the wrong god? Spit into the wrong wind? Make fun of Scientology? WHAT?
It's like we're trapped in the last act of Hellboy, where huge snakes reach up to bite the moon.
While I think it's entirely possible that someone in the Bush White House talks to their "boss" through a Ouija board, I think the problem lies with us--or more precisely, in our deeply held reticence to be confrontational to genuinely bad people. We so want to give the other guy--even the pirate, the nut-case, the criminal, the thief, the monster---the benefit of the doubt that we weaken our own position regarding these creeps. A recent balloon floated in in Newsweek or some such described Karl Rove as "weary" of all his problems---a distinctly human trait. As if. And the next day, Dems on the Sunday morning talk shows listened politely, hands in their laps as the wingnuts filled the air with their own brand of sulfur dioxide.
And the response? This was it: "It's their poison, let them spray it."
Now, if a pit bull barged into your house and chewed up your couch or kid, you'd throw it out the front door--on it's head. So why should we deal any differently with people like Ken Mehlman, Cheney, or "Puff" Addington.
We don't confront these bad characters for one reason. Because it's not how we were raised. Because to be confrontational (in person) isn't nice.
Well, maybe. But sometimes, nice isn't really called for, particularly when the health of the society is on the line. And, I beleive it is.
So, I suggest we stop being nice. Not as bloggers (who aren't nice at all---thank heavens) but as a people. As a society, I suggest we collectively and individually unsheath the terrible and efficient sword of invective. Not the "f" word--a term so overused it's become a noun, a verb, an adverb, adjective--but the "b" word---one of the coolest forms of invective we have: the word Bullshit.
As bad words go, it does't seem to have a lot of kick, but that's because it is becoming respectable--akin to "bastard" and similar words occasionally heard on television. But this makes it all the more incumbent upon us to to re-familiarize ourselves with this important word---used primarily to express a most extreme skepticism in the face of tomfoolerly, idiocy, or outright lying.
Which makes it perfect for today's political climate.
As a person, a nation, a people, when we hear Bush lie about lying, we should respond, not with reasoned arguments (like this one), but with a single phrase (or variant thereof): "Oh please, that is such bullshit."
When Ricky Santorum tries to explain why he wanted to cap lawsuit damages at $250K and yet his wife asked twice that amount in a lawsuit against a chiropractor (and got about $350K)--the proper response to any of his varied responses is simply "bullshit."
When Bush tries to tell you we "don't torture people" the response should be simple and direct: "Bullshit." When the pollster calls you and asks if you support the Prez, the response should be simple and direct: "Bullshit." (on properly-designed questionnaires, there's a place for that kind of response.)
When some*thing* like Richard Pombo opens his mouth (if only to breathe) the proper response should be "bullshit."
When some Republican at Starbucks tries to get you to believe Cheney is really not a reptile in thrall to the Evil One, the proper response is "Hahaha. Bullshit!"
Kids can learn this as well, and tender though their little minds may be, it's never too early to teach them the basics of societal self-defense. You never know when they'll see something like Grover Norquist or Steven Hadley on a television program, trying to lie their way out of something or (in the case of Norquist) promote something that will eventually damage huge segments of the population. Twenty thousand sixth-graders yelling "bullshit!" at the image of Grover Norquist is not only appropriate, but necessary, and in it's own way, extremely healthy for our society. And it is certainly a good thing for our nation's future.
Which brings me back to why I think we're in this mess right now: simply because over the last three years we didn't say "bullshit" enough. We didn't say it when Cheney mumbled that crap about Atta meeting with Al Quaida in Prague. We didn't say it when Condoleeza Rice lied about the mushroom clouds. (By the way, let's stop calling her that cute nickname "Condi"--she's someone who is partly responsible for the deaths of over 2000 decent people, dads and moms, friends and relatives. She has done her part to destroy a lot of dreams and create way too many single-parent households. She is a lot of things, but she is NOT a "Condi.")
As for the invective, we didn't say it when Repubs voted for corporations like Pfizer and Walmart and Exxon and Halliburton--and against our society's best interests.
We didn't say it when Bush or Cheney or any of his minions surfaced at Legion Halls and restaurants across the country to spread their swill. We just listened. Quietly.
And look where it got us.
"But Rhinehart," you say, "get real. How can one word---an invective of admittedly limited power---help get us out of this quagmire? How can it bring dow evil sumbitches the likes of, say, Tom Delay or Jack Abramoff?"
Well, it can't. But, when the bad guys are on their way up---and part of that is getting the press to spread their B.S.---that's when that word--uttered loudly and at the right moment--is most useful. For example, right after their sound bite and within range of the microphone. And right after their spin to the local folks. All it takes is one decent person---just one---be it a housewife, a garage mechanic, a lawyer, or a reporter, to singlehandedly put a stop to the crap. Just by saying in a strong, firm voice: "That sir, is bullshit" you may be able to make life better for everyone: You, your spouse, your children, your grandparents. Everyone. As legacies go, that's one that's hard to beat.
Here is a cold, hard fact: If more people had done that in 2000, we wouldn't be in the fix we're in, and there would be at least 2000 fewer soldiers dead. That's a lot more moms and dads available to take care of their children. And, assuming each of those 2000 soldiers who died was 30---that's a hundred thousand years of life and love wasted---gone---because not enough of us said that important word at the appropriate time--in the face of the appropriate Republican crap.
While we can't the past, we can learn from it---and protect our future. And like many things of this kind, it really doesn't take much effort on our part. All it amounts to is having the courage to say "bullshit" loudly and firmly when you know what you are hearing is wrong.
If more people do that today, we'll get out of this fix a lot faster than we would otherwise.
And we might even rescue America from these idiots. Not a bad legacy for our children, all things considered.