G.W.B's Consistency
By Peter Fredson
December 21, 2005
Say what you will about George W. Bush, he is remarkably consistent. Of course he is remarkably wrong, but that does not affect his dogmatism. His indoctrination into dogma by American fundamentalists probably is responsible for his determination to "stick to a course" even if it is wrong.
He has a simplistic view of reality, confined to dull and hazy black and white tones, good vs. evil mentality imparted to him by people who believe in angels, devils, hell, heaven, and Satan to a ferocious degree. This is what "dogma" implies.
It is aided by faith in things unknown, of such certainty that it becomes absolute. This makes any other view untenable, wrong, or simply evil obstinacy.
For a person of limited horizons it is comforting to know that you are right and every one else is wrong. For Bush, who is as incurious as anyone can be, it circumscribes his life, informs his every decision, and results in steadfast resolution. That, and advice from similarly dogmatic advisors, is sufficient unto the day.
The result is an imperial disdain for all contrary opinion, and a rage against criticism as being morally wrong toward a person doing his best to obey absolutely divine instructions.
For many people this attitude shows a firm grasp on fantasy, mythology, folklore, and on selected quotations from his sacred book. But for Bush this is ultimate reality.
This life is simply a stop-over for a delicious eternity or an unutterably fearsome destiny. All life will soon end, perhaps very soon, in some sort of Rapture or Apocalypse, when the philosopher hero of Bush comes down from some unknown place in the cosmos and leads the destruction of creation.
Anyone who does not believe in that destiny is evil, Satanic, atheistic, and absolutely wrong. One remedy for people who are absolutely wrong is to eliminate them as forming a danger to True Believer dogma.
Some fundamentalists are even convinced that George Bush is some sort of messiah who will be a causative agent in bringing about the desired destruction of evil. Therefore he can do no wrong.
Their belief in a divine Lord runs parallel to the Bushites belief that GWB deserves some sort of imperial obeisance.
As stated, dogma leads to firmly skewed views of reality.
For Bush "Staying the course" is simply divine dogma and is absolutely correct procedure which will eventually culminate in total VICTORY.
We must, for dogma's sake, forget that GWB had NO plan for invading Iraq other than total violence, with full armaments, Shock and Awe, and killing as many Muslims as possible in order to effect a regime change on one person that GWB declared to be "evil." For fundamentalists this is the ultimate reason for declaring war, the "moral" high-ground which excuses everything.
Forget about mundane things like oil, Millennium, swaggering boasts, beating war drums, clanking sabers, seizing bases for further conquests, violating all canons of sovereignty, erecting a giant embassy for the purpose of invading Syria or Iran, war mongering profits, or even dominating the world. What is foremost is to conquer for Jesus.
And if this requires deceit, stealth, preemption, lies, sowing death and destruction, the annihilation of another culture, etc., then so be it. It's all in a righteous cause, so it must be moral. And, besides, God told GWB to invade Iraq. What more evidence do we need to show the remarkably spiritual intentions of GWB?
Therefore "to stay the course" even if there was no set course to start, and even if the course shows no destination, and has resulted in thousands of innocent civilians killed, several thousand "brave boys" dead for dogma, the violation of civil rights, the assertion of imperial rights to violate the Constitution, is very good dogma.
Remember the latest dogma is that the Constitution for which our founding fathers gave their lives, is just a "G..d...damm.. piece of paper" to be set aside at the whim of an impatient, petulant and secretive interloper who leads a gang of thugs in search of profit and glory.
Hail the Emperor!