I am lucky. I live in a place that political censorship is not so prevalent, not so pervasive. I live in a place where I can view events through a long lens, absent the spin and noise that the media in the US make a permanent part of the news landscape. I live in a place where worldviews and news are not totally defined by the political party in the US, where it is not the ultimate censor, where it does not define what people may or may not see, may or may not hear... what they may or may not think.
Tonight, there is a re-run here, another showing of Farenheit 9-11. Every time I have seen it, it has made me sick to the core, and that is saying something for sure. And every time, it makes me realize the illegalities, the blasphemies of this administration, and hate it all the more, as if how I felt before was not somehow sufficient.
At the end of it, I can only ask myself... why does this administration hate the US so very much, why does it hate its children, the soldiers, the sailors, the airmen - why does it hate so many people in the world?
For the life of me, I cannot find a satisfactory answer. Why does this administration seem determined to turn the rest of the entire world against us? Why does it prey on those of weak minds and morals to advance its agenda? What is wrong with the people of the United States that they do not recognize the wrongs, much less even demand an accounting? And at the end, I get sick, in spirit and soul, and I still do not find a satisfactory answer.
The blind flag-wavers in the film - do they represent us; do they represent what is the best of the nation, the ideals of our nation, even if not mine? Do they think that the military imposition of American will is what the rest of the world deserves? Do they think that there is no atonement for incalculable death and suffering inflicted in the guise of the `march of freedom'? Do they even think what is inflicted is freedom? What is it -- the freedom to die, for whatever reason?
To tell all of you the wrongs of American foreign policy, the abuse of military power, would be only to preach to the choir. You know it; I know it. Adventurism, colonialism, all at the expense of other people, their lives, their nations, their livelihoods, their futures and the futures of their children. And all of the time, this misguided foreign policy is only generating more hatred; this generation and generations to come in other lands that will not be amenable to approach, they will not be willing to work with any western nation. They will only know two things - hate, and revenge.
The war in Iraq, which has devolved into a civil war, no matter how many will deny it, is the prime example. This President, this Congress (a Republican Congress) has had no interest in the welfare of people, not in this nation, or in other nations. There has only been hubris and arrogance, a misplaced belief in unchallenged American power, that bombing and and invasions (followed by occupation) could and would assure American hegemony, assure alliances that were not to be, not even from the outset. What has been assured is a lasting hatred, a lasting retreat from finding a common meeting ground for all - an enduring suffering of innocents, all in the name of some indefinable view of `righteousness'.
And now, it has expanded beyond the borders of just Iraq. The renewed Israeli actions in Gaza, the bombing and invasion of Lebanon - are these the actions of reasoned and just people in the pursuit of peace and accommodation that will lead to it? I think not, by any stretch of imagination.
It is in this light that I see the coming elections. They are not just for the American people; they are important, perhaps critical, for people that you will never even know, will never even see. But their lives are important. Their blood bleeds red, just as yours or mine would. They are as worthy of life and truth and fairness as any of us might be, whether they be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindi, Confucian, Taoist, or whatever - even agnostic, like me. Yet this administration, and indeed, the very foreign policy of this nation, aided and abetted by the Congress, somehow fails to recognize that, to accord to different cultures and indeed, to life itself if in foreign lands, the same sanctity that is professed for those within the boundaries of the US. Can there be any bigger hypocrisy? And yet our leaders `embrace' Christianity, with its tenets? No, they are hypocrites and have no true religion, other than the religion of `self' and `money' and `power' and incumbency.
There is no crystal ball, here. Yet, I think that politicians who hold office now miss the bigger picture. In fact, I think most voters, most of us here even, miss the larger view. It is simply this. The paradigm of `superpower' will not hold; the ideal of `moral high ground' will not hold, especially when it has been surrendered by political powers, as this administration has done; the idea of an autocratic all-powerful executive will not hold, nor will the acceptance of enablers in the Congress.
If anything, the Lamont-Lieberman race brought me to several conclusions, none of which are limited to Connecticut. It was about Lieberman losing touch with his constituency, for sure; it was about the stance on the Iraq war; it was about other things as well, an underlying current of voter discontent -- with incumbents of both parties.
Is it just a danger to Republicons that the current tides in sentiment and voter thought pose? It is that, certainly. But in addition, it is a general disgust with incumbents in general, for I think most people feel betrayed by the Congress. You only have to look at the polls regarding approval of Congress to get a sense of that. Lieberman's defeat is only the tip of the iceberg. While some try and make it a one-issue thing, in truth it was more; it was a vote for 'business as usual is no longer acceptable'. Any who think otherwise are welcome to do so, but in my judgement, the discontent is broad, a discontent with incumbents in general, who the American people see as failing them and their expectations.
Enough of the soapbox for now. I am sure there is great disagreement with what I have had to say, and so be it. So, voice your views, have your say. Maybe more, at a later time (provided I am not banned from the site:)
In the meantime, I will pop my Prozac. Cheers:)
P.S. Please, add tags you think are appropriate.