The tragedy of the Sago mine and all the events surrounding it was definitely not the way to start off the new year in this country. But, a couple of days removed from the tragedy, I reflected on what transpired and have come to the conclusion that what we all witnessed was an allegory of what the future will be in this nation.
The media, in a moment unbecoming of their profession, relied on emotional pull and hearsay from families rather than confirmable, tangible sources, and told the world what we all wanted to hear - that the 12 miners were alive. The people, who in my mind came to symbolize the America that is talked about (the values voters, people of faith), were overjoyed at the "news" and erupted in jubilation in the belief that everything was going to be alright. The company, however, made a mistake, and for whatever reason refused to immediately correct it and left people, both in the town and around the world, in their joy-filled universe. After three hours, the company finally informed the town the real news, that all but 1 of the 12 miners died, which was then sent to the news organizations who again relied on family members and their physical and verbal responses. The townsfolk, who once felt that a miracle happened, were crushed, eventually yelling "hypocrite!" and "liar!", and some responded with violence. Their faith struck, some chose to hang on as they could, others began to deny or doubt it.
Americans over the last decade, you could say, have had this unyielding faith in their country, in their righteousness, and have further built their foundations of faith on heresay from others and a media too compliant to it as well. The facts, however, are unbiased and are as such, and when they come out and reveal the true nature of what has transpired, it leaves many hurt, angry and even worse, faithless.
The actions of our President and Congress, the Iraq War, the revelations of Abu Gharib, Black Sites, torture, secret detentions, and warrantless spying, and the cold hard fact of little to no protection from our government (Katrina) are only starting to come to light to many people, too long blinded in their righteous faith that America could never do such things much less allow them to happen. Public sentiment towards this country and government could be at an all-time low; if not, it may likely reach that point. The anger and frustration that was revealed by the families of the miners who were lost is symbolic of how so many people are feeling about the state of our nation today.
Here in this community, on other blogs and magazines, we hear the cry of "fascism," "dictatorship," "totalitarism." I know cause I have used one or two of those terms on occasion. The fact is that these words are like the cries of the miner families, so distraught at what they have been put through that all they can do is lash out and in the end question whether the thing they held dear to their hearts even exists anymore. Who knows when the spirit of cynicism will enter the souls of these people if it hasn't already. I know it has in me.
With so many excuses and blames going around and very little accountability given for all that has been done or gone wrong in this country, it's tough not to be cynical in this Cover Your Ass Age (CYAA). The faith that may have existed before is now past for many of us. We now question every motive, every action, every thought. While that is good as we strive to preserve our democracy and our institutions we value so much, it is a hard pill for many of us to swallow who always want to believe in the best of things, especially when it comes to the United States of America.
The fact of the matter is that what we once believed in has been severely distorted, damaged, if not destroyed by the actions of those we've come to despise and the folks whose unyielding blindness lead to not only the destruction of their fellow citizens but of the very nation they, and we all, claim to love. The families in that tiny mining town in West Virginia are going through a period of mourning, as we all do. Lord knows many of us here, and around the world, mourned when Bush was reelected President in November 2004. But after every period of mourning comes either depression, sad & fateful acceptance, or determined anger.
While some will fall into their pits of depression and others accept their fate and try to get on with life the best they can, I have a feeling that the last one will be the option chosen by a good amount of the families. It is through this determined anger that a desire to change can develop and rise. The response will likely be a series of lawsuits filed against not just the mining company, but against the state and federal governments for lethal neglegance. This is where the allegory comes in.
There are many of us here in this country who are tired, hungry and mad, and are ready to do something about it. You can see it in the districts that are now featuring returning Iraq Veterans running for Congress, the vast majority of them Democrats. You can see it in the Cindy Sheehans who are speaking up against this Iraq War and how they and their children have been treated. You can see it in the prosecutors who are disgusted by the corruption and treasonous activities by our elected and non-elected officials. You can see it in the blogs who are WAY fed up with the quality of our traditional media and desire to see it change not to suit themselves, but for the better. You can see it in the Jon Stewarts, the Keith Obbermans, the Bill Moyers, and the Dan Froomkins who are tired of being taken for fools and are committed to outing the truth.
As tragic as the Sago Mining Disaster was, the image it leaves is one that can be compared to the future of this country should it withstand this current abuse of power. Ordinary Americans, filled with faith in the institutions and beliefs in the values of their country, come to realize that they were bamboozled and stripped of the joy that was given to them, and demand retribution for the damage and loss this tragic set of circumstances has caused. If there is any shred of hope left for this country, its Constitution, and the very values that our Founding Fathers established 230 years ago, our anger and frustration will bring retribution and change that will save not only this country but each other from the pits of depression and apathy.