America Used To Be Really Goddamn Awesome
I've been captivated by Ken Burns' The War this week and it struck me how awesome America used to be.
The prevailing attitude of the ladies and gentlemen featured in Burns' film, and by proxy all Americans of that era, was that if we had to fight a war, we had better do it right. Clearly and with little dissent, we had to fight that war, and without fail, Americans rallied together to do it really damn well.
People from every corner of the nation selflessly pooled their resources for the great cause of World War II, and I'm not sure about this one, but I don't think President Roosevelt ever once asked the country to sacrifice by going to the mall. And I'm pretty sure he didn't outsource the construction of tanks, Flying Fortresses, Hellcats and Thunderbolts to Mexico and China. That's a hell of a thing by today's standards, isn't it?
We've fallen so far from what we used to be, even as recently as thirty years ago when the comparatively liberal president Richard Nixon opened a dialogue with Red China, whilst Mao supplied arms to North Vietnam. One day long ago, it was okay to wish for an end to a war, without being accused of hating the soldiers who were fighting it. It was once a given that socialized public education, police, fire departments, roads, parks, national defense and the constitutionally mandated General Welfare & Domestic Tranquility were simply a part of the American way of life and would always be there.
And when our nation had to go to war, we would be there for her.
Conversely, when we crumble to the pressure of our reactionary and authoritarian elements, we get Japanese internment camps, the rise of the military industrial complex, and men turned away from service due to the color of their skin. Some of our greatest failures have been conceived when our irrationality, fear and lust for power overrule our traditional American ideals -- even during our finest hours as a nation.
And now, 50 years later, in our lives and times, we get President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney.
The Bush Years have been a monumental, cataclysmic failure on most fronts due to its inattention to what has, historically, made American great. The president and his thinning ranks of fawn-eyed Hannities don't understand this yet. They don't understand it mostly because they're too ignorant -- blinded by sloganeering -- to the very basic reality that Bush Republican style government, in practice, is about as successful and practical as a paper condom. It always has been.
Nowhere is this more apparent than when they compare the Bush Wars to World War II. It's a desperate notion, one that seeks to conflate our current president with greatness he doesn't deserve and an historical legacy he will never achieve. It's also meant to inflate our current "enemies" to Hitler status, and thus proving the case for war.
The comparison is pure horseshit. (Say nothing of the fact that it elevates Bin Laden or the late Saddam or the present Ahmadinejad to a level of villainy they also don't deserve. It's like saying a doofus villain like Solomon Grundy is the next Lex Luthor. I'm sure they appreciate being granted superpowers enough to take over the world, though.)
If it's so fucking important to stay in Iraq, and if it's so fucking important to invade Iran -- and if it's so fucking important to wiretap your phones and read your mail, and to shit all over your constitutional rights and the Geneva Conventions -- and all of it is part of a larger World War II style conflict, then why aren't the Bushies taking their metaphors seriously by demanding the sacrifices of World War II?
Did President Roosevelt cut taxes or ask veterans to pay higher deductibles? Did President Roosevelt outsource the army by hiring no-bid corporate mercenaries?
From the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the surrender of Japan, automobile manufacturers stopped making cars in lieu of manufacturing hardware for the war effort. Can you imagine, among all of the scrap metal drives -- the rationing of everything from gasoline to frying pan fat -- if Roosevelt had allowed SUV drivers to receive tax breaks in which sheer vehicular tonnage was rewarded at the peril of even one American G.I.?
If the quintessential symbol of the American character in World War II was Rosie The Riveter, the poster for the Bush Wars has to be that of an SUV driver receiving a tax break while sucking down enough Saudi oil to drive to a mall where he's expected to buy lead-tainted crapola manufactured overseas -- a yellow ribbon hypocrite magnet dangling just above his exhaust pipe and several inches from a fading W04 sticker. The caption: "The Bush Patriot Says: 'I'm On It, Mr. President!'"
The Bushies can't possibly take their own World War II metaphor seriously because they don't truly believe in the comparison.
They know, as you and I do, that these wars have little to do with stopping a new Hitler. If we peel back the layers -- if you look at what truly drives little childish men like Hannity and Cheney and Kristol, you'll find that it has little to do with liberating nations from an occupying Nazi force and ending a brutal holocaust. Beneath the pasty white surface of a typical Bush Republican you'll find greed, fear, ignorance, anger and a basic lack of understanding of America's place on the world stage. They're traits that drive nations into unnecessary wars. They're also traits that often breed cowardice.
To wit... Those of you demanding a war in Iran, I have one question for you. And no, I'm not going to employ the tired military service argument, but I must ask you this: what is the very minimum you're doing right now to prepare for your war? Are you refusing to support further tax cuts or pumping less "Islamofascist" oil into your SUV tank?
You're probably not doing anything because all you're expected to do is to say that you support the troops (what does that mean in practice?). And as long as you don't oppose the president as he dismantles the Constitution in favor of a corporate police state, then you've contributed to your president's war effort. That's the Bush Republican way. Oh, and to shop. You have go to Disneyland and buy shit you don't need at the mall (what the fuck is a Webkinz?).
How will the Ken Burns of the future portray the Bush Wars? I imagine that a large part of a future documentary about these times will detail what Rick Perlstein sublimely referred to this week as the destruction of America's character.
Whoever the future Ken Burns might be (hopefully, it'll be Ken Burns), he or she will have to dig deep into the destruction of our national character and detail the stories of torture and secret detention facilities; outsourced corporate thugs murdering foreign civilians; government scare tactics without substance -- it'll be a documentary in part about your non-military friends and family who supported this president's war but who sacrificed nothing in its execution.
So here we are in late 2007. The president believes that history will vindicate his efforts to destroy the American character and to bring about the ascendancy of neo-conservatism. After all, he fancies himself the new McKinley -- or is it George Washington? Is he Lincoln this week or Truman? Is he still fighting the Vietnam War or is it World War II? Korea or the Civil War? Goddamn him and his marble-mouthed horseshit. That's exactly why it has to be up to you and me to write the history -- the truth -- now. It won't be a proud endeavor because there has been little to be proud of, but we have to make sure that future Americans know exactly what happened in the Bush Years and in the Bush Wars.
The pendulum keeps swinging further to the right and seldom in our generation has it swung all the way back. When a president can look you in the eye and say he's going to veto healthcare for children, and his people are fine with that; and when the same sales pitch for Iraq is being employed for Iran -- and it's working, what else can you say about that fucking pendulum?
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Bush hates America.
Right on Bob!
It's the rape of America with the attacker hiding behind the skirts of the military. Even worse, the perp is insisting we call him "sir".
This is the endgame and what we do in the next few weeks will determine whether or not we have a country.
How do you feel about an occupation of the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court? We literally as well as figuratively take our country back.
Someone posted the link to YouTube yesterday where clips of the movie, Idiocracy, were logged. The truths portrayed in that movie makes us laugh because they show how truly ridiculous people act but they are so precisely on the mark.
Far, far too many Americans spend their precious few years here on earth watching the boob tube, drinking heavily, abusing their greatest gifts - their family members - and sleep around as if frequent sex with multiple partners is all they want to be happy.
If one were to rely on corporate news to tell them what Bush supporters are like, they would think the majority are fervently Christian, clean-living, conservative folks. THAT'S TOTAL CRAP and most of us know it!
The truth is, most Bushies are brainless twits who are too lazy to do anything while this country dissolves into a state of martial law. It's so much easier or them to lay down and die than to preserve what he had.
What we have here is a pacifier that keeps "Americans the Stupid" by George Crupper in line..."beer. entertainment and a credit card"...how very clever of GWB...
Kinda like the Roman practice of entertaining the masses at the Colliseum with gladiators and wildlife eating Christians - their version of Reality Shows. Not much has changed has it.
One comment; AMEN!
The mainstream media shaped theminds of far too many people who do not have critical thinking skills. Our schools are turning out college grads who can not think their way out of a paper bag. Now we see what happens when C+ becomes good enough to lead the world.
We need to diversify the media and keep fighting for the Public Broacasting System that the Bush adminstration has tried to abolish. It will take decades to bring our country back to greatness.
And by the way--America is still awesome!
Hey--I'm doing my share. I bought carbon credits.
I'm doing my share as well. I have actually altered my behavior instead of going the yuppie route & pay money to some other yuppie to feel good about selfish consumption without changing anything (anybody remember what consumption used to mean - killed a lot of folks [it's back too]. I have experienced extreme drought with 50% water rationing here in the Bay Area. I did it more than once, and I can do it again if need be. Not comfortable or fun, but totally doable. If you're not sure how to make a difference, just start small & use biodegradable soap. Huge impact! I firmly believe that acccess to clean water in the 21st century will be the dominate political motif.
Absolutely brilliant.
Bless you.
~Lannie~
America was goddamned awesome because the DRAFT ensured that every family in every house on every block in every town in this entire country were sacrificing for the common good of the whole goddamned nation. The 'blood and treasure' costs were borne by everyone equally, even Roosevelt had a son serving in the war.
Now, there are 1% of Americans sacrificing their 'blood', but their enormous suffering goes unnoticed by the vast majority of the rest of the country, who are too busy working 2-3 jobs just to keep up. And, the 'treasure' sacrifice is perceived as a distant worry, because it will be paid by the children of those sacrificing and suffering now.
The solution is a DRAFT. And, at some point, the Joint Chiefs will begin to float that possibility, because the costs of recruiting to expand our force is becoming untenable. You can't recruit if you aren't paying out huge enlistment bonuses anymore. The destruction of our celebrated "professional all-volunteer force" has begun; it's no longer a 'professional' force, and when only the poor are willing to sign up, then it's really not a "volunteer" force either.
A Draft of all forces all Americans to sacrifice; if all Americans believe the common good is best served by a war, they should be willing to serve their country.
Of course, the unspoken secret is that few would be willing to serve their country in a war, especially if they suspected their government lied the country into a pointless war for political agendas which do not serve the commong good. The people would protest, and there would be fewer wars, less blood and treasure sacrifice, and Americans would then begin to focus their mind on the true "common good" in their own country.
Actually all 4 of Franklin Rosevelt's sons served in WW 2.
There will absolutely, positively be no draft in the near future. The people in power know that a draft would bring protests and uprisings bigger than anything we ever had during Vietnam, and the Republicans would lose every election after that for a couple of generations.
What you will see instead is a greater reliance on mercenary forces and foreigners given US citizenship in exchange for military service. Naturally this will cost a fortune, but since our grandchildren will be paying for our debt it will seem like free money.
Another benefit of having a mostly foreign figting force will be how easily they could be used against US citizens if some sort of uprising should occur. Most troops would think twice about using force on fellow Americans, but if they are foreign what loyalty do they really have to any of us?
Well said Bob. I am 75 years old, and what has happen to America in the last 6 years makes me want to cry. We have had some bad administrations in my life time, but none as totally corrupt as this one. I have travelled, and stayed hotels and motels, and always amazed at how often the dinning area TVs are tuned to Fox News. The MSM has become the spokesperson for all the Bush lies. They have consistenlty marginalized any politician who has disagreed with the corporate agenda. What the MSM did to Gore, Dean and others was absolutely bullshit. The NYT, and some of their premier columists played a key role in getting us to where we are now. They allowed a coward to hide his failed past,lead us into a war where million of people have experinced death and destruction, because of greed and stupidity. If we allow this man to start another
war with Iran, I fear this country which started with a "great notion," may never recover.
Though I'm a decade younger gwr72, I'm a vet and old enough to appreciate and agree with you. I, too, see that this time around is very different, and very dangerous.
Younger adults are often spoiled and mentally lazy in affairs of the Republic and just don't get it. Perhaps you remember, as I do, the Pogo political comic strip of our youth and it's simple oft repeated sage line 'We have net the enemy and they are us!"
I, too, thank you Bob.
I am 41, a "mere babe in arms" compared to you guys (and I get to say that less and less lately). If it is small consolation, 98% of the people in my social circle (in other words, peers age 35-45) agree with you and with me. We are in some serious trouble and we fear for our kids and their future.
But I see the clueless SUV drivers everywhere around me. They are either all fabulously wealthy or else they are in severe debt without concern. Many seem to be younger than me by 10 years and others are in my own cohort group. They live their entire lives in their suburb or suburbs exactly like theirs...or in the office park where they work. I know some of them tangentially, but I have nothing in common with them.
Each year we struggle to save money but we hold onto less and less. Weekends and vacations are a thing of the past. The job follows you home through e-mail, modem and the expectation that you are always available with zero extra compensation. Our salaries are flat and the cost of everything is skyrocketing. And we are definitely "the lucky ones" because the only things we need to cut right now are the "extras" (dining out, travel, new model cars).
We admire our grandparent's generation and their ability to sacrifice, delay gratification, work for the common good and enjoy the simple pleasures in life. We try to model ourselves on them in our household. But the state of the world can make your best intentions seem very futile some days. And I am amazed that so many people are still so blind...willfully or otherwise.
I, like you gwr72, remember as I am 73. People walked everywhere or took public transportation which did not run frequently. My father used to cobble my shoes to keep me with shoes on my feet till I could use my new coupon. Children would collect newspaper, metal, grease...all for the war effort. Even the poorest would buy a "Defense stamp" at school each week. Everyone who could had a "victory garden" from which they were encouraged to feed themselves as much as possible. I remember the people in my neighborhood helping the girls whose husbands were in the service and giving them fresh food from the gardens. It never felt like a sacrifice because it wasn't. It was for the USA and all of us and the rest of the world. Children asked for nothing because they knew things weren't available. Our leader now has made the rest of the world hate us with his stubborn stupidity. How hard is it to do what the people want? Congress had better refuse funding so that our service members can come home and quit being used as human sacrifices to world business. Enough!! No invasion or bombing of Iran. We are mired down enough now. If they do involve us in Iran, we must have a draft so that all serve and not like Vietnam when the rich could avoid going to war if they were in college. No exemptions, no exceptions, a draft for everyone. Look how the lack of service of GWB has followed him his whole life.
If only the replies were given free reign on the "excessive foul language" along with the bloggers elite......
In the 7th-to-the-last paragraph, you opine as to what drives the likes of Cheney, Kristol, et al., ad nauseum. Here 's another perspective. I do believe that part of what drives these lunatics to promote war is their guilt at not having served in the armed forces during the Vietnam debacle. All of these clowns, plus the likes of Limbaugh, Gingrich, O'Reilly, etc., supported the Vietnam war, but none of them had the guts or the moral rectitude to step up and be counted by fighting in that misguided adventure. They are gutless cowards who now are trying to show the world that they are NOT cowards by having SOMEONE ELSE fight another war for them while they pull the toggle switches in the background. The Bush administration is rife with "chickenhawks," as is its legion of sycophants in our society.
Wilbur
fight another war for them AGAIN
The American people are not engaged in the war in Iraq, because it is a war for oil and if they really understood that, Bush/Cheney and the Repugs could not continue squandering American lives and treasure to enrich multinational corporations. I know I am repeating myself, but I suggest you read Naomi Klein's book-The Shock Doctrine. It names the economic philosophy that is driving this war and the likes of Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld who would destroy our nation, desimate our middle class and take away our freedoms in order to spread their ruthless economic theory to enrich a few, impoverish the many and reduce human beings to "assets" for multinational corporations. We owe it to those who have served and died to preserve the US democracy for ourselves and as hope for the world.
All I can say is thank God for the 22nd amendment or the Bu$h regime would figure some way of stealing another election.
I'm sure the Republicans are working hard to try to steal the next election. Their first ploy to change the award of electoral votes in California was defeated before it could get on the ballot. The Republicans knew they couldn't get that through but I suspect used it as a diversion from the real effort:
Those enticing stupid electronic voting machines! There is pretty hard evidence that they were possibly used to partially defraud the last election. I'm sure the 'Neocons' are hard at work to subvert them further. It's easy since the vendors have sold the States rediculously overpriced systems whose code and hardware etc. is proprietary and unknown even to the government!!
As a programmer, I know that it is hardly rocket science to electronically perform the simple task of recording, tallying and reporting votes. Until we have open source hardware and software with a paper trail we can let all the country's computer mavens investigate to death, and a government program to debug and test EVERY machine just before it is opened for use at the polling place, return to the paper ballot everywhere by Federal statue!!
I worry that they will try to find some way to hang onto power, legal or not.
Bush is the poster child for the repeal of the 22nd Amendment. You see, he was unaccountable to anyone from the moment he was re-elected, as was every second-term President since the 22nd was ratified. The idea that Bush could run for a third term, if he so chose, would have put a leash on his more destructive tendencies. Either that, or we would have had the pleasure of voting him out of office next year. Instead, he gets to leave office on Jan. 20th 2009 undefeated and unchallenged. That's wrong, IMO.
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