The Bill Ayers Distraction

Man oh man -- Bill Ayers must be one happy cat. Even when he was trying to spark a Prairie Fire, his cocksure pose on FBI wanted lists, Ayers didn't get this kind of national attention. For a guy who believes that the Weather experience was more right than wrong, despite its calamitous effect on other dissidents, primarily those who weren't white, being slimed today as a terrorist of yore isn't gonna seriously concern him. Or shouldn't. Obama will be elected, regardless of these increasingly desperate attacks, so Ayers cannot be blamed for tripping him up (depriving Eric Alterman of four years of "Thanks Bill"). Plus, Ayers gets to keep his newly-refreshed People's Warrior cred, at least in his mind. Win/win and all that.

I've been scanning several reactionary sites, none of which I'll name, because the last time I did that, my inbox quickly filled with raw sewage from which strange oily insects emerged, releasing hideous scents. As deluded and nasty as many liberal commenters are, right wing commenters are even crazier, sometimes frighteningly so. Yes, the Web allows people to hide behind brash personas that they would never display in public, yet after reading some of the whacked out shit about Obama and Ayers, I question just how removed many of these people are from their online alter egos. I carry my share of anxiety and misery, to be sure, but a fair number of reactionaries must have ceaseless raging fear in their heads. Perhaps for them, it's sweet, inspiring music. Whatever passes time until the sun burns out.

In addition to the certainty that Obama will forge a nightmare socialist order, which will naturally collude with if not surrender to Chavez and Ahmadinejad, the main reactionary complaint is that Ayers is a terrorist mastermind who shaped Obama's politics along Cuban communist lines. To read some of this madness, you'd think that Ayers was Carlos the Jackal or Abu Nidal. I've yet to see a photoshopped image of Ayers petting a white cat while surveying his terror network, but then, there are only so many hours I can spend online. Suffice it to say that Ayers is serving as a symbol for something else, in some cases as a treasonous liberal archetype, a poster child for The Enemy Within, but in many cases, who the fuck knows. Over the past two days I've seen so much twisted logic and bizarre scenarios that I wonder what world these people are actually experiencing, or think they're experiencing. I mean, isn't real life awful enough? Why the need for even worse alternate realities?

The one right wing complaint I do understand is that Ayers opposed the Vietnam war, which as every true patriot knows was undermined by domestic terrorists and Soviet spies, along with the commie media. I don't know how many reactionaries read me with any regularity, but allow me to settle this on my end -- the US assault on Vietnam wasn't a "mistake" or a bungled attempt to spread "freedom," it was a massive war crime that far exceeded anything placed at the feet of Milosevic or Saddam, two amateurs who got caught doing what the big boys do as a matter of policy. The US had no right to attack Vietnam, which included carpet bombing campaigns, chemical warfare, torture and death squad activity, and that the Vietnamese have basically forgiven us for our mass murder and destruction in their country should shame us even more. But for a lot of Americans, it doesn't, and doubtless never will. We were the real victims of the Vietnam war, or as Jimmy Carter famously put it, the destruction was "mutual."

Bill Ayers actively opposed that criminal war. Good for him. That he and his privileged friends used the war as an excuse to launch Weather violence severely diminishes that opposition. Since Barack Obama is not against imperial war per se, just the kind that isn't managed effectively, he really can't respond to the right on principled grounds, only tactical ones. It'll be interesting to see how reactionaries assess Obama's war making in the coming years. He'll be killing those whom right wingers insist are the enemy, but to them, it'll be for the wrong, insidious reasons. Hmmm. Sounds familiar.

Comments

[PerryWhite]

What do Obama and Osama have in common? Both have friends (and associates) who bombed the Pentagon.

[kenx]

Why is the MSM obsessing over the Ayres non-story, while ignoring the fact that we have a VP candidate who supports a radical seccessionist group? The AIP story actually includes facts, and video. What are they scared of?

[LiberalProfessor]

Strange how so many "anti-war" Obama suporters can be corralled into the acquiescence pen. Are they desperate for at least words, if not actions, that pay minor tribute to their "cause?" Is it because Nader has been so discredited by the media? Will they stay with him as he stomps Pakistan during his first term?

You have pointed out something that has disturbed me for some time, but nobody seems to listen to: "Barack Obama is not against imperial war per se, just the kind that isn't managed effectively." The number of times a version of the meme "We took our eye off the ball in Afghanistan" has reared its head in his campaigning is devilishly frightening, as anti-war individuals know, Afghanistan is no more justifiable (perhaps even less so) than Iraq.

Sadly, whichever of the corporate candidates are chosen, one thing is for sure - there will be another war in the next few years. The only question is, will anti-war activists keep sleeping under the spell of a "tactically pragmatic imperialist," Obama, or will they awake from their slumber and begin to protest injustice again?

I've got the signs, markers, and paper-miche ready... but I am far from holding my breath.

[timberdoodle]

This ad by McCain should be classed as a hate crime when you consider the hype about terrorists throughout the U.S. as many have been totally consumed by this ever since 911.

It is almost time for the American public to get over their fear or phobias they have with terrorism as it is a fact of life in countries all over the world and not just an American afliction. Authorities charged with protecting against terrorism will do their jobs regardless who is elected and if and when they fail the consequences simply have to be recognized as a hazard of the 21st Century and something people everywhere have to deal with but can't let it rule their lives.

[wayoutleft]

thank you THANK YOU thank you. you see right through. bill ayers was an violent viet nam war resistor, which i myself found it easier and easier to be every time i got gassed marching peacefully. ayers was the kind of guy who FORCED warmonger johnson out of office and FORCED an end to the war in viet nam. the effort here at huffpo is to establish to everyone's relief that obama has no taint of association with any viet nam anti-war movement ppl; and that his subservience to the military is beyond question. "Since Barack Obama is not against imperial war per se, just the kind that isn't managed effectively, he really can't respond to the right on principled grounds, only tactical ones." absolutely brilliant. ayers is the secular reverend wright- fits easily under the obama bus.
but more than that, obama stands for the total co-optation of the anti-iraq war movement, and total abandonment of opposition to the imperialist occupation of iraq on moral grounds. note to obama guys: no dice on the initial opposition to invading. that's played out. he is SUPPORTING the occupation NOW- and of course promising to extend the afghan war to pakistan as if they have to pay for bin laden still being free.

[shubes61]

the new mccain ad about barack obama and william ayers has just been completely discredited:

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/he_lied_about_bill_ayers.html

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/790/

by the way, this is john mccain's SEVENTH "pants-on-fire" ruling from politifact.com... SEVENTH.