Congressman Pete Stark should never have had to apologize to anyone for what he said about George Bush having soldiers killed for his "amusement." He was following in a long tradition of people who eventually understood what happens when power becomes perverse. Shakespeare put the following epigram into King Lear:
As flies to wanton boys
Are we to the gods;
They kill us for their sport.
Thanks to information about President Bush's childhood we see a through line from his joy at blowing up frogs when he was 10 to branding pledges when he was 21 to smirking at executions when he was 50 to outsourcing terror when he was 56.
If Shakespeare were alive today he'd just transpose the speakers to soldiers in Baghdad:
As frogs to wanton George
Are we to his God;
He kills us for his sport.
Bush seems to enjoy it.
What it is ain't exactly clear.
There are goons in power everywhere.
They told Stark he better beware.
Hey, stop, freedom__what's that sound?
Everybody look, another down.
Paranoia strikes the free.
Into our lives spy these creeps.
They start by keeping us afraid.
Step out of line, they tazor and take us away.
So you better stop, Pete Stark__what's that sound?
Everybody look as freedom drowns.
In documenting the roots of southern culture, historian David Hackett Fischer notes that young boys were encouraged to participate in childhood blood sports involving the killing of small animals.
An example Fischer documents is a favorite ritual involving a boy having his hands tied behind him, the wing of a live bird thrust in his mouth which, using his lips and teeth and enduring the pecking of the bird, he maneuvers to a position in which he is able to bite off its head.
This is thought to encourage his "manliness" in all respects.
The persistence of this, as well as other similar "normative" behaviors by young southern boys persists to the present.
Rep Stark should have stood by his words, because that is why we on left are so upset, they talked in nov. to be willing to "talk truth to power" but they have been Bush's lap dogs. it's time we have reps that speak that truth, it's time to be honest and stop being "kind" they did that years ago. purple band-aids and mocking a mothers pain to threating a 12 year old boy. when I heard the words from Rep Stark I was proud for the first time in a long time of the DNC, and now... *sighs* stand up, and talk out and get a backbone Dems, or we will find left minded people that will
Thank you, Dr. Frank!
And, please, keep posting on this site.
We miss you!
Something about the REPREHENSIBILITY of what this administration, especially its token leader Bush, has done is completely under the radar for the average American.
We have become so inured to violence that we not only excuse it away, we hanker for it periodically.
The most curious mystery surrounding this apology by Stark is its contrast with his original comments: a very self-assured and brave man suddenly cowed, reduced, and clearly deeply affected by something of an intimidating nature.
What happened to Pete?
He sounded in the apology like a fellow at the front door telling the police that the 911 call was a mistake, all's well, while someone is in the kitchen holding a knife to his daughter's throat.
Something doesn't add up here.
Told ya Bush was a sociopath. :) Agape.