In the U.S. now, thanks to the Democratic Congress, we'll have a new law
based on the premise that the President has the power to order private actors to
break the law, and when he issues such an order, the private actors will be
protected from liability of any kind on the ground that the Leader told them to
do it -- the very theory that the Nuremberg Trial rejected.
The leaders of a country are not your friends. They want power, to use it to get everything else they want. They do not want to help you. They do not want you to prosper and be free. They want you to pay your taxes, die when ordered to, and bend over whenever they want something else. If they betray you it's not because they "have to." It's because they want to.
People who want power over the entire world (the US, its military and money that is) are dangerous. No matter what their reason is, good or bad, they are dangerous. But since we feel the need to follow the leader, remember one thing; it's us versus them. They are the enemy, and they will have to be forced to do the right thing, every single time. The purpose of political involvement is to watch the powerful, not find a candidate that makes us feel good. The only person who can make you feel good is you.
By the way, the Democratic Congress also just funded the war they were elected to end.
Seriously, do we have to get all Karl Marx wit' it up in here? It's not Democrats vs. Republicans; it's the ruling class against everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI've been mordantly amusing myself watching Digby's comments degenerate into a mass of paranoid idiots who use every example like this to start speculating over what the Democrats have done to allow themselves to be blackmailed into supporting this kind of thing. It's really amazing - they can't accept that they are acting willingly, so it must be blackmail. Somehow, they don't see a contradiction between believing in Democrats' deeply held and cherished noble principles and good intentions while simultaneously theorizing that they're dirtier than a public restroom, thus making them susceptible to blackmail.
And just to add to the fun, it seems a bunch of regulars from IOZ's have been making periodic visits to taunt the true believers, leading to all sorts of spasmodic freakouts.
And speaking of Digby, I notice she just put up a post lashing out at all the people who complain about there being little to no difference between the parties - funny that she would be compelled to do that right after the FISA vote, innit?
It's worse to see digby evade reality than it is to see conservatives do it. She says so much that is right, yet still supports a corrupt power structure, as long as the left controls it. She hears Obama's words but won't question his motives.
ReplyDeleteIt's very very difficult to take unpopular steps in public. I'm always worried I'll chase away readers I respect and want approval from by attacking Obama, but he is not exempt from human nature. He's authoritarian and driven by needs he doesn't acknowledge.
I'm always worried I'll chase away readers I respect and want approval from by attacking Obama
ReplyDeleteAh, but that way lies madness. Somebody's gotta do it, and if powerless bloggers aren't allowed to, then who? I'll go ahead and push a button for him and use whatever activist groups I can to pressure him from the left, but that's the extent of my official obligations - the rest of the time will be dedicated to blasting his corporate, milquetoast, weathervane liberalism whenever necessary and singing songs of lament for Eugene Debs and Emma Goldman. I'm certainly not taking an approach of defending him no matter what just because the right will be flinging poo at him like rabid howler monkeys. I managed to straddle that line from 1992-2000 just fine, so I guess it's time for round two. *sigh*
Heh, that's right, If people with nothing to lose don't do it, who will?
ReplyDeleteI have twinges but I can't keep silent when I know it would be cowardly and wrong to do so.
Well, you might not get invited to YearlyKos or Eschacon, but hey, I'll keep reading you! If that's not a fair trade, I don't know what is.
ReplyDeleteIt feels, however, very much like trying to shout down a hurricane. Yeah, I know, someone needs to do it, but boy, it does seem futile at times.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the coming climatic changes that, I believe, are going to be pretty disasterous to human society as it is now structured. There isn't anyone who wants to hear about that. It's much more fun to talk about Rachael Ray's terrorist scarf. I don't think our generation is going to see the worst of it, but I don't feel so good about the world my 12 year old daughter is going to inheret.
So, are the choices really "screaming at a hurricane" or "don't worry, be happy"?
Like I said, I am not too big on futility.
Blognoscenti, it's a deal. :)
ReplyDeleteZeppo, I guess we just have to do what we think is right, and not worry too much about what we can't control. The only thing we can control about the future is our reaction to it.