Saturday, December 10, 2005

A Dose of Reality

A very wise Republican once said, "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannt fool all the people all the time." The American people may have been a little slow on the uptake after 9/11, but in recent months, they have begun to prove why one of America’s greatest statesmen was moved to utter those words.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks, here on our own shores where enemies have rarely dared to set foot since we became a sovereign nation, scared the hell out of people. By some cosmic accident, the Bush administration occupied the seat of power at the time of the attacks, so the people looked to them for answers and protection. The Republicans put all their corporate boardroom leadership skills into play. They smelled fear and exploited it to the hilt. If the word "terrorist" could strike the people dumb and pliant, they would invoke it freely and often to get everything they wanted.

Fast forward four years. To a war effort that has the US armed forces with one foot in a bucket of quick setting concrete and the other on a banana peel. To a disaster relief system that, when called upon to perform, lived up to the "disaster" half of the moniker, but the "relief" part, not so much. To a government that has been the nation’s hard-on for five years, and is suddenly in desperate need of a healthy dose of Viagra.

So, they go to Dr. Frist for the scrip. Frist whips out his prescription pad, and pens the Rx. "Bird flu." That "fear" card worked magically for us in the past. We’ll pull ourselves out of the fire by making ourselves strong and in control in the face of this imaginary impending catastrophe. Since true disaster has proven light years beyond our leadership skills…

Though the once finely-tuned Bush media machine was enlisted once again to spread fear-producing half-truths in public places, the people, by and large, are proving stubbornly immune. Unfortunately for the GOP, images of real dead soldiers, real anarchy in Iraq, real drowned nursing home residents in New Orleans, have clouded, or maybe clarified, the people’s view of the Republican leadership. The American people are showing all the signs of coming down with a full-blown case of reality. They may have been slowed and stunned by 9/11, but they are starting to get it. And soon the Republican leadership is really going to get it.

12 comments:

Abadiebitch said...

I am having a hard time getting motivated by the possible enlightenment the American People may encounter. Thus far, I have been unable to forgive such blindness, stupidity, and complete loyalty to not really a political party, but a sentiment, that I am about to explode with disgust. People today are far too stupid and need little a ridiculing, a little censuring to stay on course.

Sure people are people, but the slow uptake, the arrogance that we will never be attacked, the refusal to face racism, are all too disgusting to feel very hopeful right now, or very American right now.

I guess I will have to see some proof before I “awake” from my pessimism, my cynicism of the American sheep.

And if that makes me sanctimonious, ---so be it. That label is only a taught and acceptable knee jerk reaction perpetuated by the Bush administration in order to deflect the points made by dissenters.

Gannet Girl said...

You can write, girl.

JACKIE said...

I've run across some rumors that the flu has already jumped species but the one they suspect of being "it" seems to be highly contagious but not too severe. Hard to tell. Great entry as usual.

Jackie

Ann Marie said...

Ayn said...
Saturday, December 10, 2005
List ten things that make you happy (in no particular order), and then tag five people to do the same.

Because Christina tagged me after being tagged by Paula who was tagged by Cynthia and asked the question what are the ten things that make me happy in random order:

http://Aynetal3.blogspot.com

Now I am suppose to pick out five people I'd like to see do this ... Who to pick? Hmm, I don't think it would be cheating too much to find people from within the community. I had help in this by going back to Cynthia's list and discovering:

Laurie, Candace, Lisa, and two new time favorites Gabreael and Louie!
So happy to meet you all!

Yep, Lisa - You've been tagged!

Our best,
Ayn

posted by Ayn @ Saturday, December 10, 2005

Virginia said...

Well said!

Peace, Virginia

V said...

Great post!
Welcome!
V

Anonymous said...

There's something good to be said for my limiting my viewing and taking in of the news. That way I don't hear so much about these "scary" things. I've scarcely heard about this bird flu "epidemic."

Wil said...

While an interesting post, it was P.T. Barnum who made the statement you quoted at the top. And he started out as a Democrat, not realizing the error of his ways until 1860, when he corrected his wrong-headedness and became a Republican.

Lisa :-] said...

Sorry Wil, but you're wrong about that. PT Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute." It really WAS Lincoln who said, "you can fool all the people, etc." Honest.

Robbie said...

Sheesh, I finally made it in here and added you to my bloglines. I knew of the move but I've had an aversion to being on my computer when I'm at home lately. I'd rather read, or work on a project, heck even clean. I guess I've been getting enough of it at work. :-)

I saw a story on 60 Minutes or some such show about the new flu, or as the government likes to term it, "the future pandemic," and thought the same things as you.

:-(

Robbie said...

P.S. The refresh button is your friend when it comes to not seeing things on these blogs. Also, be sure to republish your blog when you edit a post.

Globetrotter said...

Sadly Lisa, his poll numbers are once again rising.

However, perhaps this means we shall take a much needed break from the bird flu pandemic scare tactics over the upcoming holiday season.

We shall see.

My feelings are real

Inside the Gilded Cage

Dark Side of the Moon


Happy to find you by the way!

My feelings are real

Inside the Gilded Cage

Dark Side of the Moon