by R. Scott Porter
"My dream is of a place and time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."
—Abraham Lincoln
(Swans - September 22, 2008) Please allow me to preface this section by stating my everlasting appreciation for the original intent of our founding fathers here in America. While the pure genius required to formulate the concepts on which this country was founded is rare, the will to affect such a radical change from the status quo was, and remains, heroic. Throughout the entire history of mankind, there are only a precious few examples of societies that valued individual rights over those of the ruling class. Our relative isolation from the rest of "civilization" at the inception of our Republic no doubt made it easier to succeed with such a fragile scheme, but the dedication required to transform such a grand construction into a reality is sorely lacking in our present society. We seem to lack the will required even to properly defend the rights that our brave forefathers won for us with their last ounce of courage. Instead we find ourselves, as a nation, at a crossroads. One road leads to democracy, the other is a diversion back to a feudal society.
The road to future democracy will need to be built. We will have to work hard to clear the way. The road to feudalism has already been paved with the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of poor peasants throughout history. This is undoubtedly the easier path to tread, and so the most careless and lazy among us will always choose it instead of hard work. The rest of us, those who care to be free, those who demand freedom for our children, and their children, must instead come together, put our differences aside, and defend our nation from those who would steal it away from us.
I heard today that there were one hundred and forty-five days left for the Bush administration and I instantly thought to myself, "These are going to be the longest one hundred and forty-five days in the history of this nation." No other leader, perhaps since the dawn of time, has combined the shear lack of humility and the magnitude of power as George W. Bush. For this poisonous combination to appear on the scene when overpopulation threatens our existence as a species is tragic. Bush Junior is a test of our intellect as a species. He is a litmus test for a type of insanity that he apparently shares with something like twenty-five percent of the United States population. He embodies everyone else's worst nightmares. The picture of him staring out the window of his private jet at the devastation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, after having played "air guitar" and stalling around on the golf course, tells me all I need to know about "Prince" George. I can only pray that we will emerge out of the darkness of the last seven years into the light of reason. The contrast between the ineptitude we have had to endure with this bunch of privileged bullies and truly qualified leadership is now stark and unavoidable.
"Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple."
—Anonymous
Those who seek high office usually have huge egos. If their ego is controlled by their dark nature eventually their actions will cause harm to great numbers of innocent people. I will not be a bit surprised if the maniacal bunch we have in the White House now creates a reason to declare martial law in order to avoid losing the next election. If we manage to get King George "Dubious" Bush and the neocons out of office in '08 we should thank our lucky stars that they were somehow denied the opportunity to set up a military dictatorship. They should never be allowed back into power again. They should ultimately be tried for war crimes and kept behind bars for the rest of their lives. They must suffer the consequences of their actions to set an example for future leaders. We must immediately reject their pathological agenda. If you think this is over the top, think again, and think fast. Time is running out for the "Free World." Free thinking people, worldwide, need to realize that freedom comes with a cost. Freedom is unappreciated unless that cost is paid. It has been said that evil triumphs when good men do nothing. There has never been a more blatant example of this than what we are witnessing in America presently. Trying to protect ourselves by not getting involved is cowardly. Freedom loving people, worldwide, need to stop taking a free ride and start demanding the freedoms they lack and defending the freedoms they still have. We must gain strength through numbers. Complacence is no longer an option, if it ever was.
When they come to the door and demand that you surrender your guns, you can be sure democracy is dead in America. The second amendment to the Constitution was enacted not only to ensure the availability of a standing army, but also to provide us some measure of protection from the potential abuses of our own government. Private citizens are no longer a match for our gigantic military establishment, and assuming they could ever be turned against us on a national scale, our handguns and hunting rifles would certainly be a meager defense against their awesome firepower. And yet, the fact that we are armed does make the proposition of trying to suspend the Constitution, and setting up a military dictatorship in America, much more difficult. Some say that if guns are ever outlawed only criminals will have guns. I would add that at least some of those criminals will be in our government.
These neoconservatives may be evil, but they are definitely not stupid. You dare not "misunderestimate" them. They have played their base constituency like a fiddle. I can understand why the upper-class Republicans supported them. They, after all, stood to profit most from the Bush agenda through lower taxes, corporate subsidies, no-bid contracts, cheap labor, and myriad other special benefits. What I will never understand is the support they have been given from the middle and lower class. Do these folks actually believe that huge corporations, and the multimillionaires who run them, care about them in the least? It would be laughable, if it wasn't so sad, that these poor souls, who constantly struggle just to make ends meet, choose to distrust "bleeding heart liberals" in favor of "cold hearted conservatives." Who do they think would be more likely to extend a helping hand if they truly needed it? Who would be more willing to share the wealth? Who would forgive their sins and help them regain their broken lives? The kind hearted, if somewhat unrealistic liberals, or the cold, calculating neocons? If they think that they are going to be invited to the party any time soon they are delusional. If they think these guys are going to cut them a break, they are pathetic. I personally refuse to believe that there are so many stupid people out there. I prefer to believe that the last two elections were stolen through election fraud. The truth in this is becoming more and more clear with every passing day, and our freedom has never been more in peril.
"Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices."
—Voltaire
In conclusion, in the years to come we in America will receive the kind of government we deserve. There is a true irony to freedom. To remain "free" requires a sacrifice of time, effort and treasure. Our freedom was hard won by those who came before us and now we are in real peril of giving it all away. Too many of us are so paralyzed with fear that we are willing to relinquish our freedom to a "father figure" government that seems almost daily to slip further towards fascism. If we still cherish the rule of law we must insist on fair and verifiable elections so that we might avoid those who would sell us out. I urge you all to get more involved. Read more. Listen to all points of view. Don't get stuck on any one ideology. There are, more often than not, truths on both sides of any argument or conflict. Keep your minds open and the truth will eventually become clear. Your freedoms are yours to lose. There will always be those who will gleefully take them away in order to enrich themselves at your expense. That reality is as old as life on this planet. Survival of the fittest still reigns supreme.
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