Did you think the U.S. would last this long? [View All]

[JailBush]

I knew that Seattle was following the United States down the toilet several years ago. In fact, I came to that conclusion not long before the dot.com bubble burst, opening many people's eyes.

Then came Campaign 2000, which was scary. But, of course, the sh*t really hit the fan after September 11. I was blued to online news sources and chatboards daily; they were like an electronic nightmare. It seemed like every day brought a mega-scandal or crime that would have been almost unheard of ten years ago.

For a while there, I was worried that free speech was dead. Even people who should be allies told me to stop blasting Bush in the weeks following 9/11, claiming it wasn't the time, it was disrespectful, or I'd give liberals a bad name (though I'm not a liberal).

I was greatly relieved when people FINALLY began criticizing Bush and was positively ecstatic to see the criticism mushroom into a hose job.

But corporations and their Demopublican gatekeepers and Green Party stooges are still taking this country apart, piece by piece, even as they inflame the entire planet. I have to confess, I'm a little surprised we've lasted as long as we have. I didn't expect the United States to be reduced to a pile of ash, but I thought our economy would be even worse than it is - and I did expect a few terrorist attacks, trade wars, etc.

I'm not a doomsdayer. I'm simply a realist, and realism includes predicting a variety of futures and attempting to ward off the worst scenarios. I'm simply amazed things are still holding together - more or less - and I wonder when the walls will begin to crumble.