The Dark Ages, or America 2004

[billbuckhead]

The Dark Ages, or America 2004


By John Steinberg | RAW STORY COLUMNIST


The new Dark Ages are upon us. I cannot drink the Kool-aid that is allowing some to look for the silver lining and talk about how we are in this for the long haul. I see little cause for belief that things are going to get better in four or eight years.

----------then halfway down the article, two paragraphs that 99% reflect the way I personally feel about the state of "America" today------------

We can beat ourselves up for flaws real and imagined in John Kerry, his campaign or whatever else, but that is all a sideshow. John Kerry may not have been a perfect candidate, but a perfect Democrat would probably still have lost. Nearly 60 million Americans appear to have decided that prolixity and nuance were worse crimes than lying, false religiosity, larcenous fiscal management and of course a disasterously mismanaged illegal war. Millions of voters agreed with George Bush that his clothes were magnificent, and that the boy calling him naked needs a stretch at Gitmo. America the free decided that loyalty oaths and presidential appearances closed to non-believers are perfectly fine. None of that is John Kerry’s fault or Terry McAullife’s fault. It is evidence of a failure so systemic that I cannot even begin to imagine a solution.


This election must mean that the American dream has become the blissfully ignorant fantasy that a majority of Americans passionately and deliberately choose over reality. Their mandate will accelerate the ouster of reason from American discourse. Bush will accelerate his Leni Riefenstahl packaging of his failures as triumphs. Inconvenient and unpleasant facts will cease to exist. In short, there will be no accountability, because there will not be any mistakes. Let me say it again: Reason is dead. Logic is dead. Facts are irrelevant. There are only squinty, righteous determination and myriad enemies. Guess which we are.

---------------snip----------------------------

<http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/steinberg/dark_ages_america_election_1113.htm>

[Nikepallas]

1. I say the start of a second dark age.

[SaintAnne]

2. this was so sad, I don't want to go back to the dark ages

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
I wish it was still Nov. 1 for the rest of eternity, well, maybe not then, maybe a summer day...

[nagbacalan]

3. So much for American specialness.

Forget the "shining city on the hill" verbiage. We're no different than anyone else. My neighborhood could just as easily muster a contingent of goose-stepping, blindly obedient Auschwitz-type guards to deal with the category of non-authentic, non-heartland, non-real latte-sipping folks among us. Depth of investigation, not to mention truth itself on a matter like Iraq , simply doesn't matter.

[billie_]

4. we cannot allow this to keep on, we need to take our country back! n/t

[VOX]

5. This outlook is just as destructive as the worst fundamentalist dogma...

It is all done..we are all mere players on a stage, the die is cast, it's all in someone else's hands, blah, blah, blah.

I say *bullshit*. The 2004 election was as close as the come. For lack of 115,000 votes (give or take), Kerry would be president. that would have been a start.

As for what voters said in exit polls about "moral values," that's horseshit, too -- but not to say that America isn't very homophobic right now. Most wise analysts are saying that it came down to the fact that more voters -- including many Democrats -- dumbly figured that ** would be better on Iraq and terrorism. THAT was the make-or-break issue.

I refuse to subscribe to the "it's-all-over" school of thought. What's the point of carrying on, then? It doesn't look good right now, that's for sure, but these assholes are human, and they **can** be defeated.