Why I'm not afraid.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

I was afraid on 9/11. Afraid of the people who were in power. The people who would leverage the resolve of an American people, united in time of tragedy, for their own nefarious purposes.

And, they did.

They used and abused the sentiment of all Americans to seize power and add to their own treasure chests.

I was afraid when we launched a preemptive war without threat or provocation. That time when friends, family and co-workers, all of whom agreed on the lunacy of that attack, shook our heads in absolute disbelief and horror. While, those who supported gwb, the "troops" or whatever, loudly proclaimed their jingoist fervor, especially towards those of us who dared to dissent.

I was afraid when a presidential election was so obviously dirty and very few in power were willing to remark on it.

I'm not afraid now.

In all quarters, in all venues, the emperor has been recognized for his nakedness. And a truly revolting nakedness it is.

The news and media outlets are finally shining the light into the dark, damp corners, where the cockroaches cower. Election fraud, the Iraq war, the NSA story, all getting air time, newspaper time, magazine time and sparking debate.

Steven Colbert publicly handed gwb his ass. And, it's a good thing. :)

Musicians and film-makers are lauded for their voice against this cabal.

Russ Feingold has made a name for himself by standing up to this criminal cabal and being on the side of the people.

Cindy Sheehan is still a force to be reckoned with.

Delay is indicted. Duke Cunningham is in jail. Frist is a joke. And Rove is a judicial target.

The WH attempt at using immigration as the latest wedge issue is failing more miserably than the privatizing of Social Security.

George Will, Newt Gingrich and Pat Buchanan are decrying the horror of this administration.

gwb is polling in the high twenties/low thirties for approval.

Yes, we still have a long way to go.

But, can we just take a brief look at how far we've come and savor the moment.

OK, enough with the savoring, let's get back to work! :hi:

MKJ

[NanceGreggs]

1. Can't tell you how much I appreciate this post, MKJ!

I've been getting REALLY pissed-off with all of the "We're all doomed and there's NOTHING we can do about it" posts, especially in the past few days.

And now, it's back to work ...

:hi:

[MichiganVote]

2. I only fear rich people

I fear rich people because they are everywhere. They show us their bathrooms on TV. Don't you think there is something truly immodest about people who display their artsy electonically warmed up toilets on TV?

I do.

I fear rich people because they drive like maniacs in really big vehicles that leave door dents on my more conventional sedan. In winter, they are some of the first to swerve out of control on the highway and end up in the ditch. I don't want them to take me into the ditch with them.

Seriously, rich people are scary. They have surgery performed on their faces and fannies and all over the place so that, well, other rich people admire them. I don't admire them and that's how I know I am not rich. How can you change your face and still be yourself? I don't understand that and I don't want to understand it. There is something wrong with people who go under the knife and look like a caricature of their their former selves. Isn't that what horror movides are for?

I fear rich people because they are in the news, on the news, create the news, hide the news and spin the news. What's new in that? They now have thousands and thousands of ways of doing this to us. Its like daily "news" accupuncture but without any noticeable relief for what ails us all, stress.

Rich people smile alot. Ever notice that? Wherever you go, whatever billboard, commercial or advertisement you see, rich people are always there and always smiling. Clean, white, polished, capped, beautiful smiles. How come rich people reject suffering or photos of suffering so much? There is something really strange about wrapping up suffering in a coffee table book or tidying it up with photo op's to really desperate places.

Rich people want us all to be like them, rich. That's nice but what about being rich enables people to perform for the public but stay away from the public. Public transportation? No. Public eateries? Not if they can avoid it. Public colleges? Hardly. Public communication? You've got to be kidding. Public roads, bridges, services? To get somewhere private, ok. Public lands? They want to buy them lock, stock, and barrel. What is the one thing you can depend on a rich person to bring to a public courtroom? A bevy of expensive private attorneys.

Rich people are frightening. They sell everything about themselves to everyone, everyday. It's exhausting for the rest of us. So rich people sell us pills to help us sleep. My cats can sleep without pills. So can the dog.

What do the cats and dogs know that we don't?

[solinvictus]

3. I agree...

The rich carry a high sense of entitlement in this country; they essentially wait with hands clasped behind their backs for the rest of the world to attend to their whims. At the same time, though, they are jealous of anyone else achieving any level of success and will effectively squelch any public moneys to assist them in doing so, particularly in cutting student aid programs.

[MichiganVote]

5. Its all about them, all the time

[coalition_unwilling]

4. Credit must also go to the Iraqi Resistance, in all fairness.

They defeated the U.S. military (at least "defeated" as used in the strategic sense) and helped to dispel the propaganda about the "cake-walk."

While I cannot say I admire the Iraqi Resistance exactly, there is a part of me that respects its achievements and thus respects it. To think that they took on the most powerful military in the world and whomped its ass, now that makes for some heavy thought!

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

6. The Iraqi resistance is using some brutal means to fight the occupation.

They kill their fellow Iraqi citizens in addition to the soldiers.

Even though they are fighing an occupation of their country, I have a hard time with the thought of giving them props. Both the Iraqi resistance and our own soldiers are doing immoral things, all at the behest of the WH mass murderers. MKJ

[coalition_unwilling]

8. Yes, I take your point. That's why I find it difficult to

admire them. Having said that, consider that the National Liberation Front (or, as it was vulgarly known, the "Viet Cong") had the assistance of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China in battling the U.S. occupation of South Vietnam. The Iraqi resistance, on the other hand, has had to sustain the struggle without the assistance of any outside state. It makes their accomplishment(s) all the more note-worthy, but does not excuse atrocities.

The same pattern manifested itself during the Vietnam conflict. After the U.S. Marine Corps re-occupied Hue following Tet '68, mass graves were found where the NLF had summarily executed anyone who had collaborated with the South Vietnam puppet regime, and many whose only guilt was to be the family member of an alleged "collaborator."

[sendero]

7. Yes..

.... amidst all of the negative things happening, there are lots of positive. By the time Bush** leaves office, he will be a national joke. And his idea that history will vindicate him in some way is utterly delusional - he might as well click his ruby slippers three times when he says it.