|
Edited on Sat Dec-16-06 09:42 PM by NanceGreggs
Bubbleland
By Nancy Greggs
If there is one thing that has been consistent throughout the Bush years, it has been the widely-held view that Uncurious George lives in a bubble, permanently sheltered from the harsh realities of the world the rest of us occupy.
And it is not a place he inhabits alone. There is an entire Bubbleland out there, where his supporters reside with him; where nary a discouraging word is uttered about his actions or policies. It is a magical place where the Boy King’s every whim is not only indulged, but praised for its foresight and wisdom.
There is only one road leading into Bubbleland, where the cautionary sign hangs over the gilt entranceway: “Abandon all rational thought, ye who enter here.”
Life is always good in Bubbleland, because the truth is never given an opportunity to take hold, no less flourish. The War in Iraq is still winnable; all that stands in the way of complete victory is more ‘Support the Troops’ bumper-stickers on American cars, a news media that continually whistles a happy tune, and just the right slogan repeated over and over like a mantra for the mindless.
History does not exist in Bubbleland. There is no TiVO, no internetz, no record of the past to haunt the here-and-now. Amnesia is the opiate of the masses, and statements about links between Iraq and 9-11 and the phrase ‘stay the course” were simply never uttered. Michael Brown still did a heck of a job, Rumsfeld was the best Secretary of Defence the country has ever known, and Bush’s military service far outshines that of pretenders like Kerry and Clelland.
In the rarified atmosphere of Bubbleland, one need never have their beautiful minds disturbed by the plight of Katrina victims, and one’s conscience is never troubled, because there are no consequences to anyone’s actions – ever. Everyone in Bubbleland knows that the casualties in Iraq are merely a number, and the violence there but a tiny comma, out-punctuated by more important victories like purple fingers and freshly-painted schoolrooms.
Bubbleland-TV (a sister-network of FOX News) sings the glad tidings 24-7, with non-stop coverage of Bush’s ever-rising approval numbers, and stories of Republican defeat in the mid-term election are dismissed as an evil rumor perpetuated by the liberal media of the outside world.
There is only one Golden Rule in Bubbleland: one must never, ever deviate from blindless faith in its emperor, the all-knowing George W, nor question the wisdom he dispenses as he stands before the world, naked in his utter stupidity. Even family loyalty does not render one invulnerable to a public ousting from Bubbleland, as George Senior and Uncle Jim Baker found out in the past week. They should have known that daring to suggest that their exalted leader could use a little guidance, and a hefty dose of reality, invariably results in exile.
The planet the rest of us inhabit is viewed by those within this rose-colored bubble as a place of peace and harmony, wrought by the guiding hand of the man who communes with God on a regular basis. We happy serfs are thrilled to hear that as our jobs disappear and our wages stagnate, our betters are raking in the dough, corporations are enjoying tax-breaks and record profits, and democracy – though diminishing here – is destined to find its way into the hearts and minds of other happy serfs the world over, who will also toil in corporate slavery, joyous in the knowledge that they are contributing to the wealth of others rather than themselves.
It is easy to understand the lure of the masses to Bubbleland over the past six years. How could one resist living in a place where money grows on trees and debt never has to be repaid, a place where pollution and global warming are fairytales told by subversive nay-sayers? Who wouldn’t want to be part of a society where morality is measured by one’s words and not one’s actions, where the traditional religious restraints of tolerance, justice and mercy can be tossed aside while the faithful are free to express their disdain of homosexuals, their hatred of those who do not share their views, their xenophobia – things once considered unChristian now wrapped in the flag and sanctioned by the Holy Church of Bubbleland?
But alas, all good things eventually come to an end. The population of Bubbleland is dwindling at an alarming rate, as politicians grasp the fact that elections are held in the real world, as the citizenry deigns to look behind the smoke-and-mirrors illusions that have suckered them into sleepy compliance, as the newly-elected opposition begins to poke and prod at the thinning walls of Bubbleland with their investigative sticks.
What will happen to the few who still reside there, who will hang on until the last shred of the fantasy that was Bubbleland is left in tatters? One can only speculate.
But I suspect that years from now, its last occupants – Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and their ilk – will gather together for happy reunions, discussing their contributions to the world as it never was.
They will reminisce about how they single-handedly won the War on Terror, along with the War on Christmas. They will marvel at the fact that millions of children in the Middle East are named George, in honor of the man who created peaceful stability in their corner of the world. They will talk about the statue of George that stands in Baghdad, and the fact that the G.W. Bush Library has replaced DisneyWorld as the vacation place of choice for millions of American families.
For the few, Bubbleland will always exist, an impenetrable fortress whose shining moment in time will live forever; the last refuge of the delusional politicos, the mindless pundits, the willfully ignorant – the hopelessly insane.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
