Robert Parry: How I View the American Crisis (4-17-11 Consortium News)

[bobthedrummer]

This article sure hit home with me, a 61 year old American independent. After you've read it share your thoughts. If you don't think our nation is in a crisis, share your thoughts.

"Some readers tell me that I devote too much time to the historical context of the American political/media crisis. They say I should focus on its current manifestations, especially when there are so many to address. And these readers have a point..."

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2011/041711.html

[bananas]

1. Thanks I'll have to read it later

Yesterday someone asked about book recommendations and I suggested Robert Parry: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x907900

[xchrom]

2. Recommend

[kentuck]

3. A worthy read just to remind us....

<snip>
"It is possible that the Republicans have overreached this time, with their ambitious agenda of slashing domestic spending, replacing Medicare with a voucher system, and lavishing more tax reductions on the rich.

But the fact that the Republicans and the Right would even dare undertake such a radical approach is itself proof of how far they believe they have come in controlling government institutions and media outlets, how successfully they have negated the Republic's checks and balances."

[bobthedrummer]

5. IMHO Due to the lack of real ACCOUNTABILITY under the RULE OF LAW for "some"...

the ever expanding corporate fascist elite class that considers itself so far above we, the people. That includes the BUSH/CHENEY criminals and traitors that called our Constitution, i.e. US "...a goddamn piece of paper..." as well as the attitude expressed by the former BP CEO dismissing the "small people"-i.e. we, the wee small people.

That goes far, far beyond negating checks and balances doesn't it kentuck?

[kentuck]

11. Indeed..

Obviously, they have over-stepped their bounds. They believe this country is baked. They are ready to put a fork in it.

[JHB]

4. Absolutely. If you don't know how we got here...

...and how we've gotten out of the nearest similar cases in the past, then you may win battles but you'll lose the war.

Especially important are the things he mentions (and all of his past reporting which went into this) about the courts and media, and the deliberate long-term pushing of them in a certain ideological direction, with no consequences nor effective counterbalance.

[sasha031]

6. thank you so much for posting, will bookmark for later also

just got through reading an intro to a new book.

[Mnemosyne]

7. K&R n/t

[enough]

8. I was born in 1944. Everything Parry says here rings true to me. I would add one more

very significant development during the past 40 years. That is the very deliberate and well-implemented plans by the right wing to take over all the institutions of LOCAL government. School Boards, local township and county republican organizations, local judgeships, etc. etc. This has allowed them to have a very wide and deep bench of people ready to go into higher and higher offices as time goes buy.

My Congressional District is a good example. We have a republican congressman who continually is elected by only a very small margin, and could be easily defeated if we ever had a real candidate to run against him. But there are no democrats in any local county or township offices who could run against him with a real political base. The entire local political infrastructure is run by republicans. Over and over we have very well meaning and well educated democrats running against him, but they have no actual political experience (they are business people, activists, etc.) and no political allies. The republicans have kept their heads down and worked for local political control with a passion for decades, while the democrats were all thinking about "big picture issues." Now we wake up to see we have no traction at all politically.

[blm]

12. and they couldn't have pulled it off without first buying control of most newsmedia

.

[malaise]

9. Keep that context coming Robert

Rec

[bobthedrummer]

10. ^

[Uncle Joe]

13. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bobthedrummer.