Totalitarian Hearts

pms laflame at mindspring.com
Sun Aug 23 21:52:32 PDT 1998


Once, when I was working at the Airport Sheraton, a very distinquished-looking Frenchman was dining and I asked him what his politics were. He said that in his country he was considered a consevative but here he would be considered a radical leftist. Personally, I was kind of surprised at a couple of James statements, but expulsion seems pretty reactionary in itself. Believe me, down here in Georgia, he'd be considered a pinko fag. Is this any way to change consciousness? Frankly I usually avoid people who share my politics. Unless I've become involved with a specific issue. But you guys know so much stuff, I love it. Usually I try to introduce leftist ideas to people who have never heard of them. Like-most people. Even, very rarely, my kindhearted, knee-jerk Democrat friends, who mostly get mildly annoyed and turn back to Tom Brokow. Even the intuitively anarchist, pierced, pink-haired kids I know are clueless really. That's our fault., These are "the People". These are "the Workers". And these are the people the right has created their magnificent Story Factory to influence.

NEW PUSH ON OLD STORY Today on Wall St. Week, Louis R. ended with the promise that next week we'd hear about the nation's defenses! And how they've been effected by massive cuts. The Big Cigars Cover All The Bases. Pretty soon this story, along with the story about how the SS anti-privatizers are patronizing women, will be conventional wisdom if the left fails in captureing the collective imagination of at least some part of the public. And against amazing odds.

Economic collapse will not win the day for the left. At least not in this country. As the story holds now, a more likely outcome would be much of the rest of the world having to, eventually, take up arms against a facist US. The Big Cigars will annex Canada and finish the militarization of our southern borders. And "the People" will unite in a wave of patiotic fervor. Because The Left neglected to tell their stories

"Proportion of Children Wasted and Stunted, 1980-1990..." Thanks Mark, I need that. Sometimes I forget that people die for my sins every day. Mostly sins of ommission. Do you suppose the on-going knowledge of material exploitation created the need for the myth of that famous sacrificial death? Ditto on the Castro speech. I love that guy, say what you will, he's such a great story teller, he scares the Big Cigars shitless.

Mumia did too, that's enough reason to suspect injustice.

"How much is a human life worth? What is the cost to humanity of the unjust and intolerable order which prevails in the world?"

I wish the younsters could hear stuff like this.

"I believe that Paul in different language and from (probably) a different political position than mine has made precisely the same challenge to the idiocy of compromising in advance, thereby letting the enemy dictate the terms of the battle."

This compromise stuff drove me nuts during the health care debate. I don't believe the Clinton adm. ever had the intention of install a national HC program. It was all a story to make managed-care an acceptable idea. When groups like Citizen Action opted for a seat at the table instead of creating a story the people were dying to hear, the game was over.

Chuck and Marta--had lunch with Nancy Moulton today. She said Eleanor lived in CA for a time but was never a nurse. I'm hoping to see her soon and I'll ask her about it. I meant both women while trying to get out the word on Single-Payer HC. The League of Women Voters were very active on that front and gave Single-Payer a great deal of attention. They even calmly discussed how rationing of end-of-life care might fit into the picture in a most touching and heroic way, considering their members ages. Surprising allies, and energetic story-tellers.

smooches-paula

ps. Buford-news much appreciated. And Max, low-income folks don't have the deductions to justify using the mortgage deduction. Renters don't get shit. And that's not the point anyway.



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