I think the seminal mistake of the left is the belief that (1) the leaders are the real bad guys and (2) if the public only knew the truth, that is, could get information unfiltered through the corporate media. Well, no one can argue with (1), but support for this war and the cheering to follow is an indictment of a people beyond redemption. How one can stand unmoved by the deaths of innocents is beyond me. I am at a loss for the poll numbers showing the mind-numbing ignorance of a public that believes that Iraqis were involved in 9/11. The problem for movements of the Left is not failed slogans or divisions among its ranks or even the dominance of corporate media, but the remarkable ambivalence of a populace that refuses to acknowledge the mortality of humanity. There is a large segment that believes in a heavanly reward and sanctifies its own impulses in a wash of bible reading. Another is a class of mammonists who wish only to be, in the words of Gordon Gekko in _Wall Street_ "liquid." And a third group replaces contempation with titilation. Yet to preach against that is to be a luddite and a religious bigot. (I won't even mention the rekinding of creationism.) Worse, when something sufficiently frightens America the people turn to facism for protection and not to "liberalism." Hopefully, the Dems will show the balls to fillibuster every mother fucking nominee to the Supremes.....O'Connor and Rehnquist have waited too long in my view..... I think it quite likely that the next election could REALLY be about the future of abortion rights (not just some scare line in a voting handbook), economic equality (the dwindling viablity of medicare and social security), and war (I think our regional adventures are far from over). *sigh* Now, back to work...........
Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu> wrote:
mike larkin wrote:
>
> Totally depressing.
If you are in a shooting war it doesn't depress you when the enemy shoots back. That's what enemies do. So why should it depress you when the Post (or someone writing in it) shoots at us? That's what the Post does. Being depressed or complaining is like grumbling at the rain for being wet.
On the other hand, I have to accept Yoshie's point about left lists being among other things a place where we can lip off our irritation with the assholes who run the country.
Carrol
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