In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
We have nothing to fear but those who are afraid of fear
The man who said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” was almost overthrown in a coup d’etat by American men who were very very afraid.
They were afraid of the Nazi’s and they were afraid of the Depression. These things could harm America and the American way of life they thought. So they set out to destroying those very two things, planning a coup to overthrow FDR and move the country towards the fascist path of Hitler and Mussolini. They didn’t succeed obviously (and I won’t go into the fact that Prescott Bush – W’s granddaddy – was one of the conspirators).
Their fear made them willing to destroy what makes America great – its freedom – while all the long using the excuse that they were "protecting America" as a shield. Hiding behind patriotism – hiding in fear.
In the fifties fear of communism brought America Senator McCarthy and the ironically named “House Un-American Activities” Committee. Congressmen using their power to punish open thought and discussion. Those sad frightened men and women destroyed lives (and in the case of McCarthy his fear may have been part of his alcohol abuse – he drank himself to death), and did nothing to protect America.
In the Sixties military men planned a terrorist attack inside America (Operation Northwoods – I’m not making it up) and then blame it on Cuba and the Soviets; so scared they were of the Soviet Empire. They had no faith in the American people. And their fear was willing to allow them to kill innocent Americas to fight the scary scary boogeyman. Meanwhile over in the CIA agents would tell each other stories about the mighty all power evil of the Soviet Union, and they shook with fear as they huddled by the camp fire. Meanwhile of course the Soviet Union was a house of cards that was already falling apart.
In the eighties, people sworn to uphold the constitution wrote up plans on how to circumvent that very document (in cases of "national emergency"). And while funding both Iraq and Iran, broke American laws and supplied weapons to the Contras in Nicaragua. Meanwhile the Reagan administration out of fear of the evil empire weakened our economy for over a decade by spending and spending on military, including spending in on training folks like Osama bin Laden, and supplying weapons to Saddam Hussein. In the end the Soviet Union collapsed upon itself, because any closed government will eventually fail. No light and no scrutiny allow a government to avoid all responsibility and thus allow them to continue to make poor choices and corrupt deals (sound familiar?).
Now these same people are so very scared of the “Islamic Threat.” While violent religious fanaticism is a real danger – the idea that it is a threat to America is ridiculous. The threat to America and its freedoms seems to be in our reaction to this “Islamic Threat.” And these people are really really frightened.
The Islamists are comingEvery now and then, it is worth noting that substantial portions of the right-wing political movement in the United States -- the Pajamas Media/right-wing-blogosphere/Fox News/Michelle Malkin/Rush-Limbaugh-listener strain -- actually believe that Islamists are going to take over the U.S. and impose sharia law on all of us. And then we will have to be Muslims and "our women" will be forced into burkas and there will be no more music or gay bars or churches or blogs. This is an actual fear that they have -- not a theoretical fear but one that is pressing, urgent, at the forefront of their worldview.
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They actually think this is going to happen ("read Zawahiri's speeches about the Plan for Caliphate!!") and believe that we must do everything in our power -- without limits -- to stop it. And there are a lot of them who think this.
America’s moral standing – let’s trash it! That’ll make us safer!
America’s economy – let’s trash it! That’ll make us safer!!
Holding those how make poor decisions accountable – no! That would embolden the enemy!
America’s right to privacy – let’s trash it! That’ll make us safer!
An open government – let’s trash it! That’ll make us safer!
Freedom – Let’s trash it! That’ll make us safer!
So in the end we have people making decisions for our nation that are either horribly frighten scared little children, or who know how to use fear so they can themselves destroy America’s freedoms (but all in protecting our freedom you know):
McConnell: FISA Debate Will Kill AmericansWith a heavy heart, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell told a Texas newspaper last week that due to the public debate over revising the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Americans will die."Freedom isn’t free, it comes with a F**king big fee.” The fee seems to be a free society.
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Is Congress going to be satisfied with being told that its attempt to debate a landmark piece of legislation represents a threat to national security?
This fear is a cancer taking not only our freedom’s away but our security as a people in our daily lives.
We now live in a world where you can by your children bulletproof back packs. That’ll keep them safe from bullies giving wedgies I guess.
When you get down to it – it isn’t Nazi’s, Commies, or Islamists that is frightening to these people. It is freedom.
Freedom means you are responsible for your own life.
Freedom means that tomorrow is unknown.
Freedom means things that don’t make you comfortable are allowed to exist
Freedom is mindboggleingly huge (and that is truly frightening).
Thus it comes to this: Hail CaesarI've been getting a lot of emails about this group Family Security Matters which boasts such right wing luminaries as Barbara Comstock, Monica Crowley, Frank Gaffney, Laura Ingraham and James Woolsey among others on its board of directors. It seems like they are just another of the dozens of wingnut welfare programs devoted to throwing good money after bad keeping conservative operatives gainfully employed.And Digby finds something amazing on that site:Exclusive: Conquering the Drawbacks of Democracy
Philip Atkinson
Author: Philip Atkinson
Source: The Family Security Foundation, Inc.
Date: August 3, 2007
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The wisest course would have been for President Bush to use his nuclear weapons to slaughter Iraqis until they complied with his demands, or until they were all dead. Then there would be little risk or expense and no American army would be left exposed. But if he did this, his cowardly electorate would have instantly ended his term of office, if not his freedom or his life.
The simple truth that modern weapons now mean a nation must practice genocide or commit suicide. Israel provides the perfect example. If the Israelis do not raze Iran, the Iranians will fulfill their boast and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. Yet Israel is not popular, and so is denied permission to defend itself. In the same vein, President Bush cannot do what is necessary for the survival of Americans. He cannot use the nation's powerful weapons. All he can do is try and discover a result that will be popular with Americans.
As there appears to be no sensible result of the invasion of Iraq that will be popular with his countrymen other than retreat, President Bush is reviled; he has become another victim of Democracy.
By elevating popular fancy over truth, Democracy is clearly an enemy of not just truth, but duty and justice, which makes it the worst form of government. President Bush must overcome not just the situation in Iraq, but democratic government.
However, President Bush has a valuable historical example that he could choose to follow.
When the ancient Roman general Julius Caesar was struggling to conquer ancient Gaul, he not only had to defeat the Gauls, but he also had to defeat his political enemies in Rome who would destroy him the moment his tenure as consul (president) ended.
Caesar pacified Gaul by mass slaughter; he then used his successful army to crush all political opposition at home and establish himself as permanent ruler of ancient Rome. This brilliant action not only ended the personal threat to Caesar, but ended the civil chaos that was threatening anarchy in ancient Rome – thus marking the start of the ancient Roman Empire that gave peace and prosperity to the known world.
If President Bush copied Julius Caesar by ordering his army to empty Iraq of Arabs and repopulate the country with Americans, he would achieve immediate results: popularity with his military; enrichment of America by converting an Arabian Iraq into an American Iraq (therefore turning it from a liability to an asset); and boost American prestiege while terrifying American enemies.
He could then follow Caesar's example and use his newfound popularity with the military to wield military power to become the first permanent president of America, and end the civil chaos caused by the continually squabbling Congress and the out-of-control Supreme Court.
President Bush can fail in his duty to himself, his country, and his God, by becoming “ex-president” Bush or he can become “President-for-Life” Bush: the conqueror of Iraq, who brings sense to the Congress and sanity to the Supreme Court. Then who would be able to stop Bush from emulating Augustus Caesar and becoming ruler of the world? For only an America united under one ruler has the power to save humanity from the threat of a new Dark Age wrought by terrorists armed with nuclear weapons.
- rob 4:20 PM - [PermaLink] -
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