Rage against the inevitable?
I read how Ann Coulter believes that Joseph McCarthy should be exonerated. How she believes liberals are guilty of treason. Only those who are as far to the right as she is can be patriotic and true to our democracy. These reactionary tenets are so wacky one is tempted to laugh, until you realize they are being embraced by those who should be a bit more moderate.
The irony is sad. Our founding fathers defined treason very narrowly to prevent the persecution and trampling of liberty they had witnessed in the name of treason. To dismiss other opinions as treason denies the intent of our founding fathers. It is all that is necessary to bring the force of the government to bear on those with different opinions.
We have seen this happen in the past, and it should make us more afraid today. We are actually more petrified of terrorists, than we were of the USSR and it's nuclear arsenal. How ridiculous can you get? Though the menace may be self-fulfilling prophecy, as we are daily increasing our risk with ill-conceived actions. This is not rational, and when a population starts to lose it's rationality, atrocities become possible, commonplace, even desirable. We are at a crux, and I feel enraged and frightened. The outcome of a presidential election has never meant a lot to me, and today it does, even though I don't have faith in the alternative.
I used to joke that if you had less than 100 million dollars you couldn't possibly be a real republican, you were either a lackey or minion. It doesn't seem funny anymore with the cronyism and unjustified bloodshed that is going on. At the same time privacy and liberties are being curtailed at home and abroad.
I often feel like I am being a boor. Then I look at the stakes, and current events. Granting our government a degree of power it has never before had and it's results should be a big issue. Yet, it is not as important as the discount at WalMart or Costco. The great equalizer, consumerism. Responsibility, compassion, courage, and integrity all take a back seat to consumerism. Liberal or conservative it doesn't much matter. Those low prices come at the cost of your neighbor's jobs, and require working conditions in third world countries even Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter would not condone in our country. It seems a bargain is the loftiest goal possible in our culture.
I write it down, it looks too ugly to be valid, yet I can't find any way to poke a hole in it. The sacrifice of liberty, privacy, and courage for perceived temporary safety should be the biggest domestic issue today. Whether you agree with me or not, this fundamental change, or loss of democracy, should be a very hot issue. It is not; all indications show the price of a Big Mac or SUV is more important to the vast majority of our population.
Am I being alarmist, or realistic? Obviously I don't view myself as alarmist. Apathy is every bit as dangerous as donning a brown shirt and goose stepping with the mob. Do we have to actually cross the line into fascism before eyes finally open to what is happening.
On the bright side. I have found ways to deal with personal issues in my life to avoid rage, and have done it so well that it was hard to find anger in my theatrical work. I went from suppressing all anger to dealing with it effectively. Thanks to politics I have truly rediscovered my rage.
The irony is sad. Our founding fathers defined treason very narrowly to prevent the persecution and trampling of liberty they had witnessed in the name of treason. To dismiss other opinions as treason denies the intent of our founding fathers. It is all that is necessary to bring the force of the government to bear on those with different opinions.
We have seen this happen in the past, and it should make us more afraid today. We are actually more petrified of terrorists, than we were of the USSR and it's nuclear arsenal. How ridiculous can you get? Though the menace may be self-fulfilling prophecy, as we are daily increasing our risk with ill-conceived actions. This is not rational, and when a population starts to lose it's rationality, atrocities become possible, commonplace, even desirable. We are at a crux, and I feel enraged and frightened. The outcome of a presidential election has never meant a lot to me, and today it does, even though I don't have faith in the alternative.
I used to joke that if you had less than 100 million dollars you couldn't possibly be a real republican, you were either a lackey or minion. It doesn't seem funny anymore with the cronyism and unjustified bloodshed that is going on. At the same time privacy and liberties are being curtailed at home and abroad.
I often feel like I am being a boor. Then I look at the stakes, and current events. Granting our government a degree of power it has never before had and it's results should be a big issue. Yet, it is not as important as the discount at WalMart or Costco. The great equalizer, consumerism. Responsibility, compassion, courage, and integrity all take a back seat to consumerism. Liberal or conservative it doesn't much matter. Those low prices come at the cost of your neighbor's jobs, and require working conditions in third world countries even Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter would not condone in our country. It seems a bargain is the loftiest goal possible in our culture.
I write it down, it looks too ugly to be valid, yet I can't find any way to poke a hole in it. The sacrifice of liberty, privacy, and courage for perceived temporary safety should be the biggest domestic issue today. Whether you agree with me or not, this fundamental change, or loss of democracy, should be a very hot issue. It is not; all indications show the price of a Big Mac or SUV is more important to the vast majority of our population.
Am I being alarmist, or realistic? Obviously I don't view myself as alarmist. Apathy is every bit as dangerous as donning a brown shirt and goose stepping with the mob. Do we have to actually cross the line into fascism before eyes finally open to what is happening.
On the bright side. I have found ways to deal with personal issues in my life to avoid rage, and have done it so well that it was hard to find anger in my theatrical work. I went from suppressing all anger to dealing with it effectively. Thanks to politics I have truly rediscovered my rage.
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