Michael Fri Sep 7 16:27:48 2001
Re: blurb for 9/7/01 WARNING: SERIOUS DISCUSSION A
> Wow - you have me worrying that my previous rant set you off
No, no. Nothing to do with you, except it's always nice to find a like-minded sane individual. There are so few of us.
> In many ways, I agree with you. The criminal incompetance of the last
> election, and the pro-mega-business, isolationist policy the
> 'administration' has put into place has me embarrassed as an American, and
> frankly terrified as a human being.
It's going to get worse. Corporate America has been sinking its fangs into the nation at least since WWII and it's gone too far. We can't remove the parasite without killing the host.
We could start by acknowledging that American culture belongs to America -- do you think Disney would agree? Whenever Disney takes a public-domain story (see any Disney animated movie), those concepts leave the public domain forever. Same goes for public-domain music. Bob Dylan owns a great deal of American musical culture, having copyrighted lots of folk music. Since Bob Dylan will never die, neither will his copyrights. Even if he *does* die, though, his corporate identity will retain copyright to America for a century.
Does anybody believe that it supports creativity and culture that Disney owns all rights to Mickey Mouse forever and ever amen?
> But I _absolutely_ refuse to believe this is the end of America as we (at
> least thought we) knew it.
Pfft. Nice dream world. I've given up. I live for myself (which is, of course, what America is all about -- enlightened self-interest.) Heinlein saw this coming, and was (as always) 100% right.
> And I actually even think the Bushies
> themselves will help us return to the proper path, because they are just
> so incredibly obvious about the things they are doing.
My God. Bill Gates isn't obvious? The RIAA isn't obvious? The movie industry isn't obvious? It's all around us. The price of liberty is eternal vigilance, and it's TOO LATE. We were asleep at the wheel.
It's not just the theft of the Presidency. It's the theft of the entire culture and the death of freedom that has my knickers in a twist. The theft of the Presidency is just the barest little tip of the iceberg.
Yes -- the Republican party has doomed itself here. My grandmother is the most dedicated Republican in the history of the nation, and she just gets really quiet when Bush is mentioned. She won't say it, but *she's embarrassed.* You can't help but be mortally embarrassed that this once-great nation has elected a puppet and a clown to its highest office and is doing its damndest to pretend that's what we all wanted in the first place.
> Do Christians really believe squashing patients
> rights and provoking arms races is What Jesus Would Do?
Now, don't get me off on fundamentalism, but the "Christians" I grew up with certainly believe that Jesus would nuke the f***in towelheads, man, huhuhuh. Damn KKK wannabes to a man.
I'm a Quaker, by the way. Don't talk to me about the bankruptcy of Christianity.
> I see Sen.
> Gramm's announced retirement as the first straw in the wind about this. I
> think Gramm realizes that the Senate is solidly gone from Republican hands
> in the next election, and he is finding himself a cushy place early.
Gramm is not a stupid man. I accept your optimistic interpretation like the straw-to-a-drowning-man that it is. Thank you, mouse.
> We still have a free press
Except, of course, that it's owned lock, stock, and barrel by about four really big companies. The Coca-Cola thing? Did you see that getting any mainstream press? Even if it's total hooey, which it may well be, the corporados *don't attack each other* because they run a risk of losing advertising revenue.
Moral of the story: the advertiser owns the "free" press. There are no editorials left, because there are no interested citizens left. Why would anybody be interested? Doesn't matter how you vote anyway -- the vote will go to the highest bidder.
> things like PBS radio that are digging into stuff
Now PBS -- there's a cool lot.
> - and enough of that
> rises to the attention of at least middle America that people are getting
> worried.
So their pulse rate will be slightly higher as they're led to the slaughter. That's nice.
> I think people will continue to push for campaign finance reform
> (which would be a _huge_ help);
And which will never, ever, ever happen, as the people elected are those who benefit from the status quo. Period. It's as likely as gas prices falling during a Bush administration.
> (And just wait till the AARP realizes he's
> lying about not touching Social Security).
There's a thread of hope there, true.
> AND PEOPLE DO STILL CARE.
In between their bread and circuses? Maybe.
> I have become a regular correspondent to my Senators;
You know, there's a point where I'm remiss. I'll fix that. They'll be hearing from me a lot more. There are only 4 million people in Indiana. Our Senators notice individuals.
> (Want a subject to
> start with? Ask your Senator to question whether the President can
> unilaterally withdraw from treaties which required Senate approval to
> enact. This is a Constitutional question, which should be pursued.)
This is the second reference I've heard about this. Can you give me a keyword to look up? I don't follow the news very closely.
> I keep hoping there is a way out - to contain him as quickly as possible,
> and maybe even get him out early.
I take hope from the fact that he was "elected" in a year ending with a zero. One of my ancestors enacted that curse, by the way...
> and from there to ol' Dubya himself. By 2002, the Democrats should have
> both Houses, and I think it would be instructional for the Republicans to
> find themselves facing the loaded end of an impeachment.
Hmm. That's optimistic.
> (when _I_ look in Bush's eyes, I see a sort of
> deer-in-the-headlights, what-the-hell-am-I-doing-here look).
You have that dead on. He's always looked that way -- the man knows it's all an act, and so do the rest of us, and we STILL for some unknown reason all pretend that he's a President.
> He may have the fatcats, but we have the
> numbers, and in the end, we _must_ have the power.
Through history, numbers have not had power. Sorry. It was nice while it lasted, but it just ain't so, and hasn't been for a long time.
Tomorrow I'll repudiate the whole thing. I really did stay up too late last night.
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