Word on the Street

Republicans lashing out so strongly against Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) call for the pull out of Iraq was a disproportionate response to the simple act of free speech. One might argue that it was not the dissent that was so jarring and abhorrent to the GOP but the source that uttered it. John Murtha is a war veteran and has strong connections within the military establishment. “Murtha is not a typical left-wing Dem. A Vietnam vet, he served 37 years in the Marines and received two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with a Combat "V" and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.(NYP)" Those that bleed together… and all that. So, what we witnessed might well be a bit of true Washington smoke and mirrors.

Whether it was the dark lord Cheney or the master of puppets Rove who orchestrated and mobilized the tools of the administration to gang up in such short order is irrelevant. With poll ratings in the sewer and no real light at the end of the tunnel short of complete capitulation, the Bush administration is truly up against a wall and in check on all fronts. Its kind of nice.

The rude lashing out was an effort to draw the public’s view away from the real significance of the statement. The word on the street is that Murtha is in tight with many generals at the Pentagon and in the field. He has their ear and their confidence via his service and experience. If he calling for a withdrawl of our troops, the odds are strongly suggestive that he is giving voice to not only his constituency, but to those who conduct the very instruments and cogs of the American war machine.

In Roman society, Caesars had to have the support of the legions in order to rule effectively and securely. While the Bush administration is in no genuine threat of being assassinated by some uppity praetorians, this is as close as Bush and Co. has come to getting stabbed by a messenger of Brutae. Dissent from the military is inevitable given the circumstances, if you consider that neither the ruler nor his chief minions ever truly served in the armed forces. Can you say five deferments? Shakey Air National Guard attendance records anyone? Never in the life of American government has there been a situation as clear cut as this with those in power basically saying “Do as I say and who cares that I wouldn’t do it were I in your shoes.” One could hope that the conservative culture of the military will be forever influenced by the events of our time and from here forward not so blindly support a Republican leadership for conservatism’s sake.

Lets see where we are by mid-March. :-)

BTW, sorry I have not posted for a while. More when I can...

Retro Post 1

Just to get some of my old bits onto this site... Some points are still salient. Enjoy.

11/10/2004
Dark Cloud Over America: Day 9 (the faint silver lining)

The rats are leaving the ship! Is the ship that is federal American government half full or half empty with water to herald the retreat? Asscroft handed in a multi-page letter of resignation to the Shrub and is headed for the hills. Clearly dillusional, he actually had the temerity to say "The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." Too many bare breasted statues in Washington for his weak little heart to take, more likely. Others are following suit. We will see who we get stuck with next.

Then we see this cartoon... Can we say Pat Oliphant rocks? We agree with his take on the situation completely. Here's the thing: Our current system of government, albeit tilted a direction that we don't like at present, is one that was literally hundreds of years in the making. Take some ancient Greece and Roman Empire, a hearty cup full of Magna Carta, add a healthy pinch of Enlightenment thinkers, maybe sprinkle a little Martin Luther in there and slide that concoction into a Dutch oven circa 1600's to early 1700's and let it cook up to 1776. Glaze with a U.S. Constitution and garnish with some Jefferson, Franklin and Washington and you have yourself a phat democracy! Best enjoyed with some John Quincy Adams on the side.

To extend this metaphor train obnoxiously further... If you have ever made bread, you know it takes time and patients. Lots of effort, too. That is democracy for you. America seems to be trying to pawn off a cheap, Wonderbread version on Iraq and Afghanistan. The world knows we have ourselves some delicious Tuscan whole wheat over here, so why would anyone settle for Wonderbread?

We fear the loaf of U.S. democracy either has mold or is growing stale.

More to the point, a democracy is learned and earned, not bestowed. We have a system of government that commands appreciation because of the well documented history of blood, sweat and tears that went into creating it. It is that context and history that only (most) Americans and like established democracies can appreciate. The world of Islam has no comparable history and little impetus to try to get their communal psyche geared to that perspective. (Though they do have plenty of blood spilled, you have to admit. Thank you Crusades!) All that and we are blowing up everything of theirs in the name of democracy and security.

True story time: A group of Spanish conquistadors approached a peaceful tribe of pueblo Indians and the conquistador leader, in his native tongue, decreed to the Indians standing before him that they had about a minute to convert to Christianity or they would all be put to the sword in the name of God and whichever Spanish Monarch was reigning at the time. There was no effort to translate or learn about the people they were addressing. Just the decree. The conquistadors slaughtered the entire community. Substitute Christianity for democracy and modify the rhetoric and this appears quite familiar, doesn't it?

Who would have thought Iraq and the old American west would have so much in common?

posted by A. L. Deviant at 1:19 PM