I’m feeling conflicted today. I remember exactly where I was five years ago today (in Cincinnati with my sister Stephanie) and what I was doing (keeping her distracted from the inflammatory, repetitive cable non-news coverage while also trying to check in with my friends Cathy in DC and Barb in Manhattan). I remember what I felt (like I’d been sucker-punched in the gut) and what it cost me (eventually my job, after the insurance industry froze its technology spending, and my peace of mind, now that the government says I’m supposed live in fear).
Today I’m conflicted by the solemnity of this grim anniversary and my disgust with the current political regime, its actions, and its propaganda. I’m offended by the term “Patriot Day” in my Target-branded Franklin Covey calendar, and by the red-white-and-blue table display placed front-and-center at the Johnson County KS Public Library Corinth Branch that urges me to “Celebrate Democracy!” I’ve consciously tried to avoid any retrospective, news analysis, or docu-drama, but damn it’s been difficult.
Five years later, freedom is NOT on the march, I fear my own government more that I fear anyone who wears a head scarf, and I question my ability to celebrate democracy as long as I’m living in this Orwellian nightmare.
Election Day is less than two months away, folks. Don’t forget to vote.
dragonet2
September 12, 2006 at 4:27amMy biggest fear
is the constant pounding of ‘you have to believe in the current administration to be safe” is going to be a big fskker in the November elections. People are stupid. They don’t want to think they are but the vast majority of the American public is going to hear all the stuff said today and carry it over to November. Especially if the repugs keep up the pounding. Even if they aren’t really doing anything to make things better for anyone.
I”m disgusted, I’m ashamed, and I feel very badly for our people in uniform. When Mike McCain went off on KaCSFFS about our ‘patriotism’ I told him privately to shut the fuck up because every male in my family has been in the service and served in a war since at least 1916 (wwi) except my nephew. My brother got broken by his second term in VietNam. I also let him know that I do not ever want my sentiment against our government to influence attitudes toward the people in the service, though Bush’s government appears to be willing to shuck all the benefits off the GIs that they can to ‘save money.’ Which makes it more disgusting and horrid.
Their whole attitude is ‘if it ain’t making money for Halliburton, et al, it ain’t worth it.” Even when they’re serving crappy rations to the people on the line, sub-standard quarters to the same people, all to save buck and make their shareholders richer (i.e., Mr. Cheney)
Some days you just want to hit someone and you can’t.
‘
mckitterick
September 13, 2006 at 5:50amRe: My biggest fear
You are so right. I still can’t understand why people who truly support the troops support the Bushites. I still can’t understand why Americans consider the Bushites “strong on defense” when they’ve made the world so much more anti-American. And so on. Gag me.
And yes, A., I did the same as you in avoiding any kind of retrospective. Even NPR got all sentimental for a while, and I had to change the channel.
orin2
September 12, 2006 at 5:21amI am with you. I hope that everyone else does too although I fear it won’t be so. I was an ardent anti-bush voter last presidential election for precisely the reasons you list. The government has forgotten that it exists to express the will of the people not to take care of us as if we were children. The fact that the majority of people in the US want us out of Iraq and yet we remain, angers me.
tardis1963
September 12, 2006 at 1:50pmVoting
As a life long card carrying Democrat, the problem for me is who to vote for. The party leaders either treat the military like pond scum or they voted for the war in Iraq.
Matt
kalimeg
September 12, 2006 at 3:08pmHere you go:
http://www.hoffmania.com/blog/2006/09/olbermann_gives.html
This definitely says it all. It *should* get air time from here to November.