zeldafitz

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others

Tina Brown is pretty much amazing, and she knows a thing or two about rising from the ashes, I dare say. Today she is writing about Clinton and I am glad as hell someone is finally stepping away from the herd-think and saying it like it is. He was a great president and every time I have listened to him in the past five years I have felt like crying when I think of what Americans opted for in his place.

Here's my problem: Americans are so attuned to mediocrity that they are suspicious, nay disparaging, of intelligence. It is that simple. Al Gore and John Kerry were not defeated because they were robotic and indecisive, respectively; they were defeated because the mass media weirdshop machine and political spin empire made Americans believe that those two vastly intelligent men had something to apologize for.

With Clinton—here’s where the vast right wing conspiracy comes in—Americans were made to believe that he was an out-of-control libidinous lout who committed PERJURY because he lied on the stand to save his ass. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others, wouldn’t you say? Which means: justice took a weird turn back then. And let me tell you this, the end did NOT justify the means.

Here are some highlights from Tina Brown’s article today:

Clinton seems to have found his role as facilitator-in-chief, urging us to give up our deadly national passivity and start thinking things through for ourselves. Commandeering the role of government through civic action suddenly feels like a very empowering notion -- the alternative being to find oneself stranded in a flood waving a shirt from a rooftop.

The White House doesn't seem to realize it yet, but we are entering a post-spin era in public life. Now after the Iraq debacle, the ballooning deficit and the aftermath of Katrina, Americans are pining for grounded leaders in public office, too -- leaders who have moral conviction, yes, but also the gnarly, dexterous ability to think things through.

I mean, what I truly do not understand is how any American could have allowed himself to be taken in by this giant fraudulent machine of Appearance Versus Reality/Saying it Makes it So Presidency.

I have said it before, the fairy tale that illustrates this presidency is: “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” This man has been parading through our streets, in a protective spin cycle cocoon with NO CLOTHES ON, and telling us all the while that he is wearing the finest hand spun gold vestments in the world. And it’s all been a big bag of lies.

This animal is more equal than anyone, in addition to being above the law.

Does is matter what you lie about? Yes it does. Saying you didn’t have an affair (I was as disappointed as anyone on that) is not the same as leading an entire nation AND OTHER ALLIED NATIONS into a war “on terrorism.” Ask yourself every minute of every day what that means. What is a “war on terror”? Is that a war that is meant to abolish the boogeyman? Is it meant to make kids' closets monster-free? Or is it meant to catch Osama Bin Laden? It might as well be a war to make kids' closets safe again, because it sure as hell isn't about rectifying the tragedy of 9/11 and punishing the people and countries responsible for it.

We are all complicit in this war because we didn’t do anything to stop it. Just when things were turning south, we all (OK, not me, but I don’t want you to feel bad) got suckered in by the democracy soft focus purple finger mirage. Daft squirrels.

Tina Brown is right, it is time that we turn our brains back on—turn off the autopilot—and start becoming engaged enough to participate in civic action and responsibility. Get off the bus and have an original thought and admire people, not for their deep pockets and perceived blue blooded lineage, but for their acumen, depth and above all, their compassion.

Here's a start: Win Without War, There will be a massive protest on Saturday, September 24th on the Mall. See ya there.