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The
Neighbors are Whispering
May 9, 2002
By W. David Jenkins III
Every so often I face a dilemma. Although news is breaking
out all over the place, I still sometimes get stuck. Even
though Bush II is a gold mine of material, a fertile ground
for well earned insult not to mention a bleeding crook, sometimes
you have to wonder if you’re beating a horse that just won’t
die. How many different ways are there to say “I hate that
spoiled brat” or “Somebody please lock him up before everything
is gone.” And so I pace and wonder what do I say next that
hasn’t been said already? And then, out of nowhere...
Allow me to set this up a little bit. Message boards are
full of reference to Bush II in terms relating to a “special
someone” who was a part of world history from Germany, oh
let’s say late 1930’s to 40’s. Even the reader response I
continue to receive constantly brings up the “Right Reich”
or “Herr So-and-so” when they refer to Bush II. Some responses
are out and out impulsive verbal attacks while others are
well written essays depicting similarities that they feel
need to be given the time of day to anyone who will listen.
But the fact remains that people simply cannot help seeing
parallels between 2002 and 1939 and it angers and scares the
crap out of them. And the only thing that scares and angers
them more is that people in general are too busy watching
idiots eating live cockroaches on “Fear Factor” than worrying
about what’s happening right under their noses.
As I stated above, sometimes inspiration comes out of nowhere.
It was a simple conversation which solidified something I,
and obviously others have been feeling.
One of the other things I do for release and to express myself
is to play music. I’m a regular “pit band” member of a local
performing arts center in upstate N.Y. and for the last few
weeks I’ve been accompanying the children’s drama workshop
production of “Alice in Wonderland.” After one of the performances
last week, a young mother of three came up to the musicians’
pit with a request. She wanted to see my T-shirt.
I was wearing a royal blue gift from a friend (thank you
Joanski0 from DU) which has a large American flag on the front.
That was all she could see with my jacket covering the rest.
I told her, “You may not like it, depending on your politics.”
See, the rest of the shirt says “This American Patriot Protests
the Corporate Owned George W. Bush.” It also has the First
Amendment on the back. When I pulled my jacket back, she put
her hand to her mouth and quietly gasped. She was shocked,
but not how you might think.
This pleasant, soft spoken woman was from Switzerland. She
and her family have been here for 2 ½ years and she was shocked
that an American was against “W.” But she was pleasantly shocked
because all she had seen was American media and the unwarranted
and obscene stroking they’ve been giving the Great Impostor.
She honestly believed that we all loved the guy and, with
the news and information she’s been receiving from her home
“over there,” she truly didn’t understand how Americans could
be so ignorant. Didn’t they recognize the danger that Bush
seemed to portray as the rest of Europe did. And then she
said it.
“Bush reminds us of someone very bad.” She said it in a whisper
as if she was afraid somebody might hear her. Mind you, we
were in a crowded auditorium with a zillion kids all over
the place and the place was noisy as all get out, but this
woman sincerely didn’t want anybody to hear her. Sensing her
uneasiness, I responded by asking her, “You mean somebody
from the 1930’ and 40’s?”
She put her hand to her mouth again as her eyes widened and
said “Yes.” We both knew who we were talking about. But something
about her response made me uneasy.
We’ve all seen the message boards where people call Bush
and other Republican vermin “Nazis” and other references to
that dark period in world history. But this woman was serious,
not that those of us who recognize the parallels aren’t, but
she was truly frightened. Her fear came from the all-too-recent
reality that her family and neighbors had experienced. Europeans
experienced the nightmare of unelected, unchecked and reckless
power first hand. Many Americans, on the other hand, are still
in a state of denial when it comes to what happened almost
two years ago (God, has it been that long?) let alone what’s
happening right now.
The thing is it’s not just the Arab peoples who have a certain
loathing for us. Our European friends don’t trust this monkey
either. Our allies genuinely fear Bush, but not out of a healthy
respect. Bush is feared because of how he “acquired” his job
and his reckless and irresponsible behaviors as viewed by
the world community. Despite what the pundits may say, Bush
does not have an unwavering coalition of world wide support.
Tony Blair, for example, is in danger of losing his job if
he keeps up his blind support for Bush’s follies. The pundits
may say that Blair is with Bush, and that may be so, but Blair’s
people will send him packing if he keeps it up. Blair’s people
remember that bad person from not so long ago too. Even though
the media may show Blair and other world leaders shaking Bush’s
hand in support, the people those leaders represent would
rather put their hands around Bush’s neck and shake his stupid
little head. We’ve all seen what little the corporate media
is willing to show us of the huge anti-Bush/anti-America protests
which have taken place all over the world. But they are happening
and they are protests consisting of enormous numbers of angry
citizens. Why not here where the real danger is festering?
Sure, we’ve had protests but nothing to the degree and frequency
warranted in light of the danger that we all will eventually
face. Listen, kids, the world thinks we are George W. Bush!
I know this woman I spoke to was just one person. But her
visible fear of being heard in a public place speaking against
the reckless and illegal power that is Bush II was absolutely
chilling to me. She was the one who said Bush was using the
9/11 disaster as a kind of Reichstag Fire. She was the one
who commented how the media seems like nothing more than an
extension of the Bush II administration. She was the one who
expressed a sincere fear and loathing for what Bush was doing
to what was once America. She recognized the signs of not
so long ago. A nations’ apathy masquerading as “patriotism”
fueled by a biased media, thus allowing an evil, unelected
power to wage aggression, not only against the world but against
its own people.
Our neighbors are whispering. They recognize all too clearly
what’s happening here. Their fear and apprehension is real.
They’ve seen the arrests of citizens without charge. They’ve
seen the waging of war by power hungry maniacs. They’ve seen
a country kept in the dark by propaganda. They’ve been there.
The familiarity of it all for them could very well be our
undoing should we be left alone in Bush’s war. George Jr.
was right. He is a “uniter, not a divider.” He’s managed to
unite the people of the world against us.
And the rest of the world thinks we’re right behind this
evil imbecile. Seriously, they really do.
Are you mad yet?
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