No Time For Despair
June 21, 2005
By Ernest Partridge, The
Crisis Papers
A
Shel Silverstein cartoon of a few decades past depicts two prisoners,
shackled to the wall of an ancient dungeon. One says to the other,
"Now here is my plan."
One must admire the prisoner's indomitable will, however unrealistic.
Fortunately, the present political situation in the United States
is not hopeless, though one might think so to read some of the e-mail
responses to our essays:
- "The fact of the matter is, the new Republican Party is
in power, and it will take more than a majority of voters to dislodge
them in 2006. If you own the system, you can rig it to give you
the results you want."
- "I don't think the House of Bush will fall anytime soon.
Corporate America has things just the way they want them and there's
too many regular people drunk on Jaysus and fear. The Bush Administration
has tapped into this perfectly."
- "I'm sorry to say so, but I believe resistance is futile.
The communists kept the Soviet Union in an iron grip for almost
a hundred years. No rebellion even came close to oust the commies
and they were bumbling amateurs compared to the Bush camarilla."
Please understand, I am not an irrepressible Pollyanna � I am
fully aware that we may be in the dusk before a long night of despotism.
Like most visitors to the progressive Internet websites, I too am
tormented by anguish over what we have lost and by dread of still
worse to follow. But nothing would be more beneficial to Bush, Rove,
Cheney and the Busheviks than the surrender of their adversaries
to despair and thence paralysis.
I am reminded of a slogan from World War II (revived by Paul Rogat
Loeb): "The difficult can be done right away, the impossible
will take a little longer."
Several recent developments suggest that our cause, far from being
impossible, has in fact gained strength as opportunities now arise.
We've suffered the burden of discouragement in the face of the formidable
financial, political and propaganda advantages of Bush, Inc. All
the more reason to take inventory of our assets and of hopeful trends.
The Mainstream Media Are Not In Total Command Of Public Opinion
And Are Losing Credibility
The mainstream media (MSM) have been the despair of the progressives.
Despite the absurd right-wing accusation of "liberal bias,"
the MSM have been obedient stenographers to the Bush regime. Among
the corporate media, election fraud has been a forbidden topic,
and for two weeks after the Times of London broke the story
on the Downing Street Memos (DSM), this explosive revelation of
the Bush/Blair conspiracy to make war was hidden in the back pages
of a few newspapers and was virtually missing from the broadcast
media � until, at long last, it simply could no longer be ignored
(see below).
And yet the MSM problem is not altogether bleak. The MSM subservience
to Bush and the GOP is exacting a corporate cost in media credibility,
trust, and public respect � a cost that the industry may not be
able to sustain.
In September 23, 2004, the Gallup Poll reported
that:
The news media's credibility has declined significantly, with
just 44% of Americans expressing confidence in the media's ability
to report news stories accurately and fairly. This is a significant
drop from last year at this time and reflects the lowest level
of confidence in the media since Gallup first asked the question
in 1972.
And Timothy Maier, in World Net Daily, notes
that:
A recent Gallup Poll says Americans rate the trustworthiness
of journalists at about the level of politicians and as only slightly
more credible than used-car salesmen. The poll suggests that only
21 percent of Americans believe journalists have high ethical
standards, ranking them below auto mechanics but tied with members
of Congress. More precisely, the poll notes that only one in four
people believe what they read in the newspapers.
Read Dana Milbank's disgraceful
attack on John Conyers and his DSM hearing, and you might appreciate
why the public is abandoning the mainstream media. (See also Conyers'
reply).
To be sure, many Bushophiles will be heartened by this outrageous
"news item," and perhaps a few may be persuaded that the
hearing was, as Milbank put it, "a trip to the land of make-believe."
But every time such an abomination is passed off as "journalism"
� and by the Washington Post, no less! � the MSM credibility
is deflated just a little bit more. It is most unlikely that Dana
Milbank will every recover the reputation that he relinquished with
this attack on John Conyer's hearing. I can testify that I will
never again take seriously anything he writes.
Sadly, Milbank's mischief is not an aberration amongst the MSM.
Similarly, the credibility of the New York Times, that "flagship
of American journalism," was seriously eroded by the WMD fantasies
of Judith Miller � still employed by the Times, by the way.
Moreover, the New York Times "uncovered" and then
harangued about the Whitewater non-scandal that harassed the Clintons,
throughout Bill Clinton's term of office. And don't get me started
on the MSM's accusations that Al Gore had claimed to have invented
the Internet (false) and discovered Love Canal (false), or the MSM's
failure to expose the vicious Swift Boat slander of John Kerry.
One must also wonder how long the MSM can persist with this behavior.
While they are willing purveyors of Bushistic propaganda and non-reporters
of information damaging to the Bush regime, they are also businesses.
The delinquency of the MSM has financial consequences that were
of no concern to Josef Goebbels or Stalin's Pravda. As the MSM loses
credibility with the public, it loses readers and viewers, hence
there is a loss of advertising revenues, hence a loss of stock value.
Will the stockholders willingly continue to sacrifice their investments
on the alter of political pandering? Doubtful.
In the meantime, authentic and courageous journalism persists.
This week, the WoodStein/Watergate Award goes to Michael Smith
of the Times of London, who obtained and published the Downing
Street Memos. And the Dan Ellsberg/Deep Throat Award goes to the
unknown Brit official who passed these documents to Smith and to
the London Times.
Heroes, both. But British, both.
Where are the American journalistic heroes, now that we so desperately
need them?
The Alternative Media Works!
A week ago Sunday, Tim Russert referred to "the famous Downing
Street Memo." (DSM) Famous? No thanks to Russert and his cohorts
in the MSM.
Like the election fraud issue and the Gannon/Guckert affair, news
of the DSM disclosure was kept alive by the small independent progressive
publications and by the progressive Internet websites � not to mention
the irate readers of same who then besieged the MSM with letters
of outrage at the media's silence and negligence.
When the MSM could no longer ignore the Downing Street Memo, they
immediately set about to disarm the issue. At the Conyers hearing,
Congressman Barney Frank summed up the MSM response perfectly: "What
the memo says is false, and besides, we knew all along what it was
telling us." (Paraphrased from memory).
Contradiction aside, consider the implications of that latter
dismissal. "We knew all along that before the war, Bush was
lying to us and the Congress when he said that he was doing all
that he could to avoid war - a lie that he repeated just this week."
True, lying to Congress is a felony and an impeachable offense,
but never mind all that. Whaddaya think about the Jackson acquittal,
and how about them Pistons!
Slowly, ever so slowly, the public is beginning to wake up to
the fact that the MSM are George W. Bush's obedient puppy-dogs.
And those Americans who still want to know what's really going on
in their government, their economy, and the world beyond, are now
looking elsewhere: to the international press and to the Internet.
For example, just today (Sunday) I read about still more Downing
Street Memos which provide further evidence of Bush's conspiracy
to wage an illegal war. I learned this from the Times of
London, via the Internet. I also read about Bush's absurd claim,
once again and just last week, that the Iraq war is a response to
the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I read this in an article from Agence
France Presse (Paris) � via the Internet.
We have a long way to go in the United States, before our citizens
attain the sophistication and skepticism of the Soviet citizens
who finally gave zero credibility to Pravda, Izvestia, and Gostelradio,
and then turned to international news sources and to the unauthorized
and illegal "private journalism," the Samizdat. And when
the Soviet public no longer believed its government, the Soviet
Union was finished.
And now, at last, an American
Samizdat is emerging.
Bush's Approval Rate Is falling, With No Foreseeable Reversal
The poll numbers, as usual, vary. But Bush's approval numbers
are between 41% and 46%. The latest New York Times/CBS poll
reports
42%. These are the lowest scores of the Bush Administration, and
the trend line continues to fall. If the numbers go below 40% this
will likely indicate that Bush will be losing his "base."
The same poll reports 33% approval of the Republican-controlled
Congress, with only 19% of those polled stating that the Congress
shares their priorities.
Republicans Are Deserting Bush.
At last, Bush appears to be losing complete control of the Republican
Congress. With only a quarter of the population approving, Bush's
Social Security plan appears dead on arrival. Congress also rebuked
Bush with its approval of stem cell research and with its scaling
back of the Patriot Act. John Bolton's confirmation is in jeopardy
again. None of this would be possible but for the defection of a
few Republican members of Congress.
Consider next, this sharp criticism of the Bush Administration's
reassurances concerning Iraq:
Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White
House is completely disconnected from reality. It's like they're
just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're
losing in Iraq.
One could scarcely imagine an "establishment Democrat,"
apart from Howard Dean, uttering these words in public. The source?
Senator
Chuck Hagel, Republican of Nebraska.
The marriage of convenience between moderate (traditional) Republicans
and the radical right, may be heading toward divorce. Jerry Landay,
a former CBS News Correspondent summarizes
the points of contention between the moderates ("Conservative
Originalists") and the radicals ("Bush Ideologues"):
Conservative Originalists believe in conserving useful institutions
and traditions, changing them in the light of changing times and
circumstances, and opposing fiscal irresponsibility. An Originalist
abhors budgetary deficits, the erosion of the powers of the states,
extremism in the politicization of judges, weakening the separation
of church and state, and reckless expansionist international policies.
The Bush ideologues have violated all of these tenets.
It was an odd coupling at the outset, and it is a wonder that
it has lasted this long. It is equally astonishing that the Democrats
have not aggressively exploited this tension within the GOP.
Truth Is A Formidable Asset � And Conversely A Deadly Adversary
Of Bushism
The Busheviks are not only adversaries of the Democrats and liberals;
they are also at odds with the real world. And that is a contest
they cannot win. The war in Iraq is a disaster and is getting worse,
despite Dick Cheney's proclamation that the insurgents are in their
"death throes." No amount of reiteration of the Iraqi
WMD myth will make it so. And Bush, along with his friends in the
industry-front "Global Climate Coalition" can not abolish
atmospheric physics and chemistry.
The lies of the Bushites are on video tape and cannot be erased
� and they are accumulating. And as they do so, the credibility
of this corrupt administration continues to erode. Today, more and
more of our fellow citizens are finally coming to realize that they've
been duped.
Eventually the lies will be the downfall of the Bush regime. But
if they can maintain the curtain of lies for just two more elections,
they win, and that "downfall" may only be manifested at
length in the enduring reputation of Bush, Inc. when future histories
are written. On the other hand, the downfall may come very soon,
before the Bushites can do much more damage.
How soon? On that question rests the fate of the Bush Administration
and the Republican Party that has spawned it. And the fate of the
United States and the world community of nations.
A Sense Of Justice Is Also A Formidable Asset
Since the Bush regime took office in 2001, we've seen:
- "Reverse Robin-Hoodism" � taking from the poor and
middle class and giving to the rich.
- Borrowing from our children and grandchildren to pay for our
profligacy.
- Condoning the torture of prisoners, and holding others in prison
indefinitely, without charge, without benefit of counsel or trial.
- Starving social and civic services � the schools, fire and
police protection, infrastructure.
- Ravaging the environment.
- Impoverishing children, widows, the elderly, future generations.
- The loss of 1,700 of our soldiers and the slaughter of tens
of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens.
All this and more is an affront to common decency and an innate
sense of justice. Much of this injustice is a direct violation of
our Constitution. It persists due to the apathy, the ignorance,
the denial, or the confusion of the public. Many of these outrages
are sustained by a bodyguard of excuses and myths: "trickle-down
economics" (the rising tide raising all boats), the prosperity
for all that must result from the tax cuts fir the wealthy � "just
you wait," "collateral damage" of "the war on
terror," the "few bad apples."
But despite all the diversions and propaganda of Bush's spin merchants,
these injustices remain and they fester. Is there a limit to how
much of this moral outrage the American public will tolerate before
that public cries out, "enough!" and demands remedy?
We may soon find out.
When Wounded, The Beast Is Most Dangerous � And Most Vulnerable
George W. Bush has not, throughout his lifetime, exhibited "grace
under pressure." Whenever he has found himself in difficulty,
his Dad or his Dad's associates have come to Dubya's rescue.
Now there is no one to bail him out.
Remember, during the first debate, when he complained, several
times, that "it's hard work?" No wonder: the four years
since his (s)election may well be the first time in his life that
he has ever been forced to work. And now, in the Oval Office he
is way, way, over his head in responsibility and in the demands
of intellect and competence.
Thus it is more than likely that in the near future we may witness
the disintegration - the "disassembling" - of the President
of the United States. It won't be a pretty sight.
Bush and his gang have huge stakes in keeping their sorry regime
together, for if it falls and is followed by a restoration of the
rule of law � with a Congress willing and able to investigate with
the powers of subpoena and discovery, and with a functioning Department
of Justice � the Busheviks face far more dire consequences than
a loss of office, or even of fortune. Given the known lawlessness
of this regime, and no doubt much more that we don't know
about, many individuals now in office may be facing real time served
in the Federal slammer. Add to that, once out of office, they would
be well-advised to avoid foreign travel � in particular, near The
Hague.
What they might do to avoid all this � i.e., to remain in office
� is fearful to contemplate. Ben Tripp in Counterpunch offers
fair warning:
The people aren't afraid of [Bush] any more, they're sick of
hearing about terrorism and they are, despite their general lack
of interest in matters beyond our borders, tired of being hated
around the world, killed in Iraq, and unemployed back home. Opposition
calls for investigation and even, god love 'em, impeachment, are
being met with increasingly desperate Stalinist tactics such as
Republican leaders locking the Senate doors, turning off all the
lights, and pretending not to be in when the two or three Democrats
with any gumption show up to do business. It sounds fun, but it
isn't.
Not desperate, the Bush Gang started a war, disassembled the
government (that means lying), and sank the economy. Desperate,
what will they do? I tremble to think.
I am reminded of Constantin Costa-Gravas's great political film,
Z (1969). Based upon events in post-war Greece, the movie
portrays a country where the people, led by a courageous liberal
politician, rise up against a corrupt government. On the brink of
victory, the politician is assassinated. When the criminal investigation
of the murder leads to the ruling elites, the military takes over
and establishes a dictatorship.
When wounded the beast is most dangerous. But also, most vulnerable.
There is strength and courage in numbers � in the perception of
the oppressed that they are not alone. If the Bush regime fails
to recover total control of the GOP and the Congress and soon, its
current vulnerability is quite likely to increase and accelerate.
As with Watergate, that which is believed to be impossible may be
reconceived by the public to possible, then probable, and finally
inevitable, provided the people are willing to take risks and exert
energy in their struggle to regain control of their government.
It is a sequence, a story, repeated throughout history, and most
vividly for our compatriots, in the American revolution and in the
decline and fall of Richard Nixon.
Perhaps the most formidable obstacle to the overthrow of the Bush/GOP/Theocrat
regime is the GOP ownership and control of the machines that determine
our elections. If the power of, and allegiance to, the Bush regime
continues to erode, this obstacle too might be overcome, as it must.
If, as I am convinced, Bush and the GOP owe their control of the
White House and the Congress to voting fraud, then there are at
least dozens and perhaps hundreds, who know the truth of this conspiracy.
But as the threat of retaliation subsides, some may at last come
forward with the decisive evidence. Consider also that elections
are administered, not nationally, but by state and municipal authority
(think Katherine Harris and Kenneth Blackwell). Accordingly, state
attorneys general and municipal district attorneys are empowered
to investigate and indict those suspected of voting fraud. Empowered,
but to date, intimidated and paralyzed. As the political threat
subsides, it becomes ever more possible that these officers of the
law might at last, do their jobs and remove this dagger aimed at
the heart of our democracy.
In the midst of this crisis, it may be helpful to remember that
in the Chinese language, the concept of "crisis" is written
with the conjoined symbols of "danger" and "opportunity."
Despair Is Self-Fulfilling: So Too Is Hope
The strongest argument against despair, is that it acts to bring
about the anticipated disaster. A population that says, in concert,
"what's the use?" is a population that is, in effect,
is telling the despot, "please rule us � we won't resist."
Conversely, hope is the parent of opportunity and the cement that
binds and sustains alliances and drives rebellion to its successful
conclusion.
The trends are hopeful and the opportunities are before us. We
can win back our country.
Dr. Ernest Partridge is a consultant, writer and lecturer in
the field of Environmental Ethics and Public Policy. He publishes
the website The
Online Gadfly and co-edits the progressive website The
Crisis Papers. Send comments to [email protected].
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