The Great Experiment: 1776-2000 CE. R.I.P.

[Mythsaje]

It seems as though our founding fathers were correct. The maintenance of the American Republic was left ultimately in the hands of the people, and because of our neglect, we've lost it. We have no control anymore, and, as Steppenwolf put it, it's become a monster that will not obey.

When we were first told that we wouldn't be pursuing criminal charges for those in charge of prosecuting an illegal war or violation of the Geneva convention and U.S. law on torture, ostensibly so we could concentrate on much-needed progressive "reforms," I grumbled a little, but thought, "well, maybe we do need to spend our political capital on getting things done." It wasn't a great argument, but there wasn't a lot we could do about it. Yell and scream all we wanted, the decision had been made.

But here we are, looking at the so-called "reforms" that have come down the line and thinking "hey, this isn't what we signed up for. This wasn't what we had in mind when we worked so hard to get a Democratic majority in Congress and a Democrat in the White House." In fact, what we're seeing of health care "reform" and the credit card "reform," not to mention billions of bailout dollars going to the very people who've put us in this mess with very little managing to go to the people who not only need it the most, but have the best chance of jump-starting the economy through domestic spending. Not that it's likely to do a lot of good in the long run because too many jobs of value have been outsourced and it doesn't look like anyone is interested in getting them back.

In short, the "reforms" we're seeing are like slapping a band-aid over arterial spray. The American economy is bleeding out, and those who are allegedly "smarter than us" are arguing about which band-aid to use. We, in short, are being robbed blind and lied to by everyone in charge.

Nice.

And even worse (and, yes, it does get worse), the fact that we're declining to investigate the crimes done in our name, in pursuing justice against those who dragged our name so far into the mud, leaves them in position to come back around at us in a decade or so, after the complicit corporate media has a chance to launder the Republican image and the vast majority of Americans have forgotten the worst abuses. Americans are optimists, which is often a good thing, but expecting "good" out of the baddest of the bad isn't optimism, it's naivete at it's most basic level.

Witness how the media has handled the whole Obama/Cheney "dueling speeches" nonsense. This war criminal is being held up as a viable counterpoint to the President, and his approval rating is climbing. He's like the embodiment of evil, or at least as close as we're likely to see in this day and age--easily as vile in his way as the worst Islamic terrorist or brutal dictator. Yet he's being allowed--no, invited--to whitewash himself in the eyes of the American people.

I don't have a lot of faith in our leadership at this point. We know what the Republicans stand for, but I'm not sure what our leaders stand for. Not us, certainly. Or at least, it doesn't appear that way.

Pretty speeches are one thing, but words are just that. Words. When one's actions don't jibe with what one is saying, it sends a clear message. WE aren't important anymore. We can be lulled into silence, hypnotized into complacency, and left standing in the dark while our country is dismantled around us and shipped off to parts unknown. Or, at least, a significant number of us can. And those of us who are most likely to act as watchdogs are laughed at, disdained, and marginalized.

I was all ready to cheer this administration on. I thought it was a wonderful thing that we'd elected an intelligent, articulate, self-admitted Geek to the White House. The fact that he's African-American (quite literally) made it even more of a victory. But the one thing I've seen in the first 100 or so days is that we're moving in the wrong direction on almost every issue, and those where we're not, we're being asked to accept a placebo in place of anything remotely like a cure.

I'm not impressed. And I really, really wanted to be.



edited for clarity