Reply #30: I agree completely,...

[reichstag911]

...and I've felt the same way since Bush was (s)elected (see below). I think going after the media is the biggest mistake Rove & Co., could possibly make, so I hope they continue to escalate.

My customer review of Mark Crispin Miller's Bush Dyslexicon from Amazon.com:

Bravissimo!, July 24, 2001

Having met the author at a recent appearance in Oak Park, IL, and having enjoyed the presentation and discussion afterward, I was expecting to not only enjoy "The Bush Dyslexicon," but to also be enlightened by it. Well, to paraphrase the illustrious putschist himself, I found that expectations rose above that which was expected. Along with Hatfield's "Fortunate Son" and Ivins & DuBose's "Shrub," this book struck me as a fitting capstone to a "trilogy" of sorts: Hatfield's best material was about W's youth (lasting well into his 30's, of course), "Shrub" was best at exploring his financial and political ascent in Texas on the coattails of H.W. and Prescott, and Miller's examined how his "election" to the presidency happened. All that begs the question, however, of whether we got what we deserve. The author makes note in several places of the cynicism of the GOP (and the media) in assuming that the citizenry are complacent morons; the clear implication being that he thinks they are not. I have to disagree. Television has replaced religion as the opiate of the masses, and most seem perfectly willing to be lulled into the forgetful, soporific state that TV induces - just keep it short and entertaining. The masses are so accustomed to instant gratification - TV's specialty - that educating themselves on real issues, a project requiring time, effort, and (perish the thought!) critical thinking, is out of the question. Democracy is not a gift from a benevolent government, something our founders knew quite well. It must always be held on to, even unto death, by the people; that is difficult when they've got a bag of Cheetos in one hand, and a remote control in the other. My hope is that the oligarchs who stole the presidency will mismanage the nation in a fashion so blatantly criminal that even the rightists in the media can't ignore it. Perhaps, as the author suggests, it will take the administration making an enemy of one of the media conglomerates for them to attack W with the same vigor exhibited in the Clinton Follies.