SharedThought

Are you still in shock over the election? I know I am. My brain has been paralyzed for the six weeks since the election. I do realize that there are two very distinct perspectives of life, patriotism and security in this country. And I know by nature that the two seldom see eye-to-eye on issues. But isn’t there a middle ground any more? Listening to the rhetoric coming out of Washington, it certainly doesn’t seem so. Does the word “progress” mean anything anymore? Integrity? Responsibility? Science? (Silly me, of course I know that science has been relegated to the “quaint” category, along with the Geneva Convention and civil rights)
Going on a rant here, so be forewarned. Stream of consciousness engaging. . .
The “mandate” our leader has now will ensure that the following practices will continue unabated, if not accelerated. Degradation of personal liberties; freedom to travel unmolested (Literally. For those of you who have traveled recently, you know this term is not an exaggeration) and unhindered within our own country; dilution of services that we ALL take advantage of (read Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, . . . ), continuing conflation (I love that word) of the word enemy with “terrorist”; unconscionable mistreatment, torture, and killing of prisoners in our custody-most notably at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib; lack of respect for each human life. More executions? By God yes!! Kill the bastards! Pro-life? Yup. Nope. Health plan coverage for Viagra so all the men can have big boners? Sure, why not? (Sorry for being crass, it seemed appropriate here) Birth control and family planning to keep unwanted pregnancies from occurring? Nope; “Protect” the US and exact vengeance on the terrorists? Uh, yeah! Not care that the price is thousands of civilians killed as “collateral damage”. What a shame. For someone else that is; suppression of rational objective thought in the formation of national policy-to be replaced instead by policy measured by the yardstick of Christian dogma. e.g. the use of a narrow “moral” argument with respect to pre-marital sex, and the exclusion of the discussion of protection against disease and the use of birth control as opposed to the government’s actual responsibility to the public health of those involved; continued failure of W to assimilate the concept that just because he is a conservative right-wing Christian does not mean that he has the right to turn the government and this country into a theocracy;
Inhale
Blatant cronyism of the Cabinet staff appointments-can you say Bernard Kerik? This guy is a fully vetted candidate for Secretary of Homeland Security (Homeland Security?, don’t even get me started on just the name alone) and he is a crook and a philanderer; using the drumbeat of fear to drown out popular objection and objective analysis of irrational domestic and foreign policy; a dearth of accountability for mistaken and false statements, assumptions, conclusions, and actions undertaken, indeed the reward of those individuals involved with further tasks and accolades. e.g. today’s reward of the triumvirate of stewards of military, intelligence (and I use the term loosely), and civilian facets of the horribly bungled Iraq war with Presidential Medals of Freedom. And the continued presence of Donald Rumsfeld, although he has yet to make a correct assumption about any part of the Iraq situation; failure to formulate sound fiscal policy-the result being the increased economic stratification of our nation and the free-fall of the dollar internationally; blindly borrowing hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars to fund war and irresponsible tax cuts, threatening the solvency of our entire financial structure and future of our country; blatant pandering to energy interests. Our policy is what? To lessen the use of foreign oil? No, of course not. Hello. Oil is not going to last forever. Now is the time to develop alternate sources of energy And I don’t mean hydrogen. Do you know how much natural gas, oil, or coal you have to burn to provide enough energy to make hydrogen? It doesn’t just fall out of the air, or split from water on command. Not to mention the cost of constructing a hydrogen transport network, currently estimated at $5 trillion.) My personal opinion is that we should nationalize the energy companies. Then, at least, if there is profiteering, the proceeds go into our own pockets. Why is there no limit on the profits these companies may realize? It is not as if we, as residents of the US have a choice of whether we use electricity or gas or not. They are essential to everyone’s life on a daily basis;
Exhale
Failure to recognize that the US cannot stand on its own against the rest of the world (read up on Athenian history if you need a classic example-or more contemporarily, say, Great Britain? Or the Soviet Union?); expansion of the military, including the desire of our “fearless leader” (Bullwinkle fans?) to develop and use a whole new generation of nuclear weapons while at the same time blustering loudly about Iran and North Korea’s possible “illegal” nuclear capabilities; unilateral abrogation of established treaties; politicization of the entire governmental process. Has W left Democrats any choice in their opposition to any legislation coming their way in the Congress? They have been frozen out of committee since 2002, when the Republicans took over the majority in both houses, and have been allowed no input. NOT a uniter; the frightening and somehow seemingly conspiratorial fervor for keeping the workings of government hidden from view. I don’t know about you, but when the process is hidden and secret, it would seem to indicate there is something to hide, and I don’t mean those actions which are truly in the national interest. If what you are doing is the right thing, then what is the rationale for keeping it out of the public record?

Whew! That feels better. Not really, as the above is the bitter reality.

We are doomed to live the next four years in a country ruled by W and his false morality. According to Webster’s; morality - conformity to the rules of right conduct; moral or virtuous conduct; integrity - soundness of and adherence to moral principle and character. Does this describe W? Not in my opinion. In my moral system, the code with which I was raised, or think I was raised, the truth trumps all. Equality, cooperation, openness, responsibility, accountability, respect, honesty, compassion, dignity, humanity, gravity, nobility, industriousness, prudence (now there’s a thought), equity, justice, patience and endurance, forethought, hope, and modesty are the measures and qualities of my system. (Many of these are also the basis for the Roman Way, the qualities of life to which every Roman Citizen-and, ideally, everyone else-aspired. A great society the Romans. Whatever happened to them?)
These are what determine true character. It really has nothing to do with belief in God or not. W falls short on many of these counts, and it only hurts our country and our fellow citizens.
The mouth says one thing, the actions speak loudly to the contrary. I enclose several verses from Matthew 7:

16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
This is W in a nutshell. (Austin? How did he get in that nutshell?) In his mind, he has done many wonderful works in His name. But his is the corrupt tree. Boiled down, distilled to its essence, this quite ungodly administration wholly, unabashedly, worships at the altar of power and the almighty dollar, nothing else.