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Down The Middle - Mar 10, 2005 - Printable Version
- Revolution #9
by Down The Middle
You say you want a revolution. Well, you know...we all want to change the world. Unfortunately, the fascist right also wants to change the world, and now that they have solidified their power in the U.S., that's exactly what they're doing. While Americans were sitting around watching big screen HDTV and drinking the latest colored alcoholic beverage, (which comes in more flavors than Grandma's Thanksgiving pies), these people were busy stealing away our country. I know, I know...who would have thought Georgie could have become a serious candidate for...well, anything, really but the machine behind him wasn't off somewhere cutting cedar brush. They were busying themselves destroying Bill Clinton and by proxy, Al Gore. After stealing away the 2000 Presidential election, they immediately moved on to defame other Democrats such as Max Cleland, Tom Daschel and John Kerry. They redistricted in states like Texas, making it virtually impossible for a Republican to lose an election, and now they're sicking their "Swiftboat" dogs on AARP because the association happens to be opposed to the theft of their Social Security and somehow, along the way, they have convinced many of our Christians that "peace" can only be achieved by the mass murder of Moslems. They have taken away civil liberties, stripped environmental programs of their funds, and created a record deficit that we will never live to see paid off. They have recruited media personalities and paid them large amounts of our tax money to spout propaganda, unleashed their wealthy corporate goons to break the financial legs of citizens seeking civil justice and have labeled heroes as unpatriotic, opposition judges as "activist" and broad ranging torture as "interrogation"! In basketball terms, the Right is performing a "full court press" and yes, they are winning the game.
Most anti-Bush voters seem to believe this is just another passing phase in our political "give and take" and that in another four years, the village idiot will be gone and things will get back to normal. They are very, very wrong! With the systematic dismantling of the Democratic political hierarchy, along with the constant, concerted attacks on any organizations or individuals that oppose the policies put forth by these neo-fascists, we are finding the Left becoming impotent and "Immaterial". In fact, many Democrats are even siding with the Right on such issues as the bill currently being pushed through Congress that will allow credit card companies (who are reporting a 168% increase in profits) to confiscate your homestead in bankruptcy court because they "are losing money".
I was sitting here wondering, just what it will take to get the people off their fat asses, put down the game-boys and start fighting for this country, and then it came to me. Blockbuster late fees. "Whaaaaat?", you say. Well, when I saw the tremendous response to the "Blockbuster" article, written by our Editor a few weeks back, I had to ask myself where my fellow countrymen were, on the reality scale. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about the article itself. It was a pertinent subject, and as always, Mark did a great job writing it. My problem was not with the article or it's writer...it was with you. YES, YOU! To see the Guest book silent on such matters of importance as the destruction of the environment, the illegal war in Iraq, and the rabid corporatism of our government and then see it "ablaze" with fervor on both sides of the "late fee" issue, I couldn't help but wonder if this nation was still worth saving. It seemed to me that only a few people thought so...or at least, felt strongly enough about it to actually go to the trouble of posting their opinion (which takes about one minute and can be done sitting down). If the people are that lazy, that unconcerned or even that afraid, how can we ever hope to defeat the fascists that have "skinned" away the moral obligation this country has to it's citizens and the world. This writer believes that if the people of this nation do not soon wake up to the realization that this is not "politics as usual", and act accordingly with the spirit of their forefathers, all will be lost. In the final analysis, if our Constitution is to be changed by ink or subverted by deed, the result will be the same...we will have our "free" America, no more.
Will someone, please tell me, where are the protesters on our college campuses? Why aren't there a quarter of a million marchers in Washington, today? Where are the volunteers for America? If not for the action of the SDS and the college students they incited during the 60s and early 70s, we would probably still be fighting in the Nam. If not for Martin Luther King and the Freedom Marchers we would still have the overt racism that plagued our nation. If not for the radical threat posed by the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers the establishment would have never taken the revolution seriously, and if not for the bold, righteous stance of Robert Kennedy, the movement would have had little or no political support.
As you already know, I consider myself Down the Middle of the political highway (Tire tracks all across my back) but do you realize, our forefathers purposely gave us this compromising, "bipolar" political system to assure that we would always retain a fair balance, not too far off center. Whenever either political extreme gathers too much power, it can be a dangerous situation for the country and it becomes the duty of the other party to throw up the "barricades" and mount a "counterattack". In this case, I'm not sure the Democratic Party is up to the fight. It seems to me, it is now up to the people themselves to carry the banner forward.
As Thomas Jefferson told us, it was not the one revolution that created this country but the continuing revolution that buys our freedom. The question before us is not one of violent or non-violent revolution (Being a Christian, I prefer passive resistance) but a question of whether the people of this nation will once again stand up for themselves and their country. Have we grown tired over the years, or have we just become spoiled and lazy. Maybe we're all just too afraid to show our colours (like the news media that showed us the truth in the sixties but now prefers to remain in their "safe", well paid positions of prominence).
I, myself, would prefer to lay back and enjoy the remainder of my life in peace but I refuse to leave our children to a government that has forgotten the very people who they are sworn to protect and serve. This aging revolutionary has just about enough breath left in him for one more battle cry and I say, call out the instigator. Get the protesters back in the streets. March on Washington and take back your country, before it's too late.
Dylan said, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, but sitting around the house, listening to 60's music won't give us shelter from the storm. We have to take our songs back to the street. We have to sing them, once again, on the mall in Washington. If we act now, maybe there's still a chance we can change things by peaceful demonstration. If not, we are going to slide into the abyss of a one party dictatorship and then, the only recourse will be violence...and when you talk about destruction, don't you know, you can count me out.......in.
Something In The Air
by Thunderclap Newman
Call out the instigator
Because there's something in the air
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now
Lock up the streets and houses
Because there's something in the air
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now
Hand out the arms and ammo
We're going to blast our way through here
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution's here, and you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now
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