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Faulking Around - Sep 24, 2004 - Printable Version
- Running on Empty
by Mark Faulk
(Editor's Note: Salvador Dali once said "No masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist". Since this is the second time in as many days that I've raided my own blog and reposted an entry as a "real" article, I guess I'll have to settle for mediocrity, at least for the time being......Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe it's time for my nap.) Feeling the stress? I have been amazed at the number of people who have told me that they, too, have been losing sleep over the current state of affairs in America. As I listen to our readers, talk to my friends and family, and look around at people on the street, I can hear and see the strain of worrying about the future of our country. The election is near, and it seems as if many Americans have become Stepford Voters, repeating whatever propaganda that the Bushies program into their automatronic memory banks. We have become the country of "doublespeak" (defined as: any language that pretends to communicate but actually does not).
This is the Faulking Truth: The future looks bleak if Bush is re-elected, but not just because of Bush. It is possible that he is the least of our problems. In my opinion, He is just a minion of the real devils, an unwitting rube who believes what he is told and gets the applause at the end of the evening. The real villains are the Rumsfelds, the Wolfowitzs, the Roves, and the Snidely Whiplash of the administration: Dick Cheney. They are the ones that I really fear, for they are ones who have been pushing the agenda of global domination for years, long before the horrific events of 9/11.
This is not about "Homeland Security". If it was, we would have closed the flow of illegal aliens into our country three years ago. Instead, there are more people crossing the border than there were before we were attacked. Who cares about airport security when you can walk across the Rio Grande any time you want without fear of being detected?
This is not about stopping terrorism. If it was, we would have finished the job against Osama bin Laden, and our priorities would have been dealing with those countries that really do have weapons of mass destruction (and there are plenty of them), instead of attacking a country that....well, you've heard enough about Iraq already. I'll let that one rest for now. (You're welcome).
This is not about making our country safer for our citizens. If it was, our airport screeners would be better trained, better equipped, and better paid. Instead, they receive different orders every time a new supervisor comes in, on every shift change. They get mixed signals as to procedures, and are overworked (and underpaid) in a stressful environment. Their equipment is still substandard, and they can't even take the rule book (known as the "SOP" manual) home to learn it. It's the rules by which they are supposed to abide, but the information is classified. Huh?
This is not about protecting you when you fly. If it was, our Air Marshals wouldn't be dressed like "Men in Black", forced to preboard and sit only in first class, and required to ask out loud at hotels for the "Air Marshal discount". We might as well paint a red and white target on their backs.
This is not about stopping terrorists before they strike again. If it was, then they would cross check the passengers to see who is a potential threat BEFORE they board the planes, not thirty minutes after the flight has taken off. What kind of an idiot came up with that? At least then, Cat Stevens wouldn't have had the opportunity to attack the Men in Black Air Marshal with his guitar pick, or maybe beat the pilots into submission with his tuning fork. Enough said.
It has been three years since 9/11, THREE YEARS! If the Bush Administration hasn't made our skies, our borders, and our lives safer in three years, then why in the hell does anyone believe that he is the stronger candidate on national security? Why does anyone believe that he is the one best qualified to fight terrorism? Our national security is weaker than it was three years ago, but now (says Dubya), we have a plan. Well, here's my plan: I plan to do whatever it takes to make people see the light, to make them understand that they've been had. Hoodwinked. Bamboozled. Conned. Hornswoggled. Rooked. Duped. Deceived. Flimflammed. Doublecrossed.
Okay, I'm done now. Sorry, but I get kind of worked up about this.
Which (in a really abstract way) brings me back to my original point:
Feeling the stress? It's still 38 days until the election. We all need a break, or there are going to be some major meltdowns in the next few weeks. I'm seen major meltdowns before (okay, I've HAD major meltdowns), and it's not a pretty sight. So.......here's my advice:
Take the weekend off. Want your kids to have a better tomorrow? Spend a little time with them today. Want the world to be a better place? Go out and support your favorite band (mine is Aranda, come see them play this Saturday at the Plaza District Festival in Oklahoma City), eat at your favorite restaurant, or go watch your favorite football or soccer team. Visit with friends, talk to someone at great length about anything but politics. I did that today, and I feel much better for it (thanks, you know who you are).
And then, return rested, refreshed, revitalized, and re-energized. Re-join the Revolution, and revolt against the Republicans. You'll thank me come Monday morning. And that's the Faulking Truth.
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