When Will They Learn?

January 7 2005
Counterbias.com
Doug Griffin
T E X A N F O R T R U T H

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it - always." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

This is my prayer. I pray that the blatant atrocities and injustices dubiously committed by George W. Bush in the name of God and country will be seen for what they are. I pray that America, specifically Americans who believe George W. Bush is a good man with good intentions, will one day see the ludicrousness of that notion. I pray that the media will do its job again, which is watch-dogging the Neo-Cons of the world and protecting the public trust instead of betraying it.

So far, my prayers have gone unanswered and no one has been held accountable for anything. Save for those rogue soldiers of Abu Ghraib fame. I heard Joe Watkins call the soldiers on trial for the tortures at Abu Ghraib “rogue soldiers” on CNN. This from the biggest “Uncle Tom” since, well… Uncle Tom. Before anyone gets their panties in a twist, I am African-American too. Watkins gets paid to to go on CNN to put on black-face… er, to put a black face in front of the camera and talk about how great George W. Bush is. If that ain’t an Uncle Tom, I don’t know what is. I pray that Joe gets a little taste of Dubya’s greatness via a little racial profiling and maybe a little police brutality. Nothing too serious, just enough to make him rethink his line of BS.

Trickle-down non-accountability

This is the least accountable presidential administration in history. We citizens are not taking responsibility for our actions either. The reported 51% that voted for George W. Bush basically voted for more of the same. More children being orphaned, not by tsunamis but by bombs. More innocent Iraqi civilians being murdered – by us and their own countrymen. More corporate media turning a gleefully blind eye to the inhumanity that is the Bush Administration. I have a hard time taking responsibility for all this since I, along with the rest of the “Smart 48%,” didn’t vote for George W. Bush – of my own volition, anyway – either time. We all knew he was a walking disaster. Why is it that supposedly 51% of Americans who voted didn’t know? The media is largely responsible, but the citizenry has take some responsibility for its own ignorance too. I’m reminded of a couple of quotes from Albert Einstein:

"He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice."

And,

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them."

Time for a paradigm shift

If we are going to make this world a better place for all, we can no longer subscribe to outdated concepts. The first one that has to go is separatism. America does not exist in a vacuum, although it may seem that way to the rest of the world. We are a part of the global community; we are not above it. Along with that, the false perception of America’s elite status in the world needs to go. We can no longer afford to treat the world as if it were our personal toilet, wiping our collective asses with everyone else’s flags. The very moment George W. Bush took the oath of office for the Presidency of the United States, our “elite” status was shattered. How could it remain intact with Fredo Corleone at the helm?

Any poor person, person of color (no matter the income), woman, adult between the ages of 18 to 35, elderly person on Medicare/Medicaid and/or Social Security that voted for George W. Bush, voted against their own best interests. Mr. Bush’s interests are corporate interests. Those who claimed to vote for security, voted against it by voting for George W. Bush. He only claims to share the interests of the citizenry. Name one way his actions have matched his rhetoric with regard to the interests of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Public.

However he can sell the American people down the river to serve the corporate end, President Bush has and will continue to do so. I pray that those who voted for more of the same, get enough of the same to realize their mistake.

When, Mahatma, when?