cause and effect

we have been bombarded from all sides lately- election crap, economy, corruption and erosion of civil liberties… the list goes on and on.  i have a sneaking suspicion that all of us just want the damned election to be over- the damned holidays to be over- and the damned depression to be over.  but we would still be left with a significant mess.  stop and think for a moment and sift through all of the senses that have just been overloaded- and what you are left with is a bigger problem than the economy or the election.  it’s us as a nation.

we, on the left, like to think that we are above the knuckle draggers on the right- the ones we continue to see played over and over on youtube.  but we aren’t.  we aren’t because we have closet knuckle draggers on our side.  the ones who blah, blah, blah about inclusion and sing kumbaya but then work to exclude people of color from actually participating.  i have heard that allegation many times from women of color and lgbt women regarding the feminist movement and it was complained about in the last few elections from ‘minority’ folks who felt ignored by the democratic party until election time.  not only that, but we have allowed the rabid right wing base to take over this country through our inactivity and lack of engagment for decades.  we treated our civic duties the way we treat our children- hands off and an accessory to our lives while we go to work in our suv and then to the all included cruise to the bahamas every year.  it’s up to someone else to deal with- and the rest of the world be damned.  yes, dems are as guilty as the rethugs.

i am always interested in points of view that aren’t american or are americans abroad observing.  ‘young americans abroad‘ expresses the arrogance that many talk about when describing americans in general- and the jingoistic nationalism at palin rallies just drives that home.  and palin seems to naturally gravitate towards that group- the nationalistic, white supremacists who tote guns and call themselves ‘middle class’- who don’t necessarily want women in positions of power but hey, it’s better than a black muslim arab terrorist guy, right?

we, on the left, played politics as usual for decades- we just sat by and grumbled and griped and waited it out until the next election.  something finally dawned on us though- there may not be anymore elections if we don’t get ourselves involved.  unfortunately, it came too late- because the legislation passed is almost impossible to overturn now- even if the folks who take over were of the mind to try.  and i doubt that they would be.  unbridled power is heady stuff.  so, like it or not, america is what we never wanted to believe or face- it is not the best and brightest; it is not the beacon of democracy or a shining example to the world; it is a wannabe empire that has no regard for non westerners and non whites and wants what it wants of the world’s resources and starving children in africa be damned!  and our only hope is that the world doesn’t stop being hospitable to life before the inmates stop running the asylum.  ’cause the inmates are us.  and the left is just as guilty as the right for buying into the ‘fighting terror over there so we don’t have to fight over here’ and ruin our middle class, suburban way of life.  and, just like john mccain- we have sown the wind and are now reaping the whirlwind.

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