Shock and Awe - US Political Nightmares and the Media
The audacity of politicians, the media that sensationalizes it, and civilian complacency.
It is astonishing how effective the White House is when they roll out the spin machine. I wonder if the current administration has a savant hidden in the basement. Someone they keep under lock and key that they use every time they need a “get out of jail free” card. The spin machine is not a new invention (watch “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” starring Jimmy Stewart) and every president in history has utilized its power when cornered. Who knew the spin machine could operate 24/7. Maybe there is a new spin machine… in the basement with the savant perhaps. I can only conclude there is a political genius at the White House that upon demand can provide a catchy phrase that will linger in the civilian subconscious far longer than any tedious facts will.
There has to be a list somewhere of the audacity of the current regime. No matter what you believe about the Clinton/Lewinski scandal, the personal nature of Clinton’s guffaws cannot be compared to the constant barrage of bureaucratic BS we now deal with constantly. With the price of gas, college, and the state of the job market these days it is easy to be complacent with political agenda’s. Our everyday lives get in the way of our social and ethical responsibilities as a citizen of the United States. Part of the problem has to be that there is so much going on, it is hard to choose where to start. Let’s start at the beginning.
HEADLINE: FLORIDA GIVES VICTORY TO GORE BUSH!
We were shocked to see the media trump the free (cough) election process. We were awed by the audacity of politicians that refused to sign a petition for a recount. The spin machine worked overtime to “unify” the nation and move on with everyday business (it’s only four years). Then we as a “unified” nation succumbed to tyranny.
HEADLINE: TERRORIST STRIKE THE US - PATRIOT ACT NEEDED!
Shocking attacks from a country few citizens could point to on a map. At the height of raw emotions, the savant in the White House basement whispered the fatal blow to the constitution, and the PATRIOT Act was born. While I don’t think the administration has used the PATRIOT Act to its fullest potential, the threat is there: we are no longer protected by the Constitution. We were awed by the political audacity that rendered any one that opposes the PATRIOT Act as – how clever is this – “unpatriotic.” The media smoothed things over with the idea that this would only affect terrorists. And “we the people” willingly and without a fight, walked into a virtual prison (security without freedom).
I won’t take the time to discuss the events of September 11, 2001. That would take several articles and I will save that for another time, possibly closer to its 5th anniversary.
HEADLINE: IRAQ HAS WMD A TYRANT IN CHARGE!
Seething with anger at the lack of retaliation for the September 11 attacks, our military is unleashed on a sovereign nation that has never threatened the United States. The audacity of our government to use the military as personal oil mercenaries stuns us all. The media is quick to change the tune: “MISSION: FREE ELECTIONS IN IRAQ.” Astonishing considering that over 60% of eligible voters in the US do not think voting worthy of their time, yet we will enforce this idealistic convention on other sovereign nations and rid them of their evil dictators. No, not every nation with an evil dictator - just those with oil. The media is there to placate us with the idea that if we leave Iraq now, we will leave the country worse than when we first arrived. The general public does not dwell on the idea that we have destabilized a sovereign nation. Apathy abounds.
These are just the highlights up to March 20, 2003. Stay tuned for more “Shock and Awe” which will digest the US Security Alert System, the 2004 election, Cindy Sheenan, Katrina, the 9/11 widows, big brother and our treasonous media.
Technorati tags: apathy, Shock and Awe, Vote, Security, September 11, Patriot Act, Mission Accomplished, Iraq+War
1 comment July 19th, 2006
