'The Real America,' Redefined -- By E. J. Dionne Jr.
When a nation alters its philosophical direction and changes its assumptions, there is no press release to announce the shift, no news conference where The People declare that they have decided to move down a different path.
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May Mr. Dionne be a voice and light in the darkness.
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6 comments:
Well, we can certainly hope Two Crows. We can certainly hope.
Part of the battle is just getting people to engage.
I went to dinner last night with some friends. Naturally I steared the conversation to politics.
I mentioned Barack Obama's name. I wanted to discuss what CNN and Fox News were doing (calling him Osama and comparing him to Ahmadinejad).
"Who's Obama?" I was asked.
Never mind. Let's back up. Let's start with why we invaded Iraq in the first place.
Most Americans don't know the facts. Once told, they are outtraged. They don't know about the permanent bases in Iraq, the plan to give 75% of Iraq's oil profits to 4 select oil companies (US and British). They don't know how bad the contractors have robbed us and fucked over Iraq by not employing Iraqis.
They don't know our military had other plans like Desert Crossing by General Zinni for how to occupy Iraq. They don't know how General Shinseki was fired for testifying it would take 450,000 troops to occupy Iraq.
When you start explaining this stuff to people not to mention the warrantless wiretaping, free speech zones, internment camps etc etc, 95% of people get upset. Upset enough to call or write Congress.
We just need people to engage more and read the news. Stuff gets reported, it's just not always on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, CBS,and ABC.
Well, we can certainly hope Two Crows. We can certainly hope. Part of the battle is just getting people to engage. I went to dinner last night with some friends. Naturally I steared the conversation to politics. I mentioned Barack Obama's name. I wanted to discuss what CNN and Fox News were doing (calling him Osama and comparing him to Ahmadinejad). "Who's Obama?" I was asked. Never mind. Let's back up. Let's start with why we invaded Iraq in the first place. Most Americans don't know the facts. Once told, they are outtraged. They don't know about the permanent bases in Iraq, the plan to give 75% of Iraq's oil profits to 4 select oil companies (US and British). They don't know how bad the contractors have robbed us and fucked over Iraq by not employing Iraqis. They don't know our military had other plans like Desert Crossing by General Zinni for how to occupy Iraq. They don't know how General Shinseki was fired for testifying it would take 450,000 troops to occupy Iraq. When you start explaining this stuff to people not to mention the warrantless wiretaping, free speech zones, internment camps etc etc, 95% of people get upset. Upset enough to call or write Congress. We just need people to engage more and read the news. Stuff gets reported, it's just not always on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, CBS,and ABC.
well, most folks may not know the in-depth facts as you do -- but they are, apparently, waking up to the trends.
the death toll [at least the American one] is starting to make an impact.
they may not know that Bush has steadily eroded their rights over the last 6 years -- but they're getting the _feeling_ that something is wrong.
and _feelings_ govern votes, I'll wager, far more than logic or facts do.
otherwise, how do you account for Reagan?
I never _felt_ about the man as others did--so I listened to what he said rather than his folksy delivery. but, most folks _felt_ good about him-- and that was what mattered.
anyway--in todays world--I'll take whatever glimmers of light come my way. :)
ps
people _really_ don't know who Obama is yet?
wow.
Good points. Poli, I run into the same ignorance all the time. I remember when I saw Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911, I did not learn anything I did not already know, but the experience was worth the price of the ticket, because I got to hear the gasps of outrage from people who were realizing the character of Bush and his minions for the first time. Today, we know so much more, too.
TC, I think you're right about feelings governing votes more than facts. Now, how do we convert those facts to feelings?
education, education, education
otherwise, when Obama runs, people may vote against him because they don't like his name or skin color. and we could really be in the soup.
Good point, TC. In that case, we are both doing the best we can.
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