Surviving
Recently somebody gave me a book called the Bush Survival Bible. Since late 2001, the very thought of what Bush and his brain Cheney planned for the US made me nervous, but after the Supreme Court chose them to run the country, their actual performance was worse than I could have imagined. Even worse than the notion of using a permanent “war” to suspend the Constitution, international treaties, and the rule of law in general indefinitely, what is truly depressing is the way congress and the press, those safety nets designed to protect us from dictatorship, have sold us out. Worse still is having to witness the fact a near-majority of Americans actually believe the invasion of Iraq and the killing of over half a million people there had something to do with fighting “terrorism.”
Which brings us back to this book. Edited by Gene Stone, it includes articlitos by a number of east coast liberals (and a token financial guy) amusing, interesting, and occasionally comforting. . .and critical of our President.
“This is no time for denial, anger or stupidity,” Stone and his unindicted co-conspirators write. “Instead this is the moment to grasp reality, get past rage, smarten up, and choose a course of action.” Their recommendations include advice on
*how to cope: “Avoid techno-despair. Don’t be overwhelmed by information overload. Take some breaks from CNN and online news now and then. You are not a news anchor. You don’t need to know what’s going on every minute.”
*13 ways to pass as a Republican (#2: Get rid of your natural-fiber fabrics and dress in red polyester. The more it pills, the better.)
*seven countries you can move to (starting with France)
*four treatments to make your body feel better (like colon hydrotherapy. My body tells me if I try this, I’ll pay. Twice.)
*music to make your head feel better (like Keith Jarrett and Pink Martini. The authors are pre-thrash)
*Antidepressant drugs to make you hurt less (includes pasta, chocolate, and pedicures)
*ways to make more money (hair of the dog that bit you: invest in coal, defense stocks, euros and yen)
But I’m left wondering What if it really doesn’t matter? If you look at the historical perspective, with its Boss Tweeds, Honey Fitzs, Kissingers, Westmorelands and Richard J. Dailys (“The police are not here to create disorder, they’re here to preserve it.”), America had its Eichmanns even before David Addington. The lesson of history seems to be “Yeah, signing statements are bad, but they’ve cut down on public lynchings and putting whole families of Japanese Americans in prison camps.” “Splendid little wars” are nothing new, either. Remember Guatamala in 1956, the United Fruit Company’s revenge?
And if that’s the case, and there’s nothing we can do about it, what are we getting all in a snit about? Maybe all we can truly be responsible for is assuaging the suffering around us during our short lifetimes. Not making it worse.
And then we can ask ourselves, Do we really deserve an honest democracy, or even a republic of, by and for the people? Or just YouTube, Bobby Bonds, and Levitra? So far, that’s what we’ve chosen.