Are we past the point of no return?

[senseandsensibility]

I don't like to even think in these terms. But lately, the anger I've felt, and tried to channel in positive directions since 2000, is turning to something else. It's turning to fear.

Maybe the flashbacks I'm getting of the run up to the Iraq invasion, mirrored in the eager whore coverage of the "election", the apparent acceptance of another war in Iran, a delayed reaction to the another stolen election, who knows?

We all have our breaking point. Talk me out of it, if you can spare a moment, or have any optimism to share.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

1. the downfall of this country will be

the apathy of the american voter. Until people realize the choices (or lack of choices) they make at the ballot box has a direct impact on their lives this country is headed right for the shitter. This election was one of the hottest contests in recent memory...and how many people voted? What was the turnout...65% of the REGISTERED voters??? (i really don't remember the number). It is hideous.

theProdigal

[lonestarnot]

2. Would like to believe it is apathy, but only in part; The controlled

machinery as indicated by last election now supercedes apathy. We could get 100% turnout and still not produce the desired outcome. We have been had! America lost democracy by corporate greed and there appears to be no stopping them.

[dandrhesse]

3. I disagree, from where I live, my view is that the reason for the

current administrations control is the control of the flow of information, plain and simple.

People cannot be enraged over something they know nothing about. My town is 50k population. Lots of folk have no internet access or cable tv. They see only network tv and corporate owned press and hear only right wing drivel on the radio. The point that angers me most is that it is obvious that there was much research and planning has gone into this "plan" to exploit the semi-rural population of our country, abusing their trusting nature and their respect for authority. Those are the major issues here, to even convince someone that a President, any President would lie can be a real challenge.

[A Simple Game]

14. It's ironic that most of the people that believe every word from *

are convinced that Clinton was a liar.

They believe a President can be a liar, just not this one.

[dandrhesse]

16. But again that is because that is all that was in the paper for weeks

on end. Also TV news, and radio right wingers still blame him for everything. So yes, point well taken that they believed that Clinton lied, but that was not a matter of life and death. Ironically, even with all the bashing, Clinton's approval rating actually went up after the scandal! The GOP is still furious about that!

[A Simple Game]

17. Yes media is 90 percent of the problem.

If something is repeated often enough, it is remembered. People assume what they remember is the truth. We don't even need the media on our side, just a truly "fair and balanced" media would swing things our way almost 180 degrees.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

15. True!

How do we get control of the media!

[aneerkoinos]

4. Allways

And future is open to all kinds of possibilities, it is what you make it.

But US is definately going through a major shift, with no return to business as usual, the way world used to be. So don't look back, join the revolution! :)

[Donailin]

5. I have to say yes.

The playing field cannot be leveled unless there's some sort of divine intervention. But's it's not solely the media, it's the corporations who have bought and sold our collective soul to the devil. So long as corporations enjoy "personhood" things will only get worse. Read this by Thom Hartman

:http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/05/01/int05004.html

Snip>>
"A corporation today can have an infinite lifespan. It doesn't fear death. It doesn't fear pain or incarceration. It doesn't need fresh water to drink or clean air to breathe. It doesn't need health care or retirement. It can own others of its own kind. It can change citizenship in a day. It can tear off a part of itself and create a new corporation in an hour. It can amass virtually infinite wealth without that wealth ever having to pass through probate or being subject to estate/inheritance taxes."

and


"There are only a handful -- probably fewer than five hundred -- corporations that abuse or assert corporate personhood in the United States. Yet the harm they do to our economy and our republic is enormous. If they were denied personhood, we could root corruption out of government, get corporations out of politics, and make America safe and hospitable for entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized businesses again, leading to an explosion in economic activity. And both the stockholders and the employees of these mega-corporations would benefit -- along with the rest of us -- if they were broken back down in size to where they were before the merger mania that Reagan allowed.
"

[Mend]

6. I think so....

The question now remains for our family as to whether we can hunker down and live quietly till the end of our days or whether we should pioneer off to a better place. We are keeping our options open, hoping for some sign of hope. Not much to see yet. The loss of a truthful media is what disturbs us the most. The truth could set us free but there just isn't any truth out there.

[moggie12]

7. It's an "Emporer has no clothes" kind of thing

I honestly think more people are starting to realize the Chimp has no clothes. There are ups and downs in the news cycle, of course (the Iraqi election, for example, causing a temporary burst of optimism), but overall the sheer stupidity of Chimp's policies are starting to become glaringly apparent. I think there's a lag time involved: For example, the mess he made of national finances are just now starting to become more apparent in the huge deficit, the sinking dollar, etc., etc. The cost and stupidity of Iraq is going to become even more evident, too, over time.

In a bizarre way, I've started thinking that it's best that Bush won -- the whole mess he made is now firmly dumped in the Repubs laps. You know darn well had Kerry won, they would have blamed the coming economic storm and Iraq meltdown on him!!

So stay away from the stock market and keep all your money in the bank or CD's. Wait another six months or a year or so and you'll be watching nothing but media reports on how bad Bush screwed things up. That will be followed by an enormous Democratic sweep in the '06 midterm elections and a 60+% Democratic win in the '08 Pres. election.


Edited to add:
And in the meantime, take positive action to effect change, for example, join in targeted efforts to send e-mails to the media whores/jerks:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3036927

[DemoTex]

8. Are we past the point of no return? In a word: yes.

This country is politically, morally, and financially bankrupt. The lies and wars we spread around the world will soon be paid back .. in spades. Malaysia and China are set to dump the dollar because our word is no longer our bond. Others might follow.

The world, for the most part, sees the Iraqi elections as a sham. Michail Gorbachev called the elections "fake." The world knows, too, about the 2000/2002/2004 elections in this country. The attempted export of democracy in the face of our rampant plutocracy and corporate oligarchy is bald-faced hypocrisy. We cannot export democracy when liars and cheaters are rewarded with promotions in our government and thieves and scoundrels have medals hung around their necks.

We the people, collectively, have allowed the Bu$h regime to thumb its nose at the environment. We are the ones who will be held accountable when the world totally sickens of our raw hubris. Our unchecked propensity to consume has not gone un-noticed.

And then there is war. We are so nonchalant about the war in Iraq that we allowed the Bu$h regime to spend $40-million on parties for his re-coronation. That in itself is a symptom of a deep national sickness. Other symptoms abound. Even talk of invading Iran or Syria is insane. Yet such invasions are being planned right now.

War crimes trials should be in the headlines, but we get Michael Jackson and Robert Blake. Impeachment should be topic number one in the national discourse, but we get the religiously insane screaming about Sponge-Bob Square-pants.

[kentuck]

9. We have to start gulping for oxygen before....

we realize we are in over our heads.

[bryant69]

10. I say no

But it depends what you mean. Each breath is a new breath. We aren't going to be the America of the 1980s or the 1950s or the 1960s or the 1870s. There's no going back.

But we can move forward--and I think we will, in our normal zig-zagging way. That's not a call for complacency, we still have to fight for what we believe in. But I don't think we've lost.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Doctor_J]

11. Definitely

We were headed full speed toward fascism anyway, but when someone in the WH committed treason by outing Valerie Plame, and no one did anything about it, it was a done deal.

Now we have the WH paying "journalists", the media (all of them) working on behalf of the WH (even the ones who aren't getting paid directly), perjurers and other felons getting promoted to senior positions just because they're friends of the BFEE.

We're there. We are Germany in 1935.

[shadowknows69]

12. Until we do something about

our government waging war on a whim or for lofty ideals that our country barely even practices anymore (fair, transparent elections, government accountability etc.) we will never be taken seriously in the world again and they will work to bring us down.

[Doctor_J]

13. and will be laughing while it happens

the BFEE turned the US from the world's rich-and-benevolent uncle into the schoolyard bully. There will be alot of celebration around the world the bully gets smacked in the mouth. IOW, I believe that when we were the country of power *and* benevolence and genrosity, the rest of the world hoped we would succeed, and wanted to help us succeed. Now, they will rejoice in our downfall.

And of course the MSM will blame it on Bill Clinton.

[Gloria]

18. Yes.

eom

[Bake]

19. Sad to say, we are so fucked.

It will be for the historians of future generations to observe the things that we scream about today: the paid "journalists," the lies leading to war, the corporate control of the media.

As long as corporate interests control the media, we are fucked. And what is going to change that? Nothing. Why? Because they NOW control the flow of information. That will never change, until the corporate interests are toppled. And that will take something well outside our borders. To the point that America as we know it no longer exists.

We are sooooooooooooooooooo fucked.

Bake