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I posted this on AriannaOnline and the right wing trolls went nutz. Me thinks I hit a nerve!!!!
I was just reading a book called "Doubt". It goes into the history of Doubt and how it brought about a change in thinking. Mainly regarding politics and theology.
It got me thinking about our politics, media and justice system in this country. These days everything has become so image based that we are constantly fighting a war of doubt.
I think back to the presidential campaign of 2000 where Gore and Bush did little to differentiate between each other. That campaign was based on "Gore is a pathological liar". Then we move to the 2004 campaign between Kerry and Bush. That one was about Kerry as this weany liberal who can't protect us from the terrorists. Then we had the Swift Boat Campaign and the "flip flopper" talking points. I wonder how much money was spent by the Bush campaign to prop up Bush versus money spent to tear down Kerry?
Kerry wasn't even the anti war candidate they proclaimed him to be!!!!! Where was the real criticism of policy that effects out everyday lives? Kerry mumbled about some things and Bush offered bad ideas regarding SS. Yet, very little revolved around why Bush would make a great leader and how Kerry offered up something entirely different to change the public debate.
On health care Bush offered a ridiculous and senseless series of tax cuts. Kerry's plan, although mildly better, just offered us drugs from Canada. How do these proposals fix a major flaw in the "Free Market" system we apply to health care? The demand curve for health care is always vertical spike.
Then there is the issue of media. Conservatives a long time ago learned that controlling doubt is what wins elections. The media is stacked with nothing but pro corporate garble. Who ever offers anything that remotely challenges corporate power gets beaten with the doubt stick.
Even our justice system, or how we look at it, as moved far away from "innocent until proven guilty". How about "Better that ten guilty men go free than one innocent man goes to jail". What ever happened to fundamental belief that we used to strive to uphold?
Now a days, in these ridiculous court trials, we are constantly reminded that the defendant is guilty. Anybody spouting any of the two beliefs mentioned above would be looked at as if he was nuts. The so called "small government conservatives" are the ones that come to mind the most. Our justice system, or the way we think about justice has moved from proving guilt to proving innocence.
Doubt is a very powerful thing in this society.
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