Trying to remain sane in a country gone mad.

[Cyrano]

That wonderful yellow brick road now seems to be covered with swastikas. And those ruby shoes have somehow turned into jackboots.

Torture has become acceptable, justice is nothing more than a seven letter word, the constitution has become a meaningless piece of paper, hate filled people spout their venom on virtually every radio and TV station, and the terms freedom and human rights are all but obsolete.

What happened? What the hell happened? And how did it happen so quickly? Why didn't we protest? Why didn't we stop it? Why didn't we do something? Anything?

The darkness came over us one day at a time, so I suppose we just didn't take notice. It crept up on us and by the time we recognized it for what it was, it was too late.

Most of us aren't wearing orange suits, (yet), but we might as well be. Our country was stolen from us and we didn't even shout out when they broke into the house in the year 2000. The chief criminals called themselves the Supreme Court of the United States. They might as well have had a mask and a gun.

So there's only one question left. What are we going to do about it? Vote them out? From your lips to Ben Franklin's ears. Fight them in the streets? Think Tianaman Square. Hope for a military coup? Once the military holds power, who says they'll give it back to the people?

Yes, what your reading here is a scream of outrage over what's happened to us and our inability to change things back to the way they were.

Sorry if I've depressed you. But every way I look at it, I'm damned if I can figure out a way to wrest control from the bloody hands of those who currently hold all the levers of power. And unfortunately, this is not a moment of depression. Rather, it is anger that has been building up over the past six years. Nor is it a moment of surrender. I refuse to live under the rule of these bastards, and I'll fight them in any way that promises the hope of success.

In the meantime, I'll do my best to hold onto my sanity in a country that I no longer recognize.

[niyad]

1. you have not depressed me--like you, I am outraged at what has

happened to this country, and also, like you, not sure how we are going to take it back. but I will be DAMNED if I will go down without a fight.

waving to agent mikey--"hi guy, love the new tie. will be at the usual stand, usual time. later"

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. nice post, very nice post.

what you are saying is what others are beginning to feel. That explains why the airforce general, a commited ultra-fundie, wants to practice his microwave crowd control on US citizens first.

[acmejack]

3. And I thought it was I that was mad.

My shrink has told me I am "delusional" about the Government. So I am apparently...

[Cyrano]

4. You , acmejack, are apparently sane.

[niyad]

5. you need a new shrink, at once!!

[Generator]

7. The Du reality based community are the canaries in the coal mine

You know, nothing is going to happen to anyone of us. Not tomorrow, probably not next year, but if all the precedents that have been sent-and this torture bill-spun as a compromise which is a flat lie to the American people-stands and the constitution is really as quaint as Mr. Gonzalez has made it (yes I know that's the Geneva conventions-but it's the same exact thing) then someday in two years, or five years, or ten or... someone we personally (maybe us and maybe many of us) know will be disappeared by the great country of America. There will be more wars most probably, more attacks, more excuses to give up all the liberties we had to make us "safe."

And so that is a delusion because it hasn't happened-yet. But there is no reason why logic would say it wouldn't. Logic would say absolute power will corrupt absolutely. Who will protect us? Our Representatives? The courts? The world? Who? Ourselves..and it's not going to pretty when it comes to that.

[Patchuli]

17. Shrinks are dangerous

and in my opinion, frequently WRONG. In the case of your's, I'd say DELUSIONAL. That's my diagnosis of the doc and you can share it with him, if you like! :crazy:

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[nam78_two]

9. there now...feel better?

:eyes:

[Cyrano]

10. I'll take it under advisement. Ordinarily I'd say welcome to DU.

However, given the times, (not to mention your heartfelt advice) it's hard to tell a freeper from a friend. So if I'm wrong, forgive me and I'll post that welcome at a later time.

I just noticed that you got deleted. Oh well, Freeperville will welcome you back with open arms. Just one question. How do you live with yourself?

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. Uh...suicide is a sin...

welcome to DU, Bubba. :toast:

[Bluerthanblue]

20. says...

...who?

Not defending the post which has been deleted, but the line "suicide is sin" isn't built on anything but peoples desire to discourage it.

"T'aint in the bible-" believe me, I know, cause I've studied this extensively.

[ScreamingMeemie]

21. Uh...sarcasm also runs rampant here on DU...

That was intended for the freeper who is no longer with us. FYI, my father in law killed himself and my husband found him on Father's Day 2000. I have no theological thought on the matter at all. We just miss him.

[Bluerthanblue]

25. the difference between

sin, and something that causes those who love someone to suffer as a result of their decisions aren't the same-
Having been close to death by my own and others hands more than once, I speak from a knowledge that I wish I never had- as you do. Selfish? you bet your butt- but it is also selfish to ask someone to live in agony without hope for relief.

I'm sincerely sorry for the pain your family has endured- And you have every right to be angry with your FIL for abandoning you- and the hole that he has left in your life- Sometimes the pain is so great it silences the knowledge that our deeds make waves that never settle down, for those who are left behind-

peace and comfort to you-

blu

(didn't get a chance to read the post your reply was to- just couldn't let the 'sin' claim stand- without pointing out the 'religious' facts.- fear of hell, just doesn't seem to matter when you are in hell already)

[ScreamingMeemie]

26. It was sarcastic, end of story.

Thanks. Sometimes I think we on DU think things through too much. It wasn't even intended to bring up discussion. It was to point out the idiocy of the poster.

THank you for your well wishes though. I did not intend for this to be anything more than poking fun of the hypocrisy that is the typical repub.

[Bluerthanblue]

29. my mistake-

I'm oversensitive about many things, this just happened to be one of them- Didn't mean to open wounds, and should have kept silent without knowing what kind of crud your response was addressing-

peace,
blu

[ck4829]

23. But it is in the Quran

[ck4829]

12. Suicide? Obviously Bush was the one who certified you as a therapist.

[ck4829]

15. If you're not an idiot

Then reply to my post, brooking.

[shadowknows69]

8. Prepare for the worst (in silence)

hope for the best. Figure out places we can meet if the shit ever gets really scary.

[Cyrano]

We're meeting in Hobeken. Didn't you get the memo?

[Cyrano]

13. dupe. deleted.

[shadowknows69]

14. Cool

Got an address or should I just follow the Homeland Security vans?

[Cyrano]

16. Nah. It's Sinatra's old house.

But for the moment I'm worn out and headed for bed. Keep the thread going. I'll answer anything woth answering in the morning.

[shadowknows69]

19. Wow.

Sweet.

[Jcrowley]

18. Huh?

What'd you say? Hold on a moment let me pull my i-pod out of my ears for a... wait, wait I think my cell is ringing.

Yeah okay I'm back but I gotta be going a friend just called me from aisle 9 and said I Got! to get over to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a massive sale in housewares. So yea, cool let me know about the protest I'll make some colorful signs and we'll compare slogans.

Pretty messed up isn't it?

K&R

Perhaps things have always been heading in this direction.

[Nikki Stone 1]

22. Excellent OP--forget the freeper

The OP says exactly what I have been feeling

[bdamomma]

24. great post, I agree we have to do something soon, we have

stayed silent for too long, I will not roll over for any of this, and I will not be played a fool either.

[VOX]

27. It's so outrageously insane, many people thought it was an abberation.

or a bump in the road, a hiccup, a strange, temporary political shift that would correct itself. After all, the right-wingers currently in charge of all three branches of the government were once a total laughingstock, the butt of jokes, like Archie Bunker of "All in the Family."

Well, enough time has passed, and enough lunacy has been revealed that that's obviously not the case. The right wing has been nothing if not disciplined and patient over the decades. It bided its time, and finally took power with a vengeance.

Whoever thought that they'd actually be in mortal danger just for exercising First Amendments rights as citizens of this country? Who ever thought **Americans** would be the bad guys of the world (the lessons of Howard Zinn aside)? Who ever thought that this country -- the United States -- would **openly** engage in torture on a world stage? Who ever thought anyone would receive accolades for publicly reporting the alleged "liberal bias" of their college professors? Who ever thought they'd actually hear that Joseph McCarthy was a great American (!) who cared deeply for his country? Who ever thought that so many Americans would actually **support** these distinctly unAmerican ideas and policies? And that they would lose the capacity to do the right thing when propagandized?

The right wing means to hold on to power any way it can, and they're getting into everything: churches, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, higher education, business, news media, on and on. It's not an encouraging picture.

The last, best hope is that there are enough people in this country who are as angry as you when they, too think about what's happened, and that they are not afraid to speak out. It will take awhile for the ship to be set right. Even with a Democratic president in office, and a Democratic Senate and House, the right wing attack-machine is already in place and will go to work daily to discredit and malign *anyone* (including one of their own) who stands in their way.

It will take time and courage. I think most folks on DU are willing to make the commitment, and make the fight.

It's all we've got left. :grr: :patriot:

[Bosso 63]

28. Lets say your married to an alcoholic.

Do you deal with it, or pretend it will solve itself? Most people just hope the problem will go away, or minimize the issue. The beauty of denial, is that you don't have to do anything different.

"Hey, lot's a countries torture people, whats the big deal?"

Unfortunately, reality is ruthless, and eventually, you have to deal with it. It sounds to me, like your just a head of the curve.

[Bluerthanblue]

30. trouble with denial is,

it's usually deadly-

And leaves behind more victims than those immediately involved in the choice to pretend 'everything is ok'.

I agree, the OP speaks the disturbing truth- and points out the frustration of not really having any hopeful way to change our course.