The War Hasn't Ended? ...and Code Pink and Cindy and Lions and Tigers and Bears Oh My

[Madspirit]

To those who feel let down that the newly elected Democrats haven't brought all the soldiers home and ended the war:

I'm sorry you've been let down. I never thought anything would change but I've been around for a long long time. Society only really changes when enough radicals take to the streets, guilt-tripping the politicians in public. Very little really changes when it's just one set of Suits uprooting the other set of Suits.

People don't like to hear it but Democrats are only a hair less crooked and conservative and war-mongering than Republicans. We just talk sweeter when we're running for office. We say things like, "it takes a village." "My house only uses 'good' light bulbs." "I was so confused when I voted FOR the war." "I'm sorry; I'm really really sorry." "We are doing the best we can." "Did you REALLY believe we would be able to change THAT?!"

America is a business. That's what a country is. It makes money; it spends money; it consumes; it has a treasurer; it has everything any other business has except we call Bush POTUS not CEO. The Middle East is all about business contracts and oil. Rich Democrats make money off it the same as Rich Republicans do.

I saw a special the other night on PBS. While our soldiers are fighting and dying and being forced to kill and the Iraqis are fighting and dying and being forced to kill, the business men are over there making billion dollar deals, signing contracts, shaking hands. The "re-building", the "setting up structure and training", "new bridges here, new bridges there" blah blah blah.

It's business as usual and fun, fun, fun. You know how war improves the economy. So what if people are dying in droves. We all have to go some time. America is a company and it's run by business men. It's best to NEVER forget that.

Which leads to, businesses are amoral, by definition, if they are successful. Even John Mackey of Whole Foods, was invested in South Africa until confronted and Whole Foods doesn't allow union organizing. ALL businesses are UGLY, to some degree and America is the biggest business of all.
Humans are expendable. If you ever thought for one minute that government isn't just a Big Business and you didn't know that the Biggest Business Deal of All is a Nice Fat War, you were fooled.

Democrats are just Hipper Suits but Suits, nonetheless. They get their money from the same trough the Republicans get their money from.

Until THEY think we won't support THEM, they will always be Centrist and Revisionist and Compromising and Mealy-Mouth because they make bucks off the war and require the support of those who make bucks off the war, same as the Republicans do.

THAT'S why OUR side needs to pressure OUR side as much as it needs to pressure the other side. That's why we need people confronting them and wearing pink tiaras and catching them with cameras and picketing in front of their houses and carrying signs at their workplaces, etc.. Without constant pressure on the Democrats, they will just keep cooing pretty sentiments at us but will slide right into that big ol' soft easy chair of money, power, corruption, greed, politics and war. Anyone who thinks there are Pure Politicians With Only Noble Thoughts, is a child. Politics NEED people like Cindy Sheehan, the Far Left, Pink People, Yippies and Hippies and the irreverent, those who treat NO ONE as sacrosanct. We need to guilt trip publicly and keep the politicians asses in line.

Don't put them on a protected pedestal simply because they are Democrats.
Anyone who treats ANY politician like a Holy Man, never to be questioned or confronted, should go find a less malignant Cult to join than The Cult of Politics.

Lee

[MuseRider]

1. In other words

they are human. K&R.

[Madspirit]

2. Humans with a lot of power. n/t

[MuseRider]

3. Exactly.

Law of Physics (I think. I slept through physics and failed it because I think I hated it but I will never know since I slept through it :)) The path of least resistance. We must make that our path. If we make it so hard to suck corporate teat most will stop at least enough to hear us. We must make it easier and more profitable to work for us. I don't know if that is possible at this point but we have to try.

I did not mean to demean your post. It was wonderful but the human thing was just a reaction. Of course it is much more than just that.

I have been guilty of hero worship until I realized how stupid that was. Decades do make your outlook different.

[Madspirit]

6. I like your post.

People need people in their faces or they do nothing.
Lee

[MuseRider]

8. Yup.

That is why we can't do what you said. We can't just think everything is OK because there are Democrats in control. This is what happened with Clinton. We all just sort of tuned out, we were doing OK, well fed, well entertained and we just coasted knowing that at least a Democrat was in the high office. While we whiled away our time the Republicans kept working. Now I do have to say that not everyone let it all go but I do know that I did. Shame on all of us who let all of this happen. It would never have gotten this bad if we had just realized what you are saying, just because they are Democrats is no reason to let everything slide and feel all satisfied. As hard as it is to keep up this kind of energy we have knowing we are barely holding evil at bay we must keep it up even if the Democrats win it all.

[onenote]

4. a contrarian view

ALlow me to offer a contrary view:

Accepting that you are right that Democrats are just "hipper suits", it also is true that a lot of Democratic party support (read money) comes from other "hipper suits". Those hipper suits, don't wear pink tiaras. They wear suits (or maybe business casual or silcon valley casual).

So when people in pink tiaras confront the hipper suit Democrats they can and do write them off as kooks who don't represent the folks that put them in office. On the other hand, if/when they are confronted not by pink tiaras, but by people in suits, people in business casual, people who look like the people that fund the Democratic Party -- then the Democrats take notice and counsel change.

So, just as its the case that if you want to get a job from a "suit" -- even a hipper suit -- you'd be ill-advised in wearing a pink tiara to your interview -- its probably ill-advised to wear a pink tiara to a congressional hearing if your goal is convince someone to take you seriously.

[mondo joe]

5. One thing: I don't care if anyone wears a pink tutu to confront anyone - dem or repub.

I don't care, and I don't suspect just about any other DUers do either.

What I did care about was Pink Tutu distracting from and marginalizing Valerie Plame's testimony.

The Tutu frenzy had VERY little to do with confronting Dems and a LOT to do about the extremely poor timing of the childish stunt.

[Madspirit]

9. If that's all it takes

If that's all it takes to distract a Democrat from an important message, I have little hope in their brain power.
Lee

[mondo joe]

10. If she wasn't attracting attention, she was ineffectual.

If she was attracting attention, she was distracting from the testimony.

Beyond that, it was simply rude and disrespectful to someone who deserves our full support.

Of course supporting Valerie Plame would be contrary to look-at-me-ism.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Well she sure got your attention!

[riverdeep]

7. The dangerousness of the DLC

wing of the dem party is often discussed here, I don't think anyone is falling asleep and waking up behind the wheel of 'Joementum'.

I do take issue in the concept that business is inherently evil. I think in it's most basic form, it's a system that can serve needs (you need a lawn mower, I make lawn mowers, let's exchange). The way corporate charters are written has a lot to do with their evil, as well as a general consumerist mind-set.

[Madspirit]

13. Business

I don't think business is inherently evil but I do think it is inherently amoral.
Lee

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Yes Yes Yes Yes and Yes again

It's time to get in their face and stay in their face. We must not back down.

I am off to shop for a pink tiara!

:woohoo:

[MuseRider]

14. Proud?

Do you really think pink is your color? :rofl: :hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. In honor of Midge

I proudly wore a pink IMPEACH t-shirt yesterday to our vigil. :hi:

[MuseRider]

16. You go!

We are in total sync on this.

If you ever see her again tell her she has another friend in Kansas.

[Madspirit]

17. She has a friend in Texas too. n/t

[MuseRider]

18. Boy I think

that is great. You really nailed it with this thread. I know some people will not like it but it is right on. I am not a Democrat but I like to think that Democrats would be easier to move to work for the people. Sometimes I wonder about that but there are some that always do the right thing. Whatever, we have to stop thinking we can sit back and everything will be alright. When did that start? Those of us who were old enough to live through Nixon should have known better. I sure let it slide.

Anyway, I will be paying attention to your threads. I like how you think and how you write. Hello Texas, from Kansas.