Iraq’d
It’s hard to even muster the words at this moment. The military is reporting that 10 more U.S. soldiers were killed in various incidents across Iraq yesterday. Meanwhile, the Democratic congressional leadership is on holiday, having capitulated last week to the Bush regime’s demand that they keep funding the war, with no oversight, [...]
It’s hard to even muster the words at this moment. The military is reporting that 10 more U.S. soldiers were killed in various incidents across Iraq yesterday. Meanwhile, the Democratic congressional leadership is on holiday, having capitulated last week to the Bush regime’s demand that they keep funding the war, with no oversight, and no strings attached.
BAGHDAD - Ten American soldiers were killed in roadside bombings and a helicopter crash on Memorial Day, the military reported Tuesday, making May the deadliest month of the year for U.S. troops in Iraq.
In other violence, five Britons were kidnapped Tuesday from an Iraqi Finance Ministry office in Baghdad, according to Britain’s Foreign Office, and two car bombings killed 40 people and destroyed a Shiite mosque in the capital, police said…
…it’s almost not even worth the anger and anguish anymore. Even Cindy Sheehan hit bottom with the “anti-war” movement (like there really is such a movement, anyway).
At what point did this country just stop caring?
On many occasions, I’ve wondered where the outrage is, and why this country isn’t just shutting down completely in protest. Then I remembered.
We’re all too busy makin’ the nut to be out in the street - well, unless it’s a nice, sunny Saturday, anyway (hey, don’t forget the SPF-30). And the bumper sticker vendors are set up. And the porta-potties are minty fresh. And please, please, get the last speaker off the stage before 4PM, because traffic is a bitch after that, and it’s hard work to get a good seat in a decent restaurant after a day of protesting…
The curse of the web and blogging is that there is no perceived need to show up in person. We’re trying to shut down this war by remote control with a keyboard and a mouse. It’ll never happen.
And, yes, I’m as guilty as anyone else.
“At what point did this country just stop caring?”
That would be sometime during the Reagan administration, which legitimized individualism at the expense of the commonwealth. “Greed is good” and all that nonsense.
And so the government began to care less about people, and people began to care less about the government.
It continued under Clinton, via NAFTA: remember how we were supposed to get national health care in exchange for losing good blue-collar jobs? That promise never came through. And then we kicked everyone off welfare in the grand experiment called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.
And of course it continued under Bush, with the philosophy of government so small you could drown it in a bathtub, which of course led to an emergency response so small you could drown in new orleans. Now, no one trusts the feds to help in an emergency: mission accomplished.
Of course no one cares: that’s because we’re a government of, for, and by the people. Our government doesn’t care, and thus neither do we.