American Democracy has been in the process of being put to death by a very slow drip of radical right wing ideology for the past few decades. Some call it Fascism, some call it Theocracy, some call it Right Wing Totalitarianism; I'll just call it Neo-Conism, since it seems to be a new blend of the worst of the worst of the twentieth century, ideologically speaking.
Of course, they have the benefit of seeing where all those other MF's of history failed in their message, so they've been able to adjust it enough to keep all the hate below the surface so as not to be noticed by the impenetrable stupid gaze of the media. It slipped through in New Orleans, but that was simply a result of the media talking heads standing knee deep in bodies.
We'll see if the media's A.D.D. can be overcome long enough for it to mean something. I'm not holding my breath like they were. What New Orleans smelled like to them these past few weeks is what America has smelled like to the rest of us these last few years.
Apparently they didn't get the memo. The national budget for rose colored glasses and vanilla incense was cut. It wasn't really a problem though, since they just cut it for the people who didn't have a voice anyway. Everyone else was left to subsidize their own inclusiveness; make sure that yellow ribbon magnet you purchased is placed conspicuously, lest someone consider you a traitor.
Just make sure you pay your taxes, someone has to subsidize the wealthy, unless you lose your job. If that happens, well stupid F'n you. However, in TV land, you can bet it's because you deserved it or it was for the good of the markets. Priorities, ya' know? If you can't afford healthcare as a result, don't worry about it. It turns out you weren't needed in the workforce anymore, anyway.
Don't forget, as the cameras pan by, to wave the flag and clap harder. We wouldn't want anyone to think something might be amiss in the greatest country in the world. In fact, if things get really tough, you might consider just taking a vacation, maybe a permanent one. It works for the President.
Oh, and don't bring this up with the majority, though not all, of the democratic politicians. It turns out, they've had it tough these past few years. Apparently nobody is giving them what they supposedly stand for; It's difficult to stand for something when you don't believe in it yourself, much less have to fight for it.
So here we sit, here we scream. But few seem to hear us. It's like being anesthetized, then buried alive. No matter how much noise we think we make, apparently nobody can hear us. We see them mill about and go about their daily lives as if everything is as it always was. The pressures on all sides, work, debt, bills, pile up like each shovel of dirt being thrown on our coffin, and all we can do is lie and watch. Our available freedom, like air, becomes less and less. Every now and then, someone who still has a pair of those damnable rose colored glasses, ostensibly from the media, sees us catatonically looking on and peers at us from the idiot box long enough to tell us that what we see really isn't happening.
Do you feel better yet? They're telling us it will be OK, because those who are now in control are telling them it will be OK. Reality is the new debate topic. Of course, in the end, reality always wins. The trick is to keep everyone distracted long enough before they realize that their consensus reality and experiential reality aren't congruent. Ain't that a bitch? Of course, by then, it's too late for those who have been "distracted."
America has been getting distracted by right wing oligarch's for years now. When they finally realized the average American actually liked their life styles and weren't going to sacrifice them willingly for a few more percentage points in the profit margin, they had to find a way to talk Americans into selling out their future and sacrificing their children on the alter of the marketplace. So they chose religion. There isn't anything that can get someone to close their mind like religion can. That's not to say religion itself is inherently evil, just in the hands of men it can easily become such. Of course, they camouflage the death of America by calling it a right to life. Oh, the bitter irony. But their venom has been enough to bring low our great nation while intimidating those with the power to stop it into silence.
So here lies American Democracy, like a comatose attempted, so far, murder victim being administered to by schizophrenic doctors. The Constitution a feeding tube that is doing everything it can to keep us alive, while rightwing poison is mainlined in to wreak as much damage as possible before the victims might awaken and stop this slow execution. The people in charge of the hospital keep gutting the life support systems while those who know better just look on; not to mention, they're getting their cut of the profit as well.
So, will the past few years have just been an attempted murder or an execution? Will we find a way to crush the media's rose colored glasses and snuff their incense permanently? Can we get them to stop distracting America into a permanent sleep? Will Democratic leadership finally force our party to stand for something instead of falling for everything?
I hope so, because I love this country and I'm tired of screaming at the no place place of the media while our democracy is put to sleep by a steady lethal injection of right wing venom. It's time to pull the Neo-con mainline out of the arm of lady liberty and burn their ideology in the cleansing fire of truth. The future of a Democratic America depends on it.