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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Monday, April 19, 2004 As a non-political person for most of my adult life—I've voted in every election in which I was eligible to vote, but that's about all—this recent flood of indignation and disgust still takes me by surprise sometimes. I don't recall feeling that way about Nixon; I was disappointed, but not terribly surprised. Iran-Contra reinforced my opinion of Reagan, but it was still not a terribly personal feeling. I shook my head and agreed with co-workers and friends that "they're all a bunch of crooks," and left it up to the courts and the news to sort things out. Bush Senior's war was obviously about oil, regardless of the excuses he put forward, but it didn't last long enough to create any more than a disgusted shrug. Clinton's shenanigans affected me more personally, because, while I didn't exactly campaign for the man, I did put bumper stickers on my vehicles, and I felt as though his actions reflected badly on me. But let's be realistic here: screwing around with his intern didn't get anyone killed, didn't alienate our allies (they were too busy laughing at our reactions to it) and didn't violate the Constitution. The man may have the sexual impulses of a tomcat, but as far as I was concerned, that was primarily Hillary's problem, and I was perfectly happy to leave it to her. So why this now longstanding revulsion for someone who probably hasn't lied to the American public any more than some of his predecessors? I think what offends me more than anything else is the strong belief that he knows we know he's lying, and he doesn't give a flying you-know-what. When my kids were little and I'd come home from work to find the makings of peanut butter sandwiches on the living room carpet, I used to holler at them, "If you're going to fix food in the living room, at least have sense enough to get rid of the evidence!" I feel like saying to Bush, "If you're going to lie to us, at least have the decency to pretend you're telling the truth." It's the arrogant smirk that gets to me, the attitude that "I can do whatever I want and you can't do a damn thing about it." It's the repeated reference to WMD's even after his own people have admitted they weren't there to be found. They're hidden on a turkey farm? My God! Does he think we're so ignorant that we can't tell when he's making it up as he goes along? No, I don't think he believes that. I think he believes that what we think doesn't matter, so the complete and utter inanity of his claims doesn't matter either. What we think about his performance doesn't matter to him, so why should he examine and analyze his actions? Surely not so he can answer questions about them at press conferences. The most arrogant man in the world is the one who thinks he shouldn't have to explain himself to anyone. What we think about his statements doesn't matter to him, or he wouldn't countenance the outright lies his campaign puts out, claims that are pathetically easy to refute (see D-Bunker for some of these). What we think about his economic policies doesn't matter to him, or he wouldn't continue to push for tax cuts that have already plundered the treasury and brought financial ruin on thousands of middle class families. What we think of his work ethic evidently doesn't matter to him, or he'd spend more time at work and less time trotting his friends around on his ranch. Who else in this country could get away with spending 60% of his working days goofing off? What real "war president" of the past would even have considered leaving his post for so much time? Even the opinions of service men and women and their families don't matter to him, this self-declared war president. He promises National Guard units a year of "boots on the ground," and then, while they're packed up and waiting at the Baghdad airport for transport home, he extends their tour of duty. But perhaps the house of cards called the Bush administration is finally beginning to topple. Did I really just hear Matt Lauer call Bush's UN performance in February 2003 (after, critics say, the decision to wage war had been made in January 2003) a "dog and pony show"? In my current sleep-deprived and cynical state of mind, I worry that it will take another terrorist attack to re-elect Bush. posted by Liz @ 7:00 AM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
As a non-political person for most of my adult life—I've voted in every election in which I was eligible to vote, but that's about all—this recent flood of indignation and disgust still takes me by surprise sometimes. I don't recall feeling that way about Nixon; I was disappointed, but not terribly surprised. Iran-Contra reinforced my opinion of Reagan, but it was still not a terribly personal feeling. I shook my head and agreed with co-workers and friends that "they're all a bunch of crooks," and left it up to the courts and the news to sort things out. Bush Senior's war was obviously about oil, regardless of the excuses he put forward, but it didn't last long enough to create any more than a disgusted shrug. Clinton's shenanigans affected me more personally, because, while I didn't exactly campaign for the man, I did put bumper stickers on my vehicles, and I felt as though his actions reflected badly on me. But let's be realistic here: screwing around with his intern didn't get anyone killed, didn't alienate our allies (they were too busy laughing at our reactions to it) and didn't violate the Constitution. The man may have the sexual impulses of a tomcat, but as far as I was concerned, that was primarily Hillary's problem, and I was perfectly happy to leave it to her. So why this now longstanding revulsion for someone who probably hasn't lied to the American public any more than some of his predecessors? I think what offends me more than anything else is the strong belief that he knows we know he's lying, and he doesn't give a flying you-know-what. When my kids were little and I'd come home from work to find the makings of peanut butter sandwiches on the living room carpet, I used to holler at them, "If you're going to fix food in the living room, at least have sense enough to get rid of the evidence!" I feel like saying to Bush, "If you're going to lie to us, at least have the decency to pretend you're telling the truth." It's the arrogant smirk that gets to me, the attitude that "I can do whatever I want and you can't do a damn thing about it." It's the repeated reference to WMD's even after his own people have admitted they weren't there to be found. They're hidden on a turkey farm? My God! Does he think we're so ignorant that we can't tell when he's making it up as he goes along? No, I don't think he believes that. I think he believes that what we think doesn't matter, so the complete and utter inanity of his claims doesn't matter either. What we think about his performance doesn't matter to him, so why should he examine and analyze his actions? Surely not so he can answer questions about them at press conferences. The most arrogant man in the world is the one who thinks he shouldn't have to explain himself to anyone. What we think about his statements doesn't matter to him, or he wouldn't countenance the outright lies his campaign puts out, claims that are pathetically easy to refute (see D-Bunker for some of these). What we think about his economic policies doesn't matter to him, or he wouldn't continue to push for tax cuts that have already plundered the treasury and brought financial ruin on thousands of middle class families. What we think of his work ethic evidently doesn't matter to him, or he'd spend more time at work and less time trotting his friends around on his ranch. Who else in this country could get away with spending 60% of his working days goofing off? What real "war president" of the past would even have considered leaving his post for so much time? Even the opinions of service men and women and their families don't matter to him, this self-declared war president. He promises National Guard units a year of "boots on the ground," and then, while they're packed up and waiting at the Baghdad airport for transport home, he extends their tour of duty. But perhaps the house of cards called the Bush administration is finally beginning to topple. Did I really just hear Matt Lauer call Bush's UN performance in February 2003 (after, critics say, the decision to wage war had been made in January 2003) a "dog and pony show"? In my current sleep-deprived and cynical state of mind, I worry that it will take another terrorist attack to re-elect Bush.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
RSS Feed
PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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