The UnAmericans
I have this idea to change the name of this little blog to “THe UnAmericans”, buried with the spirit that a cognent history of American culture can be written by focusing exclusively on the history of the charge. Limiting, I suppose: What? No Putin Bashing??? Otherwise, there’s the equally limiting name “The Fourth Great Awakening”, which throws us into a religious battleground that skates dangerously into the whole trite “Red State Versus Blue State” storyline.
Electoral Politics fades out of the spotlight. It’s a cynical game anyway. Ask me what the Democratic Party oughta do now, and I’ll shrug before demuring to the Lewis Lapham recommendations upon hearing about the formation of the DLC (back in 1985 or thereabouts) : NOMINATE RICHARD NIXON!!! Ask me about Bush’s latest policy actions, and I say there’s probably an 80% chance I’m opposed and a 20% chance I’m simply apathetic about that issue. The Permanent Government, meanwhile, sits in place, despite the ouster of Dan Rather as official spokesperson. Elect presidents based on that system: — who can best slide into the permanent government and manage his/ her share of the pie within it? Never elect a corruption-free president: look what happened the last time we did so — Jimmy Carter was eaten alive. Put on your tinfoil hats and decide whehter or not JFK and his brother RFK fall into the same category. While you’re at it, find George Carlin’s old routine about Bill Clinton beating Bob Dole because “at least he’s honest… he’s honest about his bullshit.”
I can’t say whether or not Bush will get mired into scandal through the next two years. Nixon would have survived Watergate had he had the current Right Wing Propaganda Macheniery backing him up, and his opponent permanently tarred with the label “shrill”.
Shrill.
Through this last campaign, Sean Hannity-esque figures weighed in saying that (1) those liberals are all so very defensive about being called “unpatriotic” or “unAmerican” and (2) “It’s not their patriotism that we’re questioning — it’s their judgement. Hollow as that be. Ann Coulter named a book “Traitor” and defended Joe McCarthy. There seems to be a renewed love of Joe McCarthy in the air. (He was right you know… Communists were infilitrating the government. No relation between his list and these Communists, and this is the game we needed to expect in the Cold War — spys, counter-spies, counter-counter spies, counter-counter-counter spies, ad infinitum.)
But who cares about those two personalities? Really?
I’m not terribly patriotic. American Exceptionalism is that belief that America is immune from history. George Will praised Daniel Patrick Moynihan for believing in American Exceptionalism. The Great Circle Jerk continues, and the wheel is spun around yet again. Feel free to burn the American flag while you’re at it. I don’t understand the flag. Why do school children pledge allegiance to the flag? Wouldn’t it be better to simply recite the Declaration of Independance instead?
Militias know their Declaration of Independance. Probably better than you do. They are truly Americans. 100% USDA Whoop-Ass. I don’t know if they still broadcast those radio stations in hoodoo land… the Militia Movement, it is said, has been on the wane from their highs in the mid 90s. Something about now having purpose of outer-American threats to sharpen their mind. The song on Camper Van Beethoven’s latest album misses the mark, I might say… America’s favourite luddite — Ted Kaczynski — was not a militia-member.