There was a time, not too long ago, when I was a staunch supporter of the American way. Yes, I admit it; I was one of the flag-waving idiots who blindly pledged their support after seeing what I believed to be a foreign entity smash a couple of buildings and kill thousands of my fellow countrymen. Doom on me. However, I wasn’t alone.
I, like millions of others, was suffering from a disease called “Patriotism”. We were the unknowing victims of propaganda. Extreme thoughts began to come to the forefront of everyday conversation. “Let’s annex Mexico and Canada, nuke the Middle East, and build a wall around our borders!’ Otherwise civil and intelligent people were making crazy proposals. The brainwashing of the American people was very nearly a complete success.
It was wrong. It was all wrong.
It is funny how hindsight is always 20/20. In the days after 9-11 our country became a plethora of raving lunatics. Not only were we pledging support to our monkey of a commander, but we were also giving our money without question to anyone on the street corner with a fireman’s boot and a sign. We proudly sent our young soldiers halfway across the world to die in the desert in the name of all that was red, white, and blue.
Somehow we ended up in Iraq. “A few weeks,” they said, “and we will leave the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates triumphant!” They promised us we would not have another Vietnam on our hands. For a short period of time, a lot of us forgot that politicians lie. We were still drunk from the fear and anger of 9-11. “Kill them all!” we screamed, while stumbling around looking for a couch to call home. The hangover would rear its ugly head all too soon.
The Patriot act. “In order to protect freedom we must take it away!” With that, George W. Bush became our dictator, whether we liked it or not. Sure, it was supposed to be repealed as soon as we were out of danger, but the people who created it knew something we didn’t; we would never be out of danger. There will always be someone who hates us. If not, they could always make someone up.
Abu Ghraib. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; well, these pictures
were worth millions of them. We were no longer liberators in the eyes of the world; instead we had become worse than the ravenous dogs we replaced. No self-respecting American could see those pictures and still hold his head high. The patriotism party had officially ended. “Welcome to the Republic”, the signposts read.
It didn’t stop there. For a while, it seemed as if every other week we were learning some new and interesting fact. Bush had a domestic spying program, Cheney was trigger happy, and Michael Moore ate too many big Macs. If one did not know better, one might have thought civil war was imminent. However, change was not to come. Bush stole his second election in four years as Americans carelessly watched football and drank beer.
Now we find ourselves at the end of 2006. A nuclear war with North Korea looms in the not so distant future. Our way of life is about to end. Our train has just about reached its station. Those of us who are spared will be left to defend what once was a really good idea that turned foul in the blink of an eye.
This is the land in which we killed Kennedy but let Bush live. For that alone we deserve to burn.
Note: I have no intention to do any harm to Bush. However, I would like to see him get kicked in the ass.