areas of sinister control
Sooner or later, the American people will accept Obama’s many invitations to war.
It’s interesting viewing politics in the USA from afar. As a world citizen, I was afraid when George W Bush was in power but feel rather more relaxed now that it’s Obama. It hasn’t escaped my attention that there are some sectors of the US population who don’t quite feel that way. I’m guessing most of them are white and have guns, but I have absolutely no evidence to back this up, so I’ll retract that comment.
Glancing through a list of some of the terrible things Obama is accused of doing to the USA is fascinating. Areas of sinister control levelled against him include: school dinners, medical care, gun possession, car ownership and smoking. Some (I kid you not) claim they are being pushed towards civil war. Let’s consider why.
1. school dinners – Obama seems to have introduced a policy to ensure that in schools, where parents send their children to be educated and cared for, the food provided is healthy. Imagine that in a country with something of an obesity problem!
2. medical care – so, one of the richest countries in the world is the only developed nation not to provide universal medical care. This is really confusing for anyone who’s been, well, anywhere else in the world. Are there people in the USA who can’t afford healthcare? Lots. Imagine the audacity of a politician trying to do something about that situation!
3. gun possession – I’ve already blogged at length on this. As I understand it, people will still be able to play with guns, just not really big and powerful ones and maybe a bit more paperwork will be involved. Imagine the state trying to regulate lethal weapons in a country with high homicide rates!
4. car ownership – I’m guessing this will have an environmental slant … quick Google … it seems he wants oil free cars. Seriously, are people objecting to technological advances that aim to reduce environmental impact?
5. smoking – okay, I can’t find much on this. The general thrust seems to be that smoking cigarettes is being discouraged (em, it’s a health risk). Apparently, this is inconsistent with decriminalising marijuana … which he doesn’t seem to be doing. So I’m lost as to why this was mentioned at all.
I have to be honest, I don’t follow it all those closely, so any corrections are welcomed. I also haven’t mentioned the continuation of Guantanamo or the use of drone strikes, both of which I find chilling and immoral. But I don’t see how any of this, in a democratic country, could lead anyone to conclude that violent action is necessary. Why can’t they wait till the next election and vote for someone else?
(And please don’t post any long rambles about a document drawn up some 200 years ago. It’s not worthy of mindless cult worship – it served a purpose but, even if he were to rip it to pieces, it’s clearly out of date!!!)
“It’s ev’ry American’s rart t’be unhealthy,gun totin’ , gas guzzlin’ ,smokin’ an’ uneducated. An’ he’s got no rart , y’hear, no damn rart t’ make our kids eat school dinners. Hot dang, I used t’hate that crap they fed me when I was a kid. No siree, it’s freedom for me. Dammit, if we don’t fight for our rarts then one day they’ll elect a goddammn N****** to the White House, so help me god. It’s a darn commie plot. God bless America!”
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Yes, the ‘commie plot’ is something I didn’t go into, but the guy was constantly calling Obama a Marxist. Clearly now that the USSR isn’t there to blame for boogeyman activities, there’s been a shift in panic button terminology. It’s an astoundingly successful fete of the 1950s brainwashing programme that large chunks of the population are still terrified by the thought of having free healthcare.
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The need to convince people they have absolute freedom seems to be the overriding issue in any election, and if this doesn’t wash, then it must be God’s will.
As the English say, “There’s none so queer as folk.”
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Yeah but it’s the odd definition of freedom they’ve come to accept that’s so puzzling. Freedom to be in a state of panic that you could never afford health insurance and you’ve just been diagnosed with cancer? Freedom to pop into your nearest corner store and pick up your choice from a huge range of deadly firearms? They live in a constant state of insecurity, paranoia and fear.
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Not much different down here in South Africa. Just take an incident like the Blade Runner shooting and off we all go again.
One thing that is missing from the list of ‘freedoms’ is the freedom to take responsibility.
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VW, I don’t believe you could be farther off target with your post.
The threats seen as pushing this country to civil war are threats to rights guaranteed by the Constitution. This administration has done more to infringe on the rights of Americans that any before it. You say you feel safer now, despite the position of this administration that should they decide that you are a threat (whatever that means to the bureaucrat making the decision) you can be killed or detained with no due process. Unwarranted searches of personal information is so rampant that the DoJ cannot put a number to them, literally. US drone strikes against other countries in the last four years number well over 300 and we have just completed an agreement to open a new drone base in North Africa so the rate will likely increase over the next four years and the list of countries being targeted will expand.
The overall theme of this administration has been one of divisiveness. Any who oppose the president’s policies are claimed to be racists and bigots. If you believe that the government should have to follow the law of the land, you are a potential terrorist. If you are a Christian, you a a bitter clinger to your Bible. Health care reform that punishes the average American by lowering benefits and raising costs while providing loopholes to unionized workers and politicians. The list goes on and on…
That is what is pushing this country in the direction of civil war.
You mention “the worthless piece of paper.” The Constitution they set of laws adopted to define how the government should be run and the rights guaranteed to the citizens of the US. It is a living document and has been amended 27 times. The most recent amendment was in 1992. If the people of this country want to get rid of or modify any aspect of it there is a process for doing so, a democratic process. Until it is changed, it is the law and any government that can just choose to ignore the law is a government out of control; a government that needs to be overturned. Hopefully, that can be done by peaceful means through the mechanisms provided by that “worthless piece of paper;” the election process and the courts.
-Cranky
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