Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Reichstag fires

But as I pointed out previously, the rumors remain. I speculated that perhaps those who believe the conspiracy theories simply don't want to believe that the majority of the American people voted for the class clown as President not once, but twice (and for those who cry "but he did not have a majority!" -- everybody who stayed home rather than register to vote and go to the polls effectively voted for Bush, so there). And then there are the well-known authoritarian tendencies of the Bush administration, where George W. Bush has been caught on tape not once, not twice, but three times musing that he'd like to be a dictator rather than President.

But the evidence of the Bush administration's corruption and incompetence is similarly overwhelming. They could have gotten a Reichstag Fire Decree out of Congress on September 13, 2001. They didn't, not because they don't want that kind of power, but because they couldn't think of anything beyond the laundry list of power "wants" that had been circulating around Washington during the Clinton years. They lack the imagination, the grounding in reality, and the intellectual stamina to be dictators -- or to organize a conspiracy as vast as staging the demolition of the WTC towers and Pentagon wing. Which is good, because as I noted elsewhere, the reflexive ass-pucker of the cowardly Baby Boom generation would have otherwise crowned Emperor Bush to protect them from those unseemly untermenschen on the other side of the Rubicon.

Unfortunately, until the Baby Boomers all die, I don't see that there's much hope for a return to the Republic. All we can hope for, in the short term, is imperial incompetence or a Democrat opposed by the Republicans. Anybody that the Baby Boomers elect to office will be either incompetent or a moral vacuum intent upon increasing the power of the Emperor (and yes, Bill Clinton, while infinitely preferable to Bush due to the fact that he was at least intelligent and connected to the real world, was never shy about taking steps to increase the power of the Presidency and did not succeed most of the time only because the Republicans wanted to crown one of *theirs* as Emperor, not Clinton). A self-absorbed, amoral, value-free generation invincible in their arrogance and willful ignorance, a generation that allowed themselves to be cowed into becoming the wage slaves they despised by one volley of bullets at Kent State and which allowed themselves to be cowed into giving Bush every bit of power he demanded out of fear of a few dusky terrorists overseas hiding in caves is not the kind of generation that should be trusted with power -- but unfortunately, demographics say that is going to be the case for the next ten to fifteen years.

Which, I suppose, is as good a reason as any to vote for Democrats in the next election. The Democratic baby boomers are not really any better than the Republican ones. But at least the Republican Party knows how to be an opposition party and keep the Democrats from sucking up all the power -- and would be quick to uncover any *real* Reichstag fire perpetrated by the Democrats (I'm not so sure about the Democrats, on the other hand... not a single Democratic legislator ever publically questioned the Bush Administration's official story of 9/11). Fighting for the return of the Republic is going to be a losing battle for the next ten to fifteen years, but it can at least be made into a strategic retreat, rather than a total surrender. I realize that "Vote Democrat! Prevent Reichstag fires!" isn't much of a slogan, or much of a hope. But it's the best we got.

- Badtux the Cynical Penguin

Comments:

Living free is inherently dangerous. Living free is inherently noble. Succumbing to fear and allowing it to dictate one's decisions and actions is to give power to the fear and those who promote it. And for those Americans who wish to live free, giving power to our own government which seeks to make us afraid, is as inherently dangerous as giving power to terrorists. For they both seek to deprive us of our liberty, so they can feel secure.

-- David R. Remer (www.watchblog.com)
# posted by niCk (Mem Beth) : 12/9/06 9:45 AM  

Yes, it's true that the Republicans needed both a Pearl Harbor and a Reichstag fire. And it's also true that Osama bin Forgotten is undoubtedly the driving force behind this event. So, we would be left with the LIHOP theory at worst.

But in our haste to disassociate ourselves from the unthinkable, let's not forget that the USA Patriot Act was written before 9/11, and was just sitting around in a drawer, waiting for an opportune excuse, errrrr, I mean moment.

While it's true that Bu$hCo is corrupt that does not absolve them of malign intent. And even the most incompetent blind squirrel manages to find an acorn now and then.

As for the unlikelihood of the Boomers mustering sufficient good sense to elect a skilled technician to preserve the Republic, let's indeed remember that President Clinton, warts and all, was far more competent and a far better leader than Mr Bu$h. I'm not convinced you're right about Boomers having to die off before we can get back on the tracks again, but it's a really interesting theory. Reminds me of why Moses led the Israelites through the desert for 40 years.
# posted by Lurch : 13/9/06 6:29 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

Archives

Bill Richardson: Because what America needs is a competent fat man with bad hair as President (haven't we had enough incompetent pretty faces?)

Links

• MY EMAIL
• Hotmail
• National Weather Service
• Google

• Mockingbird's Medley
• Never Asked Questions
• A novel by yours truly

Honor Roll

Technorati embed?

Liberated Iraqis

• Children celebrate liberation of parents
• More pics of children celebrating
• Liberated baby
• Liberated women and children
• More liberation, yessiree
• More to follow, after I finish cursing SOB chickenhawks and get my breath back...