By Isaac
isaac3rd@attbi.com
 

Solipsism: NOUN: Philosophy 1. The theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified. 2. The theory or view that the self is the only reality.-The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000

"We are resolved to rout out terror wherever it exists to save the world from freedom!" George W. Bush, January 31 (In a Freudian slip?)
 

Anyone who can see that not only does the emperor have no clothes, but that he's not even wearing underwear, with the warts on his ass in plain sight, raise your hands.

The rest of the world sees it, has seen it since the beginning of this administration, and has been trying to tell us, but not all of us are listening. Many of us don't want to hear. Anyone who reads foreign news accounts is aware that whenever George W. Gump goes anywhere in the world, there are massive demonstrations. Tens of thousands of ordinary people who clog the streets to protest the "leader of the free world". Many of the demonstrations have turned violent, with demonstrators being injured and a few killed.

How could that be happening? How could anyone in the world possibly not want to cheer loveable, warm fuzzy, just plain folks George W. Bush? Why, he brought honor and integrity back to the White House! When less affluent young men were fighting and dying in Vietnam, Young George bravely stayed behind in the U.S. to defend women and children from an invasion by Mexico. He proudly stood aside for his last year of military service to give some other young man the pride that comes from serving his country. And afterward, out of the goodness of his heart, he used Daddy's connections to save several businessmen the trouble of blowing their own money. In the meantime, he selflessly helped force Arlington, Texas to donate the land and finance a ballpark for the baseball team for which he was a figurehead . It was a terrible sacrifice, but he swallowed the bitter pill and became a multimillionaire.

So how could it be that when he goes anywhere, people put their safety and lives at risk to publicly show they do not like this man and his policies? Why is it that whenever Bill Clinton goes to the same countries, thousands show up in the equivalent of a mass group hug?

What do they know that we, in our country don't know and don't want to know?

They live in countries where their media don't have an interest in propping up this pantload whose main accomplishment in life up until December 2000 was to lose other people's money and otherwise just occupy space. They live in countries who are affected by the punitive and destructive policies of the United States since January 2001.

When you look at it, the GOP has a habit of defining the U.S. in terms of an enemy, even if they have to create one. The Communists had the starring role for 50 years, and when they folded up shop, that left them without an enemy. The far right didn't know what to do. While the rest of us were looking for a "peace dividend" -the money we wouldn't have to spend on the Cold War being used to do some good at home-the right wing looked inward and found our enemies in this country. Liberals, abortion providers, environmentalists, gays, single mothers, minorities, children, and anyone who wasn't far right wing were the new enemies. The right had never liked these groups of people, but they now put put their new targets on the front lines of the war.

So with all these evildoers, there could be no peace dividend. Not while there were upper class tax cuts to attend to. The pain and suffering of the wealthy must be alleviated, or else none of us is truly free, you see. And no demagogues had better call it "class war". That would be divisive and WRONG.

Now the far right has maneuvered George W. Gump into the toughest job in the world, a position that doesn't give George anywhere else to fail upward into. He and his administration have not wasted one minute since January, 2001 in their drive to turn the rest of the world into one humongous Third World country. Or another Texas.

Item: Nine Japanese are dead after a Navy submarine rams their boat while GOP fatcats are allowed to drive. The U.S. response to Japan? None, because, well,  they were Japanese. They didn't even rate enough for us to throw up on any of their heads of state.

Item: The United States backs out of treaty after treaty, like the ABM treaty, the International Criminal Court, and Kyoto treaty. We also pulled out of the international conference on racism in Africa along with Israel. Why? Because we can. We're the United States. What are YOU gonna do about it?

Item: The United States has been implicated in, if not directly behind, the failed coup in Venezuela. Our government issued a statement that winning the popular vote does not give the elected winner a mandate. This bit of irony was followed by a loud laugh track played in the rest of the world, but was not audible on television sets in the United States.

Item: In June of 2001, Public Affairs magazine reported that the United States told India that Afghanistan would be invaded in October. The reports showed up in Janes Defense News, and the BBC in advance of September, 2001.

Item: We have redundantly bombed the people of Afghanistan back into the Stone Age, while trying to bring back Osama bin Ladin "dead or alive". He is still alive, unlike several thousands of Afghani peasants who were not smart enough to be wealthy, and therefore living somewhere else.

Item: In a purely political move, we have imposed tariffs on foreign steel, lumber, and other products in a cynical ploy to win Republican votes in swing states. The European Union says it will impose it's own tariffs on other products in swing states in retaliation. (true story).

Item: Bush gives his State of the Union Speech, which will be famous only for the knuckleheaded "Axis of evil" part. The rest of the world scratches their heads and ask what we are smoking over here.

Item: The Bush administration ignored the situation in the Middle East, despite the advice of outgoing Clinton officials who warned Condi Rice and others to pay close attention there. George didn't want to do anything Clinton had done, or would do, so he used the "Now you boys play nice" approach to Middle Eastern policy. When trying nothing didn't work, Bush Inc. was all out of ideas.

Item: While the Middle East situation was blowing up and threatening the entire region, Boy George and his war party got amnesia about Osama bin Laden and decided that it was time for Saddam Hussein to go. Dick Cheney went to the Middle East to line up support for invading Iraq. In country after after country, he was told: "Are you nuts? 'Axis of evil'? We have our own 'Axis of Not Very Nice Guys' over here. You help us with them, maybe we'll talk. Get out of here with your 'Axis of evil'. Besides, some of us kind of like old Saddam".

Item: We're now talking about pre-emptive first strikes against countries with weapons of mass destruction, forgetting that they're only following our example. In the meantime, the situation with India and Pakistan is touch and go, and we are moving closer to nuclear war than we have in many years. The Doomsday Clock has been moved ahead for the first time in years. The United States is now pursuing a policy that used to be called "peace through strength", but expecting peace from this crowd of Cold Warriors is like expecting virginity from Madonna. In 'us versus them' terms, almost everyone else is now officially 'them'.

Do I need to list any more items? They exist, and you can probably cite your own. We have a real embarrassment of riches here.

In these days of globalization, it's strange to me that the United States can behave as if we're the only ones on the planet, with no repercussions for others, or ourselves, down the road. Bush Inc.seems to have a serious case of solipsism-we're the only ones who matter-or even exist. Already, there are reports that foreign investors are moving their investments to other countries out of fear and concern over the direction we are taking.

I don't believe for one second that anything I've said here is disloyal, or unpatriotic-quite the opposite. I love this world. I live here. I don't have any other place to go. So, when I see something that threatens it, I have to say something, and I hope more people will.

Anyone who believes the world is safer, better off, or less dangerous than it was before January 2001 isn't getting it, and probably gets their information from U.S. mainstream media. The rest of the world knows what I'm saying. Nothing this administration touches is better than when they found it; just the opposite is true. How are we going to have peace when it's filled with Cold Warrior chickenhawks?

While he was campaigning, Bush claimed to be a 'uniter, not a divider'. While I think a better word would have been 'unifier', I can agree with one thing: we have the very real chance that every country in the world will set aside their disputes over boundaries and religion, and unite to try to solve their common problem: the United States.

I report. I decide.

isaac