How
does he sleep at night?
What
is it that enables George Bush to sleep at night when his avarice and
iniquity as a ruler exceed that of Marie Antoinette? Could it
be that he slept through his history lectures about the
French Revolution while he was at Yale? Perhaps his capacity to
sleep soundly stems from having the most powerful military in the
history of humanity at his disposal. Being a member of a dynasty
dating back to the 1930's would also tend to endow one with a sense
of serenity as one plundered a nation's resources, shredded the US
Constitution, initiated illegal wars, bullied most of the world,
slaughtered innocents in the name of "spreading freedom",
starved the poor to feed the rich, and allowed tens of thousands to
suffer or die in New Orleans simply because they are poor and
black.
The
power of psychological manipulation
While
there could be many reasons for Bush's smug self-assurance as he gives
the finger to most of the world's citizenry, I theorize that his sense
of security stems from the level of protection he derives from America's
Propaganda Matrix, the propaganda machine which enables the
American Nightmare to masquerade as the American Dream. A friend
recently commented to me that Orwell had written "1984" as a
warning, but that the Bush administration had adopted it as a
blue-print. Free and constant access to the mainstream media (to
spread their sugar-coated versions of Pax Americana), genuflecting
pundits like Michelle Malkin and Charles Krauthammer,corporate ownership
of mainstream media, textbook companies and schools which portray a
white-washed version of US history, heavily funded "think
tanks" like the Hoover Institution, and the perpetuation of the
myth of the United States as the "good guys" in many mindless
Hollywood blockbusters unite to provide US leaders a powerful yet
subtle means to manipulate their subjects. Why would Bush worry about
the consequences of his actions when the propaganda machine at his
disposal, like his military machine, is unparalleled in human history?
Not
unlike the program the machines created in the movie called the Matrix,
America
's Propaganda Matrix manipulates the poor and working class by lulling
them into an illusory sense of joy over being so "free". While
wealthy dynasties (like the Bush clan), their sycophants, and their
corporate cronies pillage the US treasury and employ foreign
policies (like the Bush Doctrine) to seek world domination, an
apathetic American public joyfully slaps magnetic ribbons supporting the
Iraqi invasion onto its gas-guzzling SUV's, smiles and nods its
assent at federal budgets calling for increases in an insanely bloated
defense budget and cuts in spending for social programs,
lightheartedly surrenders its civil liberties, and blithely
watches the wealth gap widen to monumental proportions. The brilliance
of the American Propaganda Matrix is that it enables a covert nobility
to rule behind the guise of a "federal republic". With
virtually no open acts of violence or totalitarian measures, a small
fraction of the population in the
United States
maintains a vast majority of the world's wealth and power by ensuring that
"their people" are elected and appointed to the key
positions in the
US
government. Living in the delusory American Propaganda Matrix, many
poor and working class Americans contentedly go about their lives as the
"freest people in the world" enjoying the fruits of
"sublime capitalism". In the American Propaganda Matrix, the
American Way
is The Way, and there is no room for critical evaluation. Those beguiled
by the American Propaganda Matrix will tenaciously adhere to their
delusions, regardless of who suffers or dies as a result.
Your
computer has a virus, Mr. Rove
Unfortunately
for those in power in the
United States
, the American Propaganda Matrix has a "virus". In fact, as a
free lance writer publishing on the Internet, and as a proponent of
social justice, I am a part of that "virus". The "virus"
consists of activists for peace and social justice who are
attacking the "program" which manipulates Americans into
believing in the false construct of the
US
as a benevolent world power with political and economic systems which
the world "must" embrace. I know from the many emails (and
comments on my blog) which I receive that more people are escaping the
psychological clutches of this Matrix each day as they awaken to the
harsh light of reality. As Americans examine their leaders and history
more closely, they see the depth of the corruption, the pervasiveness of
the lies, the extreme hubris, the insatiable avarice, the objective of
global domination (regardless of the human cost), the white
patriarchy, and the exploitation of the poor and working class.
Propaganda does not hold up well under the scrutiny of
critical examination. The Iraqi occupation, events in New Orleans, cuts
in assistance to the poor, a rapid decline in the number of decent
paying jobs, tax cuts for the rich, spiraling federal deficits,
sky-rocketing gas prices, corporate plundering, and weakening
environmental protections are coalescing to form a battering ram of
truth which is shattering the delusions created by the American
Propaganda Matrix. When reality bites, the pain is real, but as my
wrestling coach said on many occasions:
"No
pain, no gain!"
As
the "virus" of activism for peace and social justice spreads
like wild-fire, Karl Rove and his staff desperately seek to patch the
highly vulnerable American Propaganda Matrix "program". Their
efforts are in vain. Noam Chomsky posits the theory that the world has
two remaining superpowers, the
United States
and public opinion. The "virus" has ignited public opinion to
mobilize against the miscreants operating behind the veil of the failing
American Propaganda Matrix. Bush's rapidly descending approval ratings
provide the statistical evidence, but there are also more concrete indicators.
Cindy
Sheehan symbolizes a turning point
Consider
Cindy Sheehan. One woman standing in a ditch in front of George Bush's
ranch in Crawford came to symbolize the national movement against
the war in
Iraq
, and galvanized a growing number of dissidents in the
United States
to demand peace and social justice from a country whose leaders are
sorely lacking in desire to allow either.
Ms.
Sheehan's determination and willingness to live in a tent while George
Bush vacationed comfortably on his ranch for five weeks has evolved
into a cross country tour of anti-war demonstrations. Now that Bush has
finally gone back to work, many of the Sheehan supporters from
Camp
Casey
, including other military family members and war veterans have begun
the Bring Them Home Now Tour. This three bus tour will hit 42 cities in
26 states. Their ultimate goal is to converge on the White House with
hundreds of thousands of other activists on 9/24 to demand that the Bush administration
end the war in
Iraq
, bring home the troops, defend civil rights, and end racism.
Gold Star Families for Peace, Military
Families Speak Out,
Iraq
Vets against the War, and Veterans
for Peace are working together on this national tour to garner
public support for opposition to the Iraqi invasion. They are also promoting
the peace and social justice march on 9/24, which will
culminate with the delivery of petitions and demands to George
Bush, who needs a strong reminder that he is a mere servant of the
American people, not a monarch.
Activism
in my neck of the woods
Yesterday
evening, I left work and headed for the Plaza area of my hometown of
Kansas City
, anticipating the arrival of one of the Bus Tours from
Camp
Casey
. My excitement was justified. Three to four hundred anti-war
demonstrators gathered to show their support for Cindy Sheehan's group.
The caravan from Crawford was a little late, but people found plenty to
do as they waited. Petitions circulated. People met, mingled and
discussed their disgust with the Bush administration and its
imperialistic policies. Ira Harritt, a local peace activist who is
heavily involved with American
Friends Service Committee, and Nancy Carry, co-chair of the KC
Iraq Task Force, took turns speaking to the group about local
efforts to end the Iraqi occupation. Many of the demonstrators admired
the enormous collage assembled with ribbons bearing the names
of each
US
soldier who has died in
Iraq
since the illegal occupation began.
Having
participated in local anti-war demonstrations before, I was used to
getting the finger and hearing insults. Yesterday, I felt awe-struck by
the virtually over-whelming support of passers-by. The assembly was
situated in a park on the corner of a busy intersection and took place
during rush hour. I noticed many people honking, waving, gesturing and
smiling with approval. I heard no cursing and saw no
vulgar gestures. Bush's supporters are obviously dwindling and
feeling less inclined to express their views publicly.
As
I waited, I had an opportunity to speak with two of
Kansas City
's stalwart anti-war demonstrators, Carol Huhs and Bob Rowe. They are
members of a group of twenty die-hards who call themselves the
63rd Street
Patriots. Determined to
make a difference, regardless of weather extremes or abuse from Bush
supporters, they have held demonstrations opposing the Iraqi occupation
for 132 consecutive weeks. The commitment of people like Bob and Carol
form the backbone of the movement for peace and social justice, which by
its very nature dissents against the Bush administration.
Morrigan
Phillips, the media coordinator for the
Bring Them Home Now Tour told me that the goal of the tour is
to build momentum for the 9/24 march on
Washington
. She added that another objective is to find members of Congress
who have the moral courage to introduce or support legislation to bring
the troops home immediately. They have set high goals, but they are
worth pursuing, and this group has the resolve to persevere.
I
visited briefly with Kansas City
Star columnist Lewis Diuguid, one of the few mainstream journalists
in
Kansas City
with the courage to write columns supporting social justice, peace,
civil liberties, civil rights, and social welfare programs. I thanked
him for his efforts and for expressing his opposition to many of the
grossly misguided policies of the Bush administration.
Camp
Casey comes to KC
As
the RV from
Camp
Casey
arrived, it occurred to me that I was witnessing (and was a part
of) an activism which had not occurred in the
United States
on such a large scale during my adult years. I could feel the awesome
power of
America
's Propaganda Matrix waning as the energized crowd of "de-programmed"
Americans cheered the appearance of Tammara Rosenleaf and Cody Camacho,
who had both spent several weeks with Cindy Sheehan in Crawford.
Deeply
tanned by her stint in the hot
Texas
sun, Tammara gratified her eager listeners with her brief bio,
news of
Camp
Casey
, anecdotes, and information about the Iraqi occupation. I felt the
elation moving amongst my fellow activists from
Kansas City
as an element of Cindy Sheehan's group made direct contact with
us. For that hour, we were direct participants in the national movement
against the Iraqi debacle.
As
she started speaking, Tammara reminded us that
Camp
Casey
had evolved from the courage of one woman standing in a ditch alongside
the road in front of the ranch where Bush cowered. Within a few
days, Sheehan had been joined by about thirty supporters. Initially they
feared they would be arrested, but the local sheriff allowed their vigil
to continue in the interest of their First Amendment rights. By the end
of the first week, they had 50 people and one tent. 10,000 people
visited
Camp
Casey
over the course of its existence. It ended with a rally attended by
2,500 people who helped dismantle the 71 tents that had been erected
over the course of 5 weeks.
Tammara
told us that her husband is stationed at
Ft.
Hood
. His Army unit is scheduled to deploy to
Iraq
in November. He supports Tammara's involvement with Military
Families Speak Out and the peace movement. Tammara told us that her
husband's captain and chaplain also support her efforts.
Pool
of tears and the raging torrent of public opinion
George
Bush needs to realize that the Iraqi occupation has created a pool of
grief created by the tears of mothers and wives of dead military
personnel. Tammara reminded us that Cindy Sheehan's tears caused this
pool to over-flow. What started as a trickle, grew to a river, and
has now gained the momentum of a raging torrent headed for
Washington
. Perhaps Mr. Bush will pay attention to the pool of tears on 9/24
when he is confronted with the power of public opinion which it has
inspired.
Bring Them
Home Now left Crawford with an RV and $450.00. In the tradition of
the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's, this is a grass roots movement
relying on support and participation from people across the
United States who are waking up to the malevolence of the Bush
administration. Tammara asked for donations as she spoke, and it
appeared that many in the group responded.
Tammara
emphasized to her audience that the Iraqi occupation also affects many
facets of life stateside, for both returning veterans and other working
class or poor Americans. In
New Orleans
, 3,000 National Guardsmen who would have been helping during Katrina
are busy occupying
Iraq
instead. Military helicopters which could have been used to air-lift
people out of the city and to help repair the dikes are also in
Iraq
. How many will suffer or die in the wealthiest nation on Earth before
the
New Orleans
crisis is resolved? As many veterans prepare to come home from their
tours in
Iraq
, the Bush administration is closing several VA hospitals, limiting
medical and psychiatric care for those suffering physical and
psychological wounds. Tammara reminded us that in
Baghdad
alone, JAG Corps officers have received 2600 petitions for divorce since
the beginning of the occupation. It would appear there is no limit to
the human cost George Bush and his so-called Neocons are willing to
expend using other peoples' lives in their quest for global
domination.
A
veteran speaks
Following
Tammara's inspiring and heartfelt talk, Cody Camacho took the
microphone. He served as an Army specialist in
Iraq
from March 2003 to March 2004 before he was honorably discharged in
October of 2004. Cody asked several poignant questions as he spoke:
1.
Who is the "boss" in the
United States
? Excellent question, Cody. With a slim margin of victory in the
last presidential election and support for his illegal Iraqi
occupation well below 50%, why is Bush defying his "boss", the
American people, and insisting on "staying the course" in
Iraq?
2.
Why do people continue to support corporate media? Another question more
Americans need to ponder deeply. Why support a corporate media
which often ignores or waters down the truth if it casts even a
hint of negative light on the
United States
?
3.
What is the noble cause in
Iraq
? Cody answered that question for us since Bush would not. The
illegal Iraqi occupation is a "nobility cause" to benefit
the wealthy.
4.
Why are we showering Halliburton (via its subsidiary, KBR) with
billions of dollars in Iraq-related contracts when our soldiers are not
equipped with effective body armor or properly armored vehicles?
Cody informed
us of the lack of efforts toward reconstruction of infrastructure
for the people of
Iraq
. Based on his observations during his deployment, many
US
resources were funneling into the construction of permanent
US
military bases in
Iraq
. (A nation can't have a "true democracy" without
US
military oversight, now can they?) To further nauseate the crowd, Cody
told us that his job in
Iraq
was to protect Halliburton contractors, one of whom bragged to him that
he was making over $100,000.00 per year (tax free). Given the fact that
he was talking about Halliburton, it was not surprising to learn that
many of those contractors were performing jobs US soldiers could have
been doing. Disgusting to hear, but not surprising.
One
of Cody's greatest fears as a veteran relates to the issue of depleted
uranium. Depleted uranium (or DU) is the residual left after
natural uranium has been enriched to make reactor fuel or weapons. Its
radioactivity is mild, but DU is very heavy and is almost twice as dense
as lead. The military places it in the cores or tips of weapons in
order to pierce armor. When DU does pierce armor, it becomes a
cloud of vapor which then forms a poisonous and radioactive dust.
Many veterans of the Gulf War believe that exposure to DU left them with
chronic and serious health problems and killed some of their fellow
veterans. While the
US
military acknowledges that DU dust is dangerous if inhaled, they claim
that its effects are short-term. There is no hard evidence to prove
either contention. However, Cody, and many other veterans, fear what the
long term effects of their exposure to DU might be.
As
Cody finished speaking, he dispelled one of the common rumors about
Camp
Casey
. According to several accountings, the pro-Iraq occupation
demonstrators in Crawford out-numbered the contingency at
Camp
Casey
. Cody and Tammara both confirmed that on a given day throughout
the vigil, the number of Bush supporters only averaged about 30. Not
only were they much fewer in number than the Sheehan supporters, they
also went home at night.
How
long can he ignore the "Second Superpower"?
I
left the Bring Them Home Now
Tour with a renewed sense of hope and a stronger faith in the power
and magnitude of the grass roots, spiritual movement toward a better
America
. The "virus" of activism for humanity is spreading rapidly
throughout the "hard drive" supporting
America
's Propaganda Matrix. As more people become acquainted with the reality
behind the veneer of lies, the Bush administration, large corporations,
the wealthy elite, and powerful lobbying groups are slowly losing their
grip on power as the tide of public opinion rises against them, here and
abroad. The non-violent movement for peace and social justice is
growing, and hundreds of thousands of us will be knocking on
Mr. Bush's door on 9/24.
Jason Miller is a 38
year old activist writer with a degree in liberal arts. He
works in the transportation industry, and is a husband and a father
to three boys. His affiliations include Amnesty International,
the ACLU and the Americans United for Separation of Church and
State. He welcomes responses at willpowerful@hotmail.com
or comments on his blog at http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/.
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© 2005
Jason
Miller
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