[kj] OT: Bad Weather over USA

Sat, 31 May 2003 21:21:33 +0200

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[kj] OT: Bad Weather over USAVERY pertinent text, and VERY pertinent =
questions !!
Needless to say I totally share this viewpoint in its main lines.

Hans Wehrwolf

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Alexander Smith=20
  To: gathering@misera.net=20
  Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 9:27 PM
  Subject: [kj] OT: Bad Weather over USA

    Make of this what you will --- but some interesting points raised - =
Alex in NYC

  The Bad Weather Over America
  By James Carroll
  The Boston Globe
  Tuesday 27 May 2003

  When will the bad weather end?
  Why the distance between what is and what ought to be?
  Where are Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction?
  If he was such a threat, why did his army perform so poorly?
  Does it matter where he is?
  If the war in Iraq was not about oil, why does the United States =
insist on
  its indefinite control?
  If the war was, instead, about democracy, why are the Iraqi people,
  including Saddam's proven enemies, excluded from authority?
  Is Iraq to be like Afghanistan, where war lords rule and heroin =
thrives?
  Are there more suicide-bombers now than ever?
  Has the American war on terrorism advanced safety?
  How did relations between the United States and its European allies =
become
  so fragile?=20
  Will history recognize the 21st century Anglo-American combine as a =
mere
  continuation of the 19th century British Empire?
  What do good intentions count for if they cut a wake of wreckage?
  And is the bad weather the result of an atmospheric low that will not =
lift
  without the answers?
  Why are taxes being cut when teachers and librarians are being laid =
off?
  What happened to campaign finance reform?
  Why is the United States more divided by race than ever?
  When did its citizens ever decide to forgo privacy?
  How can low-income wage-earners support their families?
  How much longer will the middle class be able to afford health =
insurance?
  Why are Americans eating so much bad food?
  Does prime time television hold a mirror up to the nation?
  Who teaches children to bring guns to school?
  What happens to teenagers who fulfill every graduation requirement =
except
  the test they can't pass?
  How many more will fail that test because their teachers were laid =
off?

  Such impossible questions go a long way toward explaining the American =
mood.
  We cannot answer them, so we do not ask them, and the emotional =
weather is
  lousy. Thus, the patently false ebullience of George W. Bush -- the
  doubtless man -- is the perfect emblem of a nation so adrift that it =
dares
  not look twice at its real condition. Whatever the technical reasons =
for it,
  the economy that refuses to recover matches perfectly a broad =
psychological
  stagnation that precludes self-knowledge. Why are Americans incapable =
of
  looking directly at what we are doing and what we are becoming?

  Abroad, the United States wages war on such vaporous pretexts that =
when they
  dissipate in the first breeze of mourners wailing, Americans take no =
notice.
  A strong tradition of multilateral internationalism is overthrown =
without
  political controversy or even debate. An old liberal dream of world
  federalism, nations united as democratic partners in global =
governance, is
  replaced by a program of American unipolarity, world government =
administered
  by fiat from Washington. And who in Washington questions this?

  At home, an anxious sadness underlies the civic life. Careers feel =
terribly
  uncertain. Leisure is a forgotten luxury, which is not all bad because =
blank
  spaces in the datebook spark insecurities most of all. Intimate
  relationships are burdened by what is not discussed, and the
  confessional to which many people might once have carried such secrets =
is
  now dangerous.

  The Catholic crisis, cutting an entire community loose from moorings =
of
  authority and meaning, directly affects only a part of the national
  population, yet it, too, seems very American. The sadness is as =
religious as
  it is political.

  In America each boon seems now to carry a curse. Is our freedom =
secured?
  Yes, by a government that can eavesdrop on every conversation. Are we =
well
  fed? Yes, to the point of obesity. Is our medical care superb? To the =
point
  of bankruptcy. Are we the most heavily armed people in history?
  Frighteningly so. Does the unprecedented success of the national
  project over the last generation bode well for the next generation?
  Obviously not. Can we dare to ask why?
  =20
  An answer is apparent this very day in Iraq. The distance between what =
is
  and what ought to be is so vast there that only an act of communal
  self-blinding can keep Americans ignorant of it. The dark national =
mood has
  many causes, but one cries out to be reckoned with immediately. The =
Iraqi
  war was a pack of lies, and Washington's war on terrorism is a cynical
  manipulation of fears for the sake of power. So far, the citizens of =
the
  United States have willfully participated in this Bush-led charade. We =
have
  done so out of the very insecurity they tell us not to feel, as if the
  charade, however much it wrecks the world, will protect us. But our
  underlying sadness indicates what we need to know.

  America was not meant to be like this. We are no longer ourselves. The =
bad
  weather will not end until we face this cold truth and change it.

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>VERY pertinent text, and VERY pertinent =
questions=20
!!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Needless to say I totally share this =
viewpoint in=20
its main lines.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hans Wehrwolf</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Dvassifer@earthlink.net =
href=3D"mailto:vassifer@earthlink.net">Alexander=20
  Smith</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dgathering@misera.net=20
  href=3D"mailto:gathering@misera.net">gathering@misera.net</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, May 31, 2003 =
9:27=20
PM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [kj] OT: Bad Weather =
over=20
  USA</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Make of this what you will --- but some interesting =
points=20
    raised - Alex in NYC<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>The Bad Weather Over=20
  America<BR>By James Carroll<BR>The Boston Globe<BR>Tuesday 27 May=20
  2003<BR><BR>When will the bad weather end?<BR>Why the distance between =
what is=20
  and what ought to be?<BR>Where are Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass=20
  destruction?<BR>If he was such a threat, why did his army perform so=20
  poorly?<BR>Does it matter where he is?<BR>If the war in Iraq was not =
about=20
  oil, why does the United States insist on<BR>its indefinite =
control?<BR>If the=20
  war was, instead, about democracy, why are the Iraqi =
people,<BR>including=20
  Saddam's proven enemies, excluded from authority?<BR>Is Iraq to be =
like=20
  Afghanistan, where war lords rule and heroin thrives?<BR>Are there =
more=20
  suicide-bombers now than ever?<BR>Has the American war on terrorism =
advanced=20
  safety?<BR>How did relations between the United States and its =
European allies=20
  become<BR>so fragile? <BR>Will history recognize the 21st century=20
  Anglo-American combine as a mere<BR>continuation of the 19th century =
British=20
  Empire?<BR>What do good intentions count for if they cut a wake of=20
  wreckage?<BR>And is the bad weather the result of an atmospheric low =
that will=20
  not lift<BR>without the answers?<BR>Why are taxes being cut when =
teachers and=20
  librarians are being laid off?<BR>What happened to campaign finance=20
  reform?<BR>Why is the United States more divided by race than =
ever?<BR>When=20
  did its citizens ever decide to forgo privacy?<BR>How can low-income=20
  wage-earners support their families?<BR>How much longer will the =
middle class=20
  be able to afford health insurance?<BR>Why are Americans eating so =
much bad=20
  food?<BR>Does prime time television hold a mirror up to the =
nation?<BR>Who=20
  teaches children to bring guns to school?<BR>What happens to teenagers =
who=20
  fulfill every graduation requirement except<BR>the test they can't=20
  pass?<BR>How many more will fail that test because their teachers were =
laid=20
  off?<BR><BR>Such impossible questions go a long way toward explaining =
the=20
  American mood.<BR>We cannot answer them, so we do not ask them, and =
the=20
  emotional weather is<BR>lousy. Thus, the patently false ebullience of =
George=20
  W. Bush -- the<BR>doubtless man -- is the perfect emblem of a nation =
so adrift=20
  that it dares<BR>not look twice at its real condition. Whatever the =
technical=20
  reasons for it,<BR>the economy that refuses to recover matches =
perfectly a=20
  broad psychological<BR>stagnation that precludes self-knowledge. Why =
are=20
  Americans incapable of<BR>looking directly at what we are doing and =
what we=20
  are becoming?<BR><BR>Abroad, the United States wages war on such =
vaporous=20
  pretexts that when they<BR>dissipate in the first breeze of mourners =
wailing,=20
  Americans take no notice.<BR>A strong tradition of multilateral=20
  internationalism is overthrown without<BR>political controversy or =
even=20
  debate. An old liberal dream of world<BR>federalism, nations united as =

democratic partners in global governance, is replaced by a program =
of=20
 American unipolarity, world government administered by fiat from=20
 Washington. And who in Washington questions this? At home, an =
anxious=20
 sadness underlies the civic life. Careers feel terribly uncertain. =
Leisure=20
 is a forgotten luxury, which is not all bad because blank spaces in =
the=20
 datebook spark insecurities most of all. Intimate relationships are =

burdened by what is not discussed, and the confessional to which =
many=20
 people might once have carried such secrets is now =
dangerous. The=20
 Catholic crisis, cutting an entire community loose from moorings=20
 of authority and meaning, directly affects only a part of the=20
 national population, yet it, too, seems very American. The sadness =
is as=20
 religious as it is political. In America each boon seems now =
to=20
 carry a curse. Is our freedom secured? Yes, by a government that =
can=20
 eavesdrop on every conversation. Are we well fed? Yes, to the point =
of=20
 obesity. Is our medical care superb? To the point of bankruptcy. =
Are we the=20
 most heavily armed people in history? Frighteningly so. Does the=20
 unprecedented success of the national project over the last =
generation bode=20
 well for the next generation? Obviously not. Can we dare to ask=20
 why? &nbsp; An answer is apparent this very day in Iraq. The =
distance=20
 between what is and what ought to be is so vast there that only an =
act of=20
 communal self-blinding can keep Americans ignorant of it. The dark =
national=20
 mood has many causes, but one cries out to be reckoned with =
immediately.=20
 The Iraqi war was a pack of lies, and Washington's war on terrorism =
is a=20
 cynical manipulation of fears for the sake of power. So far, the =
citizens=20
 of the United States have willfully participated in this Bush-led =
charade.=20
 We have done so out of the very insecurity they tell us not to =
feel, as if=20
 the charade, however much it wrecks the world, will protect us. But =

our underlying sadness indicates what we need to =
know. America was=20
 not meant to be like this. We are no longer ourselves. The =
bad weather will=20
 not end until we face this cold truth and change=20
it. </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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