It is the end of the first decade of the 2000’s. Hard to believe 10 years ago we were being terrorized by the Y2K effect, being warned that the end of all we know could and might befall us at the stroke of the New Year.
As is usually the case, the closing of a decade, brings with it lists of the 10 best, the 10 worst, the 10 things of this and that and the 10 to the nth degree of lists of the mundane to the serious.
For me as I reflect upon the demise of the past ten years, I am hoping to find perhaps a phoenix arising in the ashes and debacle which had befallen this country from 2000 to 2009. As I perceive the past decade, I saw a ten year span of never taking responsibility for your own actions, walking away from the consequences of your own irresponsibility, not caring about the truth, and being rewarded for any chaos created as long as there was a positive bottom line in the midst of the havoc.
President Bush and his drunk with power side kick Dick Cheney decided to go to war. To provide for the proof of the necessity of war they both invented “weapons of mass destruction.” They redrew the boogie man from looking like a commie, menacing and mean living in any Soviet inspired nation to a persona similar to Saddam Hussein, and a bunch of other people deemed as Middle East devils.
They invented a new holy war with a newer with meaner weapons kind of Christian Crusades movement, finding new enemies and most importantly brought back to this country a true hate of anything or anyone who did not fit their description of true red white and blue.
Bush/Cheney lied about the casualties of the wars. Bush/Cheney, with the help of self serving mainly Republican Politicians hid the true cost of two wars. And Bush/Cheney insisted we were winning the war and as the long history of the wars wore on, reinvented the original purposes of going to war in the first place.
And now with 1000’s of Americans dead, tens of thousands coming home with trauma and stress related mental health issues, the economy drained on no bid contracts for supplies deemed useless the moment they hit the battlefields, both Mister Bush and Cheney are writing books, making speeches, and receiving tons and tons of dollars refusing to take any claim for the destruction of lives, loves and property. (Mister Cheney has even lamented the fact that he is a hero fighting for the true values of America.)
As if it is a surprise to most Americans struggling with bills, hoping some of their retirement funds are still surviving, making budget decisions of paying for food or health care, the boys on Wall Street and their counterparts from the Banking Biz, are crying about bonuses bouncing and salaries sliding...THEIRS!
We are told now that the brightest and smartest will have to leave the world of Finance and Investment because if we punish any of them for their reckless or selfish behaviors of the past, no one will want to step forward for the present and the future to lead America’s Money Making Markets. We are turning things around for the Banking Institutions and all the Fortune 500 companies and even though self serving, selfish, insincere behavior was practiced before, we need to turn the other check and reward those who robbed us. They with little conscience should not be punished for past discretions---which, after all is the bidding they did for what most greedy Americans wanted before the bottom fell out.
We are told by the gangs of gluttony that the recession is over and we need the brains and the big moves from the bullies on Wall Street to move ahead. (Ever wonder why the average American was the first to feel the pain and the last to enjoy its relief?)
No apology here, rather indignation in even considering that the criminal pay for the crime.
And then we have the Sarah Palin’s, the Glenn Becks, the John McCain’s, the Carrie Prejean’s, the Rush Limbaugh’s, the Chuck Grassley’s the Michael Steel’s, who like to rebel rouse, state, their opinion of fact, disrupt conversation, irritate the rational, and lie, but never wanting to be confronted with their behaviors or actions. They are always the victim in reverse when found out to be connoisseurs of fabrications or of anything smelling like the truth. They are always taken out of context, victims of the liberal press, misquoted, or just called wrong for speaking their minds---based on nothing but the imagination of their bigoted and biased minds!
Like a classroom bully, when confronted they cry, pout and never admit to fault. They become vicious when cornered and use any weapon necessary to slander, accuse, dehumanize and deride their perceived enemy. Throw in a few tidbits from the Bible, misinterpretations from the Constitution and some smoke and mirror magic tricks, and they deflect any criticism and walk away for the next batch of lies.
And then we have the boys who just like to do as I say, BUT not as I do! The ever ready Evangelical Christians fighting for God’s law and his dominion in the United States; Larry Craig, Marc Sanford, John Ensign, Tom Coburn, Newt Gingrich.
They will fight for the Institution of Marriage, the Value of Family, the Christian way of life, by denying anyone they deem unworthy, uncivilized un heterosexual, un white any access to their America. They will quote chapter and verse from the Scripture reciting their rewrite of Jesus’ way on Earth. And they all have the nose to sniff out a sinner. ( Just as long as the wind is not blowing in their direction.)
Sin is for the foolish not for the famed. And when caught with their pants, literally pulled down, they cower in the cover, never repenting for immoral or unethical actions. They admit sheepishly if what they did has hurt others hurt them then, well it is that the others misunderstood….., never saying I am sorry for what I did. They wage war against those who dare throw a stone at their glass house. And like weak kneed babies they cry demanding their actions were God inspired, God sent. And of course what they did is not as wrong as the other sins of all the other sinners.
We embark upon 2010. Is it an opportunity for a new chapter on semi clear paper to be written? Have we learned anything at all from the previous 10 years? Are we satisfied with liars, loons, and lousy leadership? Do we in America ever learn lessons from History? Are we able to turn inwards for change, and not blame others for our mistakes? Do we continue to need scapegoats to wipe the slate clean? Do we even deserve a chance to be better?
2009 comes crashing to a close in 8 days, will be able to find a phoenix ready to root, or just a bunch of damned debris choking the air we breathe? Why wonder what the newest year has in store for us, why not make it as we want!
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