Wednesday, August 09, 2006

The Tubes of Time


I just received an e mail from SB, wondering if Mars would be as big as the Moon.

(to our eyes)

It will not.

Lamont wins over Lieberman and Buzzflash claims that "sanity has triumphed".

It has not.

Pat Buchanan says, "In the ideology of "democratic fundamentalism" to which George W. Bush converted after 9-11, we are simply in a rough patch on the glory road to a democratic Middle East and "the end of tyranny on this earth."

In reality, our situation has never been more grim."

No wonder that Jimmy Carter, perhaps our most humane of presidents, speaks of Breaking the Cycle of Violence.

Natylie Baldwin writes in the Peace Journal that

"As an unusually long and sweltering heat wave enveloped the traditionally mild San Francisco Bay Area, power outages knocked out air conditioning, and gas prices under $3.00 a gallon seemed like leisure suits or vinyl LPs, relics of a long forgotten era, those who have been warning of the consequences of global warming and the eventual decline of a fossil fuel-based life felt an awkward sense of vindication. "

But I do not.

Amy Goodwin interviews Richard Debs, who is also the Chairman Emeritus at the American University of Beirut, who talks about the role that Syria, Iran, and the US media play in the crisis, and his view that "democracy has become a code word--and not a good codeword--in the Middle East."

Debs says "But more than that, I think America itself is wounding itself in such a way that it's going to take us decades to recover from what we've done here."

But we will not.

As Napolean said, we cannot regain lost time.

"ASK ME for anything," said Napoleon to his lieutenant. "Anything but time."

With those three words, Napoleon was referring to the binding agent of operational military art, the concept of "Time, Space, and Force." What Napoleon was saying to his subordinate was that in the context of war, there are always setbacks. Terrain, for example, is sometimes captured and lost to the enemy, but lost terrain can be regained. And forces are lost in combat but can be rebuilt and reconstituted from the strategic reserve.

But lost time? Once it has passed, time is lost forever.

You will never see it again, and no general, however great, can win it back. "

And we will not.

Meanwhile our most recent President moves to fight the real fights against climate change and resource depletion through a global union of cities.

"The Clinton Climate Initiative -- which will create an international consortium to bargain for cheaper energy-efficient products and share ideas on cutting greenhouse gas pollution -- includes Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York as well as Cairo, Delhi, London and Mexico City.

While the group is not setting specific targets for reducing emissions, Clinton said he is confident the effort will both cut pollution and create jobs in the cities that contribute most to higher temperatures."

As the leadership of the last century shows us the way to deal with our real problems, the catastrophic misleadership of this century continues with its black light magic show of terrorism and moral virtue. They promise to maintain our freedom, our democracy, and our security.

But they will not.

So Where are We?

We are in the tubes my friends.

Deep in the Tubes of Time.

Hold on, and be thoughtful

and good

with everyone

and everything.

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4 Comments:

Blogger polit thoughts said...

I almost didn't make it through the piece because I got stuck on the phrase:

"democratic fundamentalism"

There are obvious problems with this oxymoronic soundbite. Democracy is a political construct aimed at maximizing public benefit and participation in citizens' own governance. Fundamentalism is an exclusionary, isolating religious construct aimed at minimizing choice, especially choice of thought.

It would be reason to celebrate if Bush actually believed in fundamentalist democracy, I think. Our current opportunistic monarchy model (can you say "unitary executive?")leaves much to be desired. Assigned Bush the character of a democratic fundamentalist flatters the little Napolean in the West Wing.

Is Buchanan trying to say, in his odd back-hand way that the crisis in the Middle East is simply the ultimate price for ambitious democracy-pushing by Condi and Dubya? I hope not, but it does kinda resonate with that stupid "sustainable cease-fire" blather.

There is one more thing, something darker, afoot here, it seems. If we were going to be "fundamentalist" about anything - meaning rigid adherence to the basic tenets of the doctrine and public condemnation of alternative approaches - wouldn't it be democracy?

Is Buchanan intimating that sometimes a little democracy is too much? Would we better off if America were to express more tolerance for tyranny? For oppressive regimes? For state religions?

Why not fundamentalist democracy?

10:42 AM  
Blogger SB said...

Too bad about Mars. If the planets can change size in relationship to our eyeballs, anything can happen.

Drat.

11:14 AM  
Blogger polit thoughts said...

Over the past 6 years, I have noticed that Mars grows as polls go (down).

6:49 AM  
Blogger oZ said...

it is after all, the Red Planet. An invasion from this planet would result in the mass murder of unimaginable numbers.

Authorities in London have rounded up at least 28 of these.Martians

7:08 AM  

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