Ouchie

Looks like Obama does not quite do what people had hoped for when they elected him. Looks like civil liberties aren’t that important if it comes to imaginary, pardon, intellectual property. Looks like privacy doesnt matter if you have a business to protect (against terrorists, I presume). And of course traitors must be punished.

Currently the news about this turn to the autocratic come in fast and from several agles, and I have little more to say that I am sorry, and surprised at the extend of this development.  Of course a move to the center was to be expected, considering the republican resurge. What leaves me puzzled is the strength of the republican tea movement and the extent to which basic civil liberties seem to have been eroded by now. Not a good sign.

What he said

“Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Beside, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.”

Taliban?

“Our properties within our own territories [should not] be taxed or regulated by any power on earth but our own.”

Terrorists?

“Nevertheless, to the persecution and tyranny […] we will not tamely submit — appealing to Heaven for the justice of our cause, we determine to die or be free.”

Suicide Bombers?

Nope, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and Joseph Warren, respectively. Different times, same words. And I think the British generals of the time would have understood this man in his rage too well:

What I don’t think people that aren’t in the military, and aren’t in conflict, understand is that the danger of these kinds of leaks.  I think that it’s irresponsible and could very well end up in loss of lives.

Oh and don’t take that as me saying the West should pull out of Afghanistan ASAP and leave the Taliban to beat veil their wives and shoot any infidels. I have no answer to this war, really.  Damned if you stay, damned if you leave.  I am happy not to be asked for advice here.  But what I note is what war does to language and minds: It makes even otherwise smart people think like terrorists:  (and that in the Washington Post): “It is your fault that those people died, you forced us to pull the trigger. We have to kill you, too, and you are yourself to blame.”  Oh land of the free.

As if the soldiers weren’t there on their own free will, as if the terrorists weren’t there by their own decision, as if weren’t the women, the children, the old those who suffer the most.

Obama ante portas

In other countries, people might feel flattered or exited. In other countries, maybe people wouldn’t care. In the US, parents are horrified at the prospect of their president talking to their children – lest he infects them with his socialist propaganda.

And that isn’t even a joke.

The whole language form a country which under Bush spent more money on government than most European countries – if you deduce the European expenditures for public health care (which is – of course – privatized in the US). That makes, per republican definition, the US a more socialist country than, lets say, Germany.

But of course the right wing always insinuates what they would do themselves if they were in power: indoctrinating children with spiritual mumbo-jumbo, ballooning the public finances, and redistributing private wealth. So the parents flock to protest and threaten to take their children out of school for that day: They didn’t choose this segregated school to have some black guy talking to their kids all of a sudden.

Not all that new then, but what impressed me was the fact that those people seem to be that terrified that they actually loose the ability to listen to what they actually are saying. Apart from the likening of President Obama to Hitler, Kim Yong Il and the devil himself (which is again a feat worth of socialist propaganda), my favourite quote of the day is from Chris Stigal:

“I wouldn’t let my next-door neighbour talk to my kid alone”

Ah, yes. I do hope all your neighbours read this.

Watched some more old West Wing episodes two days ago, and there are a lot of things to like and adore the USA for. Clearly Texas is not one of them.

P.S.: In case you wanted to know what President Obama wanted to say, here’s some info.

Dreams of a Terminator

“When Isaac was in Jerusalem he was there to witness some of that judgment, some of that conflict, when a
Palestinian from East Jerusalem took a bulldozer and went plowing through a score of cars, killing numbers of people. Judgment—you can’t miss it.”

These were the words of David Brickner, describing a terrorist attacks on Israelis as God’s “judgment of unbelief” of Jews who haven’t embraced Christianity, uttered in a sermon in the Wasilla Bible Church. You can read the full sermon here.

Now this rant of some guy about how his imaginary friend will beat up other peoples imaginary friends is  insofar interesting as Mr. Brickner is the new head honcho of the aforementioned Wasilla Bible Church, which is in turn the church of Mrs. Sarah Palin. And someone equalling a terrorist attack with his imaginary friend’s judgement is one thing, but someone listening to something like this and not walking out, and then getting chosen to run for vice presidency leaves me speechless.

And I know about different cultures and traditions between the US and Europe, and that we have enough airheads in our own governments, and I know it is all too easy to shake heads at such folly and move on, yet such people make me want to paint psalm 137.9 in big red letters all over their silly faces.