USA in Bad Shape

I was talking with my friend George, who is 88 years old and a WWII veteran. He said "in all my years I have never seen the country in this bad a shape." This rang a bell with me, because I have been paying attention to political discussions on the internet, and realize that under George W. Bush's presidency, the citizens of the USA are much worse off than before he took office in many ways.

My daughter and her family live in Europe. It is hard for them to constantly have to defend America and endure embarrassment and criticism for this country's international policies. The world in general hates this country. When I hear uninformed rubbish that the USA is the best country in the world, I want to puke. It USED to be the best....but as far as health care, homelessness, education, drugs, senseless war, gas price increases which are leading to other price increases, a faltering real estate market, less and less freedom and more and more "executive privilege" along with the Patriot Act which reduces freedom...the USA is not a place I am proud in which to live. (Sorry, Mom).

Is Bush "Pulling a Palpatine"?

To those of you not familiar with the Star Wars movies, the last one to come out featured Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine as the Sith Lord who became dictator of a formerly free republic. At the time, there were quite a few media comments on the similarities between President George Bush and Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine and the political methods used to sway the popular opinion toward providing greater powers to the President/Emperor in times of crisis. Read "Is Bush a Sith Lord?" for a great example.

Queen Amidala laments, "so this is how liberty dies...to thunderous applause". But let's back up a sec.....what words were used by Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine in the senate speech that brought the "thunderous applause" comment in the first place? Here they are:

• "In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society."

Yeah, right! So begins the Evil Empire. I always wondered how the Evil Empire came to exist in the Star Wars movies, and always thought it must have been through victory in war. But no, to my astonishment, Revenge of the Sith proved that a dictatorship was voted into existence.

So for our own "safety and security", we discover that unchecked democracies are only a tyrant away from becoming dictatorships. Dan Froomkin of the Washington Post said,

• "Revenge of the Sith...can also be seen as a cautionary tale for our time -- a blistering critique of the war in Iraq, a reminder of how democracies can give up their freedoms too easily, and an admonition about the seduction of good people by absolute power. "
  

It has been two years since that excerpt was written. Has President Bush done anything since to "Pull a Palpatine", or has he already "Pulled a Palpatine" and we just don't realize it?

There's an interesting group called "Reporters without Borders". It's an international group of news reporters with its own website. Each year they rank countries on how much freedom of the press exists, in their opinion. Of all the countries in the world, the United States has sunk to 54th place in 2006, as compared to 17th place in 2002. Who's number one in freedom of the press? Finland!? Weren't they communist just a few years ago? The point is, do you think that our media will report on itself that it sucks in the USA as far as freedom to say what they want goes? Maybe, but will those voices be heard?

Wasn't it Ronald Reagan who called the Soviet Union "the Evil Empire"? Let's hope it's not too late for us.