And Around We Go
 
 

The events in America in the last few weeks have been frankly astonishing.

First the compassionate President issued an executive order to stop funding for pre-natal care in third-world countries, a decision which will cost 600,000 women their lives each year.

People seemed ok with this.

Then our federal government hands key Social Services to the church, which means very little other than the de-funding of the existing federal social services.  And only well-established 'faith-based' organizations will be offered these funds, which means Catholic and Christian.  I guess they can't get enough people to church so they gotta make it a law.

Separation of Church and State?  Isn't that just some philosophy you read about in history books?

People didn't even blink.

Right about then Supreme Court Justice Thomas gave a remarkable speech, in which he said we were in the middle of a grave culture war, and that moderation or tolerance in the face of such an enemy is no service to the Country.

I'll go out on a limb and guess that the enemies of which he spoke are those enemies of the authoritarian culture of the conservatives.

Did 'ya listen up, young 'uns, when I told you that Tolerance would be the enemy?  Click here to review  One of the most powerful men in this country just declared war on us, you and I.  Except you seem ok with this.

It's as though you don't know what happens next.

Not long ago the EPA got the nasty news that its services are not needed anymore.  In fact there is no such thing as global warning.  It was invented by those hippy scientists from the sixties.  Arsenic in our drinking water is not bad, and if the choice is between funding one of the many electrical energy alternatives out there or dealing with OPEC, we'll just...drill in a national park refuge.

You can see the big auto and big oil guys standing there, tapping their feet.  Come on now, buddy, let's get our money's worth.  Those were our lawyers down there logging down the system in those Florida courtrooms.

But no reports that the congressmen are getting a lot of email over the situation.

And oh yeah, almost as an afterthought, Bush decided to take a hard-line stance with Russia.  I actually heard an administration official call Russia a third-world country.

What?  This is a new one.  What's he trying to prove by pushing Russia into an alliance of necessity with China?

A buddy of mine told me recently that he didn't know if Bush understood all those things his administration told him to do.  I had to admit this made sense.  There is no doubt that these actions have been well planned by the old guard, since they are too fast and too politically deft to be anyone else.  They all hold power positions again and tell Bush what to do and how to do it.

And now I'm beginning to think the old guard wants an Eastern alliance between Russia and China.  Maybe they don't think the cold war is over.  I know the Russians don't.  Hold on tight, folks.  This thing is starting to heat up.

Oh, that's right, people seem ok with this too...
 

March 28, 2001