<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18904">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<P>Glenn Greenwald:</P>
<P>That's really the only relevant question: how much longer will
Americans sit by passively and watch as a tiny elite become more bloated, more
powerful, greedier, more corrupt and more unaccountable -- as the little
economic security, privacy and freedom most citizens possess vanish further
still? How long can this be sustained, where more and more money is
poured into Endless War, <A
href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/01/26/defense">a
military that almost spends more than the rest of the world combined</A>, <A
href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MnYI3_FRbbQ/S17GGwQ1TrI/AAAAAAAACSY/X2bs4rpZpWU/s1600-h/spending.png"
target=_blank>where close to 50% of all U.S. tax revenue goes to military and
intelligence spending</A>, <A href="http://obrag.org/?p=1758"
target=_blank>where the rich-poor gap grows seemingly without end</A>, and the
very people who virtually destroyed the world economy <A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/business/18wall.html"
target=_blank>wallow in greater rewards than ever</A>, all while the public
infrastructure (both <A
href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61K2I520100221"
target=_blank>figuratively</A> and <A
href="http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/going-backwards-say-good-bye-to.html"
target=_blank>literally</A>) crumbles and the ruling class is openly
collaborating on a bipartisan, public-private basis even to <STRONG>cut</STRONG>
<STRONG>Social Security benefits</STRONG>?</P>
<P>* * * * *</P>
<P>The answer, unfortunately, is probably this: a lot
longer. And one primary reason is that our media-shaped political
discourse is so alternatively distracted and distorted that even shining light
on all of this matters little. <EM>The New York Times</EM>' Peter
Baker had <A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/weekinreview/18baker.html?partner=rss&emc=rss"
target=_blank>a good article</A> this weekend on how totally inconsequential
squabbles dominate the news more or less continuously: last week's
riveting drama was the bickering between the White House and Nancy Pelosi
over Robert Gibbs' warning that Democratic control of the House was
endangered. Baker quotes Democratic strategist Chris Lehane as
follows: "Politics in D.C. have become Seinfeldesque.
<STRONG>Fights about nothing</STRONG>."</P>
<P><A
href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/19/secrecy/index.html">http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/19/secrecy/index.html</A></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>