[Peace-discuss] Power intoxicates

[Robert Naiman]

If they don't know where Iraq is on a globe, but they know that
wherever it is, the U.S. needs to get out of it, they can play on my
team.


On 7/9/07, n.dahlheim at mchsi.com <n.dahlheim at mchsi.com> wrote:
> Also, I am not sure Bush so much sold anything to the American people.  Most people in this country
> are woefully ignorant of the most basic facts of politics.  The state of the Republic is indeed woeful.
> Polls of my demographic age group taken by National Geographic have revealed pretty consistently that
> less than 1/4 of the people can even point to the location of Iraq on a globe!  How can people get
> organized and get disciplined to counteract an Administration looting the public treasury, eviscerating
> the Constitution, and mocking international law when the public ignorance and apathy is massive!
> Some may point out that we have hope because Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert receive greater
> audiences than the nightly network news or that the Internet blogging on the war, the environment,
> health care, civil liberties, or 911 truth represents a groundswell opposition to the Bush gang.  I would
> counter with the argument that the Internet represents an masked social space where only virtual
> resistance can occurr; it slyly convinces people that they are resisting the corrupt power structure
> through their discussion but it provides little in the way of the physical face-to-face contact with like-
> minded folks necessary for a real grassroots political movement.  Even still, the prevalence of political
> satire does indicate awareness; but, serves to reduce participation by convincing people that politics is
> just comedy.  The catastrophic damage this government has inflicted upon the Republic is just a part of
> the show.  Just another distraction in the lives of the Cheerful Robots (In the C. Wright Mills sense).  The
> transferrence of awareness into grassroots, community action is what is lacking in the world of satire
> and blogging.  So, expect social isolation and mass media distraction to continue to proliferate as social
> forces eroding the civic fabric overall.  A population that is largely ignorant and concerned with Gucci
> shoes, American Idol, and other trivial banalities will merrily (or, robotically/digitally) hopscotch along
> the path to totalitarianism.
>
> Sure, tell the truth; but, you better make people laugh otherwise they might kill you---George Bernard
> Shaw (I paraphrase here)
>
> Nick
>
>
> ----------------------  Original Message:  ---------------------
> From:    Jenifer Cartwright <jencart7 at yahoo.com>
> To:      kmedina at uiuc.edu, peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Power intoxicates
> Date:    Mon, 9 Jul 2007 23:47:53 +0000
>
> > I appreciate yr positive attitude, Karen. Whoever said, "Change is always
> > preceded by hope" had it right. Always easier to tear things down, but stopping
> > there is what gets ME down.
> >
> >   Here's another person who seconds yr tho'ts --
> >
> >   "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change
> > the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has."       Margaret Mead
> >
> >   Jenifer
> >
> >
> >
> > Karen Medina <kmedina at uiuc.edu> wrote:
> >   n.dahlheim wrote:
> > * won't change anything.
> > * Human nature is weak and fallible.
> > * little can be done
> >
> > Why do people keep saying that no one person can make a difference?
> >
> > Look what Bush has done. It is amazing the number of things he has reversed or
> > moved along at lightning speed.
> >
> > Yes, Bush had Cheney (did I get the order wrong?), and they had a Condoleezza
> > Rice and a Scooter Libby and a host of loyal brawn at Bush's side, but not one
> > of them could have sold any of it to Congress or the American people without
> > Bush.
> >
> > Surely, one candidate for President or Senator could find good people to work
> > for/with them and then they wouldn't be one person trying to change things.
> >
> > Individuals alone may not make a difference, but no difference can be made
> > without individuals.
> >
> > -karen medina
> >
> >
> >
> > ---- Original message ----
> > >Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:26:22 +0000
> > >From: n.dahlheim at mchsi.com
> > >Subject: [Peace-discuss] Power intoxicates
> > >To: Jan & Durl Kruse
> > >Cc: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> > >
> > >As always, I am going to continue to assume the role of skeptic here... Sheehan
> > running for Congress
> > >won't change anything. Lord Acton's pithy dictum that absolute power tends to
> > corrupt absolutely most
> > >certainly fits here. Power will corrupt Sheehan even if she were to win. Human
> > nature is weak and fallible.
> > >Sheehan and Bush are not that different on an existential level---yes there is
> > a social power
> > >differential---but, I am gravitating more and more towards believing that
> > little can be done about the
> > >endemic Washington corruption from within Washington.
> > _______________________________________________
> > Peace-discuss mailing list
> > Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> > http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
> > Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added security of spyware
> protection. > _______________________________________________
> > Peace-discuss mailing list
> > Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> > http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
> _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
>