Political Pyro

When Ronald Reagan took office 27 years ago the threat of a nuclear showdown between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was ubiquitous in the American psyche. 

Part of the "national fear" was knowing hundreds of nuclear weapons were pointed at our heads, but the greater fear by far was the possibility of losing the Cold War and surrendering our liberties to Soviet-style Communism.

As we understood it, "The Evil Empire", gained complete control over the lives of every Soviet citizen. It was the supreme ruler of every thought and action. All property, all industry, in fact all artistic expression was under constant government regulation.

In the 80’s, my question was this: How could 250 million people be subjugated to the tyranny of such a small few? Russians could have risen up against their oppressive regime at any time and squashed them like bugs considering their numbers, yet they didn’t.

Both George Orwell and Aldous Huxley warn us that a similar oppression is coming to the United States and Europe. The idea seemed ludicrous at the time…

Rise of the Neocons, 2000-2009:

The political climate manufactured by the current Bush administration after September 11, 2001, accelerated our descent into tyranny — and the Patriot Act made it law.

The fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990’s marked the beginning America’s descent into a Brave New World. Without the backdrop of Communism as a reminder, Americans were quick to take freedom for granted.

What is a terrorist? The definition was intentionally vague; it could have been any of us. We had color codes to tell us when to be afraid. Our phone conversations were recorded. Our reading material was recorded. Suspected terrorists were jailed indefinitely without the right to an attorney or speedy trial.     

Suddenly, the riddle of the Orwellian prophesy was becoming clear. I found the answer to my question: How did the Soviets allow themselves to be subjected to tyranny? How will we lose our freedom in the near future? The answer is obvious now — very slowly.                                                                                                                                             Like boiling a frog, if the heat is turned up slowly, it won’t jump out of the pot. Likewise, when our freedoms are taken away slowly — "for national security", "for public health", "for the children" — we will never even notice they are gone.

Rise of Creeping Fascism, 2005:

The recent Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. New London, which allows the seizure of property for generating higher tax revenue through private enterprise, is the single greatest assault on freedom in American history.

Since the Constitution was written, governments and courts have manipulated the meaning of the Fifth Amendment’s original intent by unlawfully seizing property. Their illegal seizures are nothing new. The difference now is that they have the full support of the Supreme Court.

As Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor stated in her dissent of the ruling, "The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory."

Rise of the Cult of Personality, 2008:

With trust in government at an all time low combined with the media’s new role of promoting the presidential candidate of their choice, the rise of Barack Obama suddenly makes sense…  

At once, Obama embodies everything that is not government — that alone is enticing to millions. He is neither a Clinton nor Bush. He is white, black, Christian, Muslim, Democrat, and Republican, all rolled into one. In short: he resembles all of us. But aesthetics aren’t a good way to elect a president. 

For the most part this country has served us well. Terrible mistakes have been made in the past, but with a little time and patience, they have been corrected and continue to do so. We don’t need CHANGE, we need ADJUSTMENTS.

I do not believe in False Messiahs. I will not get on board with the hypnotic cult of personality. To blindly elect a man of questionable background to the presidency might be far worse than anything we have ever imagined, and with Congress for the most part abdicating its powers for the sake of re-election, I believe we cannot afford to take that chance:

"Comrades, the cult of the individual acquired such monstrous size chiefly because Stalin himself, using all conceivable methods, supported the glorification of his own person. This is supported by numerous facts.

One of the most characteristic examples of Stalin’s self-glorification and of his lack of even elementary modesty is the edition of his Short Biography, which was published in 1948.

This book is an expression of the most dissolute flattery, an example of making a man into a godhead, of transforming him into an infallible sage, "the greatest leader," "sublime strategist of all times and nations."

Finally no other words could be found with which to lift Stalin up to the heavens. . . ."

- Nikita S. Khrushchev: The Secret Speech On the Cult of Personality, 1956

The Democratic Party — crippled for decades by stale ideas that never quite resonated after the turbulent 60’s, humiliated by the perception of weakness against the backdrop of the Cold War and the Reagan Revolution — the party of George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, and Michael Dukakis FINALLY broke through the bland barrier when Bill Clinton was discovered in 1992.  

The Republicans were so insensed with the DNC’s one shining star that they embarked on an eight year character assassination attempt, culminating with an impeachment trial that produced….. NOTHING.

The Clintons survived every political stick, stone, and scud launched at them. Yet amidst the constant haze of the incessant political battlefield they still managed to make the 90’s one of the most peaceful and prosperous times in American history.