May 25, 2007
by James Rothenberg

The show must go on. It's been said of George W. Bush that he is an imposter, not fit to lead this country. Reverse the thought slightly and see it as fitting that he be leading an imposter country. A country that poses as something it is not.

It is just as easy to believe a systematic lie as a systematic truth. In time, with suitable repetition, one can seem as the other. Rare admissions can conceal more than they reveal. Hypocrisy is the norm.

We don't target innocents. They do. We don't torture. They do. Our terrorism is not terrorism. Theirs is. They will not renounce violence.

Iraq was a mistake. We admit mistakes. We're big like that. Iraq was a folly, a misadventure, and a blunder. We admit those too. One thing Iraq wasn't is an attack on a known, defenseless country, leaving it, and its people, in ruins.

Chavez is taking Venezuela in the wrong direction. There. Instead of here. Only lunatics go off in wrong directions.

Iran must be kept from developing nuclear weapons. They have none. We, on the other hand, are said to have somewhat more than ten thousand. That is the way it should be. They are an evil nation. They resist us.

We are a force for good in the world.  A technological marvel dedicated to pursuing advanced, sophisticated weaponry. May god continue to bless America and its nuclear arsenal.

False choice: Bush said you are either with us, or with the terrorists.upon which the hearer  reflected.well I'm certainly not with you!

And for those who are not with the president and the vice president there is much to be done because the decline of America as an inspiration to the rest of the world is not irreversible. Freedom, democracy, equality, justice, and opportunity are still fine words but it's not enough to say them. Worse yet is to cynically use the concepts for cover while acting in ways contrary to them.

Rigidly holding to high ideals (like peace and social justice) amounts to a radical departure from the norm. It isn't because people don't tune in to it. It's because it stands as a critique to the status quo thereby getting scant support, and much opposition (some of it violent), from existing power structures. We're told that there are compelling national interests which only those who are in the business of running the country are in a position to know, and upon which the government can act to protect itself.

You simply cannot take peace and social justice to an extreme without running at odds with the US government (Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Emma Goldman, W.E.B. DuBois, Harold Pinter), the strange logic of this implication being that you can have too much peace and social justice, that it has its place.

A universally-principled presidential candidate can expect about 3% of the vote, tops (thinking recently of Nader and Kucinich). Nader ran for the office in 2000 expousing the radical position of advocating for the individual against the system. In his career as an activist he has done more for the citizens of this country than maybe the next 20 people. If anything he was overqualified for the job.

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But Nader was anti-establishment all the way and therefore presented a danger to it. The secret of success is to ingratiate yourself to enough of the powerful class so that you're not seen as a threat, like the "major" candidates do. That's the other 97%. But it doesn't make sense because there's more of us than them. Individuals, that is, instead of corporate elites. One person, one vote, and all that.

Lots of things don't make sense because everything is being sold to us, the way anything is sold. First it has to look good, then it has to be made to seem good. To this end you can say almost anything you like and none of it has to be true. It only has to convince. Buy A War, Get One Free.

Our daily dose of hypocrisy and deception are slow-acting poison leading to disaffection and powerlessness.  Here's some mundane examples that emanate from beyond our reach, presented in slogan form with (a look behind it):

• Vote for the presidential candidate of your choice (either one).
• We are a nation at war (wait til we say it's over).
• Ask your doctor if this drug is right for you (or right for us).
• Official sponsor (we paid).
• Our military men and women are the best in the world (feel warm all over).
• Drink responsibly (but drink).
• Support our troops (by believing that they make war policy).
• Your privacy is important to us (now that you don't have it).
• We're fighting a global war on terror (remember why you need us).
• February is National Pet Dental Health Month (building a dream).
• Proud sponsor (we paid).
• This is going to be a long war (you're going to need constant protection).
• Protect your credit card against loss (ours).
• We've changed the phone menu choices in order to serve you better (see you later).
• Any reference to god and the military (the world's enduring alliance).
• America is still the greatest country in the world (we won by a length).

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James Rothenberg [send him email] was born in 1939 and made his living as a professional golfer. His trade articles have appeared in USGA Golf Journal and PGA Magazine, as well as authoring the book, The Skeptical Golfer. In more recent years this skepticism led him into the field of social and political criticism, exchanging "making a living" for "living for making", that is, making the slightest dent in establishment hypocrisy and double standards.