Who Killed The American Spirit?

[omega minimo]

First thing this morning, the employer says to me, "Did you hear they caught that guy who killed Jon Benet...............?"

"Yeah, that's pretty weird to have that story pop up now."

Someone else asks about it and we bat around the tiny info tidbits the news has dropped in the media stream.

This employer I listen to as a good litmus test of an "Indpendent" or Republican Lite voter who is fed up with the bullshit, but still believes the Euphemedia (as DU's Senator calls it) and thinks "both sides lie" and are equally "corrupt." She told me recently that her voting decisions now will be based on who is best on The Environment. In California, at this point she thinks that may be Schwarzenjoker over the Dem candidate Angelides.

Later I mention the announcement that a Federal judge ruled that the Bush administration's wiretapping program violates FISA law and the Constitution. Ya know, just to see how deep that sinks in.

"Well, we'll have to see if anyone can do anything about it."

That's the Republican Lite mentality right there, whether they call themselves Republican or Independent or Democrat-- they figure someone else will do something, if anyone can do anything and maybe nobody can, maybe those in power are unstoppable so why think about it, there's nothing THEY can do about it so why bother.................?

This is the complacency that has been disassembling this nation since the Reagan so-called "Landslide."

[OwnedByFerrets]

1. Its only gotten worse over the years.

I sometimes think our "success" has made most americans want to just hide in their homes and watch AI. How many times in the past 20 years have you heard "I dont watch the news....its just to upsetting and all bad"?

[omega minimo]

2. Not sure what "success" you mean................?

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. Sorry about that....

it was rather vague. Most americans are more affluent than they were 20 years ago. At least in owning thing. In all actuality, we are just able to acrue more debt. Thats what I meant by success.

[omega minimo]

6. thought mebbe that was it

that's why I was confused :evilgrin:

"Most americans are more affluent than they were 20 years ago. At least in owning thing. In all actuality, we are just able to acrue more debt."

[tom_paine]

3. TV, among others

[omega minimo]

5. This unholy charade would not be POSSIBLE without TV

a gagged and handpicked press
sanitized "town hall meetings"
staged photo ops
White House spokesliars
..................
:evilfrown:

[alfredo]

7. Taylor Hicks

[pitohui]

8. they didn't "catch" anybody

the dude was faced w. life in a thai prison on other charges and he decided it was time to 'fess up and get extradited to the usa, as any sane person aware of the prison conditions in thailand would do

[FlavaKreemSnak]

9. I think in a way it was the internet

I know some people will say the 24 hour news channels but a long time ago people didn't know all the things we were doing as much, and now because of the internet we can all go read things from other countries where the point of view is different but also the things they will talk about that we don't here much. Like for instance lots of people on DU are super informed so they, you, whatever, know that a real long time ago when Iran wanted to have a democracy the CIA messed it up, and has been keeping them messed up ever since because the democracy would not have been pro western enough and England's businesses would have gotten less money and more expensive oil etc. And that is just one thing, you can read a lot more history now that is so different from the history we get in school, and the news is so different from our news.

And different people have a different point of view about all of that. Most people either ignore it and don't really read any of it and if they do they say oh well that is just a lie, or it is propaganda and they are questionable. Other people will say yes of course because we are America and so we have to make sure that everything goes like we want it to and all the other countries should be grateful and then other people read it and it makes them mad and sad at the same time, they just feel like s&$#. So there is division about those things and even the people who say it is a lie, or who say hell yeah because we are number one, you wonder how many of them really feel another way but don't want to admit it to themselves. So maybe that American spirit was not ever a true one, but you know there are people who don't read anything like news and on the internet they just do their email and surf like on AOL etc so I guess maybe those people still have it, like the people who don't even know that Israel was ever bombing Lebanon and just don't even think about the war on terror, they know there is one, and they will have a yellow ribbon on their car to support the troops but that's about it, like if you asked them what is Abu Ghraib they would say I don't know I think it is some guy from India that does hip-hop or maybe a clothes designer. Those are the ones who have the old school style American spirit.

the edit was just to fix some typos because I was in a hurry.

[omega minimo]

10. "a real long time ago"..."the old school style American spirit"

Yeah, it's like Bush saying, "FISA law was written in 1978!!!!!!111!" as if that means something.

:hi:

[Annces]

11. I think people have been nonchalant about government

corruption going way back. Most people just concentrate on their own daily lives and making things work. Others are interested in getting up the ladder in their jobs. I think a major difference is that corporations have eaten away our democracy, and our culture is all about buying things. And also the democratic representation is afraid to be "too radical".

[omega minimo]

12. So why do people think they have the luxury of tuning out when freedoms

are being threatened?

[Annces]

13. I can only give my own opinion

The constitution was created by rich white men, who wanted to protect themselves, but also had a higher goal of creating protections for all Americans. Along the way, different groups have protested and fought to gain equal rights, such as women and black people. Then there was the 60s and an opening up. I think Vietnam finally ended because there was a draft in place, and the thinking eventually spread throughout the colleges that the war was wrong.

Now it seems like the freedoms we are losing are basic ones such as being able to make a decent living or pay for our own health care. Then there are the less tangible freedoms such as privacy. I think the current government has worked as tirelessly to take away some of our rights, and it is because they want more control, and are violating the constitution.

I do think big changes are coming because of our pollution of the environment, global warming and such.

P.S. "American Spirit" was trampled on a long time ago, with the decimation of the Indians and animals.

[lonestarnot]

14. eeek get another job. How can you tolerate the lame

environment?

[omega minimo]

15. I consider her what people mean by "moderate"

Better her than some rabid Reich Winger

[porphyrian]

16. It's not dead, it's just too fucked up to answer.

It's speaking a lot of Spanish nowadays, too.

[omega minimo]

17. Native American Spirit

[porphyrian]

19. Right.

It's been tooling around down South quite a bit recently, and it's coming back with a lot of the immigrants. Ironic that they are accused of destroying America...

[The Wolf]

18. The American Spirit just went underground...

I don't think it's necessarily dead, at least not yet. It's just waiting in the shadows, kept warm by those of us in this country who still have enough cavrones to say "No!" to our descent into Hell and still hope something better is on the horizon. The Punditarchy has chopped off a couple of limbs and beaten it into a coma. But sites like these shows the American Spirit still has a little spark in her. All it needs is a little time and a little fire to grow it. It's all in the brawl!

[porphyrian]

20. She's been on a bender and she's having trouble getting up...

...off the floor, but boy is she pissed.

[blonndee]

23. LOL you mean cojones

"cavrons" is slang for "bastards" or "assholes."

[leftofthedial]

21. Dick Cheney

mainly

[omega minimo]

24. Ronald Reagan-- the original Bogus President

:hi:

[Annces]

22. Read this for conditon of America

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1939618