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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
I look out of my window in Brooklyn and see a beam of light soaring skyward from the World Trade Center site. Following the tragedy of 9-11, I found this luminous image greatly inspiring, as it represented America's steely determination to rebuild the Twin Towers and defeat Al Qaeda.
Four years later, this grand incandescent spectacle is just as symbolic. This time, however, it highlights George W. Bush's utter failure to capitalize on the catastrophe to unify America and build a stronger nation. Like the President's lofty post 9-11 promises and patriotic speeches, if one looks past the shimmering light, there is a big empty, hollow pit of nothingness.
If we travel from the Big Empty to the Big Easy, we find another barren hellhole that this administration promises to rebuild. However, with no credibility, who can believe what Bush, Condi and Rummy have to say? If one thing New Orleans and New York have exposed, it is that modern conservatism is an ill-conceived experiment that has failed. It is an amoral, elitist political propaganda machine that is consumed with nothing more than achieving power and rewarding the friends of the powerful.
Amen! Great comment, Wayne. This year, looking at the ill-political-use that took place after 9-11 and the horrible consecuences of it, many Americans can realize that the political paranoia that lead them to vote for Bush has a huge mistake with an equal price to pay. It has been said that FEMA was never that inefective under Clinton, but still, all the conservatives and sanctimonious cared about was who was blowing him... I doubt that anyone will call Bush to respond for his inhability to manage the country, and for destroying the system that is been builted by all of us, tax payers. The country is paying a very high price for listening to this man and his party... who will re-build democracy now?
posted by Anonymous, at
9/13/2005 1:30 PM
Brilliant article Wayne. Neither party has any concept of what democracy is if both can deny tax-paying gays equal civil rights, same-sex marriage notwithstanding. Yes, Bush will get away with it again. He doesn't care any more, he can't be re-elected, but another republican will probably squeak through though not with any mandate I don't think. The democrats are hard-pressed to come up with any better alternative. I can't think of one I'd like to see take them on because none of them has the guts to speak to the real issues, ours especially. This is not about democracy, but about power of the few over the many at any expense, career politicians who will sacrifice anything, including us, witness Kerry in the last election. He really sailed us down the river. Clinton would do the same, they all would.
