Fighting for the American way of life: Can freedom survive when democracy fails?

[Guest guest]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_jack_hug_050811_fighting_for_the_ame.htm

 

Fighting for the American way of life: Can freedom survive when

democracy fails?

 

by Jack Hughes

 

http://www.opednews.com

 

While not used very often to describe the Iraq war, in previous

conflicts our soldiers were said to be fighting for the " American way

of life. " That signature " way of life " included all the principles of

a liberal democracy: political equality, freedom of speech, freedom of

the press, freedom of -- and from -- religion, redress of grievances

through the democratic process of voting in free and fair elections,

and the essential American " up-by-your-own-bootstraps " upward economic

mobility rewarding hard work and ability.

 

Sadly, today's " American way of life " ain't what it used to be. The

traditional " American way of life " has been mugged -- subverted by a

radical cabal who are ideologically opposed to the hallmarks of the

" American way of life " known to virtually every American alive today.

 

Instead, the right-wing ideologues that have seized control of our

government are in pursuit of their own utopian fantasy of a

government-less society, where the free market provides the answers to

all societal needs.

 

Not coincidentally, this ideology just happens to relieve the

wealthiest sectors of our society of the tax liabilities that have

traditionally subsidized the services that eased the burden on the

less affluent classes, i.e., for infrastructure, education, health

care and so on.

 

Since the New Deal, it was virtually universally agreed that ensuring

the general welfare for the poorer classes and providing an economic

order that fostered upward economic mobility to reward ability and

hard work even benefited the hereditary plutocracy in the long run,

since they too share in the benefits of a healthy, prosperous, stable

state. No more. Rising-tide-lifts-all-boats egalitarianism is out.

Corporate feudalism is in.

 

Today's " conservative " economic theory posits a zero-sum game.

According to modern conservative economic theorists, the best a

government can hope for is that wealth " trickles-down " to the urban

peasantry. Active poverty-fighting measures like increasing the

minimum wage, subsidized child care, education and job training, and

national health care are considered heretical, since they would reduce

corporate profits, and theoretically, make the rich less rich by

increasing their taxes. The interests of the already-wealthy few

shamelessly trump the interests of the many.

 

Consider these other radical " conservative " policies that, only 25

years ago, would have rightfully consigned their advocates to kook status:

 

Privatizing social security

Running-up trillion dollar budget deficits while continuing to cut

taxes on corporations and the rich

Encouraging the outsourcing US jobs to cheap overseas labor markets

Eliminating overtime pay

Use of " privatized " vote tallying with unverifiable results

Appointment of federal judges holding radical, revanchist judicial

philosophies

Allowing increases in pollution

Direct federal subsidies to churches

That the UN is " irrelevant " if it doesn't rubber-stamp questionable US

policies

Preemptive war based on false pretenses

Torture of alleged terror suspects

Based on the tax, health-care, and employment policies enacted by

successive Republican administrations, we're now seeing declines in

the standard of living of middle-class Americans, with greater upward

social mobility now being achieved in the European social democracies

than in the USA.

 

And torture, for God's sake. Torture! As official US policy!

 

How did we reach this state? It wasn't by accident. It was the result

of a 30-year plan that had been carefully crafted and lavishly funded

(totaling up to a billion dollars) after the electoral debacle of the

1964 Barry Goldwater campaign. Interestingly, Goldwater himself came

to refute many of the radical tenets of the so-called Goldwater

Revolution, but the revolutionaries simply branded him as senile and

redoubled their efforts.

 

The sustained efforts of the wealthy right-wing foundations and think

tanks have paid off handsomely. These organizations are so lavishly

funded that they can even afford to recruit and pay promising young

prospects while they are still in college – adding them to the " farm

team " as they are groomed, painstakingly prepared and handsomely paid

for both the honing and delivery of deceptive rhetoric for media

appearances. There are no counterparts on the left to these

professional sophists. Touting for the rich and powerful can be a

lucrative career for those long on ambition but short on ethics.

Liberals must rely on " amateurs " motivated only by love of country to

defend the interests of ordinary Americans.

 

In spite of the feudalist right's hundreds of millions of dollars

spent and their legions of brilliantly sociopathic spokesmen, the

truth was still a hard obstacle to overcome, and Democrats managed to

maintain rough electoral parity – until now.

 

Of course, the press used to be a watchdog for the interests of

ordinary Americans. But again, no more. Media consolidation has made

the once proud tradition of American journalism into one big timid

steno pool for the RNC and the Bush White House. Any doubt of this

reality should have been put to rest after the 2004 election when, as

in 2000 and 2002, exit polling inexplicably proved incapable of

accurately predicting electoral results. The corporate press'

response? Maybe we should just abolish exit polling. Yes, that would

be a lot less embarrassing…

 

Having decided that the electoral process offered too iffy a return

for their investment, the radical right decided that a more direct

strategy was necessary. The technology of electronic balloting

provided the means and the Republicans most definitely had the motive

and opportunity.

 

Only the most naïve can doubt that right-wing radicals seized the

presidency by undemocratic means both in 2000 and 2004. The mid-term

elections of 2002 are similarly tainted – just look at the " upset " GOP

victory over Max Cleland in Georgia. Any further doubt should be

erased by the GOP's threatened use of the " nuclear option " against

potential Senate Democrat filibusters of Bush's judicial nominees --

permanently abolishing the 200-year-old tradition of protecting Senate

minorities' rights.

 

This proves that Republicans do not fear ever being relegated to

minority status in the Senate again -- ever. Why should they? They've

proved that they can steal elections with impunity, with no angry mobs

in the streets demanding justice or so much as a peep from the

mainstream media.

 

Life in post-democratic America continues to go on as before. We're

still a free society (well, except for the Patriot Act's

encroachments), albeit with an unprovoked imperial war being waged and

wealth being concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Why should we be

surprised? That's always the pattern in fascist plutocracies.

 

But for those who are too busy worrying about who's being voted off

the island, or who the next American Idol will be, and for those too

complacent or naïve or lazy to worry about the loss of the essence of

our " American way of life " – democracy -- here's one great big

lollapalooza of a caveat:

 

After the loss of our democracy, can the loss of our freedoms be far

behind?

 

Jack Hughes is the webmaster, editor, graphic artist and resident

crank at www.evilGOPbastards.com and can be contacted at

jack.hughes.