Comments on: I’m Bullish on America https://habitablezone.com/2015/08/15/im-bullish-on-america/ Fri, 17 Apr 2026 05:11:30 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2015/08/15/im-bullish-on-america/#comment-32638 ER Sun, 16 Aug 2015 03:06:52 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=50157#comment-32638 All those issues you mention are true, but they are also the subject of heated debate and controversy in this country today. In fact, they are issues in the current political season. We know about them because they are being discussed by the press, and even here on the Zone. The Establishment elites are always blaming the lamestream media for all their problems. And they are absolutely right. That is, after all, the media's job. When we were growing up, "the country we were raised to believe" could do no wrong, although we know now about all those things, racism, war, corporate hegemony, the oligarchs and plutocrats and their stranglehold on politics, etc. Back then, we couldn't even mention them without being accused of being Commies. Now we know better, they're out in the open, they are part of the national dialogue. And those who stood to profit by those injustices, or involved in the cover-up, are now forced out into the open to defend their complicity publicly. We know who they are now, they are no longer anonymous. That's why they are so ruthless, and so desperate, and so afraid of us. They are losing their grip, socially, culturally and politically and they know it. You remember the fifties, Bowz? Would this conversation have even been possible? That's what I mean by progress. We have a fighting chance to do something about it now. The system may not work perfectly, but it works; and we have access to it. We have no guarantee that truth and justice will eventually prevail, but as long as we have not lost the capacity for outrage, we need not despair. All those issues you mention are true, but they are also the subject of heated debate and controversy in this country today. In fact, they are issues in the current political season. We know about them because they are being discussed by the press, and even here on the Zone. The Establishment elites are always blaming the lamestream media for all their problems. And they are absolutely right. That is, after all, the media’s job.

When we were growing up, “the country we were raised to believe” could do no wrong, although we know now about all those things, racism, war, corporate hegemony, the oligarchs and plutocrats and their stranglehold on politics, etc. Back then, we couldn’t even mention them without being accused of being Commies. Now we know better, they’re out in the open, they are part of the national dialogue. And those who stood to profit by those injustices, or involved in the cover-up, are now forced out into the open to defend their complicity publicly. We know who they are now, they are no longer anonymous. That’s why they are so ruthless, and so desperate, and so afraid of us. They are losing their grip, socially, culturally and politically and they know it. You remember the fifties, Bowz? Would this conversation have even been possible?

That’s what I mean by progress. We have a fighting chance to do something about it now. The system may not work perfectly, but it works; and we have access to it. We have no guarantee that truth and justice will eventually prevail, but as long as we have not lost the capacity for outrage, we need not despair.

]]> By: bowser https://habitablezone.com/2015/08/15/im-bullish-on-america/#comment-32637 bowser Sun, 16 Aug 2015 02:45:15 +0000 https://www.habitablezone.com/?p=50157#comment-32637 Economically and militarily the US is doing sort of OK. Otherwise it's a colossal failure. Check the prison population. Grim. What about the economic and educational opportunities for a ghetto kid. Drug dealing or slinging burgers. How about economically? The empire supported Halliburton trying to lock up the water supply in Bolivia. And kills anyone who wants to use their countries resources for it's people instead of the mega-corporations. Criminal. Morally and ethically the US is corrupt. All one has to say is Iraq and Afghanistan. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo. And the excuse - "They made me do it." Our behavior is as bad as the worst, because "they made me do it!" There's more, much more, but that's a representative sample. The US is not the country I was raised to believe. And as long as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer it will be the same. As long as there is a struggle for Universal Health Insurance. As long as the military is used for immoral purposes. As long as the children of the wealthy are exempt from military purposes. As long as an AWOL military pilot can be president for two terms and order thousands of Americans to their death in support of oil companies. What counts is morality. America measures it's morality by the worst humanity has to offer. "They made us do it." Economically and militarily the US is doing sort of OK. Otherwise it’s a colossal failure.

Check the prison population. Grim. What about the economic and educational opportunities for a ghetto kid. Drug dealing or slinging burgers.

How about economically? The empire supported Halliburton trying to lock up the water supply in Bolivia. And kills anyone who wants to use their countries resources for it’s people instead of the mega-corporations. Criminal.

Morally and ethically the US is corrupt. All one has to say is Iraq and Afghanistan. Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo. And the excuse – “They made me do it.” Our behavior is as bad as the worst, because “they made me do it!”

There’s more, much more, but that’s a representative sample. The US is not the country I was raised to believe. And as long as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer it will be the same. As long as there is a struggle for Universal Health Insurance. As long as the military is used for immoral purposes. As long as the children of the wealthy are exempt from military purposes. As long as an AWOL military pilot can be president for two terms and order thousands of Americans to their death in support of oil companies.

What counts is morality. America measures it’s morality by the worst humanity has to offer. “They made us do it.”

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