There's a fantastic essay here by Linda O'Brien entitled "To the Candidates: Speak For Us!" As someone who has more or less thrown in the towel, I find something deeply moving about her open letter to any prospective presidential candidate running against Bush:
...if the election were held right now, the voters would be choosing between an individual and a myth. You, versus a larger-than-life image concocted of flags, music, branding and good speechwriting, SurroundSound, a cast of thousands in uniform, and the benefit of all the tax dollars spent on the "war on terror."And more (I swear, parts of it gave me the chills as I was reading):
The Bush image is not invincible; it is the most hollow thing imaginable. It is built on lies, obscene amounts of money, and war; the one thing it does not contain is life. Not the lives of Iraqi civilians killed or maimed yet never mentioned or mourned, nor the lives of soldiers sent to Iraq without baseline health screenings, or veterans whose benefits are being cut, or the poor, seniors, and kids here at home who are losing government programs they desperately need to survive.The other day I found out that a good friend of mine is moving to India "to get away from Bush's America," as he puts it. And yesterday I spoke with one of my students who is extremely active in Students Against War (S.A.W.) and talked about how demoralized we all were. The war on Iraq had effectively "ended" in the news media (since it seems to be Laci Peterson and The Matrix 24/7), Bush was getting an extension on his FastPass by the media (you'd think his free ride would end soon, but people seem to have forgotten about those missing WMDs), he's asking more money for the defense budget (and building more warheads!) while budget cuts are devastating schools, the shameless lies are growing everyday, and worst of all, it looks more and more that "re-election" (in quotation marks because I'm not counting the first as such) is right around the corner.Tim Robbins gave a magnificent speech to the National Press Club right after the Hall of Fame brouhaha. He grasped the connection between our ideals and national policy and communicated it brilliantly. In another time, I'd love to see him run for president. If you are to counter the Bush myth, you must do what he did. Combine compassion with outrage, remind us of our dreams, get fierce, and speak them. Raise them to the level of a vision for the future and make it a platform for action... I am betting that the real majority of the American people will recognize it when they hear it, if they get the chance.
I realize I'm betting everything, as are you.
With all due respect, damn moderation. We risk losing everything -- life, liberty, freedom -- if you don't risk telling the truth now. We may not get another chance. We're in the game of our lives. Have a little faith.
But if you feel the same way I do, go read O'Brien's essay. It's beginning to change my mind already.
Posted by the wily filipino at May 15, 2003 10:34 AM