July 1, 2002
Voices Rising Against the Corporate War Machine
David Broder, writing for The Washington Post took "a two-week swing" through the heartland of the US, "from Madison, Wis., to Lansing, Mich., to San Francisco and finally to Des Moines, Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, Iowa ..." Broder spent his time engaged in political discussions at political functions. What he heard, he said, "convinces me that the nine-month moratorium on dissent from Bush's war on terrorism is coming to an end."Broder goes on to say, "I am not sure where this skepticism comes from or which media voices are spreading it..."
I would venture a guess that the media is the Internet. It sure isn't television. The message seeps through newspapers, both print and online, but it is the Internet where it is organized into a coherent voice that represents the majority of this country -- the vast majority of people who are not with this administration on practically any issue.
One other thought I would put forward in this context. Bush's corporate handlers are definitely taking note of this change, probably far more attentively than Broder. And we have seen through their actions in the past that they will go to almost any length to secure success of their agenda, from their outrageous seizure of the presidency by suppressing votes in 2000 to their failure to take steps to protect the country from the terrorist attacks in 2001 and their subsequent use of the tragedy to further their right wing agenda.
There is no doubt that they are paying attention. And there is no doubt they will take action. And it is likely to be as extreme and unexpected as their actions in the last two years. So prepare yourself.
-- By David Cogswell