The Writings of Don Havis

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The Worst of Times

By Don Havis, November 26, 2004

I get a lot of appeals for money from many progressive organizations. They all generally start out by reminding me of just how bad things really are. Then they tell me how the money they hope I send them will fix all that. Occasionally, I go for it and send a small donation. One such solicitation I received recently seemed to really “take the cake” on the “worst of times” paragraph. It was so appalling to see everything packed into one paragraph that I think it is worth repeating here--to wit:

“Bush leads the most reactionary administration in the nation’s history. The disastrous doctrine of ‘preventive war’ has plunged our country into a debacle in Iraq, instigated the overthrow of the Haitian government, and kidnapped Haiti’s democratically elected President Jean Bertrand Aristide. It is aiding the Sharon government in escalating its war on Palestine, and increasing its aggression toward Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria, and elsewhere. At home, the Bush Administration is bent on destroying every remaining vestige of social welfare. Millions are unemployed and millions more are without health insurance, while life on the planet is endangered with policies of environmental disaster and nuclear proliferation. Racism and bigotry grow with attacks on affirmative action and gay marriage. The ‘war on terror’ is used to gut elementary constitutional rights—all in the interests of lining the pockets of the corporate rich at a staggering, unprecedented pace.”

Since the above was written, shortly after the election, and as if to reinforce the phrase “unprecedented pace,” there was an article in the November 18th edition of the Washington Post which unveiled Bush’s “…plans to push major amendments that would shield interest, dividends and capital gains from taxation, and expand tax breaks for business investments.” According to John Irons of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, “You’ll see an economy that benefits the very few at the very top. People in the middle will be squeezed; people in the low end won’t be helped at all.”

The biggest question about all of the above might be, “Why would any even moderately well-informed person expect anything different?” It was no secret that the Bush II administration was the most extreme far-right administration in history. They certainly made no secret of their neo-conservative agenda, and their American empire building desires right from the beginning. They even spelled it all out for us in “The Project for The New American Century,” written well before 9-11-01. If you don’t believe me, you can read about it for yourself. Just “google” the words “New American Century” and read any number of the explanatory articles you will find. And yet, fifty-one percent of the American voters voted for Bush II. Many of us forty-nine percent are asking, “How could this possibly be?” The answer is equally tragic and simple. Obviously, more than half of the people are simply not at all well-informed. Some percentage of that number may actually approve of this America uber alles policy, but most seldom if ever read newspapers or consult any alternative news sources. Our schools dwell more on what to think, and not on how to think. They watch only the corporate-controlled visual media. The average American is more interested in the latest installment of any number of the so-called reality TV programs than they are about the actual reality around them.

I can’t remember a time in my seventy plus years when I have been more embarrassed to be a life-long educator, nor more ashamed to be a citizen of this once great nation. Shall we all move to Canada? I say, “NO!” Our only hope is to organize more effectively and to fight harder. We must make our voices heard. We will, however, need to shout louder so that those who are deafened by the incessant propaganda might hear.