How Does Bush Sleep At Night? Delusions Under
Siege By
Jason Miller 9-3-5
- How does he sleep at night?
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- What is it that enables George Bush to sleep at night
when his avarice and iniquity as a ruler exceed that of Marie
Antoinette? Could it be that he slept through his history lectures about
the French Revolution while he was at Yale? Perhaps his capacity to
sleep soundly stems from having the most powerful military in the
history of humanity at his disposal. Being a member of a dynasty dating
back to the 1930's would also tend to endow one with a sense of serenity
as one plundered a nation's resources, shredded the US Constitution,
initiated illegal wars, bullied most of the world, slaughtered innocents
in the name of "spreading freedom", starved the poor to feed the rich,
and allowed tens of thousands to suffer or die in New Orleans simply
because they are poor and black.
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- The power of psychological manipulation
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- While there could be many reasons for Bush's smug
self-assurance as he gives the finger to most of the world's citizenry,
I theorize that his sense of security stems from the level of protection
he derives from America's Propaganda Matrix, the propaganda machine
which enables the American Nightmare to masquerade as the American
Dream. A friend recently commented to me that Orwell had written "1984"
as a warning, but that the Bush administration had adopted it as a
blue-print. Free and constant access to the mainstream media (to spread
their sugar-coated versions of Pax Americana), genuflecting pundits like
Michelle Malkin and Charles Krauthammer,corporate ownership of
mainstream media, textbook companies and schools which portray a
white-washed version of US history, heavily funded "think tanks" like
the Hoover Institution, and the perpetuation of the myth of the United
States as the "good guys" in many mindless Hollywood blockbusters unite
to provide US leaders a powerful yet subtle means to manipulate their
subjects. Why would Bush worry about the consequences of his actions
when the propaganda machine at his disposal, like his military machine,
is unparalleled in human history?
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- Not unlike the program the machines created in the
movie called the Matrix, America's Propaganda Matrix manipulates the
poor and working class by lulling them into an illusory sense of joy
over being so "free". While wealthy dynasties (like the Bush clan),
their sycophants, and their corporate cronies pillage the US treasury
and employ foreign policies (like the Bush Doctrine) to seek world
domination, an apathetic American public joyfully slaps magnetic ribbons
supporting the Iraqi invasion onto its gas-guzzling SUV's, smiles and
nods its assent at federal budgets calling for increases in an insanely
bloated defense budget and cuts in spending for social programs,
lightheartedly surrenders its civil liberties, and blithely watches the
wealth gap widen to monumental proportions. The brilliance of the
American Propaganda Matrix is that it enables a covert nobility to rule
behind the guise of a "federal republic". With virtually no open acts of
violence or totalitarian measures, a small fraction of the population in
the United States maintains a vast majority of the world's wealth and
power by ensuring that "their people" are elected and appointed to the
key positions in the US government. Living in the delusory American
Propaganda Matrix, many poor and working class Americans contentedly go
about their lives as the "freest people in the world" enjoying the
fruits of "sublime capitalism". In the American Propaganda Matrix, the
American Way is The Way, and there is no room for critical evaluation.
Those beguiled by the American Propaganda Matrix will tenaciously adhere
to their delusions, regardless of who suffers or dies as a
result.
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- Your computer has a virus, Mr. Rove
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- Unfortunately for those in power in the United States,
the American Propaganda Matrix has a "virus". In fact, as a free lance
writer publishing on the Internet, and as a proponent of social justice,
I am a part of that "virus". The "virus" consists of activists for peace
and social justice who are attacking the "program" which manipulates
Americans into believing in the false construct of the US as a
benevolent world power with political and economic systems which the
world "must embrace. I know from the many emails (and comments on my
blog) which I receive that more people are escaping the psychological
clutches of this Matrix each day as they awaken to the harsh light of
reality. As Americans examine their leaders and history more closely,
they see the depth of the corruption, the pervasiveness of the lies, the
extreme hubris, the insatiable avarice, the objective of global
domination (regardless of the human cost), the white patriarchy, and the
exploitation of the poor and working class. Propaganda does not hold up
well under the scrutiny of critical examination. The Iraqi occupation,
events in New Orleans, cuts in assistance to the poor, a rapid decline
in the number of decent paying jobs, tax cuts for the rich, spiraling
federal deficits, sky-rocketing gas prices, corporate plundering, and
weakening environmental protections are coalescing to form a battering
ram of truth which is shattering the delusions created by the American
Propaganda Matrix. When reality bites, the pain is real, but as my
wrestling coach said on many occasions:
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- "No pain, no gain!"
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- As the "virus" of activism for peace and social
justice spreads like wild-fire, Karl Rove and his staff desperately seek
to patch the highly vulnerable American Propaganda Matrix "program".
Their efforts are in vain. Noam Chomsky posits the theory that the world
has two remaining superpowers, the United States and public opinion. The
"virus" has ignited public opinion to mobilize against the miscreants
operating behind the veil of the failing American Propaganda Matrix.
Bush's rapidly descending approval ratings provide the statistical
evidence, but there are also more concrete indicators.
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- Cindy Sheehan symbolizes a turning point
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- Consider Cindy Sheehan. One woman standing in a ditch
in front of George Bush's ranch in Crawford came to symbolize the
national movement against the war in Iraq, and galvanized a growing
number of dissidents in the United States to demand peace and social
justice from a country whose leaders are sorely lacking in desire to
allow either.
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- Ms. Sheehan's determination and willingness to live in
a tent while George Bush vacationed comfortably on his ranch for five
weeks has evolved into a cross country tour of anti-war demonstrations.
Now that Bush has finally gone back to work, many of the Sheehan
supporters from Camp Casey, including other military family members and
war veterans have begun the Bring Them Home Now Tour. This three bus
tour will hit 42 cities in 26 states. Their ultimate goal is to converge
on the White House with hundreds of thousands of other activists on 9/24
to demand that the Bush administration end the war in Iraq, bring home
the troops, defend civil rights, and end racism. Gold Star Families for
Peace, Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Vets against the War, and
Veterans for Peace are working together on this national tour to garner
public support for opposition to the Iraqi invasion. They are also
promoting the peace and social justice march on 9/24, which will
culminate with the delivery of petitions and demands to George Bush, who
needs a strong reminder that he is a mere servant of the American
people, not a monarch.
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- Activism in my neck of the woods
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- Yesterday evening, I left work and headed for the
Plaza area of my hometown of Kansas City, anticipating the arrival of
one of the Bus Tours from Camp Casey. My excitement was justified. Three
to four hundred anti-war demonstrators gathered to show their support
for Cindy Sheehan's group. The caravan from Crawford was a little late,
but people found plenty to do as they waited. Petitions circulated.
People met, mingled and discussed their disgust with the Bush
administration and its imperialistic policies. Ira Harritt, a local
peace activist who is heavily involved with American Friends Service
Committee, and Nancy Carry, co-chair of the KC Iraq Task Force, took
turns speaking to the group about local efforts to end the Iraqi
occupation. Many of the demonstrators admired the enormous collage
assembled with ribbons bearing the names of each US soldier who has died
in Iraq since the illegal occupation began.
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- Having participated in local anti-war demonstrations
before, I was used to getting the finger and hearing insults. Yesterday,
I felt awe-struck by the virtually over-whelming support of passers-by.
The assembly was situated in a park on the corner of a busy intersection
and took place during rush hour. I noticed many people honking, waving,
gesturing and smiling with approval. I heard no cursing and saw no
vulgar gestures. Bush's supporters are obviously dwindling and feeling
less inclined to express their views publicly.
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- As I waited, I had an opportunity to speak with two of
Kansas City's stalwart anti-war demonstrators, Carol Huhs and Bob Rowe.
They are members of a group of twenty die-hards who call themselves the
63rd Street Patriots. Determined to make a difference, regardless of
weather extremes or abuse from Bush supporters, they have held
demonstrations opposing the Iraqi occupation for 132 consecutive weeks.
The commitment of people like Bob and Carol form the backbone of the
movement for peace and social justice, which by its very nature dissents
against the Bush administration.
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- Morrigan Phillips, the media coordinator for the Bring
Them Home Now Tour told me that the goal of the tour is to build
momentum for the 9/24 march on Washington. She added that another
objective is to find members of Congress who have the moral courage to
introduce or support legislation to bring the troops home immediately.
They have set high goals, but they are worth pursuing, and this group
has the resolve to persevere.
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- I visited briefly with Kansas City Star columnist
Lewis Diuguid, one of the few mainstream journalists in Kansas City with
the courage to write columns supporting social justice, peace, civil
liberties, civil rights, and social welfare programs. I thanked him for
his efforts and for expressing his opposition to many of the grossly
misguided policies of the Bush administration.
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- Camp Casey comes to KC
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- As the RV from Camp Casey arrived, it occurred to me
that I was witnessing (and was a part of) an activism which had not
occurred in the United States on such a large scale during my adult
years. I could feel the awesome power of America's Propaganda Matrix
waning as the energized crowd of "de-programmed" Americans cheered the
appearance of Tammara Rosenleaf and Cody Camacho, who had both spent
several weeks with Cindy Sheehan in Crawford.
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- Deeply tanned by her stint in the hot Texas sun,
Tammara gratified her eager listeners with her brief bio, news of Camp
Casey, anecdotes, and information about the Iraqi occupation. I felt the
elation moving amongst my fellow activists from Kansas City as an
element of Cindy Sheehan's group made direct contact with us. For that
hour, we were direct participants in the national movement against the
Iraqi debacle.
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- As she started speaking, Tammara reminded us that Camp
Casey had evolved from the courage of one woman standing in a ditch
alongside the road in front of the ranch where Bush cowered. Within a
few days, Sheehan had been joined by about thirty supporters. Initially
they feared they would be arrested, but the local sheriff allowed their
vigil to continue in the interest of their First Amendment rights. By
the end of the first week, they had 50 people and one tent. 10,000
people visited Camp Casey over the course of its existence. It ended
with a rally attended by 2,500 people who helped dismantle the 71 tents
that had been erected over the course of 5 weeks.
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- Tammara told us that her husband is stationed at Ft.
Hood. His Army unit is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in November. He
supports Tammara's involvement with Military Families Speak Out and the
peace movement. Tammara told us that her husband's captain and chaplain
also support her efforts.
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- Pool of tears and the raging torrent of public
opinion
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- George Bush needs to realize that the Iraqi occupation
has created a pool of grief created by the tears of mothers and wives of
dead military personnel. Tammara reminded us that Cindy Sheehan's tears
caused this pool to over-flow. What started as a trickle, grew to a
river, and has now gained the momentum of a raging torrent headed for
Washington. Perhaps Mr. Bush will pay attention to the pool of tears on
9/24 when he is confronted with the power of public opinion which it has
inspired.
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- Bring Them Home Now left Crawford with an RV and
$450.00. In the tradition of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's,
this is a grass roots movement relying on support and participation from
people across the United States who are waking up to the malevolence of
the Bush administration. Tammara asked for donations as she spoke, and
it appeared that many in the group responded.
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- Tammara emphasized to her audience that the Iraqi
occupation also affects many facets of life stateside, for both
returning veterans and other working class or poor Americans. In New
Orleans, 3,000 National Guardsmen who would have been helping during
Katrina are busy occupying Iraq instead. Military helicopters which
could have been used to air-lift people out of the city and to help
repair the dikes are also in Iraq. How many will suffer or die in the
wealthiest nation on Earth before the New Orleans crisis is resolved? As
many veterans prepare to come home from their tours in Iraq, the Bush
administration is closing several VA hospitals, limiting medical and
psychiatric care for those suffering physical and psychological wounds.
Tammara reminded us that in Baghdad alone, JAG Corps officers have
received 2600 petitions for divorce since the beginning of the
occupation. It would appear there is no limit to the human cost George
Bush and his so-called Neocons are willing to expend using other
peoples' lives in their quest for global domination.
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- A veteran speaks
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- Following Tammara's inspiring and heartfelt talk, Cody
Camacho took the microphone. He served as an Army specialist in Iraq
from March 2003 to March 2004 before he was honorably discharged in
October of 2004. Cody asked several poignant questions as he
spoke:
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- 1. Who is the "boss" in the United States? Excellent
question, Cody. With a slim margin of victory in the last presidential
election and support for his illegal Iraqi occupation well below 50%,
why is Bush defying his "boss", the American people, and insisting on
"staying the course" in Iraq?
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- 2. Why do people continue to support corporate media?
Another question more Americans need to ponder deeply. Why support a
corporate media which often ignores or waters down the truth if it casts
even a hint of negative light on the United States?
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- 3. What is the noble cause in Iraq? Cody answered that
question for us since Bush would not. The illegal Iraqi occupation is a
"nobility cause" to benefit the wealthy.
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- 4. Why are we showering Halliburton (via its
subsidiary, KBR) with billions of dollars in Iraq-related contracts when
our soldiers are not equipped with effective body armor or properly
armored vehicles?
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- Cody informed us of the lack of efforts toward
reconstruction of infrastructure for the people of Iraq. Based on his
observations during his deployment, many US resources were funneling
into the construction of permanent US military bases in Iraq. (A nation
can't have a "true democracy" without US military oversight, now can
they?) To further nauseate the crowd, Cody told us that his job in Iraq
was to protect Halliburton contractors, one of whom bragged to him that
he was making over $100,000.00 per year (tax free). Given the fact that
he was talking about Halliburton, it was not surprising to learn that
many of those contractors were performing jobs US soldiers could have
been doing. Disgusting to hear, but not surprising.
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- One of Cody's greatest fears as a veteran relates to
the issue of depleted uranium. Depleted uranium (or DU) is the residual
left after natural uranium has been enriched to make reactor fuel or
weapons. Its radioactivity is mild, but DU is very heavy and is almost
twice as dense as lead. The military places it in the cores or tips of
weapons in order to pierce armor. When DU does pierce armor, it becomes
a cloud of vapor which then forms a poisonous and radioactive dust. Many
veterans of the Gulf War believe that exposure to DU left them with
chronic and serious health problems and killed some of their fellow
veterans. While the US military acknowledges that DU dust is dangerous
if inhaled, they claim that its effects are short-term. There is no hard
evidence to prove either contention. However, Cody, and many other
veterans, fear what the long term effects of their exposure to DU might
be.
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- As Cody finished speaking, he dispelled one of the
common rumors about Camp Casey. According to several accountings, the
pro-Iraq occupation demonstrators in Crawford out-numbered the
contingency at Camp Casey. Cody and Tammara both confirmed that on a
given day throughout the vigil, the number of Bush supporters only
averaged about 30. Not only were they much fewer in number than the
Sheehan supporters, they also went home at night.
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- How long can he ignore the 'Second Superpower'?
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- I left the Bring Them Home Now Tour with a renewed
sense of hope and a stronger faith in the power and magnitude of the
grass roots, spiritual movement toward a better America. The "virus" of
activism for humanity is spreading rapidly throughout the "hard drive"
supporting America's Propaganda Matrix. As more people become acquainted
with the reality behind the veneer of lies, the Bush administration,
large corporations, the wealthy elite, and powerful lobbying groups are
slowly losing their grip on power as the tide of public opinion rises
against them, here and abroad. The non-violent movement for peace and
social justice is growing, and hundreds of thousands of us will be
knocking on Mr. Bush's door on 9/24.
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- Jason Miller is a 38 year old activist writer with a
degree in liberal arts. He works in the transportation industry, and is
a husband and a father to three boys. His affiliations include Amnesty
International, the ACLU and the Americans United for Separation of
Church and State. He welcomes responses at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or comments on his blog at http://civillibertarian.blogspot.com/.
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