Pubdate: Sat, 16 Mar 2002
Source: Little Rock Free Press (AR)
Copyright: 2002 Little Rock Free Press
Contact:  http://www.aristotle.net/FREEP
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/526
Author: Dotty Oliver

CHEAP PATRIOTISM

Every pot dealer I knew in the 70s had a decal on his/her car window 
supporting local law enforcement officers. I used to laugh about this 
theater of the absurd  that was played out in the "cops and robbers made 
for TV dramas" live on the streets of anywhere USA . It was great strategy. 
The kind of strategy that wins wars and keeps people guessing who is the 
real enemy.

So here we are 30 years later, there are more drug dealers than ever and 
drug prices are plummeting and I can't help but laugh out loud every time I 
see those decals supporting local law enforcement on expensive car windows.

I was wondering how many meth dealers in small town Arkansas figured out 
they could put Asa Hutchinson bumperstickers and Republican bumperstickers 
on their cars and get away with more drug trafficking. It's sound strategy, 
proven over and over again by our own government. Their twist was to 
immediately start talking about the perils of too much freedom in America 
instead of the debate being focused on a pathetic, intrusive foreign policy.

Life after 9-11 has risen to another theater of the absurd that is so 
dangerous, even I can't laugh. It's this new flag-waving patriotism. I 
wonder how many of the bonifide terrorist out there living in our country 
have flags all over their houses, apartments and cars. It's such an easy 
thing to do. I call it cheap patriotism because it only requires a little 
money and a lot of rhetoric (which is cheap talk).

It seems the more flags a person displays, the more they talk about taking 
away more of my freedoms.

Unfortunately, the things I consider a sign of patriotism don't make the 
nightly news and sure as hell merits very little serious debate. So here it 
is, that holiday time of year when I want to open my mind and my heart to 
those that make life in America so great in their struggles to make life 
for all American's better.

I want to applaud anyone who has ever volunteered for community radio, they 
are true patriots. It has been especially important since 9-11 to be able 
to get opinions and news that is biased in a good way. Every news program 
has a bias, but public radio's bias is toward the people, not the 
corporations and government. They have more than enough media outlets for 
their propaganda so we should be happy we have a little bit of a sanity on 
KABF and KARN.

I also want to applaud our school children, who risk their intelligence and 
individualism everyday in their quest for an education in this country. The 
lack of resources they have access to is an embarrassment.  They are brave 
enough to get out of bed every morning and face this "war against 
intelligence".

In third world countries, we have turned our backs and let countless 
dictators murder the well-educated of their societies. We are supporting 
regimes all around the world that will never want to educate their 
women.  It was apparently figured out how to quash intelligence before it 
happens in this country. It's bloodless, cheap and doesn't get a blip on 
the radar screen.

I want to send out my heartfelt sympathies to all those families torn apart 
and bankrupted because of the drug war. You are the real patriots in this 
war. The horror of drug addiction is bad enough without having a government 
that wants to punish your entire family for it. Taking parents out of the 
home is a bad idea, unless it is life threatening to the kids. I guess the 
propaganda we had to endure with that TV series "Dragnet" where more often 
than not crazed marijuana smokers drowned their kids in the bathtub damaged 
the less educated amongst us, meaning the politicians. They probably used 
the scripts for these absurd shows as proof to be able to fund the drug war.

It's hard to strum up patriotism for a war that is guaranteed to take more 
money away from our children's education. And just look at how fast our 
health care system is crumbling since that day. The economic tumble that 
started in March was largely ignored by our government until they had 
something to blame it on.

You know what, this is my holiday issue and I would like to be a little 
more joyous and I think you get my drift with all the above ranting. So now 
for the fun part.

What I Want For Christmas

My wants are simple.

I want all the big medical lobbyist in Washington to be whisked off to 
Disneyland for a few days as a Christmas present. While their gone, we 
could enact a sane health care policy for our country. This piecemeal 
approach to appease the lobbyist is expensive and stupid, stupid, 
stupid.....we'd be better off without any insurance in this country. At 
least that would force the prices to go down.

I want education that is creative and fun, not repressive and stupid, 
stupid, stupid...Who cares if our kids can't remember bullshit dates of 
Civil War battles. That is the kind of stuff hobbies are made of. How about 
just letting them know the real reasons the war happened and it's 
historical significant. We were the brave new world and we have been 
struggling ever since with our identify. We are the most wonderful melting 
pot, full of creativity and ideas for solving problems. Let's just give our 
children reading, writing and thinking skills.

I want more support and appreciation for our musicians and artists in this 
city. Why should we spend millions of dollars for a deadman's music or art, 
when the living and barely eating among us need our support. Just a 
thought. Oh, and just for the fun of it, could I get a new vibrator or some 
satin sheets or maybe a blow-up doll, if you have the money for the 
expensive one.

If not, I'll just take a ho-hum cd.
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MAP posted-by: Beth