>Opinion by SLLU member Anango Magic
We have heard report after report of the many “accomplishments” in the first few days of Barack Obama's new presidency, and yet he still can't shake off that whole war loving imperialist ugliness that plagues America.
“ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The death toll from two suspected U.S. missile attacks on al-Qaida bases in northwest Pakistan has risen to 22, officials and residents said Saturday. Eight suspected foreign militants were among the dead. ” [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28811723/]
This is one of the many things left behind by the Bush Administration that President Obama is obviously in favor of continuing. Out of 22 casualties, only 8 were SUSPECTED as militant terrorists; I Guess that makes the 14 innocent deaths a 50/50 weigh out, and this is just in the first 4 days!
In the past 8 years, I have been disgusted, and many times absolutely horrified on how the Right justified these types of genocide, but now that Obama has taken the helm of this ship and obviously plans to stay the course, How will the American left justify them?
If history has taught us anything, it's that in order to justify horrendous act's such as this, we simply give it a different name. The Clinton administration didn't want to call the atrocities in Rwanda genocide until much later, when half a million were slaughtered. So I can only imagine what words the "progressives" are going to use to justify more recent atrocities, primarily the ones carried out by US forces.
I don't want to only focuse on who's in power, I want to also focus on the people. I don't want to believe that the millions who voted for this man, who praise every little footstep he makes, will start saying that these continued attacks are necessary, just because it's their man doing it. We would have verbally crucified the past administration for this, and I would hope we do the same with our new administration, but I have not seen much evidence to convince me of that.
During the Inauguration events in Second Life, I was amazed at the absurdity of comments coming from the “smartest people in the world “ [http://slleftunity.blogspot.com/2009/01/netroots-nations-progressiveness.html]. Many of these people seem to think that every error of the past will now be erased with our new fresh face of imperialism.
Barack Obama is nothing more then an appointed politician, and people need to remember that. The change we need will NOT be brought by a politician. To sit by and expect change from a politician gives you nothing but a crushing disappointment.
It's absurd to say that closing Gitmo in 100 days is an accomplishment. It's absurd to believe that racism is coming to an end because of our first black president. Not only is it not going away, it's going to resurface in a VERY ugly way. It's absurd to believe that the Republicans and Conservatives, won't be coming back. Any POSITIVE change that Obama makes, will undoubtedly be short lived.
And it's absurd to think that any continuation of the Bush Administrations policy should go un-condemned just because it's being carried out by our new face of "Change".
1 comment:
Ernest Newman sez:
Many leftists seem to revel in slagging "Americans", and to lump in the US left, insinuating that they somehow have not done "enough" to oppose their government, and are thus complicit in it's actions, and thus must be considered politically incorrect, or even enemies in the struggle for international socialism.
That's an interesting perspective, in that it also seems to imply that all leftists, in any nation, must also be considered complicit in their "own" government's actions, and thus politically incorrect, and enemies, as well, lol.
Even more interestingly, it often turns out that those who are most strident and absolute in such criticisms also tend to be among those who most revel in attacking other left elements in general, outside of their own particular quirky sectarian formation, regardless of nationality.
I've also found that such elements tend to be among those who most adamantly advocate electoral boycott, or the splitting of elections with guaranteed loser "alternative" parties, thus actually directly helping to saddle nations and localities with the most right wing reactionary elements available, by default.
Of course, "the left", in any nation, like "the people", cannot be accurately lumped together in such a manner, because a wide range of theory and practice falls under the rubric of "left", and, perhaps especially in the US, there are a very wide range of different kinds and classes of people.
There's a big difference between political disagreement and principled criticism, on the one hand, and ridiculously broad slanderous adhominem attacks aimed only at attempting to split and discredit the popular democratic movement as a whole, on the other hand.
So, in the face of such patently absurd and politically incorrect attacks, one must ask who are these people, actually, and whose interests do they serve, really?
In regard to Obama, and his phenomenal support in the US, which is at over 80%, presently, there is room for much speculation, but little real basis for analysis of his practice, with less than a week in office, lol...except for one very obvious point:
The people of the US have united in a coherent and explicit rejection of Bush, the Republicans, and the prospect of a McCain/freakin' Palin policy (and rejection, as well, of the dogmatic, doctrinaire calls for boycott, from the most shit-headed elements on "the left", who don't seem to be able to comprehend what a complete disaster it would be for Palin, and "Joels Army" to hold the presidency)
However insufficient this victory may be, in and of itself, it is a very good thing, relatively speaking.
The hopes and expectations of the American peoples have been raised to the highest level since the 1960's, with an unprecedented electoral turnout, including record numbers of youth, and virtually all peoples of color, to declare solidarity with the rhetoric and programs put forward by the Democratic Party and Obama.
This has not occurred overnight, all of a sudden. It is a culmination of over 30 years of struggle in this country, to turn around public opinion and perspectives, in the face of the most powerful propaganda and social coercion machine the world has ever seen.
Racism, sexism, eco-rape, corporate rip off and imperialist war are no longer "politically correct" in this country, despite all of the absolutely bogus, contrived jive hype about a "swing to the right" of a "center/right" nation, that reactionaries of all stripes so love to rant about.
Check out this report, if you doubt my perspective in this regard...it was compiled before the present economic meltdown and the presidential election campaigns, so an update would probably show even more profound motion to the left, IN SPITE OF Faux "News", et al:
http://mediamatters.org/progmaj/report
The present situation presents an improved, excellent and unique opportunity to press the contradictions of capitalism, which we intend to take full advantage of, to the best of our individual and collective abilities.
Is it socialist utopia yet? NOT!
And nobody with a brain has been claiming that it would be, or that it is.
To conflate the remarks of a few silly liberals with the entire US left is not only ridiculous, but also highly questionable, in term of real motive and intentions.
The US left has been very critical of many of Obama's appointments and policy statements thus far, and will continue to oppose anything he does wrong, just as we have, historically, with other Democratic Party administrations.
Nobody on the left is giving Obama a free ride.
The struggle continues.
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