[Notes from the Blog]

The State of Dis Union

Gabriel Laszlo

"Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that . . . I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it."
—Ariel Sharon, October 3, 2001

"The first casualty of war is truth."
—The Guardian

Okay, we're going to war. Again. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I'm tired of Big Brother bullying the little guy. There's an old saying that goes something like: "I love my country, but I hate my government." Aren't we all just the least bit embarrassed by our leaders, our "elected" officials, the so-called "Leaders of the Free World"? Or should I say the Freemasons, or the Illuminati, or the Knights Templar, or—wait—maybe the Rosicrucians. Shit, I can't keep them all straight.

But what other than a baseless self-righteousness gives them the right to control everything?

Oh, right. They have all the money, power, and weapons. Damn, I nearly forgot.

Yeah, okay. They mistreat their women and they have backwards ideas about religion and tolerance and the "Brotherhood" of humankind.

Ah, interesting.

You're not really sure who I'm speaking of, are you? Am I referring to the Arabs or to us?

I especially love all this flag waving. Surely I'm not the only one to have noticed that our president is a complete moron. When my 10-year-old son looks at me and says, "Dad, what on earth is he talking about?" with a look of exasperation, what am I to think of the grown folks in this country who think he's a good president and a good and competent man?

"I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for predecessors as well."
—George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., January 29, 2001

"President Musharraf, he's still tight with us on the war against terror, and that's what I appreciate. He's a-he understands that we've got to keep Al Qaeda on the run, and that by keeping him on the run, it's more likely we will bring him to justice."
—George W. Bush, Ruch, Oregon, August 22, 2002

There are endless examples of this man's inability to speak our language. I know this subject has been beaten to death, but it seems like it's just not sinking in with people.

So, what does this have to do with war? Hell if I know. I'm just using this opportunity to rant about something that's been bothering me. You see, I live and work in West Palm Beach, Florida. If you take a moment and think back to the last election (when Dubya won, kinda), you may remember that this sleepy little town was the center of the universe for about two weeks or so. You remember the stories about "chads" and "butterfly ballots"? A dear friend of mine sent out Christmas cards that year with a picture of him jumping naked on a trampoline and inside the envelope were scores of chads; maybe you had to be a resident of this town to really enjoy the humor and irony of this little gag. Trust me, it was funny.

Right, this is a serious subject: WAR!

One of the things I've always been afraid of is that I would miss the Apocalypse, that the end would come and I would miss it. I'm not worried about that anymore. I'm not talking about some biblical mumbo-jumbo; I'm not talking about Judgment Day or the fury of a malevolent being. I'm talking about the fumblings of a spoiled, sheltered, greedy, misguided little boy.

I just have to face the fact that the subtler points of this conflict will always elude me and that I'll spend my days dancing around the subject.

Fuck it, I'll just listen to Thom Yorke and everything will come into focus for me. It always does.

"A Reminder"

If I get old
I'll not give in
But if I do
Remind me of this

Remind me that
Once I was free
Once I was cool
Once I was me

And if I sit down and cross my arms
Hold me to this song

Knock me out
Smash out my brains
If I take the chair and start to talk shit

If I get old remind me of this
That night we kissed and I really meant it
Whatever happens if we're still speaking
Pick up the phone
Play me this song

—Radiohead

I'm really not all that cool and my mind is often muddled. But I'm okay with that. What's really astonished me about this particular assignment is my gaping lack of an opinion on the subject. Maybe all these video games and shopping malls have really done their job and I'm as numb as an anesthetized duck. Maybe I really am empty and soulless.

My god! That can't be true. It can't, it can't. I am compassionate and loving, I am empathetic and sensitive. I care, damn it, I care! I follow the latest news about the hungry and the impoverished, I give monthly to Greenpeace and am a card carrying member of the ACLU. I create memes and try to subvert the dominant paradigm every day. I practice detournement and try to show people the error of over-consumptive lifestyles.

What is the cause of this war? I think it has a lot less to do with oil and women's rights than with fundamental differences in the perspectives of the warring factions. I don't know who's right. But I do know that I'm tired of this rush to self-destruction we are on as a nation. We can't for a moment imagine not having our cell phones and 7-11s, while the people of Afghanistan wonder at the miracle of a bowl of cold rice.