Look at Egypt and Ask Questions Here in the US

As the popular uprising in Egypt goes on, we're reminded of the ideals of a liberal democracy and the good principles of a civic society that is organized for the benefit of the people--not just the elites. While it's still unknown what path Egypt will take in the next few months, we do know what path the US has embarked upon, with the help of some narrow-interest groups. The GOP and conservatives everywhere are telling us why we should reduce our government to a minuscule point that it will be impotent to promote the public's interest!

It's about freedom, they argue. Well, where do you get your freedom if you have no access to opportunity? Freedom should be connected to meaningful choices and meaningful actions. Running free and screaming alone in the forest isn't what freedom in a modern society is about. How free are we when, according to the conservatives, the EPA should be de-funded and even abolished? How do we make sure our drinking water and the air we breathe are safe? 

Who needs good reliable information to make up his mind? How do you get good, professional journalism? The media consolidation, and the turning news reporting into a profit-making business has hurt our democracy. Fewer original investigative stories are originated every year now. Instead we have interpretive talking heads that "explain" the news to us, some "news" they've made up themselves--as Faux News does.  So, yeah, eliminate another necessity for our democracy: the non-for-profit PBS and NPR. 

Who do you think controls the narrative and sets the agenda for our national discussion? It's what Bill Moyers calls it, The Plantation Mentality. The rulers who create their own version of history and reality. Distract the people, confuse the issues, and hold our country back from progress. That is the conservatives' perverse notion of American exceptionalism!





PS: To get a taste of the kind of leaders the conservatives have, check the much-touted CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference), the people gathered and their messages. That's their brightest!  Brrrrrr

P2: CPAC gave its "Defender of the Constitution" to former Defense Secretary, D. Rumsfeld! And, what better choice to pick Dick Cheney (another "defender") to present it to Rummie. Irony has its own meaning in the conservative world.