Sunday, December 7, 2008

Pump It Up!: The Work, the Movies, The Book




Did so much lately, did not have time to post: but I am coming back!

When I went away Clinton was poised to become SoS and would have I propose a talk-show with Elvis Costello as host the world would have kick me in the arse reeling from laughter!

Well look who'll be walking hand in hand with Gates and Elton John was last seen seating knee to knee with Elvis giving polite answers to polite empty questions. The kind Costello would have give the middle finger to in his crazy youth. Time heals all, isn't it?

My half-brother sent me an e-mail all scared of Rahm and the zionists and the evils hidden in the sands. He thinks people see Obama too much as a saviour and it is all sooo wrong.

I think he forgot just how close we came to have another 4 to 8 years of Republican insanity unleashed onto us, how we finally have the possibility to help and consolidate the middle class of this country and stop the erosion of citizen's rights and the open pillage that created one of the most unequal divisive society of the Western world. Is the Democrat socialists or even barely progressive? Of course not! Everybody knows that and nobody's fooled! But the lesser of two evil is still better than the evil itself.

With Obama what we are celebrating obviously is a hope, a possibility to actively change the direction the country was going toward: more wars, more injustice, more greed. Do I not see the writings on the wall that all this could be an illusion? Of course! But I always thought that cynicism and sarcasm and negativism are worst than naivete. If you see something you don't like write it out, scream it, oppose it but don't give me armchair muttering saying you know it, you knew it, all is for not'.

There is a chance here and it will be what we make of it. Even if it is only a case of having healthcare for all than it is worth it. If we do not scream louder than the lobbyist and Wall Street and the military, Obama will have no other choice than to go where the power is. He did told us as much: for this change to take place, he does need us all. The Repug posse just won't lay low and sit this one out: they'll fight it, they'll fight us. They've been fighting us for awhile now and our silence and fears make them so much more potent and lethal. Now is not the time to back out.

Neither is it the time for smug, paternalistic re-hashing of old conspiracy theory or divisive, thick priggish "progressive v/s the rest of the left" rumination like this one. the reasons for the creation of Israel is here for all to see in post WWII history. And it is not only a question of reparation, we all know that. Rahm is CoS: he does not make any policies: he is here to whip a democrat strong line, something they never had. Clinton voted for the war. I believe it was an opportunistic cowardly move of hers not based on belief. As I said before she can be a fearsome opponent when she wants to and now that she is not seeking re-election her hands are free: what kind of legacy will she leave us?

I do not believe in perfection and imperfect leaders are all that we have. No, I do not think I am the one waiting for a saviour. One that shows contempt for imperfection is a hard man to satisfy: usually he is the last to redeem and the first to cut anyone down.

Let the backlash begins!

Darn! I'll speak about the books and movies later, I guess! Politics will always be my Kaddish!

2 comments:

  1. Love him too!

    But to be fair, I think there are many different Elvis Costello. There's chamber music Costello and the arrogant, energized post-punk Costello.

    It's great to see an artist grow, but I kind of miss the Big mouth, obnoxious know-it-all.

    And, no, I don't think anyone who loved the blues as much as he does is actually racist.

    A big mouth does make big stupid mistake sometimes...

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