The Poet's Eye
commentary by Lightning Rod
The Poets' Eye is skeptical without being cynical, innocent without being naive and critical without being judgemental.
Polly Want A Cracker?
04-12-04
In the past week Iraq has reminded me of the American West during a drought. Fires are breaking out everywhere. The situation has devolved since the moment coalition forces put a padlock on the door of Al Sadr's newspaper in order to ensure freedom of the press in Iraq.
Fifty more Americans were killed. And more Iraqis.
This shows the power of one act or one word in today's media driven world.
The pictures of the dead mercenaries hanging like human mobiles from the bridge in Fallugah last week reminded me of the emblematic photos from the days of Viet Nam – the naked girl running with terror on her face, singed by napalm, the burning monk, the man on his knees being shot through the head. Symbols are everything. Symbols and slogans and catch phrases rule the day. How many times have you heard the terms "silver bullet" and "hair on fire" this week?
I keep hearing the President tell us that the insurgents in Iraq "hate freedom." He says this over and over. It rings like a hollow tin bell.
The Poet's Eye can't wait to see the Presidential campaign debate between Kerry and Bush. Bush has all the rhetorical skills of a parrot. When I hear Kerry speak you get the idea that the lights may be on but that someone might actually at home. In the last election all the political analysts praised Gdub for his ability to "stay on message." A tape recorder can stay on message. As long as he can repeat the same catch phrases and not have to actually think on his feet, he's OK. This is why his stage directors have learned not to put him in a situation where he has an opportunity to butcher the language in some embarrassingly comical way. During his Presidency, Bush has gotten better at reading a speech from a TelePrompTer, but when faced with the task of actually being responsive to a question, he reveals an amazing deficit of understanding.
Kerry, on the other hand, seems to be an admirable speaker, although not dazzling. It seems he can actually think for himself without parroting slogans. True, he is enough of a politician to have mastered the art of slogan and sound-bite and does resort to these on occasion, but you also get the impression that he might have an idea of what he's talking about, and may have even taken a hand in composing it.
Bush has a way of repeating and repeating and repeating the same canned phrases over and over again and each time he acts like it's something that he just thought up while showing an insipid little smirk. It looks as though he thinks he's as clever as Will Rogers for saying what he just said ten minutes before.The contrast of these two styles is a recipe for great reality TV.
Which brings us back to the phrase – "They hate freedom."
I have heard this bit of nonsense spew from the lips of our President on countless occasions. Nobody hates freedom. We all want our degree of it. If the American Revolution were being televised today, George III would be on the tube calling Washington and his army "insurgents" and saying , "They hate freedom." Notwithstanding the fact that Washington's freedom didn't include the freedom of women or black people. He was fighting for his native soil against a foreign colonial power, just like they are in Iraq.
During W.W.II when the Nazis occupied Paris, the French who fought the occupation were called "The Resistance," not "insurgents." The mujahideen in Afghanistan who were trying to take their country back from the Russians (with assistance from the American CIA who armed them with the SAMs that were so annoying to us in our invasion of that country) were called "freedom fighters," not "insurgents."
And now, because of shifts in the political wind, these exact same individuals are being called "freedom hating terrorists."
The Poet's Eye is just above The Poet's Nose and The Poet's Nose smells baloney. Nobody hates freedom. Am I repeating myself? Then let me say it again. Nobody Hates Freedom.
Do horny people hate people who are getting laid? Maybe. Do hungry people hate people who are well fed? Only if the well fed are taking the food from the mouths of their children. But to say that some group just hates freedom on principle is patently absurd. They don't HATE freedom, they WANT freedom.
But with repetition, even the absurd becomes plausible. A parrot can make you believe that Polly wants a cracker if he says it enough times. But you can't ask a parrot questions and achieve any response beyond rote phrases.
Kerry: Where are the weapons of mass destruction, Mr. President?
Bush: We know Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. (Polly want a cracker?)
Kerry: Where did the three million jobs go, Mr. President?
Bush: We care about putting America to work. (Polly want a McCracker?)
Kerry: Why don't the citizens of the most affluent society on earth have adequate healthcare, Mr. President?
Bush: We are working on a plan to provide all Americans with affordable healthcare. (Polly want a cracker?)
Kerry: Why is the violence continuing in Iraq, Mr. President?
Bush: They hate freedom. (Polly want a cracker?)
The Poet's Eye sees that Bush's handlers are no dummies and even if they acquiesce to a debate during this election, it will be in such a restricted format that the President will not be required to ad lib.
You can conceal an immense amount of ignorance by being quiet – or just by staying on message. Polly want a cracker?to comment on ths article
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