"How much more proof do we need?"

Wrong question.  Most Eurotribune readers have long been convinced.  The real question is "What will convince a majority of the citizens of the good 'ole USA of the fatuous nature of the reigning paradigm, whether you call it corporate capitalism or "the anglo disease." An opportunity may be forming for a paradigm shift.

As long as the majority of citizens can continue to feel good about themselves and about their children's future it will be very difficult to accept the perniciousness of  popular beliefs about the nature of their society and economy, even when the application of those beliefs is so demonstrably damaging to their own self interest.  This is the dark side of idealism.

Everyone wants to feel good about themselves and they will go to great lengths to do so. The first response to something that disrupts that "feel-good" is an instinct to defend it.  That often takes the form of denial, which is at once the most primitive and powerful psychic defense mechanism. It usually only fails catastrophiclly. Such a catastrophe may be at hand.

The task at hand is to have a significant number of citizens understand the true source of the crisis and not to allow blame to be fobbed off onto those with the temerity to criticize the existing order.  

This is no trivial task considering that close to a majority of USA voters voted for the incumbent president--twice, and considering that, until recently, the most characteristic expression of high officials of said administration, (viz Rumsfield, Gonzoles and Bush), was the smirk. And they had a lot to smirk about: Iraq, Bush tax relief for the rich, turning Medicare Part D into a boondoggle for big pharma and health care providers and systematiclly subverting the constitution which they had sworn to uphold.  In effect the affairs of the government of the USA were conducted as though they were the greatest rich boy fraternity prank of all time.  It may well have been just that.

Do not underestimate W and company.  Else the Bush 43 administration might be seen as the high point of  21st century US and world history.  I fear for your future.


"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."