We've finally reached the day this country, and—forget American Exceptionalism—the world breathes in relief, as we anticipate seeing the back of Bush, Cheney, and crew. After tomorrow, the lot of them should be seen only in a criminal dock—unlikely as that is, given how hard they've worked at destroying our political and legal system.
Sentient citizens have lived through eight years of daily outrages, what with the regime's relentless program of lies, lawlessness, and war. Some of us reacted by ranting and some by increased activism, but both reactions got pretty much the same results.
It was only through the Internet that one could get some grasp of reality. After the 2000 election, I began printing articles and commentary, soon accumulating masses of paper—all out of a compulsion to record the history racing down the memory hole, unreported by the mass media (and so, unknown to most of the masses).
Then by the 2004 election and last chance to eject the BushCo coup, I was working in an office full of right-wingers. Hearing the the jaw-droppingly insane stuff that came from their mouths, I found myself recording conversations, in between looking for chances to check out reality online. Whenever prying eyes were out of the room, I printed material to add to what was accumulating in files drawers and overflowing cartons at home.
The daily contrast between office mentality and reality was something I wanted to blog about, but a number of things prevented my following through. And, I felt my sheer lack of eloquence for dealing with the multiple daily outrages—for that, there was Molly Ivins (sadly, until 1-31-07), Digby, and lots of other outstanding writers. Journalists like Robert Parry and Robert Scheer, who had taken journalism too seriously for their previous employers, were self-publishing online. Constitutional lawyer Glen Greenwald emerged as a uniquely powerful voice. It was impressive to see how he used his expertise to begin examining and writing about the lawlessness, and ended up as a tireless critic of everything that had enabled it: our mindless media; careerist Democrats; the pathetic "wisdom" of Establishment pundits; and the separate standards of justice for the elite and the ordinary schmoe.
Now, as we finally rid ourselves of the direct BushCo presence, it's natural to start purging my living space of the clutter. But I can't rid myself of wanting the history of the last eight years to be visible.
From 9-11 to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Katrina: we'll never know how many lives have been lost or damaged. But for those of us on the planet who have survived the Bush years, there is at least the opportunity to look back at what happened.
Of course, many of us know that we will not forget. The Emperor never had clothes, but he did have the biggest PR operation ever. It's up to us to pass along our understanding of this: we know for damn sure that, if the country survives for future generations, our great-great-grandchildren will be subjected to a propaganda machine endowed for in perpetuity, and busily whitewashing Bush and the interests he fronted.
My response to the end of the current regime is to start this blog, where I will put together a little of the material saved all these years. I'll touch on a few of the most egregious events, but will include some of the small, related stories that went by with little notice. And to place everything in the context of life in my own little corner of Workplace Hell: just as we had to laugh over Bushisms to keep from crying, my own local wingnuts were not entirely without entertainment value.
This may be opposite the usual blogging goal of recording things as they happen. But because are our politicians and pundits have been so busy pushing a theme of "we need to look forward, not back," I prefer to continue looking at how we got to where we are. We certainly will continue to live with the consequences for generations. The Bush Regime may be history, but if we don't understand it, we let ourselves in for a repeat.
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