Violence Fetish

This piece originally appeared in Panache #19, which had a cover date of 5/29/03. The opening quote was also used.


"And we will not allow any terrorist or tyrant to threaten civilization with weapons of mass murder." -- George W. Bush

Like a Texas chili cook-off gone horribly wrong, the Bush Administration (a term that sounds like the title to an amateur porno movie) is out of control and full of cannibals. The policy changes and death threats against "evil" nations are issued at such a fast rate that any column I write will be irrelevant by the time it's published. There are some general observations I can make, however, that seem to be a constant when it comes to the Littlest Dictator.

Whenever I see Baby Bush and company give some morally righteous press conference, I can't help but hear the "Imperial March" from the original Star Wars movies. I watch the screen like a hawk, expecting el president to whip off one of his mud-caked shoes at any moment and use it to pound the podium. Cheney, as I can sense, is just off camera wringing his hands together like Mr. Burns in The Simpsons. "Exxxceeelllent," he hisses well out of range of the microphones. The New Reich learned its lesson about these instruments during its first campaign for power, back when they believed voting had actual meaning, back before voting became such a ... problem.

The irony of that voting situation is not lost on this administration, though. I'm sure after the Hussein election, jokes circulated around the White House that compared Bush's rise to power to Hussein's ability to stay there. Rigged elections does not a democracy make. Iraq and the USA. Who would've thought we'd have more in common than the use of weapons of mass destruction against a populace? And isn't it strange how both governments are beginning to resemble the giant monsters of Japanese films? Like Godzilla, the Bush Administration (which sounds a lot like an unpleasant medical procedure teenage girls have to undergo) has trampled our civil rights. (Everybody's scared of terrorists now, right?) It has ruined foreign policy even moreso than Reagan's Raiders, and it has extinguished any hopes of peace in the Middle East (now known as Little America to those who pay attention). It walks! It stalks! It mispronounces words! It's our leader! I can feel the audience shudder, praying that the next trailer is for a Harry Potter sequel. After all, Harry Potter is a simple boy from happier times. Times that changed on 9/11.

When 9/11 first happened, our government urged us to buy, buy, buy. Now it's urging us to buy, buy, buy ... it's bullshit. Some folks are. The same folks who agree with Lott and Heston that race mixing is the root of all our troubles. The same folks who have those "Rush is Reich" stickers on the back of their SUVs. The same folks who brought us Bush the first time. The same folks who tied a yellow ribbon around their old oak trees. The same folks who think the war on terrorism can be won. The same folks who couldn't find Afghanistan on a map prior to 9/11. This is the voting public. Teenagers: You have every right to be worried about your future. In fact, you should be downright terrified.

Of course, Bush isn't the only morally corrupt "leader" we've had. All of them have had their faults. But he's in power now and not enough people are pointing out what a lunatic he is because it's considered unpatriotic. The media won't call his bluff. The Democratic Party measures each of its words carefully as not to offend. Those who do speak out are afraid of being thrown in jail as "terrorist sympathizers." Where does that leave me?

I'm the first to admit that I thought Bush did a good job immediately after 9/11. He did that by pretty much keeping his mouth shut. He was the silent leader whose only words were that of comfort. It was a role that suited him well. Once his advisors got their hands on him, though, he became a mindless shark on PCP. And just who is that group of puppet masters? They are war mongers. They are elitists. They are throwbacks from the Reagan tyranny. The media doesn't even point out the first planned war on terrorism about 20 years ago courtesy of these same people. Go do the research. This has been attempted before. And, yes, it includes plenty of plans for the domestic population ... as it did before. But this time ... this time ... those plans may work. The next time Darth Bush steps up to the plate, take a peek under his helmet. Watch his lips move. Closely examine his words. Look at the people in his cabinet. Delve into their past. Start making the connections. If you come out of it absolutely convinced that he has your best interests in mind, then more power to you. I'm not so convinced, however.

The future is cloudy, but I can see which way the wind is blowing. By the time this sees print nuclear warheads may have already targeted Iraq. We may have already invaded. We may have been the target of another terrorist strike. I don't know. What I do know, though, is that the war on terrorism can't be won because it's a war of ideals. What I know is that our government (like all governments) has a bully complex, and that won't help us when it comes to keeping the peace. War isn't the answer, but it's the only thing the government knows how to do. War on those abroad and war on those in the Homeland (a Third Reich term if there ever was one) is now the business of those in positions of authority. The slogan used to be: America -- Love it or Leave it. Now it's: America -- Love it or Else. Who do you think is to blame for that zero tolerance policy on intelligence? Love it or else. I guess I've never been good with ultimatums.

Violence Fetish

This was a piece that appeared in Panache #16, which was published 8/2/02. It is a strange piece, but I believe the quote at the beginning of it has something to do with what I was trying to accomplish. I actually think I put some kind of code in this piece.

"Violence Fetish"

"I'm concerned with the precise manipulation of word and image, not to go out and buy a Coca Cola, but to create an alteration in the reader's consciousness." -- William S. Burroughs

Destiny and death are often one in the same. Eventually, for some, both will come to fruition. Knowledge of this may prove you are one of those people who understands the true meaning of destiny. (Needless to say, your knowledge of the facts, though, may not change who you are.) Aliens, and you may be one, can't comprehend this. Perhaps a painful reality intruded upon you at some point, sidetracking that which you hoped destiny had in store for you. Shameful slob you became. Every man, average Joe, plain Jane. Being an alien, destiny won't be kind to you. Only fools think destiny has something spectacular in store for everyone. Truth that is a lie. Destiny, when the bones must be separated from the meat, will only be claimed by the worthy. Equalzing factors such as Social Darwinism see to that. Eventually, destiny may call the aliens, but until that happens they will remain stationary and ignorant. Numerous members of that group will take up space, while others will provide entertainment to those who see them for what they are. Diseased humans -- aliens -- need to be handled with violence ... or so I thought. Nothing short of annihilation was good enough for them. And lest you think that cruel, what do you do to an injured horse? Nothing short of death was to be granted. Aliens had to be destroyed because of what they are. To the worthy, the aliens are barriers, stumbling blocks on the way to destiny's grand plan. (Aliens usually aren't worth going around -- you go through them.) Slack jawed trash meant to be burned in one form or another. For that is the lot of the alien. Often I find myself staring out my window, envisioning a better world. Slaves of consumerism suddenly enlightened. Tossing off chains. Nuking convictions previously mishandled. Eager dreams they are. Great dreams never meant to be realized. Aliens won't let them be. "Evil and insidious" they label these dreams. "Rational people don't think that way." Arrogance and ignorance mark the alien like a prison tattoo. Reality means nothing to them, and when I realized that, that is when my early, unrefined feelings toward them began to form. About fifteen years ago it began. The war between myself and the aliens took form. Suffer not fools lightly, I vowed. Kill,crush, and maim them. Constant meditation on the subject, however, made me see my faulty ways. Opinions I once held dear changed. Reality stepped in. New days brought new ideas. Only mockery can truly end this scourge of humanity. Send the aliens into hiding by making them laughing stocks. Aliens hate to be lampooned. Just like rats, they will abandon ship once it begins. Death is one way to eliminate them. Not the best way, however. Actually turning them into entertainment is far more effective. Needling them accomplishes more. Apathy and anger must be converted into creativity and mockery. Maybe then -- only then -- the scourge will stop. Reality, and the humor of it all, will do the dirty deed for us. Oracles will become comedians. Devils, with gaping smiles upon their faces, will come to claim the fools who believe in them. Maybe then -- only then -- the scourge will stop. I cannot wait for that day to come. Just in case it doesn't, though, there's always the pure rage of fire -- cleanser of all tainted souls.