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.