A cockadoodle - do heard around the world!

Thomas Frank's book "What's the Matter with Kansas" was the spark.

Dear Michael

Today I read your article "A Message to Conservative Readers & Legislators" reproduced by Anwaar Hussain at his blog Fountainhead (linked at left in the Flyer-MC).

The grapevine has it that a few folk got riled! Seems you've touched just about every hot button there is. Folks sure are sensitive. So, I have a recommendation. In future, clean up your language (inter alia, rename the blog presently known as Fightin' Cock Flyer), and tell people only what they want to hear. Paramount: language and PR.

What they want to hear is as follows: America is great and good. In fact, we are the best. Evils committed in the service of nationalistic pride and imperial gain have nothing but the purest motives. Hence, we commit no evil. You know: collateral damage, and all that? Wiping out Fallujah, for example, leaving the residents in groaning misery, with generations to come of DU related disease and torment - a small price for them to pay. Cause look: George says we're bringing them democracy, freedom and liberty. Michael, remember those three words. Weave them into all your articles.

Now, what? Oh, yes, you lie about the state of our economy, and "maybe you dance". I have absolutely no idea whatsoever how the two parts of that sentence fit together, but take no never mind. When we're all steamed up for god and country, some things simply sound good.

If it's all the same, however, I'll skip the dance part, cause I haven't recently read much good relevant political dogma on the subject. As for the economy, your correspondent, together with most of the other idiots who voted for George W. Bush, Richard Cheney and all the other blood thirsty warmongering lying thieves are well and truly ignorant how our economy is being ravaged. Unlikely anything I might say would impact. But there's an excellent book out with the word 'Kansas' in the title. I'd like to recommend it. "What's the Matter with Kansas," written by Thomas Frank.

However, here I must confess. I read only about a third of the book and had to put it down before throwing up. Let me hasten to reassure your readers, however. The author used no "bad language". He simply told the truth. And the truth about Kansas and about this country is real barf material - only for the strong of stomach.

Before coming to Mr. Hussain, let me say one more thing, following on the previous paragraph. I am not an "America hater". I love my country and all its inhabitants.

It shouldn't be necessary to explain, but I will: There are lots and lots and lots of good Americans. And there are lots and lots and lots of rich Americans. I myself live in an area where poverty is not obvious. But, swear to god, George and the neocons are creating poverty that will be our bane for decades to come. Saying this gives me no pleasure, and I happily would eat crow if proven wrong. But what I totally loathe / hate / abhor is that our Constitution is being systematically shredded, that we are never told the truth, that there appears to be no deep national feeling of shame over the wanton destruction we bring to others who have the great misfortune to be deemed "not us" (and, may, incidentally, be sitting on national treasure that we covet).

As though our creator, whoever she may be, made "insiders" and "outsiders", with the bounty of creation intended only for the "insiders" (happily, us). What shortsighted, self-serving, ungodly arrogance. Who is this god we worship?

Now for Mr Hussain, who saw fit to publish your material on his blog, Fountainhead. I assume he did so because he has a certain sympathy with what you write. Indeed, his blog is an alternative point of view, one not commonly indulged in by those fed from the slop put out by mainstream American media. His point of view is shared by millions of people outside the United States. Perhaps it is time to ask ourselves just why that is. That they "hate us for our freedom" is such simple-minded fall-back clap trap.

Far be it for me to make generalizations on behalf of others, but let me make an educated guess why the United States is not winning any international popularity contests. Try these on for size:


The fact that we kill and plunder virtually at will comes at the top of the list.

The fact that we ignore other people's beliefs and traditions merits mention.

The fact that our environmental "policies" and greed are rapidly (possibly irreversibly) rendering uninhabitable this one and only planet that we share doesn't go down too well.

The fact that human rights is now a nearly meaningless concept, attested to by our secret gulag of torture chambers, causes a bit of concern.

If truly, in our national psyche, life were deemed sacred, we would treat it as such. For the American national psyche, however, consumerism is sacred, with multinational corporations (and the neocons) astride the throne, wielding their trillions of dollars, minus any shred of humility or compassion. Therefore, some of us look at the sanctimonious spectacle with full saturation-style drooling media coverage circling around one dying person for weeks on end and we have a word: HYPOCRISY.

Kindest regards,
Evelyn