Webster's defines vomit as " To eject or discharge in a gush; to spew out " ( my italics ). Last week, at an American Legion event (of all places) the Bush crew did just that. They vomited their con job, their scam, onto an audience, filled (ironically) with real soldiers past and present. The Bush crew, especially Cheney and Junior himself, had the nerve to stand there and vomit their lies and misinformation to real patriots; men who carried the mantle that these two refused to carry. Wonder if any in that audience had friends or relatives who died in the phony war fought in rice paddies (instead of a desert) ; a war that Cheney and Junior supported but refused to fight in. Enough to make one.....vomit?
Last week these jokers had the utter hypocrisy and indecency to blend in Hitler and Munich with the so called Bush Doctrine's version of appeasement and patriotism. Imagine that? Comparing we who dissent on the street corners of our towns and cities with those who allowed Hitler to conquer most of Europe? Let's really study appeasement for a minute. Students of history know that in the early 30's, in Germany, the Nazi party and its movement were gaining ground politically and psychologically. Yet, the only two groups who stood up to them, in their climb to power, were the Communists and the Social Democrats. Most mainstream Germans were apathetic to the Nazis and to Hitler. In a nutshell, they did nothing and said nothing. " If we ignore them, they'll just go away." Haven't we heard that so many times in our lives? Parents who really did not trust or agree with Hitler and his crew, stood silent as the movement gained steam and became a juggernaut. Those same parents, the Soccer Moms and Nascar Dads of that era, stood silent once again as their children traded in their team uniforms for Hitler Youth regalia. Appeasement!
How long will my neighbors pass by us on our street corner each Tuesday, honk and wave and just keep on driving? How long will my neighbors, the ones who see through the lies and disinformation about 9/11 and the Iraq invasion, vent behind closed doors? In 1932 Germany, the Nazis were ready to be stopped by their own government. All it would take was a mass of regular folks to stand up and speak out against those gangsters. The government was in a tither- many groups, many parties, yet not one with a majority. The time was ripe for the public to speak out and stand up for a sense of decency, a sense of moderation. No, it became a battle between two extremes of rhetoric and philosophy: the Communists and the Nazis. The public be damned- and it was, taking with it the rest of Europe and most of the world. Almost makes ya want to ........vomit!
Philip A Farruggio is a free lance columnist, small business owner and activist leader. The son of a Brooklyn, N. Y longshoreman, he is blue collar through and through. Since 2000, he has had 60 columns and op-ed posted online in various sites, most notably Op-ed News, After downingstreet .org and counterpunch.com. He can be reached at paf1222@bellsouth.net
