Music Men

Well ya got trouble my friend, trouble right here in River City.

Here are the observations of Music Man I, Bob Herbert, about the growing gap between the haves and the have nots in our own country.

How many of us exulted in what the Egyptian downtrodden underdogs accomplished this week, without making the big picture connection to the similarities of their plight to the middle class and the poor in our own land?

Though the similarities are more in kind than in the current size of the gap, the changes in the size of that gap in America have been accelerating for years now.

The old truths are still, and always will be, instructive and relevant in human societies. Money talks and the ones with the gold rule.

Like it's been in Egypt for decades, those with financial clout ,and who
"get it" that there's gold in them thar military/industrial complex hills, induce politicians to be beholden to them by paying them off with huge campaign contributions, to vote for anything associated with national security.

Those who can only think in black and white, yes or no, you're either with us or you're not terms, promote the up or down, yea or nay approach to what should be governing, but
is in essence, ruling.

The current example is the need for the Congress either to extend the Patriot Act, or not to extend it. That law, by definition, makes legal the violation of civil liberties of all Americans.

I fail to see any substantial difference in authorized powers between the
American Patriot Act under President Bush and President Obama and the Egyptian
Emergency Law under President Mubarak. Both laws can be used to detain its own citizens who, in its sole opinion, are considered to be dangerous, if not enemies, of the state.

In the years since 911 we've heard stories of extraordinacy rendition, and the torture of citizens of the world at the hands of powerful people(power rooted in extraordinary wealth).

The Tunisia thing apparently emboldened the Egyptian thing. Most pundits are speculating
about what other dictator controlled Arab states will be next.

Update: Bahrain, Syria, Iran, Yemen and Libya.

Here is a question:

When will our own American citizens have had enough, like the Tunisians and the Egyptians? When will we wake up that the American dream is cynically being kept alive by those who have the gold to rule. When will we wake up and realize that we have been lulled to sleep by slogans about small government, and slogans about national security, slogans about boot strap individuality, slogans dumping on folks in dire need of financial rescue to be able to pay for and sustain the most basic needs to support life. More and more frequently those in dire need have tried to do their best, but have been overwhelmed by unexpected and devastating health care expenses.

Reminds me of the old silent movies about a helpless woman being tied down to railroad tracks by an unscrupulous banker who shouts at her, "You must pay the rent!", and she screams, "but I can't pay the rent!"

Charles Dickens' "Bleak Street" and "Tale of Two Cities" exposed the world of the heartless
money worshippers of his day. Sadly they have been prolific in creating equally nasty progeny.

Here's a report from Music Man II. He spells out in great detail what trouble we have, right here in River City. It should be required reading for all who vote.

Leanderthal









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