War Games

Fox News "war games" - the coming civil war

To play the home version of war games and idiotic punditry, watch this video clip of Glenn Beck's "War Room" before reading the description of it and follow-up comments, and consider when this episode likely aired. (By no means should you ignore the commentary, however, as Glenn Greenwald provides an excellent explanation of what exactly a "bubba" militia is and why we should be so concerned at the idea.)

Give up?

February 22, 2009. That's right, kids -- less than a week ago, and just over a month into President Obama's administration.

Now humour me, and if you haven't already, read Greenwald's commentary.

I have to admit, I'm partially amused in a sick and morbid fashion that right-wing commentary has already degraded itself to foreshadowings of civil uprisings and revolts against the state of the world. One of his commentators estimates that income tax in the higher brackets (never mind the brackets where most viewers of FOX News fall) by 2014 could be as high as 95 per cent. Of course, the response to this sort of economic upheaval and the continuing problems of the world will lead the citizenry to violent action.

With 3:40 left in the video clip after the jump, pay attention to Glenn Beck's statement that the government has "betrayed the Constitution" -- but keep in mind that this clip leaves the ground and launches itself into the stratosphere of wacko-paranoic thought within the first 10 seconds. In fact...any rational person should pause at the idea that this or any edition of the "War Room" is focused on "war games" that suggest the imminent arrival of civil war.

Another sound bite: "tyranny of incompetence", approximately 2:30 remaining.

And this second sound bite brings me back into cold hard reality, where I am no longer amused but simply disgusted. Where were these dire predictions of civil war throughout the last five to six years of the W. administration? As Greenwald points out, the cult of the "bubba militia" turned a collective blind-eye to the human rights violations and indignities carried out by their champion after scoffing at the less offensive (and far less illegal) attempts of his predecessor. Greenwald writes:

In sum, they dressed up in warrior clothing to fight against Bill Clinton's supposed tyranny, and then underwent a major costume change on January 20, 2001, thereafter dressing up in cheerleader costumes to glorify George Bush's far more extreme acquisitions of federal power.

What this means, boys and girls, is hypocrisy. It is hypocrisy of the lowest order to not only apply selective indignation to the actions of our leaders, but to suggest that after one month (does this need any more emphasis?) the American people have suffered so terribly under President Obama (who, dare I point out, is not the cause of any of what is happening now) that by 2014 -- two years after he comes up for reelection -- the people of this country will fight to "take back their government".

Look. When W. took his imaginary mandate and created a clusterfuck of a national position for us...when his administration facilitated many of the very measures that leave us mired in the economic bog now...the American people did not rise up and revolt against the government machine. Hell, if that was the case then W. should have never won reelection in 2004 (which is the case regardless, but I digress). You didn't see left-leaning commentary suggest that the United States would be heading for a civil war, even in the last two years of the administration when it seems that people finally started to wise up.

What happened? People demanded change through the government. That's right, and allow me to repeat it: people used the government to get the change they sought. The change we sought and continue to fight for today. We continue to fight because of people like Glenn Beck and other faithful devotees of the "bubba militia", who are not concerned for what is right, only that they win their war games.

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