LifeBoat

By P. Anthony Farruggio

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/10196

Once again, our friend and fellow activist, Phil Farruggio,  has written a poignant piece addressing our current situation.  This time it is the sad condition of our economy.  His piece can be found on AfterDowningStreet.org at the above link, and you are invited to comment on his piece there if you are a member.

We reprint his piece here in it's entirety.

Remember the famous Hitchcock film, Lifeboat, where a small vessel of the same name was drifting through the stormy ocean waves? The boat was crammed with the survivors of a sinking ship. These folks represented a cross section of the society at large- covering the spectrum of socioeconomic, cultural and political types. Well, our republic is on just that course now. This is not the time for squabbles about issues like abortion, gay marriage, prayer in school. No, as with Lifeboat, our very economic survival is at stake. We can maintain our affiliations as Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, Progressives, Liberals or Independents. Yet, we must join together, if we truly love this so called democracy, to reform it..... to save it!

Here's a quote that sums it all up: " Next the statesman will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those ' conscience- soothing falsities', and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will, by and by, convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self- deception." Mark Twain wrote that almost 100 years ago, in 1910, concerning US foreign adventures ( Wars). It seems what this present administration has done, that is, to lie and mislead its people, is not something new. Yet, this current Iraqi adventure is more devastating than any other fabrication by a U. S. President and his underlings. Watergate was child's play compared to this. The events of September 11th, to paraphrase from the Project For A New American Century's thesis in 1992, became the " New Pearl Harbor" to allow a President ( and compliant Congress) to curtail our Bill of Rights, our Constitution, and our fiscal responsibilities, all in the name of Homeland Security. That phrase harshly rings of 1930's Germany and its Fatherland propaganda. Who were some of the cosigners of that so called project ? Do the names Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Jeb Bush sound familiar?

As our brave young men and women, along with countless Iraqi civilians, are dying in the desert, we too are dying here at home. Our health care is in a crisis, and even the media refuses to address it, let alone Congress or this President. It is bad enough that over 43 million, perhaps one in six of us, has no health coverage. What about we 250 million who have health insurance? How many of us still have to shell out $ 500 , $ 1,000 or more each month for mediocre coverage? How many of us cannot visit a doctor of choice, and when we do, reach into our pockets for anywhere from $ 30 to $ 100 ? As far as medications, well, let's not even go there, it is in such a state of disgrace. You've heard the tales of seniors having to decide between " groceries or a pill " over and over already. What about that Nascar dad or Soccer mom, who must decide between health care for the family or saving for college? Regardless of political affiliation, we are all suffering!

Does it matter if you vote Republican, Democrat, Independent, or not at all, when your national treasury is being drained? How much more of our tax dollars need go into the pockets of the War Industry instead of better schools and higher pay for teachers, police, fire, and health workers? Wouldn't it be better spent securing our ports and borders? Or perhaps to extend Medicare for all Americans? $ 300 billion has already gone the military- industrial complex route, thus indebting our grandchildren and possibly setting the stage for a major recession, if not depression. The only thing that keeps many across America from become activists is the equity in their homes. Well, that soon may change, as this real estate bubble is ready to burst a bit in major regions of our nation. Then, perhaps, conservative and progressive minded Americans will join together to pressure elected officials to focus on our economic survival, and not just what the media " fluff " artists tell us. As in those gangster movies of the film noir period, when the public becomes incensed and takes to mass street protests, the fat cats take notice. A phone call is made to a key " associate ", and suddenly reform occurs, just like that! The long and terrible debacle of Vietnam ended mainly because of mass citizen outrage. When the day comes that Nascar dads, Soccer moms, New Deal Democrats and 60's progressives all stand on street corner America together, then we the people will have found our lifeboat.