Hope Is On the Way?

July 30, 2004

Last night, John Kerry spoke to the Democratic National Convention, reaffirming what has been a dominant theme… hope for the future. It is clear that the politics of fear and disinformation, as practiced by the Republicans, has taken its toll. The existential fear, that has gripped our government, particularly since 9/11, must be replaced, they say, by a new optimism.

Whether or not the Democrats are just spinning their own web of illusion, remains to be seen. But clearly, the conditions of hope and fear, as they affect the national psyche, is what will drive this election. Roosevelt’s “Nothing to fear but fear itself,” might be the appropriate slogan of the day, if it didn’t sound naive to a public demanding tough talk on national security in the face of terrorism.

No matter how much the Democratic Convention has been about national security, the Democrats have staged a flag-waving celebration of all-American optimism as the real solution to a world in crisis. Hope is on the way, they declare. Is this the real American Dream? Hope? Or will we continue to follow that frightening path down the road to an Orwellian society of fear and control.

Stay tuned for the next scene.

The Real Terror

July 27, 2004

When the US announces a policy such as pre-emptive war, it doesn’t ring out in the world as strength and resolve, it comes across rather as a threatening articulation of empirical global rule. This is the real terror that is igniting, not extinquishing, the so called war on terror. If we want to truly fight the war on terror, we must change the image of America. If the US is perceived as controlling and tyrannical, this will only reinforce the already negative view much of the world has of us.

One way to difuse this problem is through cultural exchange. Currently, there is an exhibition of Islamic art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Do the politicians in power recognize the significance of this? Do you think the Islamic political leaders are aware of this? And what if they were?

What if this exhibition were used as a platform for initiating dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. What if art could be a mechanism for resolving human differences, healing wounds and misunderstandings that ultimately lead to war.

As William Burroughs said, “Weapons that change consciousness could bring the war game into question.”

They Need a Divided America

July 26, 2004

Tonight Bill Clinton opened the Democratic Convention with the following words: “They need a divided America, but we don’t.”

Division is the tactic used by the Republicans to instill fear in Americans in order to create the illusion they are protecting us. This is straight out of the 1984 playbook by George Orwell. They attempt to lure Americans with talk about values and family, but they don’t believe any of that. They only believe in the ruling class, money, and wealth. The only way to keep people in line is to make them believe they can someday join the elite. This is how the Republicans rule.

They divide and conquer, and use the disInformation and propaganda of political rhetoric to stage their deception.

Appropriation & Transformation

“Revolution must of necessity borrow, from what it wants to destroy, the very image of what it wants to possess.” – Roland Barthes

We are countering the disinformation and propaganda of the Republican party with our own techniques of media and illusion. Why would we do this? To strip off the mask, to reveal what lies hidden beneath the lies. We are borrowing from their techniques, we are appropriating their tactics, we are mimicking their assertions, in order underscore the power of spin and the danger of disinformation.

It is our hope that through the power of illusion, we can neutralize the manipulative nature of political power run amuk, render it useless and absurd. This is what needs to be done during the Republican National Convention, a terrifying exploitation of those who died in 9/11.

Carpe Diem

July 07, 2004

Here in Washington there are numerous local parades on July 4th —very local parades, like through the streets of housing developments. These take place all over the region, and, as I suspected, they are staggered so politicians can go from one to the other over the course of the day.

We always go to the parade in our friends’ neighborhood. For some reason we don’t have one in our own (perhaps we don’t live in a key precinct). It’s a tiny affair lead by a local troop of the Boy Scouts and homemade floats. This year we had a band of fathers, government bureaucrats by day, parading as a band of kazoo playing cicadas. Participants throw candy to the 100 or so locals who line the tree-lined suburban streets. Everyone ends up at the neighborhood park where there are speeches, a few rides, and traditional hot dogs and hamburgers.

Being this is an election year, our Congressman and our County Executive (akin to a mayor) were sure to attend. We stood waiting for the parade to start at the beginning of the route. A Congress staffer walked just ahead of our representative handing out cardboard fans with his re-election slogan on them (it was a sultry day and you can’t go wrong with fans).

Next came Chris Van Hollen, our frosh Democrat with a good political pedigree (as close to our kind of politics as possible is in Washington), not five feet from me. This was a unique opportunity. Without thinking I recognize this was about as close to the seat of power as I could ever hope to get. I felt COMPELLED to use this occasion to tell him my opinion on something. But on what? I hadn’t thought about this in advance. Suddenly the moment presented itself and I had to think fast. And it had to be something really important.

From the recesses of my mind and on pure instinct I yelled “VOTE AGAINST THE PATRIOT ACT!” This is truly one of the most alarming Bush political maneuvers in the last four years. I had had close encounters with political power before and fear had kept me from speaking my mind. This could be my best shot.

At first he didn’t quite understand what I was saying. I repeated my sentiment: “PATRIOT ACT: BAD!” He seemed surprised that specific politics would even come up during this “feel good” type of venue (as did everyone around us who were just cheering). “Yes sir!” he fired back, giving me the thumbs up. I felt so empowered, if only for a minute.

Carpe diem! Carpe tui responsal. Seize the day! Seize your Representative (and tell him or her what you think).