|
Politicians possess a special language that requires special
translators. Yet, politicians don't simply engage in double-speak and
obfuscation, particularly during elections; their primary objective
seems to be contributing to national narratives that can be better
understood as myth-making: the idea of American exceptionalism.
This year's number one word/concept & myth is "change." Sure, it is
supposed to correspond to fresh faces such as Sen. Barack Obama. But
Sen. John McCain – who would keep troops in Iraq for a 100 years –
claims to be "the face of change." Gov. Mike Huckabee, who supports
overturning the 14th Amendment (birthright citizenship), has also
become "the face of change."
Political double-speak and myth-making, however, is not confined to
the Republican Party. For instance, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi
has refused to entertain the issue of impeachment, claiming that it is
"off the table." She appears to have confused her role as a
high-ranking member of the Democratic Party, with her Constitutional
function as the head of the House of Representatives – whose primary
function is to uphold the Constitution.
Here's a few other words/concepts:
THE RULE OF LAW: This idea led to the impeachment of former president
Bill Clinton. He was impeached, not based on his "crimes," but behind
the idea that he had lied under oath before Congress. Conservative
lawmakers insisted on his impeachment, otherwise, what lesson would we
be sending to the children? Since President Bush took office, those
very same voices have become muted; nowadays, any law or treaty can be
violated, disregarded or changed – and no law applies to the president
and vice president of the United States.
NATIONAL SECURITY AND PROTECTING THE HOMELAND: Under this canard, Big
Brother and secret government now rules. Democracy, personal freedom,
the Bill of Rights and the right to privacy have all been tossed into
the trash-bin of history in favor of establishing a fear-based nation.
THE WAR ON TERROR: Like the concept of "terrorists," the war on terror
is a catch phrase that means that the United States has the God-given
right to attack anyone or wage illegal wars against any nation that
the president determines to be "our enemy." At the same time, rogue
nations that use state terror against their own populations – are not
deemed to be terrorists as long as they support the U.S. "war on
terror."
BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS: Billboards of U.S. soldiers with the
preceding message can be seen in this country. This is part of the
American idea that this country has to right to kill tens of thousands
of people…in the name of peace. Peace in this case refers to creating
anti-democratic client-states that agree with U.S. policies of world
domination. This is the same idea that war is peace and peace is war.
OUT-OF-CONTROL-SPENDING: In their own minds, Republicans like to think
of themselves as being opposed to taxes… as long as they can exempt
certain categories from the meaning of "taxes." For instance, charging
high fees to visit national parks or to utilize necessary government
services are not considered taxes. The most egregious exemption is the
war itself. Ending this war – ending this exorbitant tax – would
permit government to educate every child through college; it would
permit everyone to be protected by a national health insurance
program, and; it would permit the nation's infrastructure to be
completely rebuilt, with change left over.
VALUES VOTERS: All people have values, but this concept is part of an
Orwellian idea in which conservative ideals are deemed to be steeped
in American/Christian "values." All other ideals are deemed to be
un-American and un-Christian.
PRO-LIFE: This does not translate into: "all life is sacred." Pro-life
corresponds to an anti-abortion stance, while permitting conservatives
to also support the death penalty, the waging of illegal wars and the
classification of people into legal/legitimate and
illegal/illegitimate categories... without seeing any moral
contradictions.
CORRUPTION: War profiteering by U.S. corporations and wholesale law
violations by global corporations that wreak havoc on entire peoples
and the planet are outside of the American definition of corruption.
In fact, waging illegal wars is not considered corruption; that
category is reserved for petty crimes and bribery by police and
government officials of other nations.
Implicated and coinciding with this latest phase of American
myth-making is the decline of U.S. journalism. Nowadays, media has
become part and parcel to this process, seemingly unable to see what
the rest of the world can clearly see: the United States is not the
moral leader of the world... unless the meaning of "moral" is altered. COLUMN OF THE AMERICAS
JANUARY 21, 2008
MACEHUAL: BY ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ (c) Column of the Americas 2008.
|
