Torturing The Cat
The great struggle being waged by President Bush and his supporters is not really about making "the world a safer, better place." It's not even really about an imperial "Pax Americana." It's about the search for meaning by a people so bored, complacent, comfortable and desperate for significance that for them war gives birth not only to terrible beauty but to terrible joy.This is why even dispassionate, prudential questions about foreign policy provoke outraged invective. Such questions are not merely seen as a threat to a policy position, but as a threat to a metaphysical, religious belief system.
"There comes a time in the late afternoon, when the children tire of their games," G.K. Chesterton wrote. "It is then that they turn to torturing the cat."
It is late afternoon in America, and tired at last of our meaningless games, we're looking for a new source of excitement.
[via Matthew Yglesias]
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The people in this country have lost their fucking minds. Their "struggle" works on this level because so many of them are blinded by their hatred and fear of the terr-ists.
I was listening to Enid the other day talking about Chris Hedges'(who's book was mentioned in that slacktavist posting) getting bood trying to give a speech at Rockford College. This made me sick. STUDENTS at a LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE for Pete's sake, wouldn't let the man speak!
Here's a link to the speech:
http://www.antiwar.com/rep/hedges1.html
If you found that slacktavist post interesting, definately read this.
holy poop it's stinky pete!
I will have to add this slacktavist blog to my daily read, this is twice i've seen something very interesting out of them
you mean... for STINKY PETE's SAKE?
hi p33t!