Chris Hedges & (Green) Arrow & Dangerous Things

I was reading Chris Hedges's Death of the Liberal Class this morning whilst pretending to watch Arrow with Joe, and after just a few minutes I had to stop to mark some lines, but I highlighted and moved on, because (1) I really wanted to put down some pages, because I'm only 13% of the way through the book, and I've already renewed it once, and (2) I find this book most extraordinarily interesting, and (3) if I stopped to write about everything Chris Hedges says which I find worthy of comment, I'd end up writing my own book. Which I'd actually like to do, but the audience for a book of my thoughts on Chris Hedges's book is pretty small. One, I think. And she died about ten years ago. 

But then I hit this bit--

"The virtues of the nation, even in an act of war, are sacrosanct. The liberal class cannot question these virtues and remain within the circles of the power elite."

--and it was out of my control. My brain went hydroplaning on that freshly wetted asphalt. AKA That Would Be Scanned.

I started thinking about how Senator Russ Feingold (Wisconsin) was the only senator who voted against the Patriot Act on October 24, 2001. An Act which was clearly unconstitutional, and which, in effect, declared war on the American people.

I thought about how many people became apologists for the clearly unjust war with Iraq because Saddam Hussein was a Bad Guy.

And beyond the political, I started thinking about how excited I was when the priest who rocked my theological world in several Bellarmine classrooms appeared in the pulpit of a church I was attending. And how disappointed I was when he gave a homily which was not only non-descript, but which embodied things which I knew he did not hold to be true. (Because he'd either eviscerated or even mocked those things in class.)

And yes, I thought about myself, and I asked if I had kow-towed out of fear of consequences. 

And then I thought about the Republicans who are currently not only licking Trump's ass, not only eating his shit, but are actually singing paens about how tasty and nutritious that shit is. 

And there it is. Most of the Republican Congressmen are so worried that they will lose their seat at the table that they're willing to endure Trump's evil and imbecility. But when Trump loses that power . . . and it's pretty clear that that is Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You . . . what will happen then? 

I'm pretty anxious to find out.