Tuesday, June 17, 2008

A brief note of appreciation from our government leaders to all Americans.

Truckers demanding government action against rising diesel fuel and taxes. ( I was going to post
a picture of angry American truckers but all I could find were angry French truckers, sorry.)

Last week there appeared an article in the El Paso Times about a local trucking company comprised of a small fleet of five semi trucks. I'm extremely disappointed in this company that is in its final throes of extinction. Unable to recoup the cost of goods transported because the diesel required to move goods costs more than their reimbursement for doing so, the company is devouring itself, i.e., selling off its trucks. Quitting. Giving up.

I don't recall exactly how many trucks remain in its fleet but the number that comes to mind is one, maybe two. Sadly, after just doing a search, I can't bring up the article. That's because it's archived after a week's time and, like much of America, the cost of something so frivolous as viewing archives is the sacrifice of dwindling resources better spent elsewhere - towards filling my gas tank or a couple of bananas from El Salvador rather than reading "old news."

But what impressed me about this enterprising man with his trucks and his truck drivers (a man whom I fantasize probably voted for a pro-business political ticket last election) was the quiet resignation of his fate. Not once did he or his drivers participate in any demonstration of dissatisfaction or anger at the killing of his business! For this, I'm sure the president and other people in Washington who comprise the government (like congress) are thankful.

It was only after reading James Howard Kunstler's chronicle this week that I was reminded of this. As Kunstler noted, "The passivity of US truckers so far has been a striking feature of the general zombification of American life. They might continue to just crawl off one-by-one and die."

Kunstler's "general zombification" of Americans really describes for me the disappointment of a citizenry too distracted, too anesthetized to see what's about to flatten all before we know what's hit us.

As Kunstler goes on to say, "it's also possible that, at some point, Americans will mount a Night-of-the-Living-Dead offensive and take their vengeance out on 'the system' that has brought them to ruin. America has only about a three-day supply of food in any of its supermarkets."

I keep praying for such an awakening but my fear is more than likely truckers will bite the dust of America's highway shoulders until the last remaining truckers, finally expressing anger at the system killing them all are so few, any attempt to demonstrate, protest, to block a major highway artery will result in the minor inconvenience of motorists exiting the interstate for the frontage road until the next interstate on ramp.

And for that I'm sure the president and other people in Washington who comprise the government (like congress) will be thankful for the patience and the calm we all exhibited in our own slow deaths. Zombies indeed!
******

13 comments:

Utah Savage said...

Zombies indeed! Who has tome to demonstarte for or against anyting when we are all so buy with our jobs, kid, grnadkids, facebok, video games, internet porn, more internet porn--whose got time to demonstrate or even call a representive. Only the old and solitary, like me. Sign every petition, five ten dollars, call a congressman, on every liberal cause and sucker list and I will vote. I always vote. Even in the reddest state of them all. My vote counts for nothing here. But It's my duty as a citizen to vote. Now maybe it's the duty of a citizen to take it to the streets.

eProf2 said...

We've talked about this before on so many occasion I've lost count. Protesting today is like clapping with one hand: the noise is deafening. Blogs help a little as folks can rant or advocate or whatever. Voting is ok but only satisfying every couple of years, and even then the radical change needed is dumbed down, witness the 2006 elections to end the war in Iraq. There are now more soldiers in Iraq than what were there two years ago. Accountability -- forget about it, as they say in NY.

D.K. Raed said...

Just remember how badly "Night of the Living Dead" turned out for the zombies. Oh sure they had one good night of feasting, but by the next day, they were all being shot in the head by vigilantes as well as local authorities. For some reason, the head shot between the eyes would kill a human flesh undead zombie. I watched this movie last one night as a teenager while babysitting. I don't think I slept for 3-nights afterwards. ps, Vigilantes = Blackwater!

Utah Savage said...

My friend, Nick, the history professor says, but will declare martial law in September with curfews and troops in the streets. Blackwater. That the reason we have Blackwater. Never before in our history, rule by mercenary thugs with no accountability to anyone. Then maybe a coup d'etat. It scared me so much I stopped thinking for awhile. Now that scares me.

Utah Savage said...

Come on Dada. You think you get to have a day off? No way, man. Engage. Enter the fray. Or is this just a minor dabbling for you? Call yourself a "Daily," and you need to be daily, dear.

Dada said...

Scary indeed, Utah. But I have every confidence that if something like that were to happen, pliant Americans would transit very obediently into the new (more) oppressive system. (I'm using the 2000 election as a model of how well we handled our first coup.)

Of course, I would laugh at the small band of Blackwater being able to contain the scenario your friend Nick suggests. That wouldn't have a prayer in hell in a France, a Bolivia or just about anywhere that people value liberté. But then this is America, "land of the free" isn't it and Blackwater probably has more troops than they'll need to contain our 'outrage'. And I'm sure our military would be there to back-up, validate the jack booted BW thug's authority, wouldn't they?

Just as an aside: I was really surprised, stunned actually, in a couple of recent democratic primaries where the media was resorting to quoting exit polls to predict the Hillary--Obama outcome.

Shocked because, as we know from Ohio, in 2004 those same polls that showed Kerry had won Ohio proved to be totally bogus. I thought the media did an excellent job of explaining, invalidating actually, exit polls as a reliable source for predicting anything from elections, landslides, mudslides, whatever.

But then we saw them used afterwards in a Russian or Ukrainian election (maybe both, I don't remember) and I thought it strange the media was resorting to exit polls again.

I've since concluded this formerly excellent predictor of elections is perhaps still valid, EXCEPT when the election is BETWEEN a republican and democratic candidate in a presidential election in THIS country. (I'm sure the media will not apply exit polling to that election [particularly key states like NM, Ohio, etc.] come November.

eprof: You're absolutely right. One of the most consistent recurrent undercurrent themes of Dada's is my absolute frustration with the citizenry of this nation.

Mrs. Dada goes downtown tomorrow at noon, stands in the 100 degree heat just as she's done for nearly three years now to once more 'clap with one hand' outside the federal courthouse.

I'm sure the government is pleased to demonstrate to citizens they still have the freedom to demonstrate to government, not that the feds give a f*ck what anyone of us has to say. (Reference today's latest funding bill for Cheney and Bush's Iraq adventurism passed by congress. "But, yes," they'll be able to say, "it includes increased GI college benefits, flood relief for Iowans, and more unemployment benies for those so dispossessed!" More of the same crap like that from theses spineless, gutless wonders calling themselves human beings representing us with a conscience that they themselves long ago sacrificed on the altar of opportunism in order to supposedly represent 'we the people.' It's a so much BULLSHIT!

As for me, my endless rant about the pathetic state of this nation here at Dada's about a nation that's apparently turned in their "we deserve this 'great' nation of ours" badges to long ago, is just a personal means towards maintaining some modicum of my former mental health.

As an off topic aside, I want to say Mrs. Dada and I just finished watching "La Misma Luna" ("Under the Same Moon") and agreed it was an excellent movie. (Of course, it didn't have any really good chase scenes, explosions or blood ["Damn!"], but it gave us a nice glimpse of the problems borders can create.) Free trade - yes! Free movement of people - holy shit, are you freakin' serious?

And as I was about to hit the "publish" button just now comes a 'push' from Utah. (Thanks for prodding me to action!) But I must clarify. Originally called "Dada's Daily Dally," I edited to "Dada's Dally" -- everyone needs a mental health day (or two, or three) now and then. (Trouble is, I find the need for those coming more and more frequently. But thanks for the encouragement, Utah! ~Dada formerly of Dada's "DAILY" Dally. ~grin)

D.K. Raed said...

sychronicity, Dada: you mention "La Misma Luna". In my college spanish class (taught by an Italian, Sr. Sotile), I learned that "Z" in spanish always sounds like an "S" ... that the ONLY Spanish word with an authentic "Z" sound is MISMO (or Misma, when it modifies a feminine noun like Luna). And so your references to ZOMBIES today is especially appropriate, because they are the ultimate Z-Word (hey, never let it be said I can't reach for a sychronicity).

eProf2 said...

Thanks for the recommendation. It came out on Tuesday in DVD. One reviewer said, bring lots of Kleenexs. I'm looking forward to seeing it. Have you seen How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer yet? Again, no chase scenes, no gun battles, just a slice of life living on the border with a universal theme of seeking love.

Dada said...

d.k. Thanks for the synchronicity "stretch"...your comment has me wondering (as I do on occasion) how much of what I think is really coming from me vs. some broadcast I'm receiving (Dada has a very cheap receiver, unlike a Tesla, or a Dylan) from the great collective unconscious somewhere over the rainbow?

eprof: No, we haven't seen the Garcia Girls yet. It's on our Netflix queue for when it reaches DVD. Looking forward to that one also. (We were going to movie houses with a passion 6 mos. ago, but expecting the final economic apocalypse sometime this fall, we have cut back, just like the elim. of DishTV, etc. -- like any of that is going to help if extreme hyperinflation occurs. But it is nice to be rid of CNN and MSNBC. Also, I miss 'em a lot, but not as much as I enjoy being w/o. Geez, but I can digress, huh? ~sorry.)

Dada said...

d.k. - while on the subject of synchronicities (we were?, we are?), I forgot to mention one I discovered just this morning.

Tuesday got a call from the library. The book I'd requested was in ("Human Smoke - The Beginnings of WWII, the End of Civilization") so I went and picked it up. Mrs. Dada decided to check out the library's DVDs and came away with two, one being "All Quiet on the Western Front".

So this morning I'm reading Human Smoke and the author is talking about "All Quiet o t W F" and how the Nazi brownshirted youths managed to get it banned by disrupting showings of it by releasing mice, sneeze powder and setting off stink bombs in the theater where it was showing.

In this country meanwhile, president Hoover was being implored by a right wing group to have the movie banned out of fear it would create a race of "yellow streaks, slackers and disloyalists" among this nation's youths.

(Dada notes, ironically, it wasn't, and eventually those youth went on to kick Goebbels and Hitler's asses where it was banned!)

Oh, one final thought. Dada is discovering a bit more time now exists for reading sans satellite TV. (I never was all that disciplined like many readers of this blog.)

D.K. Raed said...

"mice, sneeze powder, stink bombs" ... those Hitler Youth theatrics remind me so much of our very own Karl Rove. Why, it's almost as if he'd studied them or something!

enigma4ever said...

oh my Karl Rove - you mean he actually studied another movement- and I thought his Turd Blossum Movement was sooooo original.....I am sure Mein Kemph is under his pillow- lovingly manhandled and droooled over...

Dada- great post....I don't know how the truckers are doing it...diesel is so much ( wasn't diesel cheaper than regular gas- or did I hallucinate that???)....I would love to see the truckers do what they are doing in Europe- but it won't happen ....( French Truckers are struggling to get their messege out to...)

I picket, protest, write letters,blog, make phone calls- just like I know you and Mrs Dada do...does it help- sure it does, if millions are doing it....it does make change...it just takes too frigging long....jus saying...

But Blog it anyways...and maybe one day we will see REAL results....like our troops coming home...

Dada said...

Hi enigma! Yes, I remember the days when diesel was quite a bit cheaper than gas.

I have to apologize, for I'm feeling the ultimate betrayal by one's government of its people at the moment.

I'm pissed at those who ignore the vox populi and vote to grant another year's war funding. And to those who grant the telecoms (& Bush) immunity, I say they're as criminal as those they are exempting from the law. We are no longer a nation of laws when decisions that impact the futures of each and every one of us are being made by the lawless.

They ought to all be taken out of the capitol in chains and thrown in the slammer sans bail but, wait, it won't happen, of course, because what are crimes is being decided by a bunch of criminals.

Speaking of Turd Blosom and his Fart Boy reminds me of the adoration of Joseph Goebbels for his Adolf, who in his "love" memoirs for the man places Hitler on par with Jesus. Testament to me a small cult of leaders can persuade their public to rip the world to shreds to satiate their psychopathology's unquenchable appetite for madness.

Maybe tomorrow'll bring better news? J/K of course!