David Brooks writes in the NY Times today (July 5, 2011) that "the Republican Party may no longer be a normal party. Over the past few years, it has been infected by a faction that is more of a psychological protest than a practical, governing alternative. The members of this movement do not accept the logic of compromise, no matter how sweet the terms. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch in order to cut government by a foot, they will say no. If you ask them to raise taxes by an inch to cut government by a yard, they will still say no".
He goes on to add that "If the debt ceiling talks fail, independents voters will see that Democrats were willing to compromise but Republicans were not. If responsible Republicans don’t take control, independents will conclude that Republican fanaticism caused this default. They will conclude that Republicans are not fit to govern. And they will be right."
Reminds me of Mahabharatha, the great Indian Epic. When The Pandavas return from their 12 year exile, the Kauravas refuse to hand over their legitimate half of the kingdom. Anxious to avoid hostilities, Yudhistra, the eldest of the Pandavas asks for just 5 villages, one for each of the Pandava brothers. To which, Duryodana, The Kaurava prince replies "I will not give even a piece of land that you can stick a pin on". Not surprisingly, war ensued and all the Kauravas perished but not without a huge carnage in which thousands died.
That, my friends, is what modern day Republicans are all about. However much President Obama and Democrats are willing to find a common ground, they will not budge an inch. Their idea of bipartsanship is taking everything and giving nothing. Their idea of politics is to stick blindly to their ideology but blame the other side of being rigid. They do not believe in proven facts but in creating 'truthism' that backs their rhetoric. They wilfully ignore the fact that it was the greedy financial institutions that caused the economic collapse and have come openly against the financial reform, particularly the consumer protection bureau (which would have gone a long way in avoiding or minimizing the mortgage crisis). They ignore the 4 trillion deficit that Bush added to the federal budget and the 27 times that the debt ceiling was raised during that same time. They ignore the tax cuts and the two wars that were never paid for, but insist that spending on education be balanced by a matching cut elsewhere. They profess that they speak on behalf of the people of this country while at the same time destroying the fabric of this nation by refusing to fund its infrastructure, education and scientific research. They repeat ad nauseum that we cannot tax those who (supposedly) create jobs while all the evidence points to the contrary. Businesses are reaping all the profits from the increase in productivity and the tax benefits and pay themselves massive bonuses while not doing anything to create the jobs. They have discarded all attempts at even mildly disguising their true motives. This is a party that has been hijacked by zealots and I sincerely hope the American people will wake up and see them for what they have truly become.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Waiting for the Mahatma
Waiting for the Mahatma (and finding him in you and everyone around you)
For the past few years, I have been watching the cycle of violence in Middle East Asia, particularly between the Palestinians and the Israelis with increasing despair. Mahatma Gandhi’s saying “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind” seemed not only being ignored but also being proved true. I used to wonder if there would arise a leader among them who will lead these people to freedom through non-violent civil disobedience. For, that is the most effective way a huge suppressed majority can overcome a militarily strong minority, as Gandhi proved in vanquishing the British.
Over the last three weeks, it seems that Eqyptians found their Mahatma. They found him in each of one of them. They found him in a carpenter named Mahmood who needed medical treatment 7 times in 24 hours for injuries suffered at the hands of government-backed mobs, and who kept tottering off to the front lines every time as soon as he was treated and bandaged.
They found him in Maged, a 64-year-old doctor who relies upon a cane to walk, who hadn’t been previously involved in the protests, but when he heard about the government’s assault on peaceful pro-democracy protesters, something snapped. So he prepared his will and then drove 125 miles to Tahrir Square to volunteer to treat the injured.
They found him in Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, an 80 year old frail but fiery Arab feminist who for decades has fought female genital mutilation and who slept among the protestors in Tahrir Square.
They found him in the young men and women who cleaned up Tahrir Square of all the clutter and garbage every day and who promised to clean up their country once Mubarak is gone.
They were determined to be peaceful in their protests. And they did not betray their cause in the face of grave provocation by government backed thugs. They gave millions of people across their region and across the world a renewed sense of hope; that you do not have to resort to violence to prove your cause. It is my fervent hope that we see more and more such Mahatmas wherever there is oppression.
For the past few years, I have been watching the cycle of violence in Middle East Asia, particularly between the Palestinians and the Israelis with increasing despair. Mahatma Gandhi’s saying “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind” seemed not only being ignored but also being proved true. I used to wonder if there would arise a leader among them who will lead these people to freedom through non-violent civil disobedience. For, that is the most effective way a huge suppressed majority can overcome a militarily strong minority, as Gandhi proved in vanquishing the British.
Over the last three weeks, it seems that Eqyptians found their Mahatma. They found him in each of one of them. They found him in a carpenter named Mahmood who needed medical treatment 7 times in 24 hours for injuries suffered at the hands of government-backed mobs, and who kept tottering off to the front lines every time as soon as he was treated and bandaged.
They found him in Maged, a 64-year-old doctor who relies upon a cane to walk, who hadn’t been previously involved in the protests, but when he heard about the government’s assault on peaceful pro-democracy protesters, something snapped. So he prepared his will and then drove 125 miles to Tahrir Square to volunteer to treat the injured.
They found him in Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, an 80 year old frail but fiery Arab feminist who for decades has fought female genital mutilation and who slept among the protestors in Tahrir Square.
They found him in the young men and women who cleaned up Tahrir Square of all the clutter and garbage every day and who promised to clean up their country once Mubarak is gone.
They were determined to be peaceful in their protests. And they did not betray their cause in the face of grave provocation by government backed thugs. They gave millions of people across their region and across the world a renewed sense of hope; that you do not have to resort to violence to prove your cause. It is my fervent hope that we see more and more such Mahatmas wherever there is oppression.
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