LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

The great Dumbing Down of America

– Bumper sticker of the week: Bennett is betting that Rush will recover and Bush can steal another election.

– Quote of the week: "I take out two cardboard signs. I had bought a fresh magic marker especially to letter these signs. I do all this as a ritual. I feel that all this is degrading if it is not sacred, at least it ought to be treated as maybe sacred, not a disgrace, although it is a disgrace, but still, even as a disgrace, sacred. I walk halfway back up toward the street. I fold a towel and spread it on the dirt. I sit on it cross-legged, holding the sign in my lap. The sign says: Will work for food or $." A Memoir From The Roadside, Bruce Moody

– Wal-Mart: Flash. Message released 2/16/04 by the National Labor committee and China Labor Watch: A toy factory in Ping Township in Guangdong Province that produces goods for Wal-Mart. The two groups reported that the mostly female labor force at the plant were paid only about half the legal minimum wage and forced to work longer hours than the legal maximum. Wal-Mart’s response: Gee, how can that be? We visit the place every now and then and it looks fine to us. Welcome to globalization, outsourcing, and compassionate capitalism.

– It looks like Kerry’s the one: Keep an eye on the Bush organization as they prepare to destroy Kerry. Carl Rove, Bush’s confidante and campaign coordinator, is one of the best and most despicable in the business of discrediting an opponent. This will be the most negative, disgusting campaign ever devised. Bush will spend more money than any presidential candidate ever. He wants to keep his job real bad. Before November, a lot of Republicans are not going to be able to stomach him, much less the rest of us. I’m predicting a margin of over 10 percentage points, somewhere around 54—42, which should be sufficiently wide enough to insure the Supreme Court cannot overturn it. Kerry’s secret weapon: his wife. She’s rich and well spoken. I’m hoping they have a First Lady’s debate. That would be something.

– The dumbing down of America: This country has taken away the capacity for people to think. The current administration wants you to nod your head and shout out patriotic slogans of limited intellectual capacity while they proceed to destroy all semblance of sanity in this country and around the world. We act like a bunch of kindergarten kids treated to a day at Chuckie Cheese. Give us a clown to laugh at and a slice of pizza, and we’ll follow you to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, or any other place you might want to decimate in the name of peace, freedom, democracy and Christianity. There is no other country in the world that would allow an individual who lost an election by 500,000 votes to take office. A thinking, reasonable electorate would not allow that to happen. Likewise, a leader who would take a country into war under false pretenses would be immediately removed. Citizens should not have to risk or give their lives for the folly of a clown. The great dumbing down of America is probably the worst issue that we face in this new millennium. The so called Age of Aquarius has become a rerun of the Dark Ages. The great dumbing down allows for all the other atrocities to occur: inadequate health care, the outsourcing of our jobs, the exploitation of the environment, the privatization of governmental programs, pre-emptive war……the list goes on and on, as we stand by, impotent to intervene, our brains dumb, or numb, to what it means to be a citizen in a participatory democracy. I always thought the American people would rise to the challenge of a monarchical, fascist designed governmental takeover, but my belief is being put to a test. If Bush should win the next election, it would confirm my notion of a dumbed down electorate. We would seemingly, collectively, be somewhere in the 55 IQ range, which is just above drooling and babbling.

– Bush pushes gay marriage ban: As the world falls apart, Bush grabs hold of an issue that he thinks will solidify his support from his right-winged buddies. He sees a lot of votes, soothing the souls of all you homophobics out there.

– Flash: June 26,2003. The Peever suggests that additional tax dollars will not help Galesburg land new employers or help the lame idea of another industrial park, but will be used to increase the staff at GREDA and the Chamber. Flash: The Register-Mail, February 25, 2004. Cambridge mayor joins GREDA and the extension service. The new employee is charged with "measuring the quality of life in Galesburg." I could save us a lot of money.

– I look into your eyes and what do I see.

After 33 years of marriage, you’re still my high-school fantasy.