[Dialogue] "One never know, do one?"

[nancygrow]

Thanks,Jim!
You surely do belong!
    Nan Grow
----- Original Message -----
From: "jim rippey" <jimripsr at qwest.net>
To: "Dialogue" <dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 2:47 PM
Subject: [Dialogue] "One never know, do one?"


What a curious, extended dialogue we've had about "paganism", dualistic
thinking, et al.... some of it quite interesting and some of it, forgive me,
a lot  like "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?"

If anyone remembers, this all started when I posted "Dubya's Christianity"
on June 28.  I posted EXCERPTS, direct quotes from "Keeping it Simple,
Stupid," by Stephen Pizzo.  The full story is at
http://www.alternet.org/story/23183/  and I found much of it interesting.  I
hoped that some colleagues might react to various parts of it:  How valid
are Pizzo's thoughts?  Does this really explain much of what we see
happening?

How about this thought?  George W. is an excellent demagogue and his
fundamentalist followers have undue influence on far too much of our public
policy.  That includes everything from some pharmacists refusing to fill
contraceptive prescriptions to Congress cutting funds for public schools,
NPR, police.  We have elaborate security at airports but virtually none re:
huge containers arriving in our seaports.  Then there is our dangerously
growing national debt while multiple voices encourage people to spend,
spend, spend as they go deeper into debt personally.  Meanwhile Americans
and Iraqis (and Londoners) are dying in increasing numbers, yet Dubya is
convinced he is doing God's work.

Much of what troubles me is that today's demagoguery is more skillful and
scientific than ever before.  There are focus groups conducted by very
clever, amoral manipulators of public opinion. They buttress and augment
Bush's demagoguery.  Meanwhile his war-hungry advisers are still determined
and they have been planning their takeover for eight or ten years.

Nevertheless, Bush is over extended.  Public opinion is shifting against him
some.  But the faithful are still cheering him on.  What we need is to find
equally skillful ways to counteract his demagoguery and encourage thougtful
dissent.  I hoped the Pizzo article might stimulate something of that sort.
Where are all the colleagues who expressed deep concerns prior to last
November's election?"  With apologies to Fats Waller, "One never know, do
one?"

However, I am quite aware of the admonition that "the despair expressed
about the Religious Right, the Pope etc. are finally not very helpful.
Local people are on the march and will not be stopped.... We must keep our
eyes on the contradictions, and these large entities are not it."

..... Well, I find I am still quite troubled by those thoughts.  Maybe I
just don't belong on Dialogue.

Jim Rippey in Bellevue, NE.
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