The incomparable Charles Krauthammer has an excellent piece on an growing concern to public health: Bush Derangement Syndrome, a disease that robs one of all mental faculties in regards to anything remotely related to President Bush. As Krauthammer explains:
It has been 25 years since I discovered a psychiatric syndrome (”Secondary Mania,” Archives of General Psychiatry, November 1978), and in the interim I haven’t been looking for new ones. But it’s time to don the white coat again. A plague is abroad in the land.
”Bush Derangement Syndrome”: the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency — nay — the very existence of George W. Bush.
(Just a quick note on this – when Krauthammer says he discovered a psychiatric syndrome he isn’t kidding. He actually has an MD from Harvard and was the chief psychiatric resident an Massachusetts General Hospital…)
Indeed, the signs of BDS are easy to spot. Just mention his name and if the subject begins ranting about right-wing conspiracies and secret Fox News satellites beaming hate beams, chances are you’ve found a victim of BDS. Indeed prominent public figures suffer from BDS. As Krauthammer explains:
Now, I cannot testify to Howard Dean’s sanity before this campaign, but five terms as governor by a man with no visible tics and no history of involuntary confinement is pretty good evidence of a normal mental status. When he avers, however, that ”the most interesting” theory as to why the president is ”suppressing” the 9/11 report is that Bush knew about 9/11 in advance, it’s time to check on thorazine supplies.
When Rep. Cynthia McKinney first broached this idea before the 2002 primary election, it was considered so nutty, it helped make her former Rep. McKinney. Today, the Democratic presidential front-runner professes agnosticism as to whether the president was tipped off about 9/11 by the Saudis, and it goes unnoticed. The virus is spreading.
It’s clear that something must be done. The only way to help end the scourge of BDS sweeping this nation is through significant shock therapy. I’m thinking that another four years should do the trick nicely.
Yes, Jay, hopefully the American people would find another four years of the drastic erosion of their civil liberties shocking indeed.
“The drastic erosion of their civil liberties?” Like suspending habeas corpus? Oh wait, that was Lincoln in the civil war. Like banning socialist speech? No, wait, that was Wilson in 1917? Like declaring people enemy combatants and subjecting them to military trial? No, wait, that was FDR during World War II? What about putting people into camps because of their race? Damn, that was FDR too.
How about eight years of no-knock warrants on baseless drug charges that caused the livlihood and reputations of hundreds of people – oh wait, that’s the Clinton Administration.
So far the Bush Administration has expanded RICO powers to terrorism, which infringes upon no one’s civil liberties that RICO didn’t already infringe upon decades ago. (Hell, even Ralph Nader was a big RICO supporter!)
The only two cases of US citizens being detained without representation are Jose Padilla, whose case will be decided by the Supreme Court, and Yasir Hamdi, who effectively renounced his citizenship when he fought for the Taliban in Afghanistan. I’d even be willing to say that in the case of Padilla the government overstepped its bounds, but the fact that is case is being reviewed by a higher court shows the justice system does work.
I have to note how so many people say “Bush is taking away our freedoms!” but either can’t say what freedoms are being taken away or bring up cases that were already established in law long before. I have a feeling that the only explanation for this is a minor case of BDS, and had the Clinton Administration taken the exact same actions there would be no such fuss being made.
Well, to clarify one (admittedly O/T) detail, Cynthia McKinney wasn’t just beaten by accusing Bush of foreknowledge of Sept. 11. McKinney lost because she was corrupt, conniving, ineffective at delivering votes important to her district, vituperative and an embarrasment to the Democratic Party. All that was the case in the 2000 election, but the key difference was that 2002 saw a strong candidate make a Primary challenge to McKinney. Frankly, I’m surprised more Republicans didn’t send the girl money–she was as effective at recruiting for them as anyone else in Georgia.
Hey, this is what happens after 8 years of being told that Bill Clinton was a murderer, and that he and Hillary were secretly intent on undermining the military and intelligence agencies to allow for the downfall of American civilization.
I blame the guys who said Clinton had Vince Foster killed. Once that path is trod, it’s tough to go back.