[Politics]

I Can't Go On; I'll Go On

I was recently talking with a friend, who's also a reader of this blog (and an increasingly infrequent commenter), and she mentioned she felt Hog was no Notes (the previous incarnation). Well, true enough, but don't blame me. As we stand at the grand vista of the new year, 2006 lolling out languidly in front of us, things are mighty different from the start of 2003, when Notes began.

Times were grimmer then, but more hopeful. Grimmer because we had an autocratic President about to take us to illegal war and neither the "opposition" party nor the press were up to doing their job. Writing a blog, and identifying the crimes of the president, were cathartic acts of healthy rebellion. We nursed hope that if the truth got out, change would follow.

By all rights, we should be happier today. That same president is being hammered for his autocracy. Half the GOP is under indictment, and the Dems and press both seem to have become aware of their role (not that they've made good on the recognition). So why are we grimmer, and why does blogging seem almost superfluous? Because it doesn't really matter that the GOP are corrupt.

Our hangdog citizenry A) can't distinguish between their ass and a hole in the ground, and B) don't seem to care. So Bush will continue to commit crimes against the constitution, the GOP will commit crimes against the law, and ... and, well, about 40% of the people will think that's all right. Bill O'Reilly will still be a pinhead, and both he and Rush Limbaugh will be considered reasonable men by millions of Americans.

Bloggers now must vie with the MSM in documenting the crimes of our government. We're only barely more outraged than the editorial pages of lately-awakened editorial boards (those that supported the war and tax cuts, for example). But of course, no one reads them or us. They listen to pinheads. And even if they didn't listen to pinheads, it's not like they'd be listening to scholars and statesmen--they'd be listening to Clay Aiken on their iPods.

So in the mornings I read the news and am unavoidably incensed by the national larceny reported like a crime blotter each day. I then think what to add to it. What to add? The blog is clearly redundant at this point: I write to those who already know, but are held captive by those who don't. We come to this blog (or others) to celebrate futility.

In 1919, Emma Goldman said "Sooner or later the American people are going to wake up." They had the capacity then. They appear to have lost it now. They have taken some potion and sleep the dreamless sleep of zombies.

So yeah, I recognize this blog has no pop. I should put it out of our misery. But then, what would I do? Beckett, in his beat-down, Irish way, was closer: We can't go on; we'll go on.