Sadly, six years later still feels a lot like one year later:

bq. I can't help but think that a raw wound has a lot more use to those in power than a healed one, and while I don't believe that there's some vast conspiracy with malicious intent to keep the American people in a constant state of worry and fear, I do believe that's something the media does. I don't believe that Bush, Cheney and Co. are really evil people, but I do believe in the seductive power of subconscious desire, the human ability to rationalize. I certainly don't trust these people to do the right thing. They don't represent my interests or share my view of the world. They're not doing what I would do, and I don't believe in the end that they know better than me.

In some important ways things have changed. I certainly no longer feel like an island of rational dissent adrift in a sea of vengeful insanity -- that's one nice thing -- but the sense of utter frustration and resentment towards our political leadership and opinion-shaping elite persists.

On days when I think big and let myself remember, my gut feeling is still for ¡revolucion!. These morons and cowards -- and that includes most of the figureheads I will end up supporting politically, most likely -- have been fucking things up left and right for six years running, with no end in sight. They don't deal in honest public dialog and their perception of the challenges we face not only as a nation but as a motherfucking species is, frankly, retarded.

Logistically it would be nearly impossible, but I think sometimes we'd be better off cleaning the slate and starting something new. I don't believe a popular movement will form to do this anytime soon, but a slow downward spiral into the Red Dawn might, our Empire collapsing like a flan left too long in the cupboard.

America the beautiful, America the beautiful... wake up you stupid bitch. Our way of life is sad and greedy, and can't be shared by our brothers and sisters around the world. We need to change, and change requires leadership. Precious little of that out there these days, and most of it pulling us in the wrong direction.

Perhaps this kind of action (clicky clicky, it's good) can have an impact, but I'm not feeling too optimistic. Glenn's the man, and Matt, Jane and Chris certainly know how to keep it real, but the reality is that they're outsiders, and in spite of their collective audience, their ability to pierce the fog that surrounds the establishment has been proven to be limited.

Sigh.

I'm losing my faith, I guess. I don't doubt the importance of national politics, but I'm seeing it more and more reactively. E.g. we've got to keep the truly insane people at bay in case there's another watershed inflection point, but it really honestly doesn't feel like very much progress is possible. The creeping monstrosity that is the Corporate American Consensus seems to have little opposition on the national scale, so we're back to the lesser of two evils argument. Although I would frame it as "dangerously unhinged vs. disgustingly complacent," it's kind of depressing.

The tao of the New Freedom Movement (nee the New Cultural Movement) is not to be oppressed by this. Conventional politics is one of many tools in our arsenal, and wherever we meet serious resistance, the maxim is to move laterally, make like an Apostle and route around the problem. I honestly don't think beating my head against the 2008 presidential election will do much good, so the question is what will. What can we do to make ourselves and our fellows more free?