so what's it going to take

[radfringe]

to really rile up the general population?

a recent poll has shown a decline in the belief that Iraq will be a democracy, yet bush*'s approval numbers are up in the same poll

in the past 4 years - bush* inc. has lied, manipulated and spun stories,refused to accept responsibilities and blamed anyone and everyone they can for their screwups -- yet he is in office for yet another 4 years, and we can expect the next 4 years will be no different than the last 4 years (just louder and worse)

so what's it going to take to bring him down? Forget Congress, they have rubber stamps up their butts and are more than happy to stamp their approval on whatever bush* wants

Democratic party? Doubt it -- they are too busy tripping over each other in the rush to be repug-lite

Invasion of Iran while Iraq and Afghanistan is a mess? maybe...but the spin will be that Iraq's WMDs are now in Iran and we'll have mushroom clouds blooming all over this great nation. Cue the music and flag waving

Draft? Not under bush* -- he'll just keep the back-door open and re-activate/extend tours of duty -- does the same thing as inducting newbies for cannon fodder -- at least until after 2006 midterms then it's cue the music and wave the flag

Recession? nahhhh--it's still the Clinton recession remember?

another 9-11 terra-ttack? Possibly, if the bush*ies can't come up with a plausible excuse like blaming it on Luxemberg -- but then they have the lapdog media to help them with the spin

so what do you think? draft, recession, bombs, attacks or a combination of 2 or more?

[kentuck]

1. Infiltrate the press?

Nothing happens unless we change the way the press presently reports.

[catgirl]

2. I agree. Our MS press is a joke

[GeorgeGist]

3. I think they need to be made unhappy...

hypocrits. Then they might look for an alternative life-style.

[PATRICK]

4. National Forums

Where do people congregate? Churches? Markets? Town Halls?

Those have declined dramatically as has the local pub or sports field. The multiplication of electronic media gives people more of a cue than newsprint. And unfortunately, that is the most inane, disparate, poisoned and apathetic pablum for the purpose of consumer confidence there is.

In the Watergate days the fewer TV networks and the modest deities that anchored them provided a fair if naive electronic forum. The GOP suffered mightily from that as it did with radio in the FDR days.

No need to go down the list of why no national forum exists at all even for the most shocking events(where the ceremony of shock and schlock consumes everything). Individually, reasonable people(not too far gone with natural base instincts worked on by hate radio) understand and support the truth. They repeat the memes half-heartedly as anything else.
But their is absolutely no or strictly limited thought or leadership on the landscape. It's like proposing a new deity for Hinduism. You just get absorbed into the big picture tube.

Escaping the trap means a radical focus on a leader who goes deeply at the national forum(MLK), which is dangerous for that person of course. It means that person starting a movement that transcends and challenges the system. Nowadays we have no such leader, but we do have many of those pre-existing movements and newer ones. They need to coalesce, not necessarily find a messiah to feed off, and attack the national forum idea at all practical levels. Centering on an issue(s)
is still important. The anti-war movement was huge. The vote reform movement is huge. The voice is not, neither in individuals nor in their assault on the forum diaspora. We have seen what going thorough old motions of organizing and protests(or DNC GOTV and campaigning) has garnered. Not enough even among the sympathetic and committed. Looking to an event that won't simply obliterate the mnasses we are trying to awake or a messiah is not the core problem for us. It is effectiveness and escalation without violence.

[shesemsmom]

5. I don't know

the complacency boggles my mind. In the less civilized worlds people come out into the streets and make BIG NOISE. Here we listen to it on the news and it like* well look what our government is doing*
BIG DEAL!!! I don't know what will move people . I just don't.

[zulchzulu]

6. The 2006 Medicare Reform bill will piss off a LOT of seniors

Many know about it now, but the shit is going to hit the fan when many find out that they won't be able to get drugs from Canada, not have the government negotiate lower Medicare drug prices while many will lose their coverage from pensions and see that the AARP sound them down the river.

If Dems on the Hill can play their cards right (the ones who voted against the Act), a lot of Repug heads could roll in 2006. Many Repugs have also felt like they were cowtowed into signing the bill to help Bush have something passed to make him look presidential. We need to scare them in their tracks.

[KuTava]

7. Once the Bushies start up their concentration camps for liberals

opinions will begin to change.