Welcome to the end of American Supremacy. We Deserve It.

[Blu3Beard]

http://www.madatoms.com/site/blog/we-deserve-it

This article says that ALL Americans are responsible for what has happened over the last 8 years. I totally agree. We comfort ourselves with big screen TV's and cars when we should be rioting in the streets. We are truly a controlled society.

Think this sort of shit would fly in Latin America? We should have rioted in the streets after Bush won in 04. But we (me included) didn't do anything because that would mean I'd have to be uncomfortable. Is there anything worth fighting for anymore?

[YOY]

1. Who the fuck is "we"???

I don't remember supporting and Neocon BS. I remember getting called nasty names by the same idiots screaming at the McCain/Palin rallies.

Rioting in the streets in 2004? Sure. Right. They win this time and there will be some rioting in the streets.

[DJ13]

2. I'll read the link later

Im too busy watching my Tivo on a 50" LCD to be bothered right now.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. I have a theory:

This theory is that Big Pharma and the medical industry's rampant marketing and distribution of drugs to treat psychiatric conditions, often in "off-label" uses or in the face of slight or marginal symptoms, was done to make a large part of the population more tractable and mitigate their concerns about wherer their social and economic situations were heading.

I am not discussing people with real and substantive psychiatric conditions here.

But it is just a theory.

[knowbody0]

7. I'm with you, absolutely.

they've fine tuned their doctrine to include pre-school bi-polarism. this little society IS nuts, but there is a little pill to get you back in line or waiting on hold when the frustration becomes explosive.

[amyrose2712]

12. You are not alone on that theory.

Not to diminish anyone with mental illness.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

15. I would never do that. Ever.

That said, I have known people on medications who had no business taking them. Part of the problem is that many were getting them from their GP's, without a psych eval and a psychiatric team to review it.

I am talking about things like people with anxiety or mild depression being prescribed atypicals. Bad juju, that.

[Blu3Beard]

16. I thought it was proven

Isn't it proven that "medications" for depression don't do any more than a placebo does and the pharma companies keep the results hush hush?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

17. I have experience with Psych social work.

And speaking from that experience, I would say that I have seen a great number of people who have benefited greatly from SSRI's, when indicated, properly prescribed and used as a part of a comprehensive program. Not just give someone a script and off they go.

I don't know much about the nuts and bolts of that study. I would say that from my field experience and the lack of supporting evidence and studies, I will hold off on judgement.

[RainDog]

18. no, it has not been proven

tho many claim it has. as TS said, there are correct uses for psych meds. my ex is bipolar and he would most likely be dead now if he had not had medication. even with medication, the issue of compliance can be a problem - it's hard to come to terms with the idea that you have an illness, like diabetes, that requires long-term medication.

it is just as dangerous to pretend that there are no uses for medications for those who are mentally ill as to over prescribe them. the over prescription, no doubt, has much to do with profit and little to do with health.

I think one of the biggest problems is that docs throw pills at people b/c insurance will not fund longer-term forms of treatment. Over the course of a dozen years, I knew quite a few therapists who simply quit their profession or quit taking patients who used insurance. instead, those therapists used a sliding fee scale. For one of them, I remember well when he said he made this decision when he was treating a girl struggling with anorexia and the insurance co said she was allowed one week of treatment.

this is absurd and he said that, ethically, he could not continue to practice his profession in that way - he could not in good conscience pretend that there were no consequences when people made medical decisions based upon the balance sheets of insurance companies. Or, to put it another way, insurance cos are happy to let adolescent girls starve to death as long as the companies make money.

as far as all of us being responsible for this - I call bullshit. I have done many things that were within my power to do and I do not share one bit of responsibility with those who drove their suvs to and from their macmansions and pretended nothing was wrong, or who didn't care enough to fight against our nation becoming a war criminal torturing state.

The all-or-nothing mentality, imo, is not persuasive. If you want to try to blame, you can use such a strategy but you will not persuade.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

4. Our police have been militarized. Rioting is becoming less and less

an option.

Just look what happened to Amy Goodwin during the Republican Convention.
The Secret Service will no longer allow the press to interview Palin supporters
at her hate events and free speech zones are blocks away from the prtested
event.

The entire situation makes me ill.

[knowbody0]

9. and they're ready to roll out that micro wave pain machine

so yeah, they've got us under control in the streets, but we just need to go to different avenues. it would take relatively little time to unite on line, discuss strategy and act. that is "their" next project, included in the patriot act.

[demnan]

5. Not my fault

I've been a peace activist/impeachment activist for 3 years now. I put my money, my feet and my mouth out there all the time. But I know I'm in the minority.

And I don't own a large-screen TV or a McMansion. I do admit to owning a nice car.

[Hekate]

6. No. We are not ALL responsible. Welcome to DU, but this may not be the place for you.

Plenty of anger to go around, though.

However, at the moment there's plenty of hope for change going around as well, and plenty of us are working on it. Try that.

Hekate

[T Wolf]

8. Welcome Blu. This is not the place to criticize what used to be the Democratic Party. Most of the

people here are so starved for power that they did meekly go along with the thefts in both 2000 and 2004.

You are totally correct about the comfort of us and ours making us almost incapable of rising up in protest, even at the most blatant abuses. Comfortable people do not rock the luxury liner they are cruising on.

A small percentage agree with you. Amerika has ruled for a century or so. It's time for a new power to take the planet into the 21st century.

And after the total fuckup WE have made of this first decade, the rest of the world has a lot to make up for.

[Blu3Beard]

13. We all have a lot of "spring cleaning"

The whole world has a lot of cleaning up to do after the shit we caused.

[katty]

10. we can always do more-but I think "the end" has been coming

since the Reagan era and has accelerated since then. there are so many complicated factors that got the U.S. to this point. agree, we are now quite a controlled country and we always have had controlled Democracy-nothing new there.

[Two Americas]

11. strongly disagree

It is politically reactionary to blame the people, as well as contrary to the traditional principles and ideals of the Democratic party.

The wealthy and powerful few are to blame, along with 10% or so of the population who are better-off and who shill for the wealthy and powerful few and take a contemptuous and condescending attitude toward the rest of the people, and who control the narrative and the direction of both political parties.

"But the resolute enemy within our gates is ever ready to beat down our words unless in greater courage we will fight for them." - FDR

[Blu3Beard]

14. I think this quote is more accurate

"The American Republic will endure, until politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money" - Alexis de Tocqueville