"RAGE, RAGE AGAINST
THE DYING OF THE LIGHT"

As pundits and others relentlessly scrape the scabs off Howard Dean's third place finish in Iowa, we are reminded of how often voters yearn to conform to the hierarchy -- a hierarchy drawn for them by the media.

The Paul O'Neill saga resonates with us all. It tells of an honest, intelligent man speaking out and getting shafted by the overwhelming power of the White House. We do nothing because the media calms us with its silence, supporting the hierarchy.

This has been true throughout history. It delineates what we call the establishment. It's the old quicksand of the status quo that people fall into when they think they are finding safety.

Over and over the more traditional type candidates asserted that Dean was "angry and unelectable." The Bush media jumped in with massive negative coverage, repeating these allegations as truths. This constant repetition was heard by the voters in Iowa and they turned away in fear.

It reminded us of how hierarchal threats have worked through much of history to isolate and disparage women in present day religions.

The modern day churches are still conflicted by the massive negative advertising of Christian leaders throughout religious history. All these many years, women have been unable to drive out the malicious chauvinism in the churches.

Karen Armstrong in her piece "The Eve of destruction" writes of the horrid proclamations by church leaders that still influence society against women today.

Luther, who left his monastery to marry, believed that, as a punishment for the sin of Eve, women must be driven from the world of men and confined in the home "as a nail is driven into the wall."

St. Thomas Aquinas saw women as biologically flawed, "defective and misbegotten," and thus inherently inferior to the male sex, to whom it was their duty to submit.

Tertullian told women to shroud their bodies in veils and make themselves as unattractive as possible. He blamed them for the sin of Eve: "You are the devil's gateway... because of you the Son of God had to die!"

Women are still considered crazy or "ill" because they exhibit emotions, especially anger. This and other restrains of personhood keep the essential order of the hierarchy.

Males are taught early on not to express emotions. But their anger is called passion and usually excused because they are men. However if that anger threatens the plans of the establishment, the media steps in to assert that the man is crazy or "ill" to turn people away.

Thus does society control innovative behavior that might break us all out of the cultural mold humans have been subjected to for eons. Women especially should be sensitive to this.

There is no madness in a person of either gender who is passionate in her/his desire to get Bush out of the White House. Rage, rage against the dying of the light of liberty under Bush.

Exposing the lies of our leaders as Paul O'Neill and others have done should not be considered unpatriotic or a punishable offense. Our legal system should step in to prevent intimidation by threats but instead, it serves the hierarchy not the people.

Would a presidential candidate be criticized IF HER PHYSICIAN HUSBAND DID NOT LEAVE A BUSY MEDICAL PRACTICE TO FOLLOW HER AROUND ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL?

Like sheep, the Iowa voters followed the lead of the Judas goat Bush-media, and it appears some in New Hampshire will do likewise. It takes guts to support a candidate that would drive the special interests from the White House.

So much safer to turn away from the innovator and choose a candidate of the establishment -- a Skull and Bones brother of Bush -- and what body is more committed to the status quo than the U.S Senate?

We would better help ourselves and our country by making our primary goal a choice for voters. Blindly following the Judas goat to anoint bushlite just guarantees another four years of bushdistruction.

twanda@sover.net

2004-004

Copyright 2004 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: twanda@sover.net.