Have you ever experienced that feeling just before a massive storm hits, as the skies darken, when you can feel a mounting pressure and intensity in the air, and there is this eerie silence; when you know it's going to be a bad one but you don't know exactly when it's going to erupt? The American people, though greatly stressed and frustrated remain passive, submissive and largely silent. But is this, in reality, merely the calm before the storm?Every since the housing collapse triggered the recession that began in 2008, millions of Americans have been battered and beaten down, struggling to find jobs and stay afloat during this dire crisis in their lives. They watch as this government that should be attacking these problems has become totally dysfunctional, collapsing under the weight of a broken and corrupted political system.
But with all this pain and suffering, personal setbacks and the prospect of more and more of the same, the people of America remain in a form of semi-paralysis, full of fear and apprehension, but not protesting; seemingly unable to vent their mounting anger.
Those in the field of psychology would tell us that this is not a good condition. Keeping things inside, allowing problems to fester without relief, can be extremely harmful, both physically and mentally. People under such stress and tension in their lives often come to the point where life has lost its meaning and that's when unexpected things can easily happen. What are the people of America to do, where can they go, who can they turn to in their greatest time of need? Can they continue to wait and hope that this president or this Congress will respond to their needs?
Two major factors have the potential to trigger a societal eruption in America; jobs and food, both necessities of life. We all know about the never-ending jobs problem but there is another rapidly escalating problem involving food. Right now there are about 45 million Americans living below the poverty line and about the same number dependent on food stamps. The combination of a lack of jobs and the inability to pay the increasing prices for food are forcing more and more people into poverty and on food stamps.
And there is yet another factor that could bring on a storm of protests and rioting. Suppose the GOP maintains control of the U.S. House of Representatives, wins the presidency, and then begins to dismantle entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare? Or suppose that President Obama wins a second term and joins the Republicans in making significant changes to these entitlements, as he previously indicated "were on the table?" Then I believe there will be a societal explosion in America, the likes of which we cannot imagine.
Is there anyone who thinks that this kind of civil disobedience and protests can't happen in America, that this nation is somehow immune from them, that the people under such immense stress have infinite patience and can continue to remain in a state of frustration and desperation endlessly? We need only look at what's happening in other parts of the world and we may find our answers to these questions.
The Middle East protests came out of nowhere after social unrest erupted in violent protests in Tunisia that spread into Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen and surrounding nations. These were followed by a series of violent protests in London that have taken place over the past year; protests of dissatisfaction over increases in student tuition and government austerity measures. Violent, continuing protests in our very close ally, Britain, are an ominous sign that they can also happen here in America.
While most of these massive protests have occurred in Arab nations, it is simply astounding and hard to believe that very large protests are also currently happening in Israel. In Israel of all places, where an aggressive militaristic government rules; could that actually be true? Yes it is quite true as demonstrations have broken out in numerous areas of Israel that are part of a growing opposition to a lack of social justice, as well as dissatisfaction with the nation's standard of living.
This article from Haaretz.com reports the following: "Over 450,000 protesters attended rallies across the country last night calling for social justice in what was the largest demonstration in Israeli history." Yes, this is happening in a nation that has for decades had a population that has remained passive, submissive and silent but the people are now venting their long suppressed anger.
In speaking of storms it reminds me of the recent devastation brought down upon the Eastern coast of the U.S. by Hurricane Irene. We are fortunate to have, in this country, excellent weather forecasters and hurricane tracking systems that quite accurately indicate the speed, direction and force of these massive storms. They are, in effect, warning systems for federal and state government agencies and the public of impending danger.
With this information and these explicit warnings our government, municipalities and individuals can take precautionary measures to escape the storm or, at least, to limit the damage. Hurricane Irene resulted in extensive damage but only to one region of this nation, and this damage can be repaired. The storm of which I speak will have the power to shake the foundations of this society.
Warnings are being given to this government, the president, the Congress, and the media that this storm of enormous force is heading directly for America. It is a force that is being driven by the dire circumstances in which many millions of Americans find themselves; a storm that is looming on the horizon, growing in intensity, ready to wreak havoc upon this nation.
But as this storm heads toward America, do our leaders in Washington see it coming? Have they heard the warning of potential disaster? Will they heed the warnings and take appropriate measures to protect America and its people from society calamity? Without a doubt, they see it coming but it is becoming more and more evident that they have no intentions of making the necessary changes that would alleviate the pain and anguish that so many Americans are experiencing.
And so, they have decided to do nothing, to let nature take its course and just ride out this storm, hoping it will veer away from America. How wrong they are, how shallow and shortsighted they are. They have it in their power to work together to solve these problems, to think about the plight of Americans rather than concentrate on their own selfish interests but they will not deviate from their own corrupted agendas.
This storm is out there somewhere on the horizon, ever increasing in intensity. When those millions of Americans give up all hope of action by this government and decide that they can no longer remain passive, submissive and silent, this storm will descend upon America; and when it wreaks enormous damage on this nation and this society, this government will wish it had heeded the numerous dire warnings that it was given.
Michael Payne
No comments:
Post a Comment