The Zen Kitchen

1984 arrived in 2001

I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace.
George W. Bush

I heard this quote from our President on the radio the other day. I'd heard that somewhere before, I thought. I didn't think too hard, it popped directly into my head mere seconds after hearing this speech from Bush.

"War is Peace."

George Orwell in his book Nineteen Eighty-Four spoke over and over again of the three slogans Big Brother's party used to control the populace.

War is Peace.
Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.

Nineteen Eighty-Four was a look at totalitarian regimes at the time from Hitler's Germany to Stalin's Russia, and he noted these tactics to keep the people of these countries in line. Constant war kept the people at home fearful and patriotic, warning people about the dangers of personal freedom stopped rebellion, and keeping the people away from art and other forms of free thought kept the nation strong and the people oblivious to the fact they were being repressed.

Sounds something like a certain regime I know.

A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it.
George W. Bush

America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.
George W. Bush

Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.
George W. Bush

Free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.
George W. Bush
(Note: the US attacked Iraq and continues to develop weapons of mass destruction.)

Hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure.
George W. Bush

If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism and polls and principles, come and join this campaign.
George W. Bush
(Not much to do with my topic, but just had to throw that one in there.)

On September 11 2001, America felt its vulnerability even to threats that gather on the other side of the Earth. We resolved then, and we are resolved today, to confront every threat from any source that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America.
George W. Bush

Only a liberal senator from Massachusetts would say that a 49 percent increase in funding for education was not enough.
George W. Bush

The story of America is the story of expanding liberty: an ever-widening circle, constantly growing to reach further and include more. Our nation's founding commitment is still our deepest commitment: In our world, and here at home, we will extend the frontiers of freedom.
George W. Bush
(I've noticed his methods for doing so don't involve diplomace, nor the approval of the people we bring "freedom.")

We don't believe in planners and deciders making the decisions on behalf of Americans.
George W. Bush

We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace.
George W. Bush

Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness.
George W. Bush

You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.
George W. Bush


A recent survey was taken in which people were asked to name leaders in our country in Bush's administration, in the House and Senate, and in the Supreme Court. It was found that 69% of Americans could name our Vice President, 45% the Speaker of the House, 35% the Secretary of State, and very few knew who Carl Rove, Scooter Libby, and many other prominent political figures of the moment.

The interesting part of this survey to me, though, was that these results were tied to what these people considered their major news sources. Those who scored best on the survey watched "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" regularly. These are both shows with a very liberal slant that are not so much news shows as comedy shows which satirize current events with a focus on politics. Those who scored the worst depended primarily on Fox news, a station with a very conservative slant, and which tends to "forget" to cover the major scandals which go on in Bush's White House.

Ignorance is Strength, indeed.

posted by Shaun @ 2:41 AM