We Shall Be Dissidents

Dissidents. The very sound of the word conjures images of dank apartment hideouts and encrypted notes passed in fervent secrecy under the most bleak of landscapes. Even worse, however, are the more dreary connotations to political prisoners jailed in the utmost of deplorable conditions, forlornly gazing out upon desolate, rain-soaked landscapes through vertical bars - at ground level from subterranean cells - clutched in gnarled, arthritic grasps.

There is also the brave young Chinese man forever emblazoned on the canvasses of our minds from the infamous Tienanmen Square standoff between man and massive machine.

From the moment that Dorothy emerged from her demolished home and stepped out into the Land of Oz, and the cinematic miracle of color was introduced to the American public, the perception of life in this nation was also transformed into one of a seemingly perpetual mood of optimism. It also marked the line at which we began to sink into the coziness of our own magnificence and the notion that the time for rest was at hand. In other words, we had "arrived" and now deserved the luxury of sloth.

Not to suggest that our work ethic declined, far from it, but our sense of invincibility and perpetuity was ingrained in us and passed down through generations. We believed we were a beacon of freedom and power that no one would dream of attacking, and we slept well knowing that had they dared, the consequences would be dire. We never saw the figurative tunnels, though, through which a much more stealthy enemy has fostered success in our demise.

Oh, to be certain, some of us have not only noticed these burrows but have pointed and shrieked at them, to no avail. I have long been loathe to breach the plane of what is considered hysteria, and I am cognizant of the eyes that gaze at my musings, but I feel that in desperate times, someone must ring the alarm bell and risk the scorn of those who would scoff at the allegedly ridiculous prognostications of a careful observer.

I have previously compared Barack Obama to the proverbial alien in humanoid form beginning to grow impatient with the disguise and prematurely reverting to true form. Oddly enough, no one batted an eye or even looked askance at me. So far so good, since another, more plausible analogy is forthcoming.

While the "alien analogy" is useful only for illustrative purposes - since we have yet to actually witness a being from another planet - the concept of the puppet master is nothing new while the practice may well be. Even absent any ideological warning flags, Barack Hussein Obama was nonetheless a gamble due to his utter lack of a verifiable past and any form of pertinent accomplishments for the job. He was elected based on nothing more than a "likability factor" and the rhetoric that sequestered him from his predecessor.

He has since demonstrated a complete lack of understanding for the protocols that have served his office since its inception, but perhaps even more stunning is the absence of knowledge of those precedents by his entire team of advisers. Surely George W. Bush could not know what not to say at a State of the Union address, but his staff certainly did, and they relayed that information to the president. How is it possible that Obama's team could be so remiss in the same duties?

Obama's first SOTU was written for him, reviewed by him, and edited by people allegedly loyal to him. His attack on the Supreme Court was no accident, therefore. I maintain it was a product of Obama's true nature betrayed prematurely by his own impetuousness, and that he's only now getting warmed up. As the resistence continues to swell, look for more draconian measures to be taken, and for more true colors to show through.

Obama has already displayed his disdain for dissent and a desire to silence it. From his coordinated attacks on Fox News to his beseeching of Republicans to stop talking "so he can clean up the mess", his calls for more bipartisanship are nothing more than a veiled way of insisting that things be done his way. Without a fracturing of the triad of Democrats' control of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives, we could all be dissidents in the next election cycle.

Sphere: Related Content