watching sarah palin's speech at the rnc tonight sharply highlighted the rotten underbelly of the amuhrica i love so dearly... the other side of the "flag wavin', gun totin', mini-mall constructin', suburban sprawlin', fast food inventin', retail perfectin', what-would-jesus-doin' gung-ho, yeehaw earnestness", as i once put it.

here's a transcript of the halfway mark, when palin attacks obama's platform:

America needs more energy ... our opponent is against producing it.

Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit.

Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay ... he wants to meet them without preconditions.

Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights?

Government is too big ... he wants to grow it.

Congress spends too much ... he promises more.

Taxes are too high ... he wants to raise them.

the boldfaced line in particular nauseated me. met by a standing ovation, it reminded me that the flipside of that unrepentant yeehaw earnestness i so admire is simply pervasive blinding jingoism.

the fact that most republicans in particular, and many americans in general view the rule of law as some kind of commie pinko policy that's threatening the very fabric of american freedom doesn't just boggle my mind, it turns my stomach. not two minutes later, palin was referencing the "fear and pain and squalor of a six-by-four cell in Hanoi" in which john mccain was held and tortured over five and a half years. you'd think that one would contradict the other, no? after all, it was the violation of the rule of law that allowed for mccain's unlawful imprisonment and treatment in vietnam, right? she goes on to recount:

As the story is told, "When McCain shuffled back from torturous interrogations, he would turn toward Moe's door and flash a grin and thumbs up" - as if to say, "We're going to pull through this."

the moral of all this? it's not so much that mccain's torturers were wrong... or that torture, or imprisonment without due process is wrong. it's that mccain was right in taking it like a man. if he could pull through it, then why should some random brown people that want to "inflict catastrophic harm on America" expect anything different? they should cowboy up, 'cause what's good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

and that, ultimately, is what makes the united states such a weak society. the fact that while most americans can't stop congratulating each other on living in the supposedly most powerful and prosperous nation on earth, while simultaneously aspiring to not only be no better than, but to stoop to the lowest levels of animal interaction will be its ultimate downfall. comparisons of the united states to the roman empire aren't novel by any means, but it's important to not forget that while the roman empire contributed countless great achievements in human ingenuity, it too collapsed upon itself in decadence and ruthlessness. societies in which retribution is tantamount, and notions of truth and justice and elevating the human condition are secondary, are doomed to fail.

no shit they think obama is elitist. the fact that he seems to want to remind americans that living in collective society doesn't necessarily mean having to scrabble over scraps in the dirt like dogs is clearly antithetical to the rootin'-tootin'-gun-totin'-ted-nugin'-dog-eat-doggin' philosophy that is so en vogue in the republican camp. frankly, i believe that much of obama's platform consists on blowing hot, hopeful air up america's collective ass; that said, i much prefer his brand of aspirational politicking over the lowest-common-denominator democracy that the republicans bring to the table. 

after all, the republicans have been steadily attacking the one thing that makes america great... the one thing that might make all the flag waving worthwhile: the american dream. nowhere else is the idea that every man, no matter what his birth or circumstance, can aspire and achieve greatness more consistently preached... and nowhere has it been more denigrated. obama IS the american dream, and in the republican eye, that makes him elitist. so they offer sarah palin.

palin is solidly american. she has succeeded, but within reason. she shoots guns, loves jesus, and makes babies. she lives in the hinterlands, rough and tumble country, where she rides snowmobiles. she's mrs. jane q. public, wondering like you and me, "what is it exactly that the V.P. does every day?". sarah palin is not aspirational. she is the embodiment of middle america, and she is the new american dream, as envisioned by right-wing america.

the new american dream isn't one of betterment. it isn't one of culture, of exposure to new ideas, of aspiring to go beyond what is readily available. the new american dream is embracing homogeneity, and knowing your place, and seeking to be no better and no different from your neighbor. the new american dream isn't fighting back, or resisting, or working to eliminate injustice, violence, grief, pain. the republicans want you to believe that the new american dream is like john mccain, flashing a thumbs up as he's led from the torture chamber to the cell. the new american dream is just being okay, just pulling through, soldiering on and taking it on the chin no matter what your circumstance.

so, dear americans, i know a lot of you have become disillusioned with the real american dream, mostly because it has become almost impossible to achieve. so impossible, in fact, that you've been led to believe it's a lie. but this new american dream they're trying to sell you comes too easily... don't believe it. it is the nightmare of mediocrity shrouded in clouds. if you want the real deal, you have to fight for it, and not in countries halfway around the world. every day you gotta fight to be a little bit better, a little bit smarter, a little bit sharper. that's my american dream... and i'm living it - some bland, but functional, canadian version of it.