Channel Mike

I'd like to thank George Bush for his polarizing effect on our country. I, obviously, don't mean to thank him sincerely; but I do want to point out the good that has come of his incompetence and his abrasive ideology. In so many ways, Bush has been the boiling water that causes the frog to react in the analogy. If he'd slowly usurped power and been mildly ideological and just a little incompetent, people would get a little frustrated and probably just not vote. The warm water calming the frog. But his grab at presidential power has been so egregious, his ideology so idiotic and resistant to reality, his incompetence so breathtaking, that he's awaken the American people.

Bush's insistence on requiring secrecy in his administration, followed up by the scourge of books written by former members, and followed by the uncovering of scandal after incompetent episode after violation of law, has led this country to demand more openness from its government. The current debacle between AG Gonzales, former acting AG Comey, and former AG Ashcroft underlines and adds to the secrecy, but even more to the need for secrecy to cover up the illegality and the shameful nature of their actions.

His assault on science, both disagreeing with the facts established by science, and also plainly forging the results and conclusions drawn by scientists, has generated a welcome political activity among scientists. The National Academy of Science has tried to stay out of politics unless necessary in the past, and perhaps they're still doing the same. But it has become necessary for scientists to back up the reality they find and speak up when politicians lie and distort this reality. More citizen scientists are now speaking out and standing up for their views rather than just sitting around assuming that truth rises to the top.

Bush's overt pandering to the extremist religious right in this country is also alarming to the secularists and centrists. Long considered a staple that does not even need mention in America, the separation of church and state is now something we discuss. The acceptance and mainstreaming of Christianity that has resulted partly from Bush's acceptance and openness about is has now resulted in dozens of Atheist books disputing religion. It used to be that only once in a generation would someone like Bertrand Russell or HL Mencken write eloquently about this philosophy. But now we have Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, David Mills, and Christopher Hitchens writing great books all at the same time.

Bush's war is a combination of an ignorant ideology, arrogance, incompetence, and a lack of understanding or concern for other human beings. It has spawned criticism of the military industrial complex, criticism of the justification of war, criticism of the all-volunteer army, criticism of the intelligence services, and a pretty interesting discussion about human rights in relation to torture and also rights to trials.

It is heartening and refreshing to me to see the typically silent majority start to become more vocal. Democracy is still not vibrant in this country but it is beginning to come alive. This opposition is so healthy and so necessary and has been largely missing in our society for some time. Sometimes great things come not from great leadership, but in opposition to tyrannical rule.