This morning I have read how we, as progressives need to have "patience and endurance" in order to achieve our goals. I have read how "compromise is touch and go" and how we have to "fight through the pain". I have to say, with all due respect, bullshit.
Back during the Clinton Presidency, when HCR got shot down we were told to be patient. When The Moron stole the election of 2000, we were told to be patient and wait for 2004. When he stole it again in 2004 we were told to be patient. When we found out about the outright lies The Moron and his cronies used to justify invading Iraq, we were told to be patient, because The Moron and his neocon Masters would be held accountable once we controlled the Congress. Haliburton and war profiteers of every stripe had free access to the trough refilled every year by the American taxpayer. Billions simply vanished into the greedy pockets of Wall Street. The 2006 elections came and went and still nothing was done. Scooter Libby was a blip and nothing more, and even then The Moron commuted his sentence. We were told that 2008 was coming, be patient a new day will dawn if we can control the Congress and the White House. In the mean time the blood sucking corporatists continued to drain the life from the American people.
2008 arrived with the collapse of the economy and the elections. The day of deliverance had arrived. We had it all, the House, The Senate and the White House. Clear, unambiguous majorities. From there we all know what happened. HCR gets gutted, billions in taxpayer monies wind up in the pockets of Wall Street barons in the guise of a bail-out, while middle-class Americans watch their houses and retirement accounts vanish before their eyes. Iraq continues, Yemen begins, 3 children die everyday from the fighting in Afghanistan, and Wall Street is getting ready to announce multi-million dollar bonuses for the rapers of the American dream.
How much more patient do we have to be? Teabaggers get plenty of air time as they jump up and down and froth at the mouth about saving "their" America. I am not in the least bit interested in saving "their" myopic, narrow, bigoted, neocon, imperialistic, money grubbing sepia toned version of this country. I, and a whole lot of other people, voted for a progressive America, an enlightened America. When I read that the White House thinks that all the progressive angst will die down once this tepid version of HCR is signed, I say patience be damned. Who do they think we are? Unruly 5-year olds? Should we be sent to our rooms?
The time for patience is OVER. The time for direct action is NOW. I have seen many articles decrying the lack of a truly vocal and demonstrative movement from the left. Well I am here to tell you that if we don’t get one moving and soon, anything we think we voted for will be gone in less than a year. The wars will continue, the modern Robber Barons will continue, and if we don’t take to the streets and the halls of power, we, the progressive left will scream all we want here on the inter-tubes, to less and less effect.
Fuck it, PATIENCE BE DAMED.