Is This A New Dark Age? / Little proof to the contrary that we are indeed in a very long, bleak tunnel. Is there any light?

Another Morford rant, though rather morbid indeed for Mark's sake... However, he brings up good points. Even in the Bay Area, there is no escape from BushCo's onslaught. (For those of you in other areas of the country and world, there is a local story in the city of Berkeley that Morford starts out with...)

My wife has this Journey fetish she can't seem to shake and listens to "The City" song everyone freakin' day. But, I got me to thinking. The songs of Journey were big around 1978-1983. Bleak years to those who remember them. Energy crisis. Terrorism in Iran. War in the Middle East. Bad US government. Beginning of the neo-conservative American movement and Reagan. Recession, conflict, division... It is oddly and eerily familiar. The "City" of course could be any city and any place for that matter and could very well be a reflection of present day.

The realization that BushCo represents nothing that it "sold" to the public in 2000 dogs me constantly. I a sure it takes its toll on most progressives in this country and probably some conservatives. GWB. No compassion. No conservative.

I watched the latest episode form "The West Wing" last night, which I occasionally do when I need a dose of Clintonian politics. There was this pretty good scene between President Bartlett (played by Martin Sheen) and Arnold Vinnick (played by Alan Alda), who is the Repub candidate for President. They were sitting in the White House kitchen eating ice cream and discussing religion and politics. Vinnick is a moderate Repub candidate from California running for Pres to succeed Bartlett and is being dogged by the right wing as to his lack of church going and belief on abortion. He wants a fair and moderate government - no ideology, no nonsense. Fair enough. He has to consider VP picks as he just secured the Repub presidential nomination. He is conflicted - going to church or praying all the time should not be a test to get into government. He asks Bartlett how to keep religion out of government. Bartlett says that church and state separation will work its way out and religion will always be in politics. "It is just the way it is...” He goes on to say the he prays just to get through the day. That is what helps him. Vinnick listens and comes out later to the press to say what he believes - officials should not have to take some kind of religious test to get into government. He is there to do his job and not be political about religion. Politicians are lying to you if they playing the religious card... and should be dealing with governmental issues.

This entire exchange, while existing in the idealized world of TV, has its point. Government has a mission. Religion has a mission. Both are to be respected. Both are to be checked. Both have the right to express. Both should never flaunt absolute power. It is time for our elected officials to do their jobs, stop grandstanding, corrupting, and hurting Americans in the process.