Something to Think About: Bush, Civil Rights, and Ourselves

Not much to say about Art and Propaganda from The Nation except to think about it, reject it, or bow our heads in shame:

"The short recent history of the Bush Administration has demonstrated this principle. By using fear and endless repetition, the government has subverted our mythology and character and it has processed the American people into accepting a dramatic erosion of our civil rights and, perhaps most appallingly, to approve of torture. Sadly, the phenomenon is scarcely unique. In fact, it may be the inevitable narrative of human civilization. The intersection of fear and persuasion has created the world as we know it"

The mind's ability to alter itself is the source of human freedom. Information expands the capacity of the mind to change. Persuasion limits that capacity. Beliefs must be held lightly, because certainty is frequently the enemy of truth. Or, put another way, we can follow the example of the scientist and psychologist William James, who was said to have loved questions more than answers.