The '00s decade

This decade had its ups and downs. This is mostly the downs. Most of the victories were covered in the year’s assessment.

The big story of 2000 was 9/11. It sent the US into a frenzy of hysteria and the usual fascism that follows. At first the country united around the 2,000 needless deaths by terrorists using box knives. Then the entire country went crazy. Flags flew everywhere including cars. The hunt for scapegoats began immediately. Muslims where the prime target and any one associated with armed groups.

George W. Bush- We had a new president. This man had an astonishing lack of intellect and he became the new leader of the far right. While the right has embraced draconian fascistic methods and violent rhetoric in the past, Bush brought in a bunch of ignorant loonies who have made the far right look like a clown circus. Arguments have gotten ridiculous. Today it is common for someone to label President Barack Obama a communist or socialist because he wants health care reform. They refuse to believe in protecting the environment, embracing policies that are dangerous for the entire planet and detrimental to our children’s future. Yet the Republican Party is taking them seriously. Bush may go down in history as one of the worst presidents this country has ever had. The saddest thing of all is that this mental midget got re-elected. It shows our education system is badly broken.

The Iraq War- dominated the 00s. It ushered in a new blatant form of imperialism in which the US is actually occupying foreign governments and invading any country that is out of step with US policies. It is brutal, self indulgent and just plain patronizing. It has set this country on a new expensive high tech military path that will probably drain the economy, which Bush has run into the ground.

The Afghanistan War- was an immediate action in response to 9/11. But rather than focus on al Qaeda, those responsible for the twin towers attack, Bush went for nation building. As a results, the main operatives of al Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden (سامة بن محمد بن عوض بن لادن‎), got away.

Hurricane Katrina- Showed how little the Bush administration cared about the welfare of US citizens, especially blacks, in the face of disaster. Efforts and relieve where half hearted at best.

The recession- The worst since the 1930s was no surprise to those of us who got sick of overpaid top executives, home speculators and businesses that continue to keep workers wages down, while making profits high. Sooner or later someone has to buy all the homes and live in them. Also people without buying power can’t buy what corporations sell. The credit card scams (added fees to those who got way in debt) drove many Americans into debt and nearly bankrupted them. The congress even passed a new bankruptsy law making it harder for people to get out of hopeless debt and it favored the credit card companies. People drowning in debt can’t buy things.

Leftist revival- A lot of revolutionaries have had sites on Myspace and Facebook. The Marxist left may still be a small fraction of the political spectrum, but it is expanding. There has been a resurgence of Maoism across the planet. Italian Maoists are experimenting with block governments. Maoist parties are forming all across Europe, South America and some Asian countries, such as Bhutan. There has been a new Maoist grouping in the US called Kasama Project and it is drawing some new young people in. Likewise other leftists, such as a new Democratic Socialist of America have formed a group on the Wichita State University Campus. The group acts as an umbrella group for all the areas socialists.

Anti-war movement- There are also dedicated groups to ending the war such as The World Can’t Wait and here in Kansas, the Peace and Social Justice Center