world historical figuration

[Guest guest]

Greg, Dan, all,

Greg, Dan wrote earlier this week the following:

D: No - what is left primarily is *power*. Power replaces metaphysics (God,

is Nietzsche the man, or what?). Compliance is secondary.

This comment was in the context of his admission that there is no

foundational morality either justified by demonstration or by method.

As he's long maintained, " help your friends, harm your enemies " . The

biggest stick is superior regardless of the kind of order it wishes

for.

Since we have an almost ten years record of Watkinsonian nihilism

here, frosted as it is by amusing and confused appeals to

'excellence,' 'prudence,' 'aristocracy,' 'philosophers,' 'athens,'

'jerusalem,' and the strange idea that politics is primary to psyche,

any comments about what is good, better, best, is in light of his

forthright and easy to comprehend relativism.

Power. C.G.Jung: " where love is lacking... "

Dan's prescriptives always exist in the context of naked power and

the secondary compliance to the wishful order of the most powerful,

those willing to cuase harm to the enemy and the non-compliant.

***

Is W. Bush about to be converted by his historical fate into

lin Delano Roosevelt.

His trickle up economic philosophy bent around the idea that monies

should slide from the hands of the many into the pockets of the

already wealthy, is about to be bent around the concept of compassion

and twisted to go in the other direction.

Bush has met, it would seem, the fate Jung designs an entire

psychology around. It is quite fitting that the prototypical mama's

boy, the puer W., has only one way to work his way positively

into his destiny. Katrina comes from katharos, " pure " .

***

Let's add up the material costs of Bush going from self-centered to

Self-oriented.

$35 billion property losses

$50 billion temporary costs to support the property-less, homeless

gulf coast underclass for two years

$100 billion temporary costs to support the property-less, homeless

remainder for one year

$50 billion temporary cost to begin to rebuild economy of the region

$100 billion to rebuild the gulf coast

It's a thought problem so I've kept the costs low, but it will

probably exceed half-a-trillion dollars. The bankruptcy bill goes

into effect Oct. 17. Welfare Reform is in effect. Both are

effectively " toast " because the Gods have now called us to real

compassion and wisdom and higher morality.

Much else is toast: the destruction of social security, the

anti-liberty agenda, the ownership society, and, above all the

aberrant and heretical form of Christianity that supposes Jesus was

above all concerned with material excellence and antipathy toward the

poor, non-excellent, and the different.

Iraq is a different matter, but with the US military nowhere close to

victory there and the country headed toward chaos and an Islamic

state in the south, the failure and defeat based in hubris,

ignorance, mendacity and incompetence speaks for itself.

***

So, " raw power " and puer arrogance and provisionality, and the

astonishing corruption, criminality, and, immorality of Mr. Bush,

*amazingly* earn this last chance for him to prove that, in fact, we

are a country where both love and compassion aren't lacking. Where

real leadership bleeds and leads.

I hope he rises to the test. I have a hunch he could go through a

conversion experience and become melted by the condition of the

underclass of the gulf coast. Cast into his lap, and, serving as real

fuel on the psychic fire of our boy king, he will live into his real

destiny rather than through his death-making shadow.

(And, I don't need to count the appalling amount of innocent blood he

has on his hands or describe the limb tearing forces of weaponry

unleashed on the innocent.)

**

Bush has a chance to go down in history as a boy who grew by standing

up to the power principle to find his warm heart.

I would be surprised if he doesn't turn into FDR, and will be shocked

if he reverts to the Rovian idol and exemplar, Wm Mckinley.

What a moment.

regards,

ps. I agree with Dan about oil prices. The Oil era is ending. Even if

Bush is an oil profiteer and crony capitalist mafiosa, even if the

energy bill is a laughable instance of corporate welfare and bribery,

cheap oil is over. Thank goodness.