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April 15, 2008 at 11:03:08

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Why I AM a bitter man

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By Stephen Pizzo (about the author)     Page 1 of 2 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Stephen Pizzo - Writer

"Bitter: angry, hurt, resentful, because of one's bad experiences or sense of unjust treatment."
Webster's Dictionary.


I am a bitter man. I admit it. I'm neither proud or happy about it. But it's not my fault, either.

Eight years ago I was annoyed, but I wasn't bitter. Being annoyed with government is the natural state of the governed. It's the catalyst that keeps politicians paranoid about what we're up to out here while they, hopefully, try to do enough things right to get our vote next time around, even if resentfully.


But bitter is a different kind of catalyst. It's the emotion that freed these former colonies from Britain. It's the emotion that motivated American blacks to come together in the 1960s and demand an end to segregation, once and for all. At the turn of the century in Russia bitterness caused the Russian people to put an end to careless, self-indulgent, wasteful monarchy. Before that, in France, bitterness among the peasantry caused a whole lot folks to loose their heads -- literally.

In short, bitterness is a motivator -- maybe the motivator when it comes to the forcing of social tipping points.

So, while I'm bitter that this administration has turned me bitter, I am crystal clear on the reasons why I'm bitter:

I am bitter because this administration led my country into a completely unnecessary war. A war they justified on flawed, and what history will surely eventually prove, entirely fabricated intelligence.

I am bitter that this administration has soiled, not just America's image, but it's very soul by resorting to the kind of brutal treatment of prisoners for which we once tried, convicted and executed enemy commanders.

I am bitter that after the hard lessons of Vietnam, a war that took the lives of over 50,000 of my generation, that this administration repeated those mistakes, costing the lives of over 4000 of this generation's best and brightest -- so far -- and counting.

I am bitter that the only reason our kids must continue dying in Iraq is soley to buy time for this administration to get out office next January leaving the mess and clean up to the next administration.

I am bitter that this administration mismanaged the only justifiable military action they took -- the invasion of Afghanistan -- allowing the men actually behind 9/11 to escape capture and punishment, and to continue to spread their twisted ideology and murderous activities.

I am bitter that this administration gutted our national treasury, pissing away a $5.2 billion surplus by lavishing tax breaks on the already wealthy and then, once out of money, putting an additional $4.5 trillion on the national credit card.

I am bitter that this administration has so bankrupted my nation that we can't provide health coverage for nearly 50 million of us but instead continue to borrow $12 billion a month to fund operations in Iraq.

I am bitter that our students continue to be "left behind," to test below average -- often far below average -- when compared with students in other developed nations, and that we have neither the money or will to do a damn thing about it.

I am bitter that, thanks to this administration's cynical manipulation and suppression of scientific evidence, that my children and grand children will spend their entire lives battling the potentially deadly effects of global warming.

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Stephen Pizzo has been published everywhere from The New York Times to Mother Jones magazine. His book, Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans, was nominated for a (more...)
 

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Exactly! by Anna Van Z on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 at 11:51:59 AM
bitter, cling for GUNs by hlg on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 at 4:54:07 PM
Well, by Stephen Pizzo on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 at 4:58:57 PM
regarding the hlg post, I must deal with both, in my job by Stanimal on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 at 5:22:27 PM
correction by Ron Johnson on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 3:52:04 AM
Inside the Washington Beltway by Jim Freeman on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 at 6:24:13 PM
Part of the "Coalition of the Bitter AND Pissed" by enid dennis on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 at 8:20:22 PM
A few more by Christopher Wright on Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008 at 8:54:33 PM
More reasons for being bitter by Philip Pease on Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 9:15:51 AM
Great Article...Stephen... by Michael Morris on Wednesday, Apr 16, 2008 at 10:00:22 AM
Big Picture by pft on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 3:54:39 AM
re: More reasons for being bitter by truthsearcher on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 7:38:15 AM
I'm even more bitter by truthsearcher on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 7:52:53 AM
Even worse than bitter by im4unity on Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 at 1:36:27 PM

 
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