tdekeyser

read all about it: http://www.newamerica.net/

Lind (The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics) delves deep into the heart of George W. Bush�s Texas, and what he finds may give moderates pause and send liberals scurrying. According to Lind (a fifth-generation Texan), the politics of West Texas are steeped in racism, environmental exploitation, jingoistic militarism, crony capitalism, an anti-public education bias and a fundamentalist evangelicalism inconsistent with the separation of church and state. About President Bush�s relation to these beliefs, Lind in part merely implies it by association, saying, �Cultural geography is of little use in analyzing the personalities of politicians�but it is indispensable in understanding their politics.� However, Lind argues, with considerable verve, that the constellation of political beliefs embodying Bush-style politics is designed to exploit the nation�s natural and human resources for the benefit of a powerful oligarchy. According to Lind, Bush�s election translates to the �capture�of the vast power of the federal apparatus by Southern reactionaries�.� And is �a threat to the peace and well-being not only of America but of the world.� Stopping the threat, for Lind, does not necessarily mean reelecting Democrats, although unseating Bush would be a first step. Provocative as his examination may seem to some, Lind�s hyperbolic tone is comparable to that of the most incendiary talk-show host. And his ultimate solution is strange and radical. Lind suggests that the federal government encourage a portion of the American population to relocate away from crowded, nonwhite, poor urban centers to the currently depopulated western plains to create a �decentralist utopia.� Well, perhaps.