Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
Bush and the Psychology of Incompetent Decisions
There's a very good article on Truthout by a pair of doctors about the psychological state of President Bush that is worthy of a read all on its own. (If you can stand being scared out of your wits...)
But what struck me was this passage:
Bush has carefully let it be known that he believes the decisions he makes in office are directed by God. His famous claim to make decisions by "gut" ("I'm a gut player," he told Bob Woodward) equates with his claim of the spiritual inspiration he receives through prayer, his own and the prayers of others. Whatever else it is, this equation of his own choices with God's will has unparalleled advantages. It creates the perfect defense against any doubts he or anyone else might have that he can't make the right decision. The need to engage in analysis and explore alternatives to get there comes off the table. Instead, he has his gut; he has his God.
And, while it is frightening enough to see this mechanism so much at work in the president, it is even more frightening to realize that a sizeable number of Americans would actually consider this to be a strength of the Bush presidency. The notion that Bush is 'directed by God', as prima facia absurd as it is, is comforting to a large number of people.
This is how we get a president so clearly incapable of dealing with reality and the demands of his office: by using "magical thinking" as one of the criteria by which people select said president. Next time someone says that "faith" is nothing but a win-win proposition, all you have to do is point at the President to show just how dangerous and damaging it can be.
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Unbelievable
When I read things like this, I have to actually ask myself, "Now the Enlightenment really did happen 600 years ago, didn't it?"
it is scary
It seems to me that many Americans want a President they could imagine having a beer with and not one who is clearly smarter than they are. This scares the hell out of me all by itself, but when you add religion to the mix, I'm not sleeping.
Makes my teeth hurt.
Last night, we popped Contact into the dvd player. In the scenes where Clinton is portrayed, relative to the discovery of a SETI signal, my good lady wife and I just could not help looking at one another and sighing for having someone who (with all his human faults) was nonetheless smarter than your average Parcheesi board. I mean, seriously, who can look at Bush and take any comfort at all that the fate of the nation - and the world - is in good hands?
Jim Downey
"Sometimes I think we're alone. Sometimes I think we're not. In either case, the thought is staggering."
- R. Buckminster Fuller