Not a red...but an orange revolution

From 2004-2005, there were a series of protests and demonstrations in the Ukraine which have been dubbed as "The Orange Revolution". This revolution was any leftists' dream in response to the unbelievable amount of political corruption, voter coercion and electoral fraud. The revolution mostly consisted of general civil disobedience, sit ins and general strikes. Ironically enough, the slogan for Viktor Yanukovych (the former president of the Ukraine) and his electoral campaign was 'Hope is good, confidence is better'. Seems his idea of confidence was the confidence he had in his chances of being able to pull off major electoral fraud.
The difference between the Orange Revolution and general anarchy was the fact that the majority of the demonstrations were peaceful, something which could be learned from, especially by the un-evolved mouth breathers who beat up random people, all in the name of Revolution. The government can't take forceful measures (as we've all seen in Burma more recently), for fear of an international backlash, so they really have no choice but to give in to the demands of Citizen Joe.
So two years on, and what's changed? Well, the Ukraine is currently in the middle of an election, and to many people's surprise, the democratic alliance of Viktor Yushchenko (the current president) and Yulia Tymoshenko are slightly ahead in the polls.

So this recent victory of Democracy over Deceit got me thinking. We need an Orange Revolution in the USA. I know that most Americans don't trust 'dem bastard Eastern European commies'(sic), but with more and more people calling to impeach Bush and his cronies, it could just work. Ideally, the best time to have started the revolution would have been after Bush got in the first time. Remember, he blatantly rigged the polls in order to get in. The question is, why was there no reaction? Were the American public content to simply sit in a field chewing cud all day, while their Supreme Leader, Rev. Dubya Bush ran things with an iron fist? Why the hell didn't people rise up and smash the government down through peaceful protest, civil mischief and demonstrations seen only in a Revolutionary's wet dream? If enough people simply refused to work, the economy would crumble, and the government would have no choice but to consider alternative options. Problems like this don't simply go away; you can't close your eyes and hope for it to get the message.
So why didn't people decide to take action? The answer all lies in the Kapitalist-Über-Alles society that America has become. It's the ultimate consumer society, and what do you need to consume? That's right, money. And you don't get paid if you go on strike. It seems people just can't live without their tabloids and their junk food. Alas, we've fallen into the age where creature comforts and Jerry Springer has taken over the need for democracy.

Take from this what you will. But at least try to consider the fact that maybe you CAN make a difference.

Stay safe,

Jay