To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their society’s ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.

Barack Obama’s Inauguration Speech

Much time spent pondering the absurdity of the US Political Circus these past few days. The health care hullabaloo is back up with a vengeance today as Obama gets his opportunity to set the tone with a speech to Congress.

Because I get tend to get riled up about things, I’m going through a stressful oscillation as to how much Glenn Beck and his despicable ilk really matter. He and others like him hold influence over some number of the zombie populace who won’t think for themselves. But the coverage of that influence in action—riled up people with placards and guns—is perpetuated by the same media that broadcast it in the first place. It upsets me, angers me and disturbs me, but I don’t buy that this is mass action. It’s minority protest. That much of that minority don’t really understand what Beck is talking about undermines their numbers further still.

In Barack Obama’s inauguration speech (transcript), he addressed the above to “leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict”. It was intended for your ‘Islamic extremists’, South American dictators, North Korea and other, miscellaneous terrorists and Big Bads. I quoted it then on Twitter (as a non-American, aspects of his speech concerning international affairs are more poignant.) I’d forgotten about the quote., but reading through archives months later, I stumbled upon it again.

It feels like it’s from a very long time ago. A different atmosphere, certainly. I don’t think people are so wilfully optimistic any more; I think they’re weary and tired. But, I think those words are more affecting now than then. Obama directed these words at America’s opponents; those who would seek to harm the nation of America.

In reprinting his speech now, it’s not Gaddafi, or Chàvez, or Castro, or Putin that is implicated. It’s Beck and O’Reily and Limbaugh and Hannity. They are the people who every single day seek to undermine the institutions and constitutional offices on which this democracy operates, and they incite mobs to destabilise the democracy of the United States through blocking intellectual discourse. They spread fear, uncertainty, doubt. And they spread it far enough to be significant.

They seek to sow conflict. They seek to destroy.