Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Reacting Out of Real Fear for the U.S.

I've been on a blog vacation for eight months and I'm back. I'm back and I want to depart from my usual neurosis love-fest to talk about the 2008 presidential election. Yes, politics. I have followed the campaigns and watched the primary season for seven months now, and as a casual observer and a voter I've become increasingly frustrated and scared as hell. But before I start down this path, I want to share, in the interest of full disclosure, that I am a Democrat.

Come November 2008 this nation has an opportunity to decide to change its course. I am concerned that for all our complaining, the Democrats will fail to vote in droves and will in effect elect another Republican to the White House. My fear is that the Republican platform will be carried out to the nth degree and this nation will suffer as a result as it has been suffering.

As people go, I've always liked and admired John McCain. In 2004 I even considered that he might make a good President. I know I wasn't alone in my thinking then. But I've watched him change positions and pander to the masses over the last year in order to be elected. I do feel that McCain in office WILL BE another term of George Bush policies. In fact, the RNC.org website, as of today, refers to its platform in a document dated 2004 in support of George Bush for President. Their platform hasn't changed so I have trouble believing the argument that McCain is NOT another Bush.

In this Republican platform document, there is a quote from George W. Bush...

“The role of government is not to control or dominate the lives of our citizens. The role of government is to help our citizens gain the time and the tools to make their own choices and improve their own lives. That’s why I will continue to work to usher in a new era of ownership and opportunity in America.”

For eight years the Bush administration has done exactly the opposite as evidenced by unlawful wire taps, violating the constitution in numerous ways, ongoing support for the Iraq war, and the reasons for the war initially which included falsified intelligence and fear tactics. Noticeably absent, the government did little to help citizens with relief from huricanes Katrina and Rita and floods. This administration thought little of people's rights and the honor our constitution holds - as it was written. Bush appointed right-wing supreme court judges who at the first opportunity would overturn Roe v. Wade (limiting our citizen's choices, legislating morality) and empowering "faith-based" charities (rewarding only government approved religious groups).

In these eight years of cowboy-esque management with secrets and executive privelege cited at every turn, the United States is seen as an unfriendly, unwelcoming, untrustworthy, oil-obsessed country with a bad attitude. Bush continuously acts above the law and his administration's actions are secretive and deceptive to put it lightly.

As Republicans go, this administration has done just the opposite of what it proclaims to believe. Going back to the same document, the quote below exemplifies just how off-base this administration has gone...think foreclosures, mortgage fraud, the jobless rate, the status of the economy, and who is being protected from the law (the administration and their own interests).
"As Republicans, we trust people to make decisions about how to spend, save, and invest their own money...We want people to have a tangible asset that they can build and rely on, making their own choices and directing their own future. Ownership should not be the preserve of the wealthy or the privileged. As Republicans who believe in the power of ownership to create better lives, we want more people to own a home... With President Bush’s leadership we have taken great strides in making the dream of ownership available to millions of Americans, and in the next four years the President and Republicans in Congress will unlock the door to ownership for many more."

Yeah, right.

I fear we'll repeat the enthusisam and unfortunate result of 2004 by electing another Republican that supports many of the same tactics and policies as this admistration. So I beg you...no matter what time it is, no matter what the Democrat's percentage is, no matter if you like Obama personally or not...its time for a course correction. Its time to give America back to its citizens. Its time to go back to honoring the constitution. Remember that thing? You can't cherry pick the laws you like and will obey and those you say, "nah, doesn't work for me."

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE - DEMOCRATIC!

And finally, to speak to McCain's approach, his campaign website lists the following views. While reading it, ask yourself, where is the support for respecting each citizen's right to choose what is best for them? Why legislate morality? Why continue to focus on what defines a "valid" union? We don't need to do more than watch the news to know that a Mom and Dad union doesn't always mean "better parent" or "best for child". And what happened to America being the land of opportunity, ingeunity, and being a world leader in scientific innovation that supports the interests of the environment and human kind? I just can't read the items below and feel I'll be living in a better place.

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE - DEMOCRATIC!

On John McCain's website....

John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench."

"The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation."

"Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases - hope for both cures and life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical principles. For this reason, John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes.


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VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE - DEMOCRATIC!
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE - DEMOCRATIC!
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE - DEMOCRATIC!

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