Entry #20: Election Fallout
"Fool me once, Shame on you
Fool me twice, Shame on me"
That's how I feel about America after hearing the news that George Bush won a second term. It sickens me to the core, to see that so many people were bamboozled into believing that bigotry is now marketed as "moral values."
I mean I have to give Karl Rove a hand for being a political genius, for taking a page right from Hitler's book. Namely, take an under-represented minority and make them the scapegoat to create an "Us vs. Them" mentality for the masses.
For Hitler, it was the Jews. In Bush's case he’s designated Homosexuals, non-christians, liberals and anyone else that spoke out against him or the war in Iraq as "unpatriotic" to create a cultural divide.
Bush has somehow made people believe that if two men or two women declare their love for each other, that the moral fabric of our country will fall apart. 11 States even went so far as to pass same-sex marriage bans. I can't understand why the rest of the country doesn't see this a blatant bigotry and hatred of a minority group.
As for the war in Iraq, when the President first made his case against Iraq but was vague with the facts, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I thought maybe he withheld information because it was "top secret" or trying to play hardball with Saddam to make it look like our country is ready to go to war as a negotiating tactic. But now that it’s clear that simply wasn't the case, I would expect an apology, a simple "my bad, I was given bad info, I can't undo history but now that I broke this I'm going to have to make it right" and I'd be cool with Bush. But no. He and Dick Cheney are claiming that Iraq is a success, and that Saddam has ties to Osama. Both have been aptly refuted by several reports. But yet people still believe it.
Call me naive, but I really believed that in the end a majority (51%) of Americans would see the truth and make the right choice in the end. I'm sad that many Americans can still be so easily motivated to oppress their neighbors because they have different lifestyles or beliefs.
Now I'm not going to sit here and claim that John Kerry was a great leader. I honestly don't know what the future would have been like with Kerry in the White House.
I do know that neither man would have protected us from terrorist.
I know there is not going be a swift exit in Iraq. It is broken and it needs to be fixed, and that will take time, money and manpower.
I guess it is clear to me that the neo-conservative agenda the president is following is flawed. From what I understand about the neo-conservative theory is that democracy will bring about world peace and that we are only a few short steps away from that. First, you take out Saddam, then let a democratic nation spring up in his place, Bush’s "beacon of hope." Iraq has the resources (oil and an educated work force) to really prosper and have low unemployment and be a first world country in a few short years. After seeing how wonderful Iraq is, all the surrounding countries in the Middle East, namely Iran, and Syria will move more toward democracy either through change or revolution. Without the support of those nations, there would be greater chance for peace in Israel, and thus democracy would spread like a virus around the world and every nation would be free and peace on earth would quickly follow. That's the theory. However, I think it’s flawed.
Here's why. I don't think Bush has any idea why the insurgents are fighting. Why would you fight a force with overwhelming power and face certain death? To call them "crazy" is too simple and easy. I suggest you go see the movie "Fog of War," a documentary about LBJ, McCarthy and Vietnam. At one point in the film, McCarthy meets with the then military leader of Vietnam 25 years after the war had ended. Through conversation they discover that they never knew why the other was fighting. The US was fighting to stop the spread of communism. The leaders in Vietnam thought the US was there to make Vietnam a colony or territory like Hawaii or Guam. The Vietnamese fought so fiercely because they thought they would lose their home, whereas we thought they were fighting in the name of communism. I think Bush is fighting in the name of Democracy whereas the people in Fallujah believe we are there to occupy and take their oil (that is just my hypothesis.) Until we communicate our message to them, there will not be peace.
I'm not a naysayer by nature. And I really hope I am wrong and I hope Bush finds peace in Iraq by January to hold an election, maybe even on his inauguration day. Another dead US soldier is not good for anyone—in fact, another dead person, US or Iraqi, soldier or civilian, is not good for peace. I hope Bush proves the world wrong and by next year I would love to eat crow as world peace spreads like wildfire around the globe.
I honestly wish Bush the best for the next 4 years, and because let’s face it, we’re stuck with him. I hope he doesn't do as much damage as I feel he did in his first term. And I look forward to the day when I can travel around the world and say with pride again "I'm an American!" instead of claiming, "I'm Canadian" for fear of being ridiculed or worse. I really love my country and think someday a more perfect union will prevail
. . . someday, I hope.I hope the dream of our forefathers and the destiny they envisioned of our democracy bringing about peace in the world will be a reality someday. I hope that day is soon, I don't care who is in the White House when that day arrives. I hope for all of us that day is sooner rather than later.
God Bless America.
