[Blog]

Permanent link to: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.chrisboylan.com/blog/archives/000298.php">Well, that sucked.</a>

<p>It's taken me a long time to sit down and actually write this. </p>

<p>As Tuesday night rolled into Wednesday morning, and it became apparent that Kerry was going to lose, I found myself being overwhelmed by a huge sinking feeling. It was deep in my stomach, and it made me feel sick for most of Wednesday into Thursday. </p>

<p>I know that the country will survive with a re-elected Bush presidency, but I kind of forgot that during the preceding months. I got so wrapped up in just how awful of a President he was and how important it was to have him replaced. Especially considering that he seems to have become this great figure in the fight against terror, but simultaneously manages to have seemingly made things worse. He was responsible for such gems as: not bothering to finish off Bin Laden, refusing to do the job properly in Iraq (a war I don't necessarily oppose, I just wish it was done properly) with adequate troop levels, an failing to establish order in the early days after the fall, failing to provide armor and communications equipment to the troops he sent over there, so they don't need their familys to buy them safety equipment back here in the US and have it shipped over.</p>

<p>I was talking to my neighbor, who is in the 82nd Airborne (I suspect its the 82nd, he's in the army and jumps out of planes here at Ft. Bragg.) and he told me that for risking his life with inadequate supplies and protection, he received an extra $300/month for combat pay. That's on top of the standard $25K a year that I presume he makes. That's $28,600 federally tax free. Not a pittance by any means, but also not rich by any means. He was forced to do whatever he was ordered, like provide protection for delivery trucks that were driven by civilian contractors. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A31751-2004May16">Those drivers made $80,000 a year</a>. Tax free if they lived in Iraq for the year. Incidentally, they are Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root employees.</p>

<p>And yet, he has great support amongst the troops. In areas where the U.S. was attacked on 9/11, people voted overwhelmingly for John Kerry. In places where terrorism will never come, they voted for George W. Bush because he's "Making America Safer" or at least that's what the backgrounds behind him at speeches tell me. </p>

<p>Ugh. It's just so frustrating that I've just resigned myself to not following politics that closely for the next six months. I know I won't be able to do it, but I need to disengage myself in order to maintain my sanity. <a href="http://www.wonkette.com/archives/wonkette-housekeeping-long-time-no-see-025199.php">Wonkette had a good idea</a>. </p>

<p>So, I'm going to stop worrying, and learn to love the bomb. I will focus on which MP3 player I'm going to buy, so that I can listen to music in the car. That way, I'll avoid the temptation to turn to NPR when all the stations here suck. Which is constantly. I'm gonna start spending more time on investing, which has taken a bit of a back seat recently. Especialy when I see that Bush is going to tax the rich less (which means that the poor must pay more if we are going to not send us further into debt.). Thus, I want to be rich, so I'm not getting screwed like those poor souls. It's every man for himself. Maybe I'll see you on the other side of the wall. If you make it.</p>

[bitsy]

i had a friend trying to convince me over to the Bush side - he said "most people agree that george bush does a better job with the war on terror than john kerry would do - so with so many people affected by 9/11 in NJ, it may go republican." so that's why i went home on election day and voted. And i shoved it in his face when nj and ny (as always) went democratic. Jon Stewart said something along the lines of "it's funny how the state most affect by terror voted against the man that's going to best protect them from terrorism".

i was also reading a book for my gov't class - and they had a color coded map of the states and the percentage of adults with a college degree. I nearly wet myself when it looked exactly like the electoral map. I'll let you guess which candidate the states with less than 25% went for.

[Chris]

Well, it's funny being down here, listening to Rick and Bubba who seem to be the representatives for how many down here think. They dismiss the college degree thing as college brainwashing all the kids up north.

"You see, kids are normal, to begin with. Then you put them in college and you get them thinkin' with those college professors who can't get fired, and they brain wash them. Get 'em all filled up with that wishy-washy touchy-feely liberal nonsense. You see, down here - we're just the way we are. We just see things, and then that's how we think. Just good people who know what's right."

Basically, if you replace the college/university system with church, you have the south. They too are taught how to think by their pastors, who are much like professors, just less educated. They stand in front of you for an hour and present opinion as fact. The major difference I see is that the good professors like being challenged and told that they are wrong. I doubt there are many reverends down here who like to get into biblical arguments that homosexuality is not a sin. Well, they may enjoy it because it gives them a chance to yell, but they are not changing their mind.

[Brendan]

That was a really good analogy, I must say. It's funny how people can think examining arguments and understanding that what you see is not necessarily the truth is "brainwashing" but being told what is true is not. Helps explain Bush's popularity with these people, because his image is very compelling. A straight-talking guy who cares more about protecting America than placate to other countries that don't understand what it's like to have buildings destroyed in major cities. Despite the fact that everything he says varies from false innuendo to downright lies. And maybe alienating most of Europe wasn't such a good idea, b/c the middle east is in the southern part of what continent? Yes that's right. I'm sure if Germany wanted to invade Mexico, making sure we supported them would be a top priority. Pretty soon, European countries will get there act together and finish what they're starting with the European Union, then they'll essentially become the United States of Europe and guess who's no longer the largest economy in the world? Even the greatest empires have fallen and greed and arrogance are typically the precursors. Our time may be up soon.

[Chris]

Why thank you. I pride myself on at least attempting to find good analogies for most situations. I find they are remarkably better at describing a situation than a big bunch of words.

[dd]

I think it's funny how we in the North consider College more along the lines of High School 2. While the south only has a High School 2, because they didn't make it through the first time.

Ascroft resigns? Then I guess his Dad can use the oil for cooking rather than annointing. Does it mean more naked statues around? http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=615&e=1&u=/nm/20041110/pl_nm/bush_cabinet_dc

[Chris]

My favorite line from that article that will haunt him to his grave and then haunt him in every obituary:

Ashcroft sought reelection in 2000 but was defeated by a dead man

Don't worry, they'll replace him with someone who is just as repugnant who also believes that torture is a legitimate interrogation tactic - who will then be shocked when Americans are tortured by their captors.