War on Sickness
30 10 2004Following this week’s bout with the flu, I think I’ll make like George Steinbrenner and fire my white blood cells…
… OK, so maybe that’s just all the drugs talking, my witticisms are surely lacking recently.
Today has been politics day. Yup. Filling out the absentee ballot and whatnot. And um, trying to decide who I want to vote for for president of the glorious United States. Where to start?
Well being here at a major Ivy League university in the northeast, it is understandable that I am surrounded by some of the most liberal people I have ever encountered in my life. But it’s not because they agree with many Democratic principles or that Kerry has a better hairstyle than anyone else… No it’s because they’d rather see George Bush on some rocket headed to orbit Saturn rather than in the oval office. And what’s the biggest complaint? Iraq. Gee, who would have thunk it. What do I think on the situation in Iraq? Well, it’s rather complicated, but unfortunately for Bush, the public perception is now horrible. It may seem distant, but there once was a time when the nation SUPPORTED Bush going into Iraq. If the Iraqis had hailed us as liberators, if the UN supported us, if we found WMDs… well this election wouldn’t even be close. (Yes, I do realize I’m growing more incoherent by the second… Damn NyQuil) So either way, here’s my list for what the president needs to do.
1.) Stay in Iraq. While many people would cry “Pull out of Iraq!” the US would be worse off in the world’s eye if we decimated a country, and left it to it’s own devices. As we’d say in Poker, unfortunately, we are pot-committed.
2.) Mend fences with UN. We are in a period unprecidented in the history of the world, in which the United States is not viewed as it’s “beacon of liberty, can do no wrong” self. Major countries all around the world are appalled at the decisions made by the current president and his cabinet.
3.) Move resources from warring to homeland security. War should ONLY be used as a method of self-defense, which is why America WAS justified in removing the Taliban and attempting to capture Osama bin Laden. This is also why America WASN’T justified in going into Iraq.
4.) Overall national database. ID cards, national computers, whatever the case may be, America needs to crack down on illegal immigrants and suspicious folks. This is not an invasion of privacy, it is merely the same as VISA’s customer database or a phone book.
There are more issues obviously. But these four are most pressing in my mind, and they must be taken heavily into consideration this year when voting. Now, I consider my self an advocate of a multi-party system, and I feel having a two-party system is somewhat of a detriment to the word “democracy.” To be perfectly honest, by reviewing platforms and prior voting records, I’m Libertarian. Normally, I’d encourage people to vote third-party if they feel that party is a better fit for their views than the others. This year however is different. The polls are close and the stakes are high. From a realistic standpoint you have a choice; Bush or Kerry. That’s what it came down to for me at least.
Ball of Lightning [dot] com endorses Democrat John F. Kerry for president of the United States. He might lack in charisma, but America’s hurting right now, and if something doesn’t work, you don’t leave it alone…
Categories : Randomness...
No Tags
Recent Comments