I read someone a few years ago that said, "Most people are not looking for the truth, just evidence of their own prejudice." I see this more and more in this election on both sides of supporters. A Bush supporter and a Kerry supporter can read the same article of news and in it see the argument that supports their candidate. There is a line of truth out there. I am sure that both candidates know exactly where that line is. They must, they cross it some many times in one day that it would be impossible not to see it once or twice in a day.
We look in the Middle East and see the fanaticism and religious fervor with which the people support their religious leaders and we shake our heads that they are so sadly mislead. We, as Americans, walk around with our piety and arrogance, scoffing at the rest of the world by reason of our sanctimonious freedom. Yet, if we step back for a moment and look at ourselves, we will see that we are just a step away from taking up arms to defend our candidates. There is an undercurrent of rage in this country. It is being fed by this political situation. We are cloaked in the same fervor and fanaticism that we so easily see in others and yet are blinded to it in ourselves.
History tells us the course upon which we travel. There was a polarization of the nation. There were the 'Haves' and the 'Have nots'. The rich became richer. The poor became poorer. The middle class ceased to exist. Human lives became commodities. The 'Have nots' worked for less and less. The 'Haves' raked in the recompense on the labor force. Until one day, the rumors stopped being rumors. The grumbling became a battle cry. The rage of the oppressed would not be denied. The French Revolution began. The wealth and properties of the rich were seized and distributed to the poor. The rich were executed with callous and little regard for life. When your life loses value, all life loses value. I fear that this rage is a seething cauldron that soon will overflow and fill the world.
Next week we will grumblingly choose the 'lesser of two evils' to guide us. I am afraid that neither have the answers. Look at the candidates. All they talk about is the plague and their cure. They seek to whip the nation into a fear of the other candidate. They both try to channel the rage within us. Three years ago, in September, we pushed the differences aside and stood as common. Three years and we are now extolled openly about the differences. Kerry supporters will tell you that it is Bush's fault. Bush supporters will tell you that it is someone else's fault. We have become, once again, a mass of individuals. We are precariously united under the banners of Bush and Kerry. The election will not be the answer, regardless of who wins. It will just be another banking turn in a downhill slalom. I fear for my children and my grand children.
I remember the nuclear drills we had as kids in school during the Cuban Missile Crisis. There were the instructions about head between your knees. Someone added later the punch line about kissing your ass good-bye. I am afraid it is no longer the joke.
Wow, and I am the optimist. lol
We look in the Middle East and see the fanaticism and religious fervor with which the people support their religious leaders and we shake our heads that they are so sadly mislead. We, as Americans, walk around with our piety and arrogance, scoffing at the rest of the world by reason of our sanctimonious freedom. Yet, if we step back for a moment and look at ourselves, we will see that we are just a step away from taking up arms to defend our candidates. There is an undercurrent of rage in this country. It is being fed by this political situation. We are cloaked in the same fervor and fanaticism that we so easily see in others and yet are blinded to it in ourselves.
History tells us the course upon which we travel. There was a polarization of the nation. There were the 'Haves' and the 'Have nots'. The rich became richer. The poor became poorer. The middle class ceased to exist. Human lives became commodities. The 'Have nots' worked for less and less. The 'Haves' raked in the recompense on the labor force. Until one day, the rumors stopped being rumors. The grumbling became a battle cry. The rage of the oppressed would not be denied. The French Revolution began. The wealth and properties of the rich were seized and distributed to the poor. The rich were executed with callous and little regard for life. When your life loses value, all life loses value. I fear that this rage is a seething cauldron that soon will overflow and fill the world.
Next week we will grumblingly choose the 'lesser of two evils' to guide us. I am afraid that neither have the answers. Look at the candidates. All they talk about is the plague and their cure. They seek to whip the nation into a fear of the other candidate. They both try to channel the rage within us. Three years ago, in September, we pushed the differences aside and stood as common. Three years and we are now extolled openly about the differences. Kerry supporters will tell you that it is Bush's fault. Bush supporters will tell you that it is someone else's fault. We have become, once again, a mass of individuals. We are precariously united under the banners of Bush and Kerry. The election will not be the answer, regardless of who wins. It will just be another banking turn in a downhill slalom. I fear for my children and my grand children.
I remember the nuclear drills we had as kids in school during the Cuban Missile Crisis. There were the instructions about head between your knees. Someone added later the punch line about kissing your ass good-bye. I am afraid it is no longer the joke.
Wow, and I am the optimist. lol
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