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September
3, 2004
The
Republican Convention is over, and I say good riddance. This was
little more than the efforts of an extreme political party to portray
itself as something it is not. "Compassionate Conservatism"
was always something of a farce, and this is but the latest example.
I
think the real divisions in America are not between Red and Blue
states, but between the informed and the ignorant. The zombie-eyed,
moronic, bafflingly ignorant. This is what really bothers me. If
you actually, you know, read things, you can learn about everything
George Bush and the Republicans stand for, and all the damage done
to America and the world since 2001. If your only source of information
is Rush Limbaugh or Fox News or the Religious Right, what will you
believe? Will you listen to Bush's speech last night and think,
"Uh, that makes sense, I guess."
The
GOP only succeeds by spreading disinformation, ignorance, and fear.
They cannot win on the issues. Look at our economy, our environmental
laws, the deficits, the disastrous war in Iraq, any number of criminal
inquiries from Guantanamo to Abu Graib to Valerie Plame. Look at
your neighborhoods. Look at your paychecks.
Don't
believe Bush's lies and rhetoric. Don't listen to him tie Iraq to
9/11 and weasel his way out of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Don't
listen to his vague pleasantries about freedom and ownership and
compassion. This is a party devoted to social Darwinism. In laymans'
terms, that means, "I've got mine, let 'em eat cake."
This party is devoted to dismantling the New Deal. Social Security,
Medicare, public education, the minimum wage, overtime, clean air
and water, labor unions. These will all be taken from you.
Stop
being suckered by these endless terror alerts. It's bullshit, if
you'll pardon my French. And stop listening to the France-bashing.
That's what today's Republicans do: they villify and beat up anyone
who doesn't play along. They're bullies and they're liars. They
steal your pensions, draft your kids to die for their cronies' profits,
then blame it all on gay people. And the Dumb Proles will fall for
it every time.
That's
the Republican Party of today. Lipstick on a pig.
This
is the most vitally important election in your lifetimes. I won't
be overly dramatic and say our very democracy is at stake, but a
second Bush term will render so much damage. If that happens, we
will have lost something vital. We'll have walked down the path
George Orwell warned about, and I honestly don't know if we'd be
able to get back.
As
I've said, this all comes down to being informed and not mindlessly
ignorant. You have to start thinking for yourselves. Pick up a couple
books, read weblogs like Atrios and Daily Kos and Talking Points
Memo. Go drag Bushies to "Fahrenheit 9/11." Register new
voters. Start a protest rally. Organize a bake sale. Do something,
but do it now, and make it count.
This
is the one grand chance the far right has to shape America in their
image, to shatter the gains made in the last century. This is their
bid for empire. Their motto is simple: I've got mine. I have millions.
The rest of you peasants can go hang yourselves. And, by the way,
anyone who isn't a fundamentalist Christian is going to hell, which
also includes Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians.
Don't fall for this scam. Get off your lazy and pampered, stupid
and selfish asses and do something before it's too late. |
