[Vision2020] Re: Third party support
Joan Opyr
auntiestablishment@hotmail.com
Thu, 29 Apr 2004 21:40:55 -0700
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I don't disagree with the bulk of your assessment, Tim. The only bit I t=
ake strong issue with is this:
>You mention that you'll will vote for Kerry because he's the best of you=
r limited options. That makes >sense. You identify as a Democrat and see=
m to be fairly happy with the two party system generally. >Cool.
I am not at all happy with the two-party system. It makes both parties l=
azy and it ensures that both pander to the lowest common denominator, i.e=
, the ill-informed. You describe John Kerry as a "Ted Kennedy buddy," m=
eaning, I suppose, that he's a liberal. I take this as a sign of how far=
to the right our political discourse has slipped. Kerry is no liberal. =
I'm a liberal. Dennis Kucinich is a liberal. Kerry is a pro-business h=
awk who has taken positions on the U.N. and the environment that that not=
orious liberal Richard Nixon would find entirely sympathetic. (Let's not=
forget who created the EPA and achieved detente with Red China.) Kerry =
is another pro-choice centrist in the Bill Clinton mode, though thanks to=
the fact that his home state is Massachusetts, the Republicans may yet s=
pin him into the second coming of Big Bill Heywood.
I'm not voting third party this year not just because I'm a Democrat (fro=
m the left, left wing of the Democratic party) but because I find George =
Bush terrifying. I used to think he didn't have a ticket to ride the clu=
e bus; now I think he's blown the clue bus up. His policies are regressi=
ve, short-sighted, and, over both the short and the long haul, destructiv=
e of American democracy, international diplomacy, and the financial well-=
being of people like you and me. Two years' worth of war in Iraq will co=
st us $160 billion, and that's just the beginning. Meanwhile, even by th=
e most conservative estimates, homeland security is coming up $98 billion=
short over the next five years. Our ports are no safer than they were b=
efore 9/11; neither are our chemical plants, our nuclear facilities, our =
electrical grid, or the rest of our infrastructure. We still don't have =
enough first responders (police, fire, emergency) and most don't have the=
equipment they need. There's a chronic shortage of radios for our firef=
ighters. =20
Radios, for God's sake. My kids have walkie-talkies from Wal-Mart; they =
cost $18 and they can talk to one another up to a mile apart. How is it =
that we have the money to pay demobbed Iraqi soldiers to keep them from r=
ioting but we don't have enough to buy protective gear for our police or =
haz-mat detection equipment for our cities? We have a President who does=
n't know the difference between a rogue state and stateless terrorists. =
Saddam loved himself more than he hated the United States; the threat of =
massive retaliation was always a deterrent. You know why Saddam used poi=
son gas on the Kurds? Because he knew he could get away with it. He kne=
w they couldn't defend themselves. He didn't try that trick on Israel. =
He fired a couple of symbolic SCUDs, but he didn't use any of the chemica=
l or biological weapons during the first Gulf War that we knew he had. (=
And we knew he had them because we sold them to him. Smart us.) When we=
began amassing our troops in the Persian Gulf, Saddam couldn't back off =
fast enough. Unfortunately, we wouldn't take yes for an answer. =20
[Attention Bushies: don't bother telling me that the world is better off =
without Saddam. I know that. It would be better off without Kim Jong Il=
, too, but there's not a chance in hell that we're going in to remove him=
He's better armed than Saddam.]
Al Qaeda is still out there. Our lack of attention to finishing the job =
in Afghanistan, to rebuilding its infrastructure and ensuring that Hamid =
Karzai is more than just a figurehead, has allowed Al Qaeda and the Talib=
an to regroup. Shortly after we declared victory in Iraq, Al Qaeda blew =
up targets in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. It was a nose-thumbing exercise,=
proof that they still existed. I have no doubt that they will prove tha=
t to us here at home before long. And then what will Mr. Bush say? Will=
he stall the creation of another 9/11 commission and instead declare war=
on Syria? Or will it be Iran? Or Castro's Cuba? To put it clearly if =
ungrammatically, we'll strike at everyone but the ones what done it.
We need a change of leadership and we need it now. I'm all for changing =
the political system, but at the moment, we've only got 27 weeks. If thi=
s were George H. W. Bush rather than George W. Bush, I'd agree with you. =
I'd say vote third party. But on this, I'm with Donovan. GWB is either=
a dangerous nut or an empty-headed patsy, and I firmly believe that we h=
ave to lift every voice in a firm attempt to oust him. Even here in (you=
say, but I disagree) hopeless Idaho.
Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment =20
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.=
msn.com
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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV> </DIV> <=
DIV>I don't disagree with the bulk of your assessment, Tim. The onl=
y bit I take strong issue with is this:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV=
>>You mention that you'll will vote for Kerry because he's the best of=
your limited options. That makes >sense. You identify as a Demo=
crat and seem to be fairly happy with the two party system gene=
rally. >Cool.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am not at all happy with =
the two-party system. It makes both parties lazy and it ensures tha=
t both pander to the lowest common denominator, i.e., the ill-informed.&n=
bsp; You describe John Kerry as a "Ted Kennedy buddy," meaning, I suppose=
, that he's a liberal. I take this as a sign of how far to the righ=
t our political discourse has slipped. Kerry is no liberal. I=
'm a liberal. Dennis Kucinich is a liberal. Kerry is&nbs=
p;a pro-business hawk who has taken positions on the U.N. and the en=
vironment that that notorious liberal Richard Nixon would find entirely s=
ympathetic. (Let's not forget who created the EPA and achieved=
detente with Red China.) Kerry is another pro-choice centrist in t=
he Bill Clinton mode, though thanks to the fact that his home state is Ma=
ssachusetts, the Republicans may yet spin him into the second coming=
of Big Bill Heywood.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I'm not voting third p=
arty this year not just because I'm a Democrat (from the left, left =
wing of the Democratic party) but because I find George Bush te=
rrifying. I used to think he didn't have a ticket to ride the clue =
bus; now I think he's blown the clue bus up. His policies are =
regressive, short-sighted, and, over both the short and the long haul, de=
structive of American democracy, international diplomacy, and the fi=
nancial well-being of people like you and me. Two years' worth=
of war in Iraq will cost us $160 billion, and that's just the begin=
ning. Meanwhile, even by the most conservative estimates, home=
land security is coming up $98 billion short over the next five years.&nb=
sp; Our ports are no safer than they were before 9/11; neither are our ch=
emical plants, our nuclear facilities, our electrical grid, or the r=
est of our infrastructure. We still don't have enough first respond=
ers (police, fire, emergency) and most don't have the equipment=
they need. There's a chronic shortage of radios for our firef=
ighters. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Radios, for God's sake. =
; My kids have walkie-talkies from Wal-Mart; they cost $18 and they can t=
alk to one another up to a mile apart. How is it that we have the m=
oney to pay demobbed Iraqi soldiers to keep them from rioting but we don'=
t have enough to buy protective gear for our police or haz-mat detec=
tion equipment for our cities? We have a President w=
ho doesn't know the difference between a rogue state and stateless terror=
ists. Saddam loved himself more than he hated the United States; th=
e threat of massive retaliation was always a deterrent. You know wh=
y Saddam used poison gas on the Kurds? Because he knew he could get=
away with it. He knew they couldn't defend themselves. He di=
dn't try that trick on Israel. He fired a couple of symbolic SCUDs,=
but he didn't use any of the chemical or biological weapons during the f=
irst Gulf War that we knew he had. (And we knew he had them because=
we sold them to him. Smart us.) When we began amassing our t=
roops in the Persian Gulf, Saddam couldn't back off fast enough.&nbs=
p; Unfortunately, we wouldn't take yes for an answer. </DIV> <DIV>&n=
bsp;</DIV> <DIV>[Attention Bushies: don't bother telling me that the=
world is better off without Saddam. I know that. It would be=
better off without Kim Jong Il, too, but there's not a chance in hell th=
at we're going in to remove him. He's better armed than Saddam=
]</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Al Qaeda is still out there. Our la=
ck of attention to finishing the job in Afghanistan, to rebuild=
ing its infrastructure and ensuring that Hamid Karzai is more t=
han just a figurehead, has allowed Al Qaeda and the Taliban to regroup.&n=
bsp; Shortly after we declared victory in Iraq, Al Qaeda blew up tar=
gets in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. It was a nose-thumbing exercise, =
proof that they still existed. I have no doubt that they will prove=
that to us here at home before long. And then what will =
Mr. Bush say? Will he stall the creation of another 9/11 commission=
and instead declare war on Syria? Or will it be Iran? O=
r Castro's Cuba? To put it clearly if ungrammatically, we'll strike=
at everyone but the ones what done it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>We n=
eed a change of leadership and we need it now. I'm all for changing=
the political system, but at the moment, we've only got 27 weeks. =
If this were George H. W. Bush rather than George W. Bush, I'd agree with=
you. I'd say vote third party. But on this, I'm with Donovan=
GWB is either a dangerous nut or an empty-headed patsy, and =
I firmly believe that we have to lift every voice in a firm attempt to ou=
st him. Even here in (you say, but I disagree) hopeless Idaho.</DIV=
> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment =
</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTM=
L><br clear=3Dall><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download =
: <a href=3D'http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>
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