Republicans and drunk drivers…

Looking back, I wish I had purchased a camera phone to ensure that I have at all times, a means of digitally recording those thought provoking moments in life that words cannot explain.  As I pulled the drive through of local fast food restaurant on a recent evening, I noticed a beer can, standing upright, on the bumper of the truck in front of my car.  On closer look, I noticed that the beer can was positioned directly over a “W ‘04” sticker.  Initially, a million humorous thoughts about “redneck Republicans”  and George W’s own documented past with DWI’s ran through my head, but after further reflection I now realize it represents a more serious thought. 

 

As well know, drinking and driving do NOT mix.  The drunk driver represents a person who has bad judgment.  The beer can on the bumper of the truck kind of symbolizes the Republican party to me—a party full of bad decisions, which may be bring temporary relief but sure to end in tragedy. 

 

During the height of the “Reagan Revolution”, conservative thought dominated our nation’s foreign policy.  Stretching back into the Nixon and Ford administration, we see this same “what works now” type of philosophy.  Whether you realize it or not, Donald “Rummy” Rummsfield, Dick “The Cardiac Kid” Cheney, and many other members of the present Bush administration had a direct hand in placing Sadam Hussein in power in Iraq.  They saw it as a temporary means to defeating the evil “Iranians”.  They didn’t bother to think of future consequences.  So, when you think of the atrocities committed by men like “Chemical” Ali, thank Rummy for his own brand of “drunk driving.” (but keep in mind Westerners, Winston Churchill specifically, were the first ones to consider gassing the Kurds).  When you hear the horror stories from the people of Iraq, thank a Republican, they put the system in place that allowed the torture to occur.  When you see an innocent Iraqi child murdered in the streets of Bagdhad, when you hear of American soldier killed in the line of fire, thank America’s most notorious “drunk drivers”, the Republican Party.

 

For those of you still searching for the link between 9/11 and Iraq here you go…the Republicans are responsible for both.  Not only did the Republican Party put Sadam Hussein in power, but they also made Osama bin Laden and the Taliban very rich and powerful.  You see, during the 1980’s, we had a much different threat. Ronald Wilson Reagan was still living in the 1950’s…a time when he led a witch hunt against his friends in Hollywood trying to weed out suspected communists….He carried that fervor with him into the White House and was determined to battle communism regardless of the cost.  Forget that he destroyed our economy with his spending, instead focus on the fact that he funded, with money and weapons, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in their fight against the Soviets occupying Afghanistan.  Like a drunk driver, the Republicans in power didn’t bother to think, “what potential harm could this have on our country”…they saw it merely as a means to fight communism…NEWSFLASH: Communism was…and ultimately did kill itself…no man..no political system..no Star Wars program brought the Iron Curtain down…it fell because of the laws of nature.

 

Drunk drivers make very bad decisions.  Sometimes their decision to drink and drive ends in tragedy, anger and outrage are expected and acceptable forms of response to their actions.  It doesn’t necessarily make them bad people, just shows they are incapable of making competent decisions.  They need treatment and our love and support.  Republicans are the same way, incapable of rational thought but not “bad people” by nature. 

 

From the Archives: August 10, 2004

Please note, the following is the first of a multi-part series entitled, “From the Archives,” an attempt on my part to consolidate my previous blogs. The following entry, entitled, “Fear This,” was drafted following the 2004 Democratic National Convention, on August 10, 2004, and is extremely relevant in this election cycle. It’s amazing how my thoughts on Barack Obama have shifted since that time (see the other posts on this blog). This post will remain here for one week, at which time I will move it to August, 10, 2004.

Throughout the Democratic National Convention speakers referenced the immortal words from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Roosevelt’s words spawned over 30 years of progressive politics, government reform, and foreign policy that made this country what we see today. During this span, from Roosevelt’s first term through the Johnson administration, the United States went from an isolated power in the grips of a “Great Depression” to a shinning beacon of freedom, prosperity and equality for all the world to see.

The policies of this period engendered an internal metamorphosis of the Republican Party, which transformed the Republicans from the “party of Lincoln” to the party of fear. Conservatives launched gratuitous attacks against the “New Deal, “Fair Deal”, and the “Great Society”, pandering to public fears caused by economic and social changes. In a similar fashion, Republicans today feed off fears of an American public caught in the midst of a changing world. The Bush administration understands the simple precepts of fear: Fear is the product of ignorance. Keep American’s uninformed or present only partial information and fear will rein supreme.

Recently, Annie Jacobsen wrote an article for the conservative publication Women’s Wall Street, detailing “suspicious activities” of 14 Syrian passengers on a flight. On the surface, Jacobsen’s article delivers an alarming report on government oversight and inactivity on the part of air marshals, but the questions not asked confirm the true nature of the article. Terrorists proved through 9/11 that with five people they could bring down an aircraft, why sacrifice 14 terrorists on one flight when their numbers could be better divided on more flights and inflict more damage? Could these people be traveling together and wish to associate with each other for that reason? Authorities determined that the 14 Syrian passengers were musicians traveling to a show in Las Vegas-is it not logical that musicians, traveling in a country where people judge them by their ethnicity, would stick together?

While Jacobsen paints a poignant picture of families crying, the stewardess desperately searching for someone to take action, and even Jacobsen’s own “spiritual rebirth”, the article clearly illustrates how many in our nation have become incapacitated by fear. On September 11, 2001, passengers on Flight 93 saw suspicious activity and instead of being paralyzed by fear, they rose to the occasion and saved countless lives in the Washington, D.C. area. Where were the heroes of Jacobsen’s flight?

Republicans hope to incapacitate voters by fear. Not only do they constantly raise and lower the “terror threat level” without giving us hard evidence, but they also issue ambiguous warnings about election terror and are seeking powers to postpone the election in the event of a terrorist attack. Wouldn’t a terrorist attack be the perfect time for an election? Obviously it would be a sign that our elected officials had failed us.

Perhaps even more frightening are the “social fears” raised by the Bush administration. While our economy continues to sink and our own soldiers continue to die in Iraq, Bush felt a threat from homosexuals who seek to participate in the rights of marriage. They warned American’s that homosexuals threatened the “sanctity of marriage”. Clearly, Bush has never associated with homosexuals and neither have the people who buy into his thinking. Homosexuals present no threat to anyone. The only threat to marriage is marriage itself. Evangelicals try and convince my generation that marriage is the only appropriate vehicle to engage in certain activities. As a result, many young people flock to the altar to marry for the sake of marriage and the honeymoon is short lived, divorce rates skyrocket. Until we dispel the Puritanical myths of the “right” marriage will continue to crumble.

Republicans tell American’s to “fear” Democrats because they will raise taxes. Yes, Democrats do wish to raise taxes but only on those who make $200,000 or more a year and deserve and can afford to contribute more to this great nation. To those of you in the upper class I say congratulations you’ve made it, but with your wealth comes extra social responsibility.

In his acceptance speech, John Kerry said, “The future doesn’t belong to fear; it belongs to freedom.” How fitting to close the convention with these encouraging words. The same convention that introduced the world to young, vibrant leaders such as Barack Obama, pushing a message of unity and strength, closes with a message to combat fear in our homeland.