Wednesday September 15, 2004
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Wednesday September 15, 2004 | Babylon 5 and George Bush | Life |
Reading watt's blog (and the comments) on George W. Bush got me thinking. I used to watch the SciFi show Babylon 5 and some of the stuff Bush does gives me flashbacks to one of the long story arcs in the show.
In the story, Earth's evil president is looking to maintain power, so he demonizes a group of people, creating an enemy that people will fear. He uses that fear to create programs that "protect" the people, but also remove their rights. There is even a government organization called "Home Guard" which is just too similar to "Homeland Defense" for me. And while Babylon 5 is, of course, fiction, the ideas are all based on historical happenings such as the rise of the Nazi party and the McCarthy hearings.
So, while I'm not saying that Bush is this bad, I do feel like he and the Republicans are manipulating the American people, using fear tactics to stay in power. It's also scary to see dissenting opinions labeled as "un-American" or "unpatriotic." For the record, I support a war on terror, but a smart war. It seems like we're fighting a dumb war at the moment.
Would John Kerry do any better? I can't really say. However, if weren't talking about things we fear, mine is how much the rest of the world hates us. I don't think Bush can, or even wants to, repair that damage. Kerry at least says he does.
For those who think I'm just another Democrat, I'm not. Technically, I'm registered Republican because (1) I believe in the concept of smaller government, and (2) because I can vote in republican primaries. Almost all Democrats are the same since the really "out there" liberals are all in the smaller parties like Green, Peace and Freedom, etc. However, There is no Green Party equivalent for conservatives, so the Republican party has everything from moderates (like me) to really scary, wacko, religious right psychos. Thus, my objective is to keep the more reasonable Republicans in the final elections.
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September 15, 2004 03:30 PM PDT
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I can't think of a B5 character that is as flip-flop as John Kerry. Perhaps Londo Molari? I don't think Bush is creating an enemy for people to fear so he can stay in power. The jerks that flew those planes on 9/11and all the people like them are very real. Islamic extremism is a known, evil enemy, not a conjured-up fear; but they rely on guerilla tactics and terrorism. That's not an easy enemy to fight...
If you think Kerry will fix the economy, improve our world image, and keep us safe, you should check your spacesuit for oxygen leaks...
Posted by Anonymous on September 15, 2004 at 03:49 PM PDT #
Londo and Kerry do both have big hair!
I didn't say the Bush created the enemy (but I should have stated that more clearly), but I do feel that he is playing the fear card too often and creating an environment that scares people into ignoring the big picture. Iraq is not the hotbed of terrorism (or WMDs) that he claimed. I'd rather see our resources deployed where the real problems are, like back in Afghanistan, Iran, the (up and coming) Philippines and Indonesia. Note, I said "resources" not necessarily troops.
Also note that we can't just go to all of those places without the permission and aid of these countries, and other countries. The war on terror is a global effort, not just the United States' problem, so it's time that we started playing as a team. There is no "i" in team, but there is one in "terrorist." :)
I totally agree on the manipulation of American people. Your point on being "Unpatriotic" if you don't support the war is a dirty, ignorant tactic used by Republicans. And we can all agree "We ALL support the troops" some of us just don't support the war itself. Having recently traveled overseas, it would definetly help to have Kerry in office instead of Bush. Have you seen the International citizens agreement with this war? Including Britian? Americans are the only country that even half way supports our the invasion of Iraq. Most are under 10%!. And I too support a War on Terror, but a war on Iraq who has less to do with the terrorist attacks then most countries, I do not. (another manupulation tactic used in which everyone thinks the two are connected.
Posted by Anonymous on September 15, 2004 at 05:20 PM PDT #
"There is no Green Party equivalent for conservatives"
You should check out the <a href = "http://www.lp.org">Libertarian Party, The <a href = "http://www.consitutionparty.com">Constitution Party, or even the <a href = "http://www.rlc.org">Republican Liberty Caucus
Posted by Anonymous on September 16, 2004 at 07:16 AM PDT #
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