One thing I've never heard aybody address is why 9/11 happened in the first place! Yeah, Alqueda is nuts, but why is it that it happened so shortly after Bush took office, and why was it so violent?
It's true that we were also attacked when Clinton was in office, but those attacks were much less severe, and Clinton didn't let them side track the country or use them as an excuse to further his own goals.
I have long held the opinion that the reason we were attacked so soon on Bush's watch was BECAUSE of Bush and his cronies! He came riding in in his first campaign as an ignorant isolationist (remember when he was asked the name of a president and didn't know it?). He's still an isolationist and is set on closing off our country to the point where even we can't circulate! He's like an abusive parent who chains a child to their bed to keep them from misbehaving and/or learning anything "corrupting" about the world! I think that we were attacked not just because Al Queda is whacked, but because Bush and his people are SO extreme. To other countries and factions, our President is the face of our country. To other countries, Bush is percieved as a threat, and when the President is perceived as a threat, WE as a country are perceived as a threat! It makes me afraid to live here...We cannot go around acting as if we will attack and kill others, or they will do it to us fist.
Earlier in this thread, there was talk of conservatism being a measure of morality. How much MORE immoral can the present regime be? We're talking about a guy who, like a little boy, couldn't handle the fact that he had lost the election. Even though Al Gore had won the popular vote, he kicked and screamed and cried in the state where his brother (can you say nepotism?) was Governor and spent countless US dollars and lots of time (destabilizing the country) forcing a recount, rather than taking his loss like a man and a gentleman.
Morality? When he finally recovered from his childish hissy fit, he and his bunch of criminals proceded to dismantle our constitution, destabilize our economy, and generally make it harder for normal, rational people to survive. Evidence of their total lack of caring for the welfare of their citizens was Katrina. By the time it hit, they had the whole "Homeland Security"mess so underway that in their fervor for "Security", they couldn't even provide protection for their own people! How big a deal would it have been to airdrop water, food, and portapotties into New Orleans, instead of wasting time arguing and defending who knew what when? We have the greatest resources in the world, yet our "Leaders" let people die of neglect! How moral is that?
And the Plame case! This womans life was ruined because her husband was critical of the administration! So then Scooter is convicted, but at the last second, gets clemency! That case should have gone all the way to Cheney, who was the one who took offense in the first place!
And Alberto Gonzalez! We've all watched as the baby faced liar lies to Congress, then changes his story, and is told to go home and get his story straight!
The self serving nature of all these people goes on and on...They jacked the economy around so much, that the people with the most are making the most, and normal people like me have a hard time making a living! I had an up and coming business, literally, until Bush came into office. I was doing fine. Now, I'm pretty much ruined. I still have my bike only because I won't sell it.
And the morality of an administration who LIES to the country telling them that the economy is doing so well, never mentioning the fact that here in Michigan, a state that has been consistently one of the largest producers in the country now has the highest unemployment rate in the country (presently over 7%), I simply can't understand. Michigan needs help, yet the administration ignores us...thinks we just need to buck up...just like New Orleans...
Yes, I hate these people. No, I'm not a terrorist, and will not go on a rampage...and I think it's shameful that as I said that, I felt as if I had to add the part about not being a terrorist because I fear that somebody may be watching... but I think that the people who are in charge are absolute criminals and paranoids, and should be prosecuted and sentenced to prison. Not only have they not helped our country, they've harmed us, and we have so much blind faith in our legal process that we just go on, assuming that the wrongs will be rectified... To me, that's what patriotism is...a trust and support in our country, but I don't think we can trust anymore. I think we all have to stand up and exert another meaning of patriotism...the ability to question, and the duty to do so.
These people have to go. I just hope the people have learned that "Morality" doesn't just mean that you go to church.