I can't stop..Help...Say it isn't so
Please tell me this is not true. Someone, please say this is not really happening, but is merely a nightmare and is about to be over?Otherwise I feel like the lights are going off. And I cannot help but feeling it more and more after I read.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1108-01.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-01.htm
Or if it is happening please tell me it is not going to be so much, so bad, so soon? I am slowly descending into a state of panic and utter depression?So I am looking for some assurance?please give me something?
I really want to think that I am overreacting and my feelings are caused by my being new here and not yet understand everything. Maybe this is frustrating to me because of pre-existing expectations I may have had when arrived here. Many new comers do harbor idealistic and sometimes even romantic notions about what this country is. Some of them turn out to be false, but it is most painful to witness the ones that are true to start crumbling in front of your own eyes?
Back home there were many critics and even haters of America. Most of them never been in the States and were simply blinded by remnants of old propaganda. I always argued with them and tried to prove them wrong although I had never been here either. I tried to clear my mind of any opinions to be able to see and judge by myself. However deep down I think I always thought of America as force for good in the world, striving to make it better and fairer, and a paradise for its own citizens where everyone is supported and no one forgotten. But above all I thought of it as not simply a country, but as an idea, principle, a state of mind everyone is looking for?Despite of everything that happened during past several years and in spite of the darkness slowly surrounding us, I will keep looking and hope to find it. But for now I can't help but ask ? "Where is America?"
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1108-01.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1106-01.htm
Or if it is happening please tell me it is not going to be so much, so bad, so soon? I am slowly descending into a state of panic and utter depression?So I am looking for some assurance?please give me something?
I really want to think that I am overreacting and my feelings are caused by my being new here and not yet understand everything. Maybe this is frustrating to me because of pre-existing expectations I may have had when arrived here. Many new comers do harbor idealistic and sometimes even romantic notions about what this country is. Some of them turn out to be false, but it is most painful to witness the ones that are true to start crumbling in front of your own eyes?
Back home there were many critics and even haters of America. Most of them never been in the States and were simply blinded by remnants of old propaganda. I always argued with them and tried to prove them wrong although I had never been here either. I tried to clear my mind of any opinions to be able to see and judge by myself. However deep down I think I always thought of America as force for good in the world, striving to make it better and fairer, and a paradise for its own citizens where everyone is supported and no one forgotten. But above all I thought of it as not simply a country, but as an idea, principle, a state of mind everyone is looking for?Despite of everything that happened during past several years and in spite of the darkness slowly surrounding us, I will keep looking and hope to find it. But for now I can't help but ask ? "Where is America?"
posted by Shus at 3:05 PM
1 Comments:
The biggest problem with Americans is they take for granted what many foreigners envy us for- our democracy. It's good that you are so involved- more Americans should follow your example. I once new a kid from Lebanon who came here at a very early age. These were the pre -9/11 days and he eventually moved to Texas in the late nineties- I'm sure being an Arab in Texas is good these days (that's a joke). In fact, we called him Alex but his real name was Farouk El- Ballah (I'm sure he's on the no-fly list with a name like that). Anyway, he was deeply distrustful of government, because he came from a war torn country with a dictatorship. He never understood why Americans were so seemingly trustful of their own government.
80 million people eligible to vote last week didn't even bother. Most Americans think freedom is primetime TV. As a result of our apathy, we now have a one party system (hopefully temporarily)for the extremely wealthy and extremely religious. You already know this, but Bush won because of a multi-million dollar ad campaign that defined his opponent as "weak", and because he used the oldest political trick in the book- keep the people in fear (Sept 11th helped Bush tremendously). Religious conservatives may have helped Bush get elected in the Bible Belt, but hopefully they will be given a backseat for 4yrs while the Republicans get down to their real goals- rolling back taxes and helping the rich.
They say second terms never go very well. The Republicans have taken thirty years to get to this point- now lets see if they retreat from their hard right agenda, or the party itself starts fighting internally as moderates attempt to wrestle control. Republicans have been in complete control of the country for several years, and got there by appeasing bigots, hawks (war lovers), the rich, and the religious. They are a party of extremes that is now solely responsible for a record deficit, lack of job creation, a disastrous foreign policy with Iraq at the forefront, and a culturally divided nation. Their second term agenda to "fix" social security and the tax code (for the wealthy that is) may help to pull the country back towards our side by 2008 and beyond. I can't write the history book just yet, but so far, the Republican conservative agenda that they've worked so hard to create doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I believe they have a problem- extremists got them elected and they need them for future elections, but to appease them through court appointments and legislation is to tread dangerously on civil liberties and the government's secularism- and they run the risk of losing the majority of Americans who are socially moderate and middle class. We are a powerful voting bloc that is currently a sleeping giant. If Republicans make too many waves, they will quickly lose what took them thirty years to build.
Democrats in the meantime need to learn how to connect better with voters- they have the better ideas, they just haven't sold them properly. Most Americans don't want more guns on the street, believe in women's reproductive rights, and believe in civil rights for homosexual couples. Those are just a few divisive issues we can win in the court of public opinion. We lost this election because of fear and Sept 11th, and because we are engaged in war. We can't give up hope. Grab your cowboy hat and lets go convert some southerners to progressive Democrats!! Yee-haw!
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