Losing faith in the U.S.
A wise friend from Seattle, Mr. Tobias, once told me that "a whole lot of Americans don't think like me", or something to that effect. Mr. Tobias made this statement after taking a month-long motorcycle tour from the west to east coast of the United States. He said that "out there in the middle" were a whole lot of people that didn't think like me.
I remember thinking that, while I recognized some truth in what he said, I just didn't buy the whole argument. I believed at the end of the day, Americans were good people who would do the right thing (most of this was related to post 9/11, Iraq war stuff). Now, I'm not so sure. Every week it seems, the Bush Administration and his Republican cronies are presented with a new low - the second round of Abu Ghraib photos, Jack Abramoff, spying on American citizens without a warrant, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq always getting worse, election irregularities.
Each time one of these things is revealed, I think to myself, this will be the one that finally sends them down. The American people will not tolerate this. But somehow, I've been wrong every single time. The American people have tolerated every single injustice of President Bush and the Republican Party.
You might say that I'm influenced by the liberal media that highligts every single negative of the Administration. I don't doubt that the media is in the business of reacting, trying to get the next lead that gives them an edge over the competition. Despite the littany of abuses of this President, however, I have yet to see one of the major newspapers call for impeachment. And in my opinion, far more than the abuses of President Clinton, this Presidency deserves to be impeached.
I'm left at the point where I'm starting to believe like my friend, that maybe I am different than the majority of my fellow countrymen. That my views don't fall within the range of what Americans will and will not accept. It's not the first time it's happened. I remember when some really educated friends changed my viewpoint on corporations in the United States , and how at the end of the day, they aren't necessarily on the side of the average American. I guess I'm just disappointed to find that I'm not even on the side of the average American. I hope I'm proven wrong, because that is an awfully disappointing worldview to accept.
I remember thinking that, while I recognized some truth in what he said, I just didn't buy the whole argument. I believed at the end of the day, Americans were good people who would do the right thing (most of this was related to post 9/11, Iraq war stuff). Now, I'm not so sure. Every week it seems, the Bush Administration and his Republican cronies are presented with a new low - the second round of Abu Ghraib photos, Jack Abramoff, spying on American citizens without a warrant, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq always getting worse, election irregularities.
Each time one of these things is revealed, I think to myself, this will be the one that finally sends them down. The American people will not tolerate this. But somehow, I've been wrong every single time. The American people have tolerated every single injustice of President Bush and the Republican Party.
You might say that I'm influenced by the liberal media that highligts every single negative of the Administration. I don't doubt that the media is in the business of reacting, trying to get the next lead that gives them an edge over the competition. Despite the littany of abuses of this President, however, I have yet to see one of the major newspapers call for impeachment. And in my opinion, far more than the abuses of President Clinton, this Presidency deserves to be impeached.
I'm left at the point where I'm starting to believe like my friend, that maybe I am different than the majority of my fellow countrymen. That my views don't fall within the range of what Americans will and will not accept. It's not the first time it's happened. I remember when some really educated friends changed my viewpoint on corporations in the United States , and how at the end of the day, they aren't necessarily on the side of the average American. I guess I'm just disappointed to find that I'm not even on the side of the average American. I hope I'm proven wrong, because that is an awfully disappointing worldview to accept.
posted by AARFZ at 3:50 PM
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