ath3na's talking points

Well, inevitably I would have gotten to this subject sooner or later, I guess I just figured later rather than sooner, but it's on my mind.

Until recently, and by recently I mean like the past year, I wasn't really, at all, interested in politics. Honestly, I asked my parents for their opinion and pretty much did what they did. This, I have learned, is one of the things I am most ashamed about. Due to their conservative opinions, I voted for Bush. I know, I know. But it was only the first time. Thank God! I apologize now, I recognize my mistakes at least.

So since then, I've developed my own opinions and become quite the liberal, or at least the progressive. I've got XM Radio in my car, so I've gotten to where I listen to AirAmerica radio a lot lately, specifically The Young Turks, and the Sam Sedar Show.

I could go on-and-on about my many opinions on the state our government is in, but I'll start slowly. One topic at a time I say. Else, I'll run out of things to say. The thing that I've thought about the most lately is the war. Isn't everyone? I'd like to preface my thoughts with an image I came across while stumbling yesterday:

I've been watching (in my not-so-spare time) a documentary I borrowed from Netflix called Why We Fight. The summary of the documentary is as follows (borrowed from the Internet Movie Database):

He may have been the ultimate icon of 1950s conformity and postwar complacency, but Dwight D. Eisenhower was an iconoclast, visionary, and the Cassandra of the New World Order. Upon departing his presidency, Eisenhower issued a stern, cogent warning about the burgeoning "military industrial complex," foretelling with ominous clarity the state of the world in 2004 with its incestuous entanglement of political, corporate, and Defense Department interests.

It seems to me that Bush has been pleading for war since he got into office. Every president wants to do something great, as if it isn't enough to be president of the most powerful nation on earth. While I agree that it is unfortunate that other nations live as they do, at least since we seem to have it all, maybe they don't want it all. Some people are happy living their lives as fisherman or farmers. Most of the world has learned that if you want change, you can have it. Why do we find ourselves policing the world? Is this really necessary? We have problems here in the state's that need attention, and yet we send our troops across the globe to be shot at for a seemingly civil war.

I'm just as angry as anyone about terrorists blowing up the beautiful city that is New York, but I'm much more of a peace oriented person rather than a vengeful Nazi (the very loose definition of the word). Bush, if you ask me, shouldn't have even been re-elected, but somehow, even now 30% of the public still supports him. How is that? He exploited the very meaning of election by using moral issues to high-five the conservatives, and particularly the Christians, into voting for him, even though these are things he hasn't even addressed since being in office (thank God!).

I'm to the point that if a Republican gets elected again I may have to move to Canada. HaHa!

Alright, this is enough, for now. I should definitely stop before I go overboard. I have much more thoughts on the matter, but now is not the time. I feel like I've been rather sporadic with my topic today, so I'll give it a break for now.

Please share your opinions, they are definitely welcome here.