September 22, 2006
-
Sad
I’m just really sad for my country. I can’t believe people are still saying that the Dixie Chicks shouldn’t have criticized the president while in another country, that “he’s our president” (someone just said this to me the other day). I’m sad for what my country has become, how he turned a world full of support and sympathy from such unlikely sources as Russia and IRAN even, after 9/11, into most of the world hating us, except for the Hispanics that want to pledge allegiance in Spanish, to which our own people respond with anger because they haven’t yet learned English. Doesn’t anybody know how to make friends?
I’m sad that the man who is our face to the rest of the world, is compared to Hitler and the Devil (recently at the UN), but I’m more sad that our nation under Bush invites those analogies. I’m sad that we torture, and that we do it in other countries to avoid the legal limitations in our own country. I’m sad that we went to war without international support. I’m sad that we don’t support democracy, that even at home our elections aren’t credible. I’m sad that innocent people, yes innocent people, suffer at my country’s hands. And I’m sad that not enough of my people care.
How can people criticize the president? How can they not? If there’s anything that can be done that can help to change this terrible path we are on, the time to speak up is always now. (As Charlie Parker wrote, “Now’s the Time” – and as Martin Luther King, Jr said, “later invariably means never”). And I’m not ashamed to say that I want to let the reasonable people out there in other countries know that I agree with them. We are not all like him. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I haven’t done more to change it.
Comments (7)
Actually you can do more about it. Keep speaking up!
RYC: The interesting thing is you do sell your "own" work everyday! That is unless you are unemployed and/or not running your business. You see what I mean? We sell our talents to the highest bidder anyway. Therefore, when you are selling your intellectual property, you are just absorbing more of the risk, which of course means more of the profits and/or losses. It really has nothing to do with ego, it's about earning money, so I can eat, pay bills, and have shelter. There's no mystery.
"Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money." - Jules Renard
I have to admit I was rather ticked off with the Dixie Chicks for their criticism of our president while in another country for two reasons: First they are there to perform, not to deliver political opinions and secondly I know he's not the best president we've had but I see their statements as showing our dirty laundry so to speak. I'm not saying they aren't allowed to speak their minds, but there is a time and place and an concert in another country is not either. I'd feel the same if the performed here in the US and criticised him... I am very critical of him for a great many of his policies, including his stance on the working man, economics, and foreign relations. And I do exercise my right to free speech on my blog and in appropriate places.
I'm quite sad as well that he is the face of our country and I'd like people in other countries to know not all of us are like him, but the DC's have gone the wrong way with it. I do have to admit the hispanic thing also irritates me since we have people from a lot of different countries and nationalities living here that have lived here for years and yet there is no outcry for the Pledge to be in Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Gaelic, Itialian, etc. I'm ticked that people see the illegal immigrants as something to be coddled, given more rights than citizens have, and just allowed in despite them breaking immigration laws and the fact such an action is a slap in the face to those immigrants who came here legally, and went through all of the processes that made them American citizens.
*jumps off of the soapbox*
Who would you like to see become president next?
Vicky - not Hillary. Partly because I want someone to run who can actually win, and secondly I don't really like her all that much. If there was a woman I would support I'm a big fan of Barbara Boxer. And I also wish someone like Russ Feingold would run. Those are two people who speak their minds. But as someone said, a ham sandwich would be better than this president. I'd actually be satisfied if we could have a credible election and let the people actually decide. I'd be a lot happier if we actually had democracy, even if my candidate lost (which in two elections past, he wouldn't have).
athynz - Well, I understand how you feel, but my take on speech in "appropriate" places is that if it doesn't get heard it isn't as appropriate a place as one that gets heard, not to belittle the wide reach of your blog (or mine, of course).
It could be pointed out also that it was the outrage over what the Dixie Chick said that gave it the publicity it had. If people didn't make such a big deal about it, it wouldn't even have aired out any laundry. Regardless, if you've got dirty laundy, you need to air it out, don't you? Otherwise it will continue to stink.
But I just can't understand how someone can be criticized for trying to stop something that is really bad. I give them the credit for saying something BEFORE the war even started. I wish more people had stood up for that in even more "appropriate" places, like congress for example.
I'm a Canadian and when I heard the DEMOCRAT who represents Harlem (where Hugo Chavez made his comments against Bush) said that no one but Americans can criticize Bush, I guffawed with incredulity. When the actions and decisions of any leader of any country affects the lives and very survival of millions of others OUTSIDE of the country they lead, all cards are off the table. When their actions results in certain countries falling into chaos, I believe those involved have the right to speak out against them.
And I'm not sure but by having voted him in, the 51% of your country has made themselves complicit in the atrocities of Bush.
But hey, who am I to say, I'm just a Canadian (wink).
hey prom! nice to see you!!! yeah, i think that democracy is long gone in america, sadly......and what's worse is that people just let it slip away.....they all seem to be able to rationalize the stripping away of civil liberties (like being able to have an opinion) and they rationalize all the crap that bush is doing....i don't understand it....i suppose it's all the prozac and sleeping pills that the pharmecutical companies are pushing on people....let's put them all to sleep so that they don't care what's going on around them.....
nova9 - despite the blog I just posted, where I do blame the people, I do feel compelled to point out that the last two elections were stolen through a variety of techniques that by all evidence included electonic fraud, denial of voting rights and efforts to make it much more difficult to vote in democratic districts than in republican districts. So, a majority actually didn't elect Bush, but then again, where's the outrage?
Comments are closed.