The big news in the last day or two is of a new video from Osama bin Laden...criticizing Democrats for not stopping the war. The video is currently being analyzed by several intelligence agencies (oxymoron, no?), but I find it highly suspicious that while Bush is still taking heat from the Iraq war and the 2008 presidential election is getting into full swing, a video comes from the 9/11 mastermind to criticize Democrats. (Disclaimer: I'm registered as an independent and vote in each election based on the candidates, not party lines) It wasn't the Democratic party that led us into this war, but the Republican party. Bin Laden has not been seen in almost 3 years (last videotape was in October 2004) and not heard from in over a year. Now all of a sudden a video comes out blaming the continued war on Democrats. Unless I'm mistaken, wasn't it the Democrats who tried to cut of funding to the war and push for a troop withdrawal plan? Now bin Laden, who hates Western society and more specifically the United States, is picking political parties? Maybe he only hates Democrats now...sure it was the Republicans who started the war, but the Democrats haven't been able to stop it, so it must be their fault.
In a somewhat similar topic: People often ask me about my political affiliation or about who I think will be victorious in a particular election, and they are stopped in their tracks when I say I'm apathetic towards politics. Why am I apathetic? First, it has turned into a mud-slinging adventure. Apparently the goal of a campaign is not to get elected based on your beliefs, but to discredit/humiliate/insult your opponents so that the public is forced to pick the lesser of two evils. Everyone has a past life and everybody has made mistakes. Most of the negative campaign ads deal with mistakes, quotes, or situations that I believe are irrelevant as well as a distraction to the real issues. Why not spend the money in a more responsible manner? Donate it to the people of the country who are suffering.
The other reason I'm apathetic to politics is that I believe it is killing the American morale. Campaigns now take years and years (a fall 2008 election means starting to campaign in 2005/2006?) often overshadowing other very news-worthy events/issues. With the negative campaign ads, all that is happening is that the United States is being divided along political party lines. Along the same lines, political division is often used as an excuse when a politician doesn't get his/her way. It's always because the other party won't let it happen. We should have a political system without parties, where our elected officials work together on strengthening the United States, not one where they hid behind party affiliations.
No comments:
Post a Comment