Politics
First, let me go on the record to say that I still read my friends page daily. Though my job keeps me busy enough that I don't have much time to post entries or comments, I still read everything you all write.
Now, for what I'm here to write about: the presidential election. (I felt that a short statement from me on it was somewhat obligatory.) I feel like now is the right time, since both the GOP and Democratic tickets are finalized.
On the right/left political scale, I'm over there near Dennis Kucinich; I've made no claims to the contrary. I believe that radical reform is necessary on a fairly regular basis to weed out corruption and keep new ideas flowing. Government should not be static, just as American culture is not static. Government should serve the needs of the people, not dictate them.
(As a side note, it should be said that my level of trust of politicians, generally, is directly proportional to the amount of time they've held public office. I think corruption in most cases is inevitable, and politicians should be cut off from public service before they get to that point.)
I know both candidates' platforms, at least at a general level. I generally agree with Obama where I disagree with McCain. I'm not thrilled with either candidate's choice for a running mate - Biden has a pretty crappy voting record on technology, and Palin has (for only a short time) been governing one of the more corrupt states in the union (and far as I can tell, didn't do much to stop it). But Biden brings foreign policy expertise, and Palin brings the youthfulness that McCain's campaign is SORELY in need of.
I don't approve of the initial media attacks at Palin directed at her family. Yes, her support of abstinence-only education inflames the situation regarding her pregnant daughter, but the fact is that even if all kids knew about all the forms of birth control, some kids would still get knocked up. Yes, her husband had a DUI at one point. That makes him a stupid bastard, but it's irrelevant to her job performance. A fishing violation - that's just laughable. Now...if SHE had a DUI, then we could call into question her judgement. But her husband is not the one applying for the job, she is.
On the subject of Palin's family as well, I've heard a lot about her baby, and who would take care of it while she's helping run the country. What do they think her husband will be doing? I think it's incredibly sexist to think that the woman in the relationship must do the majority of parenting.
But I have digressed. I know the tickets. I know the platforms. I know the policies. If that was all that was on the table, I'd vote for Obama. But these last years, we've been in a fruitless war that has done nothing but shed innocent blood, American and Iraqi alike. I believe this is due primarily to two things: corruption in the upper echelons of government (think Halliburton) and a Commander-in-Chief who is totally out of touch with reality.
But the overall feeling I have is that George W. Bush is, in his heart, not a peaceful person. It is not in his personality to try to resolve problems in a way that does not exert his full power. He must feel inadequate in some way, to need to express power in this way, but that's another topic.
My point is, I feel that Obama is, at his very core, a peaceful person. McCain is not. He is a warrior. He was tortured in POW camps, he flew fighter jets, he has been a soldier, taught to kill, and he has seen the worst of people. As admirable as these traits are, this is not the person you want running the country. Maybe the kind of person you want running the military, but not running the civilian side of things.
And that is why I am voting for Obama. I am voting for peace.
Now, for what I'm here to write about: the presidential election. (I felt that a short statement from me on it was somewhat obligatory.) I feel like now is the right time, since both the GOP and Democratic tickets are finalized.
On the right/left political scale, I'm over there near Dennis Kucinich; I've made no claims to the contrary. I believe that radical reform is necessary on a fairly regular basis to weed out corruption and keep new ideas flowing. Government should not be static, just as American culture is not static. Government should serve the needs of the people, not dictate them.
(As a side note, it should be said that my level of trust of politicians, generally, is directly proportional to the amount of time they've held public office. I think corruption in most cases is inevitable, and politicians should be cut off from public service before they get to that point.)
I know both candidates' platforms, at least at a general level. I generally agree with Obama where I disagree with McCain. I'm not thrilled with either candidate's choice for a running mate - Biden has a pretty crappy voting record on technology, and Palin has (for only a short time) been governing one of the more corrupt states in the union (and far as I can tell, didn't do much to stop it). But Biden brings foreign policy expertise, and Palin brings the youthfulness that McCain's campaign is SORELY in need of.
I don't approve of the initial media attacks at Palin directed at her family. Yes, her support of abstinence-only education inflames the situation regarding her pregnant daughter, but the fact is that even if all kids knew about all the forms of birth control, some kids would still get knocked up. Yes, her husband had a DUI at one point. That makes him a stupid bastard, but it's irrelevant to her job performance. A fishing violation - that's just laughable. Now...if SHE had a DUI, then we could call into question her judgement. But her husband is not the one applying for the job, she is.
On the subject of Palin's family as well, I've heard a lot about her baby, and who would take care of it while she's helping run the country. What do they think her husband will be doing? I think it's incredibly sexist to think that the woman in the relationship must do the majority of parenting.
But I have digressed. I know the tickets. I know the platforms. I know the policies. If that was all that was on the table, I'd vote for Obama. But these last years, we've been in a fruitless war that has done nothing but shed innocent blood, American and Iraqi alike. I believe this is due primarily to two things: corruption in the upper echelons of government (think Halliburton) and a Commander-in-Chief who is totally out of touch with reality.
But the overall feeling I have is that George W. Bush is, in his heart, not a peaceful person. It is not in his personality to try to resolve problems in a way that does not exert his full power. He must feel inadequate in some way, to need to express power in this way, but that's another topic.
My point is, I feel that Obama is, at his very core, a peaceful person. McCain is not. He is a warrior. He was tortured in POW camps, he flew fighter jets, he has been a soldier, taught to kill, and he has seen the worst of people. As admirable as these traits are, this is not the person you want running the country. Maybe the kind of person you want running the military, but not running the civilian side of things.
And that is why I am voting for Obama. I am voting for peace.