Diaries I Read:
Since it seems to be the thing to do today, I�m going to talk politics. Specifically, the presidential election.
As I�ve said before, it seems pretty unpopular in the online journaling world to be Republican, conservative, or (gasp!) pro-Bush. I, however, am all of those things.
I don�t pretend to be super-knowledgeable about politics, but I think I�m about as well informed as most other people, especially most other people posting blogs and online journals.
I�ve been trying to figure out why so many of the journals I read are so anti-Bush. Maybe it�s the age group. Maybe it�s in the nature of those who journal � especially those who journal online � to be a bit more liberal. I really don�t know.
From what I�ve read and heard in these types of forums, I suspect that much of the Bush bashing stems from his stance on gay marriage. I think that in this day and age, most college students and those who were college students not too long ago have been pounded over the head with this message of �Tolerance.� I remember when I was first introduced to the notion of �Tolerance� (with a capital T). It was in high school and we were actually called into the library, class by class, to listen to this lady talk about �Tolerance.� It was about relations with those of different races, religions, classes, etc. Back then, the �gay issue� was not something really discussed in school, although I�m willing to bet it�s fair game now. Anyway, I remember being a little confused, because the message of �Tolerance� seemed so obvious. It seemed like just basic politeness, basic respect. The Golden Rules. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. I thought it was weird that they were giving it this title, �Tolerance.� And I also thought their choice of terminology was a little off. To me, to �tolerate� something was to put up with it despite your real wishes or desire. You �tolerated� something you didn�t necessarily like. You �tolerate� your little brother�s screaming. You �tolerate� Brussels sprouts because your mom makes you. �Tolerating� people didn�t really sound all that nice.
Anyway, I digress. For the last decade or so we�ve all been inundated with these messages of �Tolerance.� So much so that we�re led to believe that we must �tolerate� everything, that nothing is right or wrong. That what�s right for one person is OK because it�s right to them.
But that�s not the truth. There IS absolute right and wrong. And if there isn�t, then there�s complete lawlessness, complete chaos. And, frankly, I think that�s where we�re headed � chaos. We make excuses for everyone and everything. What�s right for you is right for you, and what�s right for me is right for me, and nobody can say anything about it? That�s just insanity. There must be some measure of right and wrong.
And in the name of �Tolerance,� we�ve been led to believe that anyone can do anything they want as long as it�s �right� for them. Including a man marrying a man or a woman marrying a woman. Even though the very definition of marriage has been a sacred relationship between a man and a woman for, like, EVER, now that a few people have decided same-sex marriage is right for them, the whole rest of the world has to accept it. And if we don�t, then we�re not being �Tolerant.� We�re being homophobic. Or bigots. Or Bible thumpers. Or extremists.
Anyway, my point is not to argue against gay marriage. I already did that here . My point is to say that I suspect that�s where Bush turned off a lot of people, especially young people. And if he loses the election because of it, so be it. At least he stood by his convictions. At least he�s a Christian who tries to uphold Christian standards, unlike John Kerry who claims to be a Catholic but has voted in a very non-Catholic manner in the past. I even heard a rumor that the Catholic Church was threatening to excommunicate him if he didn�t start upholding the Catholic doctrines in his policies. But that�s a whole �nother Oprah.
The other big reason I believe most people are anti-Bush (I don�t say pro-Kerry because I don�t think there are many pro-Kerry people out there � I think most people voting for Kerry are doing so just to vote against Bush � and many have admitted to that fact.) is because of the war in Iraq. I won�t even get into the way that Kerry has flip-flopped on that issue. That�s beside the point. Here�s the thing: I think many people are pro-Kerry because they�re against the war.
News flash: NOBODY�S *for* the war. If you ask any sane person on the street if they�re in favor of war, they�d say no. Nobody likes to go to war. Not Democrats, not Republicans, not you, not me, and not Bush. He didn�t go to war because he wanted to. He went to war because, in examining the facts laid before him, he believed it was necessary. A necessary evil.
Nobody is in support of young soldiers dying. Of families being split up. Of innocent civilians being killed. The Republicans don�t like war and fighting and bloodshed. But, for better or for worse, our President decided that using force was the only way to get a dangerous person out of power. To say you�re against the war at this point is really kind of a moot point. We�re there.
And Kerry said he�s not pulling out of there. So whatever miracle the pro-Kerry people think Kerry�s going to perform, forget about it. At this point, we�re in it, and we�re in it until the end.
Of course, Kerry claims, more or less, that if he�d been president at the time things would have turned out differently because he wouldn�t have gone against the U.N. and would have built a �global coalition.� Hello? We tried that. If we�d waited around for the support of a �global coalition,� we�d still be waiting around scratching our butts. Bush simply called �Bullshit� (please excuse my French) and acted like a man. We can�t wait around for everyone�s permission to defend our own country. Sometimes you just have to stand up and take action.
And Kerry�s �plan� for Iraq? I�m still waiting to find out what exactly that is. Maybe he can talk the talk, but Bush has already shown he can walk the walk.
Don�t get me wrong. Bush is not perfect. One thing he�s failed to do (for reasons I do not understand) is secure our borders. That just seems like a no-brainer to me. We�re being attacked by people from the outside, so let�s try to keep them out. It�s public knowledge that Al Qaeda members have been posing as Mexicans to gain entry to our country. Not to mention, the influx of illegal immigrants is draining our system dry. Especially here in California.
But I suppose this hesitance to close the borders circles back to �Tolerance� again. By telling some people they can�t enter our country, even though they�re BREAKING THE LAW, we�re not showing �Tolerance.� We�re not being sensitive enough. Well, enough of the touchy-feely crap. There comes a time when we have to protect our own.
And last but not least, there�s the fact that world has become a scary, scary place. I feel like we�re in a downward spiral. And I�ve said this before, our only hope is God. He is the only one that can get us out of this mess. And, once again, in the name of �Tolerance,� we�re trying to erase God from our culture, our constitution, our country. Bush may not be perfect, and nobody is, but at least he�s trying to lead our country in a Christ-like manner. I believe he�s trying to follow God�s word, and I believe that he approaches his decisions prayerfully. And that, my friends, is the only thing worth betting on these days.
Note: If you don�t agree with me, I don�t take offense. I�ve been reading a lot of journals out there, and most of their authors don�t agree, and I still read them, and I still like them. Just wanted to spew a few thoughts here�
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004