Stop being so reactionary
posted in General |It’s clear, especially from the last election, that the Republicans have figured out how to push the buttons of the Democrats. They have done an excellent job of figuring out how to splinter us, causing us to argue amongst ourselves and let them, with more of a united push to take control. By “last election,” I do not mean the primary we just suffered through, but rather the 2004 elections. And I’m afraid, as you should be too, that they will continue to do this, and our country will continue to suffer.
This week and the next few weeks in the US Senate are a good example of diversionary, splintering tactics. The Senate will be discussing banning Gay Marriage, Flag Burning, and they continue to discuss Immigration. These are not important topics. When given the choice to investigate the President’s abuse of power and total disregard for United States law, these Senators want to discuss Flag Burning. When was this last an issue? When given the chance to do something meaningful about our open ports and the lack of cargo examination, they want to argue about how to keep Mexicans from entering without permission. I don’t see threats from the Mexican border; but then I don’t believe that terrorists will be trying to take over more airplanes.
Given our eroding personal rights, these Senators want, not to strengthen us, but to declare some forms of love to be “wrong,” and to ally the United States even more closely with the Religous right.
This is another election year, and then the “big” presidential race in 2008. By then, the Democratic party leaders need to agree on one, two or maybe three main fields of battle.
First, we need to strengthen our home support. Stop the erosion of our personal freedoms and rights. Repeal the Patriot Act, which makes criminals of us all. Open up the discussions about how the NSA is allowed to spy on people. Get rid of the secret rooms that tap into the Internet and track all of our emails, phone calls and instant messaging. Honestly, Al Quaeda operatives don’t email each other with their plans, and you’re stupid if you think so.
Second, we need to fortify our country; rather than suspecting every American of being a terrorist, check incoming cargo at the point of departure. Never ever give control over this to a private company, much less to a company or country with ties to terrorism. Keep the keys in our pocket. Most Americans don’t think like terrorists, or like people who live in war-torn countries. When we cross the street to avoid a possible car bombing, when we start to consider the number of ways we might be hurt, rather than worry about the ways we have been hurt, we’ll be a lot stronger.
Third, we need to rebuild foreign relations. The war in Iraq, I’m sorry to say, continues. And will continue for a long time. Many mistakes have been made during our handling of this war, and unfortunately we have a responsibility to try to make it better. Let’s start with getting some actual electricity and clean water for these people. We need to figure out how to bring our forces together and out of there, without leaving a power vacuum. And we need to stop our threatening Iran. As clumsily as we’ve handled Iraq, do you see us entering that land? They have a stronger military and currently more money.
The number of other issues is huge; tax cuts for the top 1 percent of our wealthy, the decline in school funding (both public school and government loans for college students), the continued squeeze on the middle class to keep us worried and unhappy. But as we get our party more cohesive, we’ll be able to attend to these issues. It’s more important to combine our strengths than to worry about our differences.
And there are some parts where these issues conflict; it would be easy to argue that point number two, securing our country from terror and being pro-active about dangers would be helped by infringing on American’s civil liberties. However, given a one in ten thousand chance that the airplane I fly on will explode in a fiery ball of death, weighed against a daily lessening of my privacy, of the security I have in my home, or even my right to pursue happiness, I’ll take my chances.
Yes, I am giving a more simplistic view than you might think appropriate. But that’s exactly my point; simplify our stance so that more people can get behind it, rather than try to accomodate every little thing. Figure out where the Democratic Party stands, and resist reacting to the Republicans needles.
