Knit Picky: Warning: Political Post Ahead

"properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit...
and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either."
~elizabeth zimmerman

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Warning: Political Post Ahead

You know, in case you don't like that kind of thing and want to skip over this one.

Note: this should have published much earlier today when it was a bit more relevant. Stupid blogger.

I should start by saying that I am a pretty liberal progressive Democrat. I go to a liberal Episcopal church. My whole family is extremely open and accommodating to all walks of life. So is my husband's family (thank goodness!). Therefore, it should come as no great surprise that last night/today have been pretty awesome.

The Boy and I sat on the couch till late last night watching the returns, marveling that the Dems were doing so well and nobody had stolen the election yet. (Why, yes, I am a bit cynical. Why do you ask?)

I really, honestly believe that this power shift is exactly what this country needs right now. We have had an alarming amount of rights taken from us forcibly. We are hated around the world for being insulting and needlessly aggressive. Far too many people are dying in Iraq--Americans, English, Canadians, other countries willing to send their best and brightest to die for our unjust cause, and most especially (numerically) Iraqis. Our administration chronically intones the need for us to win in Iraq, but refuses to define what that means, or how we will do it. There was no strategy for going into war, and it's become more than clear that there is no strategy for exiting.

It is apparent that the president is not concerned with hiring people adequately qualified for the job, but instead hiring friends and those he feels he owes a favor for getting him elected. The government's response to the needs of the American people has been shameful. Particularly in the face of Hurricane Katrina, but also in taxing the middle class till they must live paycheck to paycheck; trying to undercut social security and successfully doing so with medicare; allowing people to die needlessly because there were photo opportunities to be had. There were never any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and they knew it when they told the UN and everyone else that there were.

This glorious nation--founded on the principles of peace and justice and escaping the rule of a tyrant--has been dragged backward in time and become a place that none (few?) of us wanted to revisit. A place where racism is acceptable, ignorance is fostered, religion is manipulated, corruption is expected, and the government baldly lies to its citizens, believing them far too stupid or caring to do anything about it.

But yesterday the American people overwhelmingly showed the administration that we are NOT stupid, and we do care. Democrats have dominated in the polls, even in scarlet red states. The Dems have taken back the House and are poised to take over the Senate.

Yes, Mr. President, there is a mandate; a mandate from the American people for you and yours to shape up or ship out. A mandate to do right by us. It is time for genuine leadership. It is time for our leaders to reflect the wants and needs of their constituents, and not line their own pockets for personal gain. It is time to look at healthcare, ethics reform, election reform and bringing this country back into the 21st century!

2 Comments:

Living far distant from US politics, in an antipodean country that has demonstrated it's independant foreign policy in the last 20 years, something I am thankful for each and every day *g*, I am pleased to see that US politics is moving in a different direction. I think the direction it was headed in was not only bad for the US but for the world, and at a time when we need to be concentrating on other things like Climate change. Well done (and I have enjoyed your blog :) )

By Anonymous, at 1:41 AM
Stephanie, thanks for offering to make a square for Jenn's blanket - blogger didn't give me your email address though. I'm sorry. If you can contact me with your address, I'll give you more info.
Thank you again so much!

By Cathy, at 7:29 PM

2 Comments:

Former -Alongs