March 24, 2003
One war post
Posted by bopuc at March 24, 2003 02:43 PM
Al Jazeera - Now in english and sticking it to The Man
Look at this picture America. This is one of your sons. He is one of many MANY dead. Most of the dead are not your children. But all ARE, or WERE children.. and now they ARE dead. Do YOU want this? I don't believe you do.
Every American who attended peace rallyes, anti-war protests or any such things, put your VOTES where you mouths are:
Pledge RIGHT NOW NOT to re-elect the current administration.
Pledge right now that you will not accept ANY of the members of the current administration in ANY future positions of public office.
Barring a truly inspiring candidate in the Democrats' camp, VOTE OUTSIDE the bi-partisan system.
Vote for electoral process and funding reform.
Demand radical reform thereof, for your votes are being toyed with, manipulated by shady statisticians and you are being lied to.
Demand that YOU THE PEOPLE actually have a voice again, and that you be represented as a humane people.
Comments
I have a funny feeling the Arab world will gain some much deserved respect as a result of the present conflict.
Al Jazeera is just one example of many arab institutions that the west should look to as "authority" on middle-eastern matters, and I hope the trend continues. I am very happy it now has an english website, it was long overdue.
Cheers for the link B. ;)
Posted by: anders at March 24, 2003 03:49 PM
On the subject of the Democrats, there's an interesting essay over at www.guerrillanews.com by Thom Hartmann (http://www.guerrillanews.com/war_on_terrorism/doc1303.html) - Essentially he says due to the "winner-take-all" structure of the American electoral system, alternative parties are shut out and third-party candidates always hurt the party they are most similar to. In 1992, Perot drew votes away from Bush Sr. and Clinton got in. In 2000, Nader cannibalized Gore's votes and Bush Jr. got in (and the electoral flim-flams didn't help). Hartmann offers the analogy that the Republican Party suffered its most crushing defeat in 1964 under Barry Goldwater. The traditionally moderate Republicanism of the Eisenhower era wasn't working. So a group of right-wing activists and religious conservatives with wealthy backers, like Joseph Coors, essentially took over the party and remade it into what we know today. He suggests that today's Left should do the same thing with the Democratic party - get involved, finance it, run for office, take it over, and remake it into something strong and distinctive, as opposed to a watery reflection of the Republicans. (Of course, fixing their broken political system, designed in the days when voting was meant for wealthy landowners, might be an idea too...)
Posted by: aj at March 26, 2003 09:15 AM