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Sept. 4, 2004 I don’t count myself as a Democrat, a Republican, a liberal, or anything but a thinking person. I look at facts and I remember. I am not easily fooled and for that I am grateful because it means I would never blindly follow anyone or any ideal. As of today’s news George W. is up 11% over Kerry in the polls. All this is due, say the Republican pundits, to his wonderful acceptance speech at the convention. They are so proud of themselves and with good reason: they have once again fooled the American public. Or maybe it is the public who chooses to fool themselves by forgetting how George W. actually got into the White House. Sometimes it amazes me how foolish and forgetful the American people can be. What are we talking about? We are talking about a man who didn’t actually “win” the presidency; he was given it by the Supreme Court, whence it was sent to be decided, after a “snafu” in voting that occurred in the state of Florida where his brother is governor! He “won” nothing. Remember? We are talking about a man who wanted to be billed as the “Education” president and had his staff come up with the catchy slogan, “No Child Left Behind.” Yet not one of the many Teachers’ Unions in the USA endorses him, not one! The NCLB is a joke and punishes rather than helps students. Ask any educator. We are talking about a man who floundered in his presidency until 9/11 happened on his watch and then choose to go after, not the man responsible for the horrific attacks, but someone with whom his “daddy” had had a problem, someone “he said” had weapons of mass destruction. That theory has never been proved and his own secretary of state, Colin Powell, was totally against going to the United Nations and trying to prove Bush’s point on this theory. How many people have forgotten this? Certainly not the families of the soldiers who were killed. As to Iraq, are the people there better off now that they no longer are suppressed and tortured by Saddam Hussein? Yes, of course. Are people in America better off since the war began? Absolutely not. But it is easy to fool the American people sometimes. At least that’s what the Republicans think. I don’t know about anyone else who saw Cheney speak at the Republican convention extolling the virtues of war in Iraq, but to me, he was reminiscent of those older men, called “hawks” in the past, who had no problem sending younger men and women to their deaths. This from a man with FIVE draft deferments during Vietnam! It must be nice getting to play God. Speeches have always been part of the art of politicking. Speeches are what get people revved up and out to vote. The right words in a speech can get a person elected. People like Adolf Hitler knew this. Fool the people, give them what they want to hear, then do whatever the hell you want. Maybe some people have selective memory. Maybe some people hear only what they want to hear, or interpret words to their own agenda. All I know is that it seems to be a little too easy for the Republicans to fool the public. Maybe we should remember the old adage that children use. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” But, you don’t get fooled at all if you just remember the facts. ------------ About the author Kristen Houghton: Working on a book of short stories, I write a column, "The Writer's Block" on observations of everyday life and a column for educators called iTeach! Email: Krisnalan@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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