OMG. MID-TERM ELECTIONS!

omg, OMG, OMG!

Mid-term elections are only six weeks away; you now have permission to freak out.

• Immigrants are taking over
• Iraq is falling apart
• The world is going to hell

The first two are pretty much the only issues that people have been screeching about so far, ignoring other things like the abuse of executive power and new levels of authoritarian control, progress in the "war on terror", and how we are going to deal with global warming (not just in the next 4 years).

First of all, I could care less if immigrants were "taking over" Republicans say that they are stressing the schools, healthcare system and other social services, but that is simply not true, they have not been adding stress to the system, only population growth. They want to build a fence across the border, but no solution can be reached unless a compromise has both plans for a fence AND an easier way to come into this country legally. We need a new approach to how we deal with immigration. We are a country of immigrants. We all came here one way or another. This country was built on the backs of immigrants, and immigrants are what make this country strong. We need to change our attitudes towards immigration with an open door policy that anyone can come if they are willing to work hard, get ahead, and make this great country a better place.

Iraq is falling apart, but the Democrats don't have any better ideas of what to do than change who's in power. Some have suggested that we spilt Iraq into three semi autonomous regions or even into seperate countries entirely. The catch with that is the Sunni's would freak out if Iraq was spilt. They have a majority in the middle of the country, where there is no oil, unlike the shi'a in the south and the Kurds in the north. Right now if we do nothing the civil war will become obvious to everyone. This administartion has been lying about casualties and the progress in Iraq sibce the invasion. In Vietnam independent journalists had photographs of what was really happening, but now we are kept in the dark. Out of sight, out of mind; any news about the war is bad for the republicans. If we do split up Iraq, there will be a civil war anyway, but possibly worse, because it won't just be terrorists groups fighting each other, it will be conventional warfare with real armies fighting each other. More than 100,000 Iraqi's have already died as a result of the invasion and the secterian violence following, how many more innocent lives do we have to kill before this all stops?

The world isn't really going to hell, but it sure feels like it sometimes, especially right now. Bush's Cabinet will be known for centuries afterwards as the ones who seriously fucked things up for all of us.

There are many more important things those talking heads on campaign ads could be screaming about. Executive power has reached an all-time high in one of the most dangerous presidents of all time. I can not begin to describe my horror of his abuse of executive power, it disgusts me so, and shows a new level of apathy in our society like we have not seen before. Progress in the "War on terror" is now in doubt, especially after the recent NIE report that the war in Iraq has actually made us less safe. (Well, tell me something I didn't know!) Also, the resistance movement in Afghanistan has been growing in strength and may soon threaten to become another Iraq, and another un-winnable conflict. Global warming: mark my words, you will tell your grandchildren that you remember when polar bears used to be around. The evidence is now undeniable, see for yourself at IPY.org (International Polar Year). If you still think that global warming is a myth, you are in complete denial. I can understand not wanting to believe it, I don't want cataclysmic change either, but you can no longer duck your head under the sand.

This year, people are upset enough at the republicans that the democrats will most likely pick up a bunch of seats, but not enough to get a majority, or just enough to get a small majority in the senate, putting everyone in limbo.

Where are we now?

• Where are we now?
• How far have we come?
• Are we any safer?
• What have we done since then?
• What haven't we done since then?
• What did we do right?
• What did we do wrong?
• Where are we now?

What did 9/11 teach us?

Are you asking yourself these questions? are we asking our leaders these questions?

Does this man jumping out of the World Trade Center want to be involved in an Iraqi civil war, Killing almost as many Soldiers as there were deaths on 9/11?

Do the people in that plane want to have nail clippers taken away at security checkpoints?

Do the people in that tower want Civil liberties repressed and executive power increased?

Would the terrorists like to know that we make waving the American flag synonymous with the assertion that questioning those in power is unpatriotic and those who do wave flags don't even treat them respectfully? Better yet, would they be delighted to know that five years after the day they killed thousands of Americans, it is still possible to smuggle explosives on board airplanes, tanker cars carrying deadly chemicals are left unguarded, containers entering the us are rarely checked for only radioactive material, or that security in general is lacking in areas that are the most important?

How would the Firefighters rushing into the building to save people like to know that everyone they knew has a wiretapped phone, and couldn't go on the internet without everything they do going to the NSA?

Would the people in the pentagon like to know that 2,500 American soliders have died in an Iraqi Civil war, while company's like Haliburton providing thousands of "security contractors" (mercenaries) are earning up to a thousand dollars a day in an un-winnable conflict that is costing over 100 billion dollars a year?

Would you like to know that this was something the bush administration could have known about ast stated in the famous August 6th memo?

The question i want to know is,

Where are we now?