Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Topic: Satire
Over the past 2 weeks, in the State of New York, 250 civilians and 29 police officers have been killed. There have been, on average, 70 brutal and deadly attacks daily. There have been sophisticated ambushes and simple attacks, like children throwing Molotov cocktails at police cars. No one area has been free from these attacks. In fact there are complete cities within New York that are completely off limits to police or National Guard members. Exacerbating the problems is that the National Guard is stretched to the max because the Governor has also involved them with the reconstruction of the South from the hurricane damage.

You may, at this point, be asking yourself why you haven't heard anything about what has been going on in New York. The reason is obvious and devious. Governor George Pataki is in an election year fight for his life. The polls narrowly show him ahead of his opponent. Though Pataki's opposition is running around trying to tell anyone he can about the major problems in New York, Pataki's political self-interest involves minimizing any problems that are occurring on his watch. Pataki has wisely, however materially inaccurate, succeeded in convincing the citizens of New York that his Democratic opponent is a liar and not to be believed. Pataki has even enlisted the help of Mayor Bloomberg to convince the people that New York is safe and getting safer.

It appears to many objective sources that the election process itself is not going to be possible for many New York citizens. Many are complaining that since the majority of the off-limit areas are in low-income African American neighborhoods, where people are for the Democratic candidate 9 to 1, the elections are going to be skewed in favor of Pataki. Additionally, many of the experts have concluded that this conflict will easily last a minimum of 10 years. They also believe that the costs for this conflict coupled with the controversial policies of the Pataki administration offering substantial and massive tax breaks to businesses that are already profitable, may bankrupt the entire State.

Unfortunately at this crucial and tenuous period in the history of New York State, many of the biggest press outlets, including the most watched Television network, have turned a blind eye to the realities of what is taking place on the ground. The press, instead of reporting the actual facts, have resorted to reporting the statements of the 2 candidates without vetting them. They've largely ignored some of the most important issues where human life is at stake because they're too busy concentrating on sound bites, the newest hurricane or celebrity trial. Ultimately it is not the fault of the press but rather the responsibility of the citizens of New York to choose, by way of the almighty dollar, that they want the truth not entertainment. Until the citizens demand the truth, no matter how ugly it may be, situations the likes of which are presently being felt in New York will continue and extend to other states where the population has ignored reality.
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New York, a State that is roughly the same size and population of Iraq, is not presently experiencing the problems described above. The facts and situations described above represent exactly what has occurred in Iraq over the past 2 weeks.

Could you ever imagine an analogous situation to what is going on in Iraq right at this very moment playing out on the streets of a state like New York and have the Governor largely ignore the realities of what is going on? Picture your town for a moment. Think about what it would be like to have rocket propelled grenade or suicide car bomber attacks. If your President or Prime Minister were attempting to minimize your pain, and your fear of your reality, wouldn't you be angry? Wouldn't you call for his head? Wouldn't you at least vote him out of office?

Imagine the Russians coming to your town to remove your Government. Imagine them installing a council and a "Prime Minister" to govern you. Imagine if our revolution didn't take place with our own initiatives and ambitions but was forced upon us by another government. What would our democracy look like today?

Imagine the women and children of your town being maimed and killed. Picture yourself turning on your television and seeing your President tell you that everything is O.K. Think about what it would be like if the number of attacks in your town were constantly escalating and your Mayor told you that he was in control of the situation. Can you imagine 70 brutal and deadly attacks taking place in your state on a daily basis and upon turning on your favorite news channel, you hear the commentator and the President talking about how the good things aren't being reported, when what really angers you is the fact that the majority of the attacks aren't widely reported?

Think about it.

Soldiers For Kerry
Topic: Iraq
The neo-cons are fond of quoting soldiers who believe that the "media" isn't covering the good news in Iraq. Well here are some quotes from the unsilent many, presently fighting in Iraq:

Army Spc. Nathan Swink, of Quincy, Ill.
"There's no clear definition of why we came here. First they said they have WMD and nuclear weapons, then it was to get Saddam Hussein out of office, and then to rebuild Iraq. I want to fight for my nation and for my family, to protect the United States against enemies foreign and domestic, not to protect Iraqi civilians or deal with Sadr's militia".

"Kerry protested the war in Vietnam. He is the one to end this stuff, to lead to our exit of Iraq".

Marine Infantryman Fighting In Ramadi

"We shouldn't be here. There was no reason for invading this country in the first place. We just came here and [angered people] and killed a lot of innocent people. I don't enjoy killing women and children, it's not my thing".

"Bush didn't want to attack [Osama] Bin Laden because he was doing business with Bin Laden's family".

Enlisted Soldier In Najaf

"Nobody I know wants Bush. This whole war was based on lies."

(You can read more here:Anti-Bush Troops In Iraq)

The Real WMD: Referendum On Fear
Topic: State Of The Union
Let's face it, if you're voting for George W. Bush you're doing so because you believe the alternative is a pacifistic liberal with a weak constitution. You're number 1 issue is terrorism and specifically the President's demonstration that we will use force whenever the mood strikes him. There is absolutely no way that you're voting for Bush based upon his domestic policies other than maybe gay marriage, abortion or gun control. These issues aren't going to win Bush his first Presidential election. Yeah, they are good at dividing people and that is a strategy that has worked for Republicans for years but it just isn't going to sway enough voters to his cause.

So what can Bush to win this election you ask? Lie, mislead and scare, of course. There is no way that this election is going to become a referendum on Bush's domestic policies. We all know that he's a giant liberal spender who doesn't believe in either budgets or small government. He's not going to win any points with his base on those issues, although he may appeal to that fictional group that conservatives believe actually exist- the spendthrift warmongering liberal. Bush doesn't disagree with spending vast amounts of money that we don't have on big government programs, he just believes that taxpayers money should be spent on things like "Star Wars", unnecessary pre-emptive wars, and while the middle class assumes more of the burden for these things, tax cuts for the rich.

So why does Bush have a slight lead in the polls at this point? One word: FEAR. The entire goal of the Neo-con National Convention was to make people believe that John Kerry is a weak liberal with a pre-9/11 mentality, and by electing him you are only going to bring on more terrorist attacks because Al-Queda supports him. This election is going to be a referendum on fear. If you are afraid and not thinking rationally then George W. Bush is your man.

If you live in reality you see that Bush's policies only cause the creation of more terrorists and inspire Jihadist's to rise up against the American "crusaders" who have attacked and are occupying an Arab, oil-rich country, just like Bin-Laden told them we would. If you live in reality you see a President who personifies everything the enemy wants and needs to sustain their cause. By flatly lying to the American public about Iraq and Afghanistan having rosy futures ahead of them he continues the pattern of disception and appears to be living in a fantasy land. He continues to play politics with issues that the American public needs reliable information about. When do you think he's going to level with the American public about the absolutely bleak outlook in Iraq, after the election?

Bush's domestic policies inspire a greater burden to be placed on the middle class and divisive ideological battles inspire sanctimony and contempt amongst his base. George and company are going to attempt to talk their way out of all their domestic and international problems that they've created. It will work if they are successful in convincing people that this election is a referendum on fear and not reality.

John Kerry's strategy of attacking Bush at his key point of weakness, Iraq, is right on. Iraq is the hinge that everything revolves around. It has demonstrated the President's ability to mislead and outright lie to the American people. It's showed his incredible incompetence in handling international matters. It shows a failed foreign policy of pre-emption. It shows a blatant disregard for the realities on the ground, no planning and a failure to listen to opposing and, as hindsight easily shows, correct viewpoints. Invading Iraq also shows a disregard for the real imminent threat- Al-Queda. The war shows that the President is capable not of leading but rather of playing on the American public's ignorance, that Iraq is and was in league with Al-Queda. The occupation has only inspired more terrorists and acts of terrorism (ask the Spainish if you don't understand that). The war also shows an incredible failure of throwing resources at international issues and ignoring domestic problems.

Everything revolves around the "catastrophic" failure in Iraq and this President is trying to paint a picture of reality that only exists in his fantasy world. Kerry will lose if Bush succeeds in detaching the public perceptions from reality and into his fantasy world as fear continues to be this administration's weapon of mass destruction against reality.

Truth Uncovered
Topic: Iraq
Notice the titles of the speakers:

Truth Uncovered

Jesus Is Just Wrong
Topic: Satire
Jesus Is Just Wrong

Newsman
Topic: Misc.
The idea that news groups that draw conclusions based upon the available facts are being liberal or partisan is B.S. Dan Rather is what other journalists should aim to emulate.

The freedom of the press is continually suffering because news outlets are not seeking the truth, they're out trying to find out what their audience wants to hear and then they cater to them. Or they report what both sides of an issue say but they never tell you who's views are supported by the available facts.

For example, today Fox "news" is "reporting" a story on ties between Al-Queda and Iraq. Any objective person reading the story would recognize that they are no definitive lines being drawn in the "story" between the two groups. The obvious purpose of the story is to appeal to the neo-conservatives who read and watch the networks propaganda. The average person rarely makes the distinction between conclusions made by news outlets that are supported by the facts and those stories that seek to make a political (or other) point based upon a collection of circumstantial and seemingly related occurrences.

Dan Rather would openly report either way if CBS news found that the documents in question were either forgeries or authenticate. The real issue is that a small number of people, who are politically motivated, are seeking to dispel the facts that are supported by a preponderance of evidence by questioning the authenticity of just 1 or 2 documents. The preponderance of evidence easily shows that the actions of the President are in direct opposition to his rhetoric.

The differnce is obvious. When you come to this blog and read my opinions they are just that, opinions. I attempt to back up my opinions with facts but I never claim to be "fair and balanced" or that I "report and you decide". That's what makes a news network a propaganda machine versus a network that may not always be getting it right but is still attempting to uncover the truth.

Check out this video:Dan Rather Is The Man!

Dancing On Graves
Topic: Bush
Just wondering when the American public is going to realize that the Bush administrations policies are only encouraging more terrorism? There's good news and bad news in that reality:

The good news is that the Bush administration doesn't recognize that their policies are only encouraging more attacks.

Do I need to tell you what the bad news is?

It's too bad that the inevitable attacks that are going to take place will only strengthen the public's support of the administration who's policies are not helping us domestically and are only encouraging more attacks.

Where Have All The Conservatives Gone?
Topic: State Of The Union
As you may know The Independent Voice has wanted to debate with a conservative for some time. The problem that I continue to run accross is that many conservatives don't know how to handle a fact wielding liberal. And some of them don't know that they're actually not conservatives but neo-conservatives who are really nothing like true conservatives. Some of them make idle threats of bodily harm while the rest run back home to their mommies whimpering about the nasty liberal who kicked their ass with the realities they don't want to face.

I still want to know what they would say on the issues. I wonder what they would say about illegal alien amnesty? Or federal budgets that are out of control? What about amending the constitution? I wonder what many of them would say to the assertion that they are supporting a President who is not pro-life (he supports abortion in cases of rape and incest and has previously said that while he doesn't personally agree with abortion it should be a decision made between a woman and her doctor, he also said that he supports the abortion pill RU-486).

I wonder what they would say about the single biggest education bill in our countries history? Or a $500 billion medicare prescription drug benefit? Or the continued destruction of the environment? I wonder what their thoughts are on the President of the United States doing nothing after learning that we were under attack? I wonder what they would say to us completely shouldering the burden for preemptive strikes against other nations? I can't imagine what they would say about our new selective policy of pre-emption.

I wonder how willing they would be to stand up for their precious values if the the facts were to ultimately show that Bush snorted coke or used the power of privilege to avoid going to Vietnam? I'm curious about what they would have to say about getting our intelligence services working. I wonder what they would say about wars that have indefinitely entangled this country based upon completely inaccurate intelligence.

So if you see any real conservatives lying around tell them to drop me a line because I'd like to hear what they have to say about the state of this Union. My guess is that there arent' any true conservatives left because they've all abandoned their beliefs while they're out supporting their antithesis, George W. Bush.

I think the most important question is:

File This Under: Putting Ass Where Mouth Is
A quick quote for you today.

Michael Bernique, who was revered as one of the gutsiest swift boat commanders said,

"I don't recall anybody saying they didn't want to serve with him. I would not have worried about my back if John was with me."

Following in those footsteps, whilst The Independent Voice is not taking up any arms (not yet anyway) I have taken up the cause. Yours truly is putting his ass where my mouth has been and I have volunteered to help out in any way on the Kerry/Edwards campaign. The bumper stickers are on the cars and today I've contacted over 225 people on the phone (unfortunately not that many answered).

It is my belief that this election is the most important election of our lifetimes and I am going to fight until the bitter end to give Kerry/Edwards North Carolina.

If I'm literarily allowed to quote myself, now hear this to the Bush/Cheney camp and all their misguided followers:

"...you're gonna find out what fighting a fighter is like."

History Of Handshakes
Topic: State Of The Union

This is for those of you who need to pull your head out of your arse (ABOVE).