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Edited on Sun Sep-11-05 07:52 PM by Stinky Bushes
It was a typical gray late November afternoon when my wife and our two friends decided to take a Sunday drive down Masachusetts Ave. on into DC. Upon entering the area of Embassy Row, we noticed something going on. Two large groups were picketing on either side of the street across from gates of the Naval Observatory (Vice President's residence). We noticed that one group was enthusiastically bearing "President Bush" signs, and we were curious. "Let's see what's going on," I said. So we turned around and hung a right up an Embassy Row sidestreet and parked the car up the street.
As we walked down to the group, we began to hear chanting. "Get out of Cheney's house! Get out of Cheney's house!" the group yelled. "This is what Democracy looks like," the other group countered.
The pro-Bush group we joined up with seemed friendly, and seemed to be smiling and having fun. We greeted some people, grabbed some signs, and hopped to it. One of my most hilarious memories is when a limo full of Chinese tourists pulled alongside us on Massachusetts Ave, were laughing hysterically, and took pictures galore!
But I was content holding my "Gore: Abortion on Demand" and "President Bush" signs. The other group, as far as I'm concerned, was immoral for voting for a candidate who promotes abortion, homosexuality, and "earth worship" (many conservatives deride folks who actually care about the environment).
As the days passed, my wife and I would frequent the Republican group. Our group was interviewed on the news, and TV cameras abounded. One day, the ostensible leader of the group was giving instructions to the group and telling them to keep order. I believe he had on a T-shirt that read, "Free Republicans." I didn't know anything about that group at the time, but I just knew they were Republican and that was enough for me.
One day, after a protest broke up for the evening, I remember one Free Republican guy who stood there, taunting the remaining Democrats and saying all manner of nasty things towards them. I was pretty shocked about it all. I didn't really say anything to the guy because of protocol, but I have always kicked myself for not doing so.
Fast-forward to 2001. As we saw those planes hit the Twin Towers on 9/11, I like many others knew immediately we were being attacked. I heard Bush try to convince the country that Iraq had WMDs, Bin Laden/Al Queda was a threat, Saddam needs to go, Iraq was trying to aquire uranium from Niger, Iraq has stockpiles of chemical weapons that could be smuggled into the U.S., Iraq has drone planes that would spray cities, etc. etc. etc. and agreed with him.
In March 2003, Bush came on the airwaves to announce that major military action has been taken against the Saddam Hussein regime who was ostensibly a threat to our national security, had links to terrorism, and had WMDs. Quite honestly - and I hate to admit this - I felt a certain morbid excitement about it all. I supported this war and was glad to see Saddam go. I believed Rumsfeld's claims that we bombed with precision and accuracy, and it was "humane."
A couple of months after the war began, Bush triumphantly flew in on a Navy carrier and boldly proclaimed, "Mission Accomplished." He said that major combat operations were over. The country applauded Bush and went onto the task of securing and rebuilding Iraq. Or so we thought.
2002 still found both my wife and I jobless. I had lost my telecom job in early 2001 and we had just moved to a new city. One day in our exercise room, I heard Bush on TV. "The economy is strong and getting stronger," he claimed. I turned around and said, "Yeah right - we can't even find jobs, and the economy is getting BETTER?"
This was THE TURNING POINT for me. I knew this was a lie. I felt betrayed; slapped in the face. Then I found out that Bush was a free-trade globalist who advocated the outsourcing of jobs. That infuriated me. And in 2004, the official White House stance on outsourcing was that it was "good for the economy." I was LIVID. Here we were, trying to find jobs that had actually gone overseas, and this man is telling us the economy is great, jobs are plentiful, and everything is rosy peachy easy.
Beyond this point, I began to question Bush for everything. I read books, including "Worse than Watergate" by John W. Dean. I studied up on Bush's Saudi connections. I researched his positions on the issues of the day, including his CEO background and his former companies, his DUI, his insider trading, his family connections, and more. I saw Fahrenheit 9/11. And most importantly I discovered that Bush had studied the Christian Right carefully and thoroughly, including its core beliefs and its lingo, during his father's campaign during which he went AWOL from the National Guard.
Ah, the Christian Right. Like sleepers in a sleeper cell, Christians across the nation were awoken to action the day then-candidate Bush, in answer to the question "Who is your favorite philosopher and why," said during the 2000 Presidential debates, "Jesus, because he changed my life." Non-Christians didn't know what that meant, but Christians knew all too well what it meant. And it was in that moment that George W. Bush secured his base. From that day forward, Christians would do anything for this man and support him even if he told them to hop off a cliff. And as much as I try to warn these folks, they refuse to listen and refuse to see George W. Bush for the deceiver he is.
In 2004, I was so sickened by Bush and his deception that I voted for Kerry. But it wasn't for that reason alone. I REALLY respected Kerry. I saw him as intelligent, honest, forthright, well thought-out, and well-spoken. His debating skills are impeccable. To me it was no contest. Kerry had all the experince in Congress, even being very well versed on matters on intelligence - and truly BLEW AWAY BUSH in every respect. He BLEW AWAY BUSH in every single debate as far as I'm concerned. And TO THIS DAY I truly - and this sounds corny - I truly get a lump in my throat when I think about it. THIS MAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUR PRESIDENT.
Well folks that's where I'm at. I've gone from whoopin' it up with the Freepers and protesting for Bush to hating everything Bush stands for and lobbying for his immediate impeachment. But I am happy where I'm at now. And I have learned one valuable lesson - Democrats truly do care about America. And for that I am grateful.
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