President Obama Visits Troy

Okay. It’s that time again. I had a small thought that’s turned into a big rant and you get to read it. This is way political so if you’re afraid of being swayed by my liberal ideology, skip this one.

I’ve just written half of this post, and I feel a brief (other) introduction is in order, just so you know where I’m coming from. Bear in mind as you read this that I am not a member or supporter of any political party. I believe in a no-party system (which is essentially the same thing as a one-party system, but the overlords have trained Americans to fear that phrase, so I call it something different so as to be taken seriously and not be called a Nazi) and voting for the guy best-able to perform the job, regardless of his religion. That being said, I am anti-republican.

If you are a republican, I automatically brand you as being one of two things. You are either a rich person who uses politics to stay rich (you are most likely either a politician or someone with great sway over one), or a sheep who believes what you’re told and still thinks going to war in Iraq served our national interest (you are most likely a someone who doesn’t pay enough attention to form your own opinion, or just doesn’t care and blindly believes whatever the church tells you to). I could be convinced that there are other kinds of republicans out there, but those are the only kind I’ve ever met/seen/heard of.

Until recently (the past year or two), I was convinced that the democrat party was no better. That they were equally heavy-handed with their message and equally dirty with their politics. I believed that because it’s what my overlords told me to believe (insert religion rant). I no longer believe it to any extent. I now believe that, while certain elements of the republican platform may be legitimate, they sully any good name their principles offer them, not by using a religion (which is bad enough), but by being a religion. I pray someone flames me for that, but I think all the republicans I know are too afraid of free information to read my blog (once again, my conclusion based on experience, to which I am not married and will readily abandon in the face of compelling evidence).

On with the blog.

So President Obama gave a speech at Hudson Valley Community College today. I just finished reading it and it made me sad. I’m not sad about education, healthcare and technological advancement being his top priorities. I’m sad that they’re not always everyone’s top priorities. What single thing could be more important than any one of those three? I suppose a case could be made for “defense.” But if you have education and technology, militarism will fall in line where it needs to be. It’s only in a nation where education is a joke that people need to be tricked into thinking that “defense” is important.

Prepare yourself. I’m going to vent a bit.

In my opinion, America’s hugest flaw is that we (as a nation) are uneducated. Every other problem comes back to that. And I don’t mean that people don’t go to college (though that helps). I mean people lack the basic education to be able to think for themselves. It’s the main reason the Republican party still wields a shred of power in a nation with “no official religion.”

After all he put us through, there are still people out there who believe that Bush II was a good president. If that’s not the work of some hardcore brainwashing, I don’t know what is. I won’t demonize him (at least I’ll try not to) because I don’t think he’s a bad man. He’s just retarded. And I don’t mean that to be insulting. Just a pure statement of fact. Someone as dumb as he is shouldn’t be put in charge of an ice cream stand. Okay, maybe an ice cream stand. But I’m so tired of presidential elections being about the “morality” of the candidates (remember, “no official religion”) rather than their ability to perform their job. Who gives a f*@% whether the president is honest? I’d much rather have a liar who knows how to run a government than an honest simpleton.

And before you say “all politicians are liars,” let me preempt by calling you a brainwashed sheep. “All politicians are liars” is republican propaganda. Republicans lie to get what they want (I know someone is going to argue that, but it’s the honest-to-God truth). They deliberately disseminate false information in order to further their own agenda. They know they do it, and they know we know they do it. The solution is simple: spread the idea that all politicians are liars, then nobody can hold it against you.

I’m a young man, so I have very little experience from which to draw. Really, it’s only fair of me to draw any kind of conclusion from our current president and our previous one. Before that, politics was not something that had anything to do with me, so I paid it no mind. I would love to draw conclusions from what I remember of Clinton’s presidency, but it really wouldn’t be fair because my mind at the time was not developed to the point that I was able to look at things like “the big picture.”

So I’m left with what I can only assume to be two shining examples of their respective philosophies.

Former President Bush: A draft dodger (and no, I never will let him live that down) and a deserter (anyone who thinks he should ever be forgiven for that can go enlist in the infantry to fight his war). For the purpose of this discussion, I don’t care. His goal, from the beginning of his term, was to rule America with an iron fist. To accomplish this goal (and accomplish he did), he exploited a national tragedy to start two wars (both of which we are now still fighting), manipulated two religions (Republicanism and Christianity) to guilt people into believing whatever he said, and flat-out lied about… well just about everything. The first thing that made me dislike this man was his stance AGAINST nuclear disarmament. Later it was his inability to understand the impact he would have on global politics, the national (and, by extension, global) economy, and his abundant ignorance of twentieth-century history. He took away your civil liberties (for which no man is ever forgiven) and showed his opinion of your intelligence by failing to even cover it up with competent fear-mongery. Logical conclusion: “I’m rich and I want to stay that way. But I’m stupid, so I’ll have to destroy the country to do it.”

current President Obama: Has not used his religion as a political weapon (and saying he’s Christian so that he stands a chance of being elected in a nation with “no official religion” doesn’t count), has not started any wars. From the beginning of his term, he’s made (and continues to make) an honest attempt to do all of the things he said he would do so people would vote for him. Professes to believe (and acts as though he believes) that education, healthcare and technological and social advancement are the most important things for his government to foster. Is he a draft dodger? Don’t know, don’t care. Is he a murderer? Don’t know, don’t care. He’s a man who knows why government exists: to “Establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty.” Not only does he know this, he acts on it.

That’s really all for that (not really, but I’m just whipping myself into a frenzy and you don’t need to be here for that), but just to piss some people off, think about this. First answer this question. Don’t think about it, just react. Are you a socialist? If you’re American, you probably say “no.”

Now ask yourself this: don’t you think everyone should be able to eat every day? Don’t you think it’s the right thing for me to forego caviar so you can have bread? If you do, then like it or not, you are a socialist. If you also think that everyone should be treated equally in every way, regardless of their individual merits, and that it’s okay for the government to take something away from me and give it to you to serve that purpose, then you’re also a communist.

Just think about that when you go see Michael Moore’s new “documentary.”