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Political Rant
Jun. 1st, 2004 09:25 pmI've noticed that a lot of right-wing pundits rant about how Democrats and liberals are 'at war with the USA and hate America'. What I *wish* somebody in the Democratic Party would say as a response:
"People of America, for years there's been a culture war waged against you. The people who have declared war against you don't want you to have privacy in your own home. They don't want you to have money to keep a roof over your head and feed your family. They don't want you to have privacy in your house, in your bedroom. They don't want you to have privacy in your mail or your phone calls.
They want to take your money away and give it to somebody else who really doesn't need it. They want you to sacrifice your health, your finances, your future, and even your lives while they get extra privileges and sacrifice nothing. They want you poor, hungry, ignorant - and they want you to think it's your protectors who are your oppressors.
"These right wingers, including most of the elite of the Republican Party, hate America. They are at war with America. They hate its potential for freedom. They hate the idea that you should be able to enjoy the privacy of your own bedroom, your own home, because they would rather know and be able to tell you, No, not you. They hate the idea that you might get helped by the government regardless of how much money you make, because they would rather that only they and their rich elitist friends get the good breaks, not you. They want your sons and daughters to march off to war so their favorite companies can make money at your expense - but not you. The more you bleed, the more cash they get.
"They lie routinely, telling you things they think you want to hear, because they know that you wouldn't like the truth. You can handle the truth, but they don't want you to have it because you might vote against their lies.
"And they like it this way.
"They couch their rhetoric in terms you like to hear, like No Child Left Behind and Clear Skies and The Medicare Drug Benefit and the War On Terror; but they don't tell you how they want lots of children left behind, either ignorant or behind bars or both - at your expense. They don't tell you how they want to make more pollution happen so they can make more money - at your expense. They don't tell you how they refuse any attempt to keep down the cost of drugs for seniors - at your expense. And most importantly, they don't tell you how they've never cared about terror except as a means of keeping you in the dark, afraid, and trusting them for a solution - all at your expense. They're the elite; they don't care about your expense.
"They don't want you healthy, because healthy people don't pay their elite members running the drug companies. They don't want you wealthy, because they want their already-huge bank accounts fatter and don't care who they have to step on to get the money. They don't want you wise, because wise people would vote them out.
"They call upon Christian values. I know Christian values include mercy. They include peace. They include compassion. They include justice. They include truth. They include charity.
"How do they show mercy? They beat their opponents and kick them when they're down. Ruthlessness is not mercy.
"How do they show peace? They go to war for ever-shifting reasons: first because of weapons of mass destruction, then because of terrorism, then to promote democracy; but never more than one reason at a time. You don't march to war for whatever reason sounds good at the time; War should be a last resort. War is hardly peace.
"How do they show compassion? They take away money from programs that work to help out ordinary people like you and me so they can put more money in their own pockets. Callousness is not compassion.
"How do they show justice? They put people in jail whether they're guilty or not and say they're 'tough on crime'. Jailing the innocent is not justice.
"How do they show truth? They tell you the terrorists who wanted Iraq's government destroyed were actually allied with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein; they tell you that taxes on the rich are taxes on the poor; they tell you so much about how their weak programs to help you and me are better than the Democrats' much stronger programs to help out ordinary Americans. Lies are not truth!
"How do they show charity? They budget lots of government money, your money, for their rich friends while cutting programs that help ordinary people, like Fuel Assistance and WIC and Head Start. Stealing from the poor to give to the rich is not charity.
"I know people of many faiths - Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Shinto, Wiccan, even militant atheists - who know more about Christian values than they do, and show more Christian virtues every day.
"They cloak their agenda in lies and deceit, because truth and honesty would show you how venal, how vain, how unChristian, how unAmerican they really are. They use lots of voices to parrot each other, because they think that telling you a lie often enough can make you believe it's true.
"I know you're better than that. I know you can see through their lies. I know you can rise above their manipulation. I know you. You're my neighbors. You're my friends. You're my family.
"You are who I'm fighting for. That's why I am a Democrat. I am a liberal, and I will liberate you from their oppression."
Feel free to link to this.
"People of America, for years there's been a culture war waged against you. The people who have declared war against you don't want you to have privacy in your own home. They don't want you to have money to keep a roof over your head and feed your family. They don't want you to have privacy in your house, in your bedroom. They don't want you to have privacy in your mail or your phone calls.
They want to take your money away and give it to somebody else who really doesn't need it. They want you to sacrifice your health, your finances, your future, and even your lives while they get extra privileges and sacrifice nothing. They want you poor, hungry, ignorant - and they want you to think it's your protectors who are your oppressors.
"These right wingers, including most of the elite of the Republican Party, hate America. They are at war with America. They hate its potential for freedom. They hate the idea that you should be able to enjoy the privacy of your own bedroom, your own home, because they would rather know and be able to tell you, No, not you. They hate the idea that you might get helped by the government regardless of how much money you make, because they would rather that only they and their rich elitist friends get the good breaks, not you. They want your sons and daughters to march off to war so their favorite companies can make money at your expense - but not you. The more you bleed, the more cash they get.
"They lie routinely, telling you things they think you want to hear, because they know that you wouldn't like the truth. You can handle the truth, but they don't want you to have it because you might vote against their lies.
"And they like it this way.
"They couch their rhetoric in terms you like to hear, like No Child Left Behind and Clear Skies and The Medicare Drug Benefit and the War On Terror; but they don't tell you how they want lots of children left behind, either ignorant or behind bars or both - at your expense. They don't tell you how they want to make more pollution happen so they can make more money - at your expense. They don't tell you how they refuse any attempt to keep down the cost of drugs for seniors - at your expense. And most importantly, they don't tell you how they've never cared about terror except as a means of keeping you in the dark, afraid, and trusting them for a solution - all at your expense. They're the elite; they don't care about your expense.
"They don't want you healthy, because healthy people don't pay their elite members running the drug companies. They don't want you wealthy, because they want their already-huge bank accounts fatter and don't care who they have to step on to get the money. They don't want you wise, because wise people would vote them out.
"They call upon Christian values. I know Christian values include mercy. They include peace. They include compassion. They include justice. They include truth. They include charity.
"How do they show mercy? They beat their opponents and kick them when they're down. Ruthlessness is not mercy.
"How do they show peace? They go to war for ever-shifting reasons: first because of weapons of mass destruction, then because of terrorism, then to promote democracy; but never more than one reason at a time. You don't march to war for whatever reason sounds good at the time; War should be a last resort. War is hardly peace.
"How do they show compassion? They take away money from programs that work to help out ordinary people like you and me so they can put more money in their own pockets. Callousness is not compassion.
"How do they show justice? They put people in jail whether they're guilty or not and say they're 'tough on crime'. Jailing the innocent is not justice.
"How do they show truth? They tell you the terrorists who wanted Iraq's government destroyed were actually allied with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein; they tell you that taxes on the rich are taxes on the poor; they tell you so much about how their weak programs to help you and me are better than the Democrats' much stronger programs to help out ordinary Americans. Lies are not truth!
"How do they show charity? They budget lots of government money, your money, for their rich friends while cutting programs that help ordinary people, like Fuel Assistance and WIC and Head Start. Stealing from the poor to give to the rich is not charity.
"I know people of many faiths - Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Shinto, Wiccan, even militant atheists - who know more about Christian values than they do, and show more Christian virtues every day.
"They cloak their agenda in lies and deceit, because truth and honesty would show you how venal, how vain, how unChristian, how unAmerican they really are. They use lots of voices to parrot each other, because they think that telling you a lie often enough can make you believe it's true.
"I know you're better than that. I know you can see through their lies. I know you can rise above their manipulation. I know you. You're my neighbors. You're my friends. You're my family.
"You are who I'm fighting for. That's why I am a Democrat. I am a liberal, and I will liberate you from their oppression."
Feel free to link to this.
