From Here To Obscurity: Williams vs Cheney-Burns
Just had to pass this along: From Here To Obscurity. It made my day.
1 comment October 7th, 2004
Archive for October 7th, 2004
A Back-seat American?
I’m a Canadian. Like most Canadians, I’m pretty easy-going, not overly political or outspoken, and try to be nice to people.
My interest in politics goes as deep as trying to make sure essential freedoms are preserved, especially in the face of administrations that don’t understand how technology changes so many paradigms. Even then, I prefer to work the system from within. I barely followed the last Canadian election a few months ago, because I didn’t really care much who won.
So why then, am I so caught up in American politics lately?
Perhaps it’s because Paul Martin and the other potential Canadian Prime Ministers have all the personality of soup-logged crackers, as opposed to the dynamic or extreme characters fighting for power in the U.S.. Maybe it’s the fact that Canada is on a pretty even course, no matter who runs the show, unlike the roller-coaster ride that is America. But, most likely, it’s this: while Canada is well-known for humanitarian efforts, promoting peace, and just being a bunch of non-offensive people, whoever wins the U.S. election can make the world go boom.
It seems every day brings another sordid angle to the presidential race. Yesterday, Bush hoodwinked CNN and MSNBC by promising an hour-long speech on terrorism policies –definitely in the forefront of people’s minds, given the events of the past few days– and instead gave a one-hour campaign speech to “the faithful” (see the Slate article You Call That a Major Policy Address? for more details). With the former Bush-puppet Bremer’s declaration that the invasion of Iraq has been a problem because of a lack of troops, the CIA’s report that there was never any real evidence of WMDs, the 9/11 Commission’s devasting report, and the double-talk and lies exposed during this election, you’d think that now would be the perfect time to have a frank and inspirational discussion with the American public regarding terrorism. The fact that this opportunity was squandered as a one-sided debate, well… let’s just say that I’m more concerned than ever about which man should be put in charge of the most powerful and potentially dangerous country on earth.
While I don’t really want to rant within this venue (after all, I am an outsider, as well as a non-offensive Canadian), I am following the news, facts and speeches closely. Just like those 1950’s Cold-War film shorts they used to play in the schools, advocating jumping under your desk and covering your head if an A-bomb hit the playground, my helplessness is mitigated somewhat by the knowledge of knowing what could be coming.
October 7th, 2004
“Oops. Can we fix that in the edit?”
Irony. n.: An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.
CNN.com - Cheney slip sends Net surfers to anti-Bush site
Add comment October 7th, 2004