Date: 2004-02-20
To: The Time is Now ...
Miles today: 0.0

Be warned: I am using this journal entry as a platform for my political beliefs since I will be out of the political arena while on the trail. If you don't like it, good. First some numbers:$102,000,000,000 = Cost of the war in Iraq10,000+         = Iraqi civilian deaths since war began547               = American Military deaths$7,000,000,000,000 = The National Debt0               = Numbers of Weapons of Mass Destruction found in Iraq$50,000,000,000   = Money cut from domestic discretionary funds like WICThese are the numbers. This isn't spin, this isn't made up. These are the numbers that have been created under the Bush administration. And we are letting him get away with it. Some additonal facts:*Bush refuses to investigate the obvious and apparent misjudgement on the part of this administration in the run up to war until AFTER the election. *Bush refuses to aid or take part in or adequately fund the failures of this administration leading up the the 9/11 attacks unitl AFTER the election. *Bush refuses to answer questions in press conferences that he deems inappropriate like, "Is your office cooperating with the investigation into the leak of Valerie Plame's name to the press?"*Bush's most recent budget only deals with the next five years, an extremely truncated version, because after that time the deficit of this nation rises to levels never seen before in world history.*Bush is now asking countries like China for financial assistance. *Although his last two tax cuts have not worked, he's asking for more, but again, mostly for the wealthy individuals and corporations of the country. These cuts will be paid for by borrowing from the Social Security funds. *To claim to have reduced air pollution in this country, Bush simply cut out one of the pollutants measured, thereby reducing overall air pollution not because there is less, but because HE changed the definition of what a pollutant is. His Healthy Forests initiative's main activity is to cut down trees. Republicans claim to stand for fiscal conservancy and small government. We now have the largest deficit in our history to support a war where the threat was touted over and over again in the run up to war, but has not been found. The administration's idea of small government is the Patriot Acts I and II that allow them to arrest you without reason and disallow you any communication with lawyers, friends, or families. Bush's idea of small government is to create and support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Now is the time for you and me and other rational minded people who believe in a government for the people and by the people to take an ACTIVE role in changing who sits in the oval office. Talk to people, show them the numbers. Subscribe to political journals. Check out the government websites that show you the facts. READ FOREIGN PAPERS AND MAGAZINES (the US media is run by conservative millionaires who benefit by everything Bush does). If you're going to preach to the choir, then make them sing. If your going to preach to your opponents, then have the facts. Bush is making it easier for you and I to speak up and lay out the facts to show how awful he is for the future of our country. Make use of it. Republicans around me that I have spoken to are uninformed and in the very least it's easy to show the ridiculousness of their beliefs and the actions of the president. They are sitting back in the comfort that their appointed, NOT ELECTED, president will easily win the election. If that's what they want to believe, then let them, because that's when we can unite traditional non-voters to voting for fairness, equality, and a country where we take care of each other. Democrats aren't always the answer or the best answer. And the pessimistic viewpoint that all politicians are deceitful may be a pat response, but if you take it into your own hands, if we ALL take it as our own responsibility to make a change, the system works. This administration is wrong. This administration has lied to the American people, to you and me. This administration and the people who support it are only out for themselves with no idea that their empty viewpoints and beliefs are damaging not only our own citizens, but now, citizens around the world. Now is the time to make a change. Now is the time to talk. Now is the time for you and you and you to stand up and make a difference, stand up and be counted, stand up and leave behind something that you can be proud of. The time is now. *UPDATE - already had a couple stupid, moronic, cowards sign the guestbook with nasty messages. Hey, cowards, at least leave an email so there can be an intelligent debate, otherwise, go waste your ignorant, education-free spewing somewhere else, like the rock under where you live