Next years Presidential Candidates so far look like absolute boneheads who simply regurgitate the same message with a few different words here and there. Although, one candidate is standing out for me,
Ron Paul (R - Texas)
I don't know yet. So far he looks like he might be the best for the job but i'm still looking into him. Let's face facts though, none of the front runners for the Republicans or the Democrats are going to get my vote. I wish that we had more choices than just the top Republican and Democrat candidates though.
Oh, you can say that we can vote for plenty of others and do a write in and etc etc but let's face facts. We live in a 2 party system (and a broken one at that) where either one or the other are going to get the seat and usually both choices resemble my digested remains floating in toilet water. Sorry to be so graphic for you. I'm sick of the party-ocracy though. It's really bugging me. I get so annoyed when someone in my family tries to tell someone else that I'm a republican when I am not. They want me to be republican because that's what I was raised as and that's what I'm registered as but they don't even know what I really believe. They know the basics. Who cares if I'm a republican anyways? Who cares if I'm a democrat? Who cares if I'm an anarchist? Does it really matter so much to cause unneeded division and tension between friends and family? Why can we not be individuals who think for themselves, regardless of race, religion, or political views?
I remember the 2004 presidential election and I remember being told that I was a Republican because I was a christian. I remember the church pushing for the re-election of President Bush like he was Christ himself (scary to think about, really) and I remember falling for the propaganda I was fed. I didn't look into it. I just did what I thought was right. I did consider myself an independent though but registered republican anyways because at the time, I agreed with them on more issues than I did the liberals.
I had my own reasons for disliking Kerry and still think he would have been a terrible president but have reassessed my views so that I am thinking for myself instead of what others are telling me what I should believe because of my religious views. A lot has changed in my mind since that election. I don't believe in parties anymore. I don't believe a lot of what I'm told by the corporate media and I don't believe in this war. I also don't believe the church should be telling people what to believe. I felt like I was being told that liberals were heathens who needed to find the grace of God or they would be doomed to hell because of their wicked ways. Liberals cannot be Christians. Then I actually figured out that God is graceful and therefore they CAN be Christians (but don't tell the Fundamentalist Christian Right I said that, they might have my smote!)
To say someone isn't a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist simply because of their political views is an absolutely absurd statement. Saying I'm not a Christian because I'm not a Republican or I'm not a liberal because I'm a Christian is ridiculous. It's a freakin' party. Neither side is completely right on every issue. It's why there is some form of division there between the parties because it all came about from people who were thinking for themselves. We should all be so grateful for the fact that we still have the right to think for ourselves. Did you know in Japan that you are to agree with the groups ideals and beliefs so that you don't disrupt the harmony? It's true. Check it out. They can't speak for themselves, they all just agree with one another. To do otherwise would be to disrupt the harmony (which the Japanese hold in very high value) and that is wrong to do. You just, don't do it. Japan is also one of the most peaceful countries in the world, believe it or not but that's probably besides the point. I am glad that I can think for myself.
Don't sit there and say, "Well, if you hate America so much then why don't you just leave?" I never said I hated America. I don't hate America. I love this country. It really is a great country. I'm pretty lucky to get to do a lot of things I get to do which others don't get the opportunity to do ever in their life. I'm pretty grateful to not know what war is really like, whereas their are people who are my age in Uganda who have grown up all their life so far dealing with the on-going war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Ugandan Government (Peace talks are thankfully underway though. Hopefully they go somewhere and the bloodshed stops. For more information, go to www.invisiblechildren.com and look around for a little while. You'll find all sorts of information on the war and how you can help kids in Uganda. They're legit.) I am grateful but that doesn't mean that I just sit back while our constitutional rights slowly get amended away and we move closer and closer to a fascist regime (oh yeah, I said it. Fascism doesn't always have to look like Hitler)
After 9/11, most Americans threw away their rights in exchange for hoping to feel safe, even though we really weren't protected. I'm talking about the Department of Homeland Security and the Patriot Act. I won't go any further into those but I'm on a rant so, they got mentioned. Whatever. I have a grudge against this government, and though you might be yelling at me in your head to go and do something about it then, the problem is in figuring out what to do. I'm not going to assassinate anyone or try to overthrow the government. I think violence is unnecessary. Look at the workings of Ghandi or Nelson Mandela and ArchBishop Desmond Tutu or Martin Luther King Jr. They used non-violence and changed things for the better. It's true. I don't know what else kept the black Africans from killing the white oppressors other than the election of Nelson Mandela as the first Black President of Africa. The world was waiting on a massacre and instead, Mandela and Tutu were able to keep peace.
We attack everyone who has somethin' for us and the world hates us. Even if you don't believe that this war has anything to do with greed and oil (even though it's a fact that Bush and Cheney are trying to Privatize Iraq's oil supply), we went over there and initially went after Osama Bin Laden. What happened to that hunt? We suddenly changed our minds and everything is on Iraq. Most of the Middle East hates us and most people wonder why? Most ignorant people would tell you it's because they are Muslims and they hate freedom. That's not the case though. If China came over here and started building military bases through out the United States that are bigger than the Vatican, are you going to tell me that you wouldn't be pretty upset? I would be! No wonder everyone is getting so angry at us and if we would just listen to what they are saying, we would realize that all they want is for us to leave their lands. That's it. They want us to stop occupying the middle east and to stop helping for the expansion of Isreal. Instead of paying attention and listening to what they have to say, we just toss some bombs over like it's nothing. I guess that works too, even though it has yet to show anything more than the death of thousands of people who didn't have to die and the bulking up of certain politicans wallets. Other than those, I don't think much has happened. I'm getting lost on a rant though. Back to talking about the crappy presidental front-runners and my want to see Political parties mean nothing...
Let's look for the best candidate, period. Not the best party. If we vote simply by our party then we are going to always complain about our president, our vice, our senators, etc. Most people don't even believe what their party believes. There are a lot of republicans I know who are republicans simply because they are against abortion and homosexuality. That's it. There's so much more going on in the world than abortion and homosexuals. Plus, what burden do you have from homosexuals? How are they affecting your life in a negative way? They aren't and you probably couldn't come up with a reason why they are.
Also, instead of looking at their public [politicians] image, which seems to be the most important thing to a politician nowadays, lets look at what they really believe. Forget all the party nonsense, it's irrelevant. Someone who follows strictly what that party believes is nothing more than a close-minded bigot with some pride issues. I'm not a fan of either party. In fact, i hate parties altogether. Whomever I feel is the right person for the job will get my vote. Right now, Ron Paul is the closest to getting it but he still needs to be looked into.
I'm neither party. If you have a candidate that you think should be elected next november, you tell me who and I'll look into it. Tell me what you like about him as well. I like Ron Paul because so far he seems to be a constitutionalist and though he is a Republican, appears to be against a lot of the choices Bush and his minions have made since being in office. I'm going to look into him some more and see what I think.
Hopefully we can find a way to live in peace together (i know there will never be world peace, but I just mean amongst ourselves, my friends who read this and our families, etc) where religion, race, gender, and politics are just byproducts of who we really are. They just don't really matter. Sure, we may disagree still but do we have to hate each other just because of something so stupid? If you want to help start a change in this world, if you want to see a revolution happen, and as scared as I am to say this and sound like a hippie, we need to start by loving people. That's what is going to change things. If people feel like they are being attacked, then they are going to want to retaliate and fight back. But if people feel accepted, without any agenda behind the acceptance, then most often they will show acceptance back. If we can show love, we will see love and we will see change.
If all else fails and everyone hates me for not wanting to be a part of either party, I've always wanted to be a minimalist so I'll just live in a shanty away from society and in 2008 i'll put in my write in for Jon Stewart and Stephen Cobert.
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