Contempt
I woke up this morning to the desperate wailing of a man whose son was illegally imprisoned in New York City during the Republican National Convention.
I didn't listen to every minute of the convention, but what news reports and quotations I've heard and seen, both in mainstream and independent media, have pointed toward one inevitable conclusion: the Republican Party represents contempt.
Contempt for Freedom. In the upcoming election, I hope you judge the merits of all the candidates and the parties not by what they say, not by what their opponents say, but by what they do, and what their opponents do. During this convention, while spouting about the virtues of freedom and what they've done to bring it to the world, the Republicans held the City of New York under undeclared martial law. Protesters in nonviolent, non-disruptive demonstrations were rounded up en masse without being given a chance to disperse. People who were just sitting or standing with a group were summarily charged with ludicrous accusations, including assault, inciting a riot, and disorderly conduct. Nearly three times as many people were arrested in NYC during this convention as people arrested in 1968 at the infamous DNC in Chicago. Why were these people arrested and held without due process? The answer is really very simple: the action removed voices from the streets, and from the national dialogue. This action was censorship, and those people imprisoned are political prisoners. This is no different than Castro silencing his critics, people. See through the rhetoric and see these people for who they are, not who they say they are. Incidentally, the story of that guy featured in the second article is a microcosm of what is happening in the world: as this government wrongs innocent people, those innocent people become more likely to take it upon themselves to right that wrong. In the case of the bystander, he says he's going to become a protester. In other parts of the world, we're not making protesters with our heavy-handed stupidity, we're breeding terrorists.
Contempt for the Law. Like the extra-judicial detentions going on at Guantanamo, the Republicans illegally imprisoned American citizens in New York jails this week just because they came out against the tyranny this government represents. Just for speaking their mind. The city was declared in contempt of the law for these actions. It's clear to me that when Bush and company talk about freedom and democracy, they mean freedom and democracy as long as you agree with Bush, otherwise, you're a terrorist. That's not what this country was built on, and it's an extremely dangerous attitude to have in the small world we live in.
Contempt for the World. The ultimate danger is that these are the same people who have their finger on the button. Now I'm not saying that we're gonna launch nukes any time soon, but I'm talking about the "war button," as in the "we're gonna smoke 'em out" kind of attitude. Earlier this week, President Bush said the most truthful thing I've ever heard him say. He said, "I don't think you can win it," referring to the war on terror. This is absolutely true. It is also by design. With a neverending war on terror, this administration has limitless power. Power to destroy other nations, power to quash dissenting voices at home and abroad. These people NEED ENEMIES. We were on the cusp of peace, having worn out the Soviets through our artificially inspired Cold War (folks, they never wanted to destroy us, as much as the military-industrial establishment wants you to believe). Suddenly, there were no more enemies and the power that these people had was beginning to wane. Truly peaceful technologies and companies were coming into the fore, biotech, computing, and communications technologies leading the way. Companies and people who wanted to make the world a better, peaceful, more well-informed and closer place were gaining power and prominence. The establishment's power was threatened, so they needed a new enemy. Instead of embracing, or at least respecting, the differences between us, they incited hatred and made moves to take over the development of these technologies and the conduits by which people receive their information. It's an ongoing fight. By having a neverending war, these people have made it so much easier to consolidate their power and reverse a decentralization trend that has been ongoing for centuries. They are truly the new oligarchs, and we their unwitting subjects.
Contempt for Fact. This is just ridiculous. If you're not convinced by now that this administration lies through their teeth, you're blind and deaf. I'm sorry, we went to war over lies. War. That word has no meaning anymore, because it's used so casually. WAR. We're killing people, destroying lives, and breeding hatred. That is war. It's not the smart bombs, it's not the hummers and the mortar shells, it's not even hijacked planes. The true consequences of war can't be measured in dollars. Blood. Blood today, and blood tomorrow. Every day we spend in Iraq we're breeding more and more hatred and in the end, terrorists. Even Arnold couldn't help but lie. Sheesh.
Contempt for You. The sheer number of protesters to this convention speaks volumes about what the Republican Party has done to divide the nation during the past four years. Prior to 2000, I wasn't really interested in this stuff. I certainly wouldn't have given it much mention in a forum like this. But in the last four years, whether you agree with Bush or not, you can't deny that he has driven the country apart instead of together. His agenda is so extremist that people who were previously moderate are being forced to the left or right, polarizing the country. At the core, I don't believe in political parties. I think they're platforms for people who can't think independently to ride on. But there's no room for independent thinking in this election. You better get on board or get on the opposing team's wagon, cuz if you don't you're gonna be run over. This polarization breeds, like so many other things this administration has done, passion and, ultimately, hate. Not compassion, I might add. The demonstrators and counterdemonstrators clashed over this all week. These are regular folks who were motivated to extremes by the policies of this administration. It all came to a head last night. Watch the video on that link entitled "Video: Protestors Hit Garden Floor, One Kicked by Delegate" and you'll see the ugly face of what the Bush Administration has done to our country. They hate me. If you've read this far, they probably hate you too.
That's what this convention has shown me. These people are extremists. They have no respect for peace, law, freedom, or individual thought. In short, they must be stopped. The only way to win the war on terror is to stop calling it a war, and conduct ourselves like the stewards of freedom we claim to be. Freedom doesn't mean agreeing with Bush. What happens in our country is reflected on the world entire. If Bush can stir people like me into political action, I fear what his brash actions are stirring in people who have less to lose. We must defeat Bush in November. The world depends on it.