Since arriving here in Southern California a week ago, I haven't had a chance to buy a car yet. So I have been borrowing my bosses car to run around and set up the appt, and other things. I noticed pretty early on that it has a Bush/Cheney 04 bumper sticker. Sigh. I can hear the crying seals every time that car starts up. My boss has offered to sell me that car, which I am thinking of doing, just to liberate it from that horrible sticker.
This city is very interesting. I realized that in the week I have been here, I have yet to see a thrift store or a laundromat.
The best news I heard all week however, was that I managed to rent a place very near (like 100 meters) to a bar. Unfortunately, judging by the rest of the town, it is most likely a bar where the waitress will apologize to you when you 'accidentally' grab her ass, and the only beverage on the menu is port.
Ross: The problem is that no amount of anti-Bush protests will change the fact that middle america seems to love this guy. He puts on a fireman's hat, and they fawn. And as much as I hate him, his policies, and his cronies, I do have to admit he does a great job in the office of President. The whole goal of a first term President is to gain the second term. In fat times, it is relatively easy (Clinton). However, when the country is in the midst of a economic downturn, it isn't as easy. The fact that Bush is even in this race proves how 'Presidential' he is. It is all about being a magician with smoke and mirrors, and he seems to be working the parlor tricks pretty well.
A couple of people have emailed me asking how I think Kerry would be a better President. Let me set the record straight on that one. I don't think Kerry will be a better President, I just know that it is impossible that he will be worse than Bush. I am anti-Bush, not pro-Kerry.
Now. Here is the part where I get angry emails. So please, after reading this next bit, if you want to send me an angry email, don't, because I have already gotten 20 from people who read this and did anyway.
I turned on the news this morning. Notice my lack of surprise that every station was broadcasting stuff about 9/11. Right after 9/11 occurred you saw a huge outpouring of patriotism. Everywhere you went, more than half the cars had American flags on them. I called these people 'flaggots'. Where was their patriotism on 9/10? Why did it take thousands of people dead to bring out their national spirit? If you love your country, you need to love it when it does bad shit, when it does good shit, and when both bad and good shit happen to it. To me, that outpouring of faux-patriotism is like marrying the girl you just got pregnant. The only thing that bothered me more than the birth of the flaggots was the neo-McCarthyism that occured surrounding the concept of 'American', and 'unAmerican'. Anyone (Bill Maher) expressing a belief that didnt play nice with the faux-patriotism was cut down at the knees for being unamerican.
And again, before you send me emails about how unAmerican what I just wrote is, realize that what I just wrote was far more American than putting a flag on your car and voting for the status quo. America is all about people being able to say whatever they want, whenever they want about whoever they want, even if it makes you scream to hear them say it. It isn't easy, but if you want to pretend that this is a 'land of the free' you need to be able to respect that everyone has a right to say what they want to say. You don't have to agree, you just have to respect my right to say it.
I wonder if FDR attempted to ride the backs of dead soldiers in Pearl Harbor into his next term of office. Not a history professor, but I really doubt it. Sigh. Damn state sanctioned baby killing.
Update: Amended my use of the word 'respect' to be less ambiguous
Posted by tberman at September 11, 2004 06:27 PM