The Sh*t L*st

Blowhard right-wing uncle forwarded me this junior college professor's reflections on the upcoming election. Whole morning shot picking apart the logic in this passive-aggressive neocon twaddle.

My response:

"The election of John Kerry will serve notice to every terrorist in every cave that the soft underbelly of American power is the timidity of American voters."

Bullshit. That someone would cast their vote on this single issue shows how far chickenhawk fears and Fox News ideology have infiltrated our electorate.

Manweller ignores this remark by Kerry in the last debate:

"The president and his experts have told America that it's not a question of if; it's a question of when. And I accept what the president has said. These terrorists are serious, they're deadly, and they know nothing except trying to kill.

"I understand that. That's why I will never stop at anything to hunt down and kill the terrorists." (Debate transcript)

What part of "hunt down and kill the terrorists" didn't you understand? Drop the Reaganesque platitudes and back your shit up.

A better framework for anticipating the impact of this election on this country, the world, and history than the stereotype of the terrorist in the cave might be the Arab kid in the madrass. Tom Friedman points to some sobering facts in his column last week:

"The Arab region has had the highest rate of population growth in the world in the last half century. It has among the highest unemployment rates in the world today. And one-third of the Arab population is under the age of 15 and will soon be entering both a barren job market and its child-bearing years. There are eight Saudis under age 15 for every one between ages 45 and 60." (New York Times, 17 Oct)

These guys aren't in caves -- not yet. One of the goals of our foreign policy should be keeping them out of the caves, not giving them reasons to find glory in the empty promises of zealots and pointless suicide missions. Bogusly justified, ill-planned military invasions are not a very bright way to do that.

There are other more relevant reasons to vote for Kerry. This is simply a reason not to vote for Bush.

Still contemplating sending this. Maybe after I tone it down a little. But then again, what's the point? These flag-thumping morons aren't capable of changing their minds. And anyone capable of changing their minds as a result of this wouldn't be capable of changing their minds as a result of this.