A few thoughts

I have an eerie feeling that the Republicans might just be able to pull out a win in the November elections. Why do I think this?

For starters, most voters are not educated enough to make decisions using the faculties of logic and reason. This handicap is further augmented by the fact that many Americans do not have access to adequate health care. I also fear that most people may be underestimating the stupidity of the religious right, and their ability to organize and spread their own special brand of blindness to others.

Given these disheartening facts (i.lack of education ii.lack of access to health care iii.time constraints) I fear that the democrats will fail to win in November. The Republican political machine is simply to strong, from a population demographic point of view.

What worries me further is that the Republicans will exploit the stupidity of the general electorate by using wedge issues such as abortion, and gay rights, to distract from other issues such as the economy, energy, health care, education, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq etc. I think gay rights, in particular the right to marry, might be a prominent election issue in November especially given the ruling in the California Supreme Court to overturn a ban on marriage.

Sometimes I wonder if Republicans are capable of caring about, or implementing effectively, anything other than campaigns and elections. Do they not care about the state of the world, and their impact on it? Do they not care about the externalities of their actions? Do they not care about human rights? Do they not care about improving the lives of others? Do they not care about bridging divides, and uniting humankind? Do they not care about highlighting the many commonalities humans share? Such as the need for love, and understanding?

It seems to me that the Republicans simply care about winning elections, gaining more political power, and see every crisis in that light. “What will the political fall-out of this be?” It seems as though they really don’t care about the messages of hope and love that the religion, they so willfully exploit, preaches.

I sincerely hope that people who may be religious, who end up reading this realize that they are being manipulated. That there is a stark dichotomy between the rhetoric of the Republican party, and their actions. That there is in fact a stark dichotomy between Republican ideals, and human behavior.

This manipulation and repression of logic and reason has to end. How can you run a country by numbing those faculties in words, which result in actions: actions like the Iraq war (which by the way Dick Cheney knew would fail. See this video.)

The Bush administration has waged war on the freedoms of the American population, and most people are too stupid to realize it. That really bothers me.

The United States is not a democracy. A functioning democracy requires educated, healthy, active participants: something the United States is severely lacking.

I hope I am proven wrong.

ADDENDUM–MAY.23.08:

Case in point

ADDENDUM–MAY.28.08

Case in point #2

ADDENDUM–MAY.30.08

Case in point #3(A , B)

ADDENDUM–MAY.30.08

Case in point #4 (A, B)