Don't Get Fooled Again

In 2004 I was taking scuba certification with my then girl friend from my father, who is a dive master. HE was going to retire from his job at the Federal Reserve bank at the end of the year, and frankly I wanted to take his dive class before he stopped doing that too, and I then became a massive disapointment to him. I passed, much to my chagrin my then girl friend scoreed higher than me on the written test by 2 points, but I whipped her on the practical exam; anyway, during the pool part of the class (when you actually learn to use the equipment) I remember my dad making an off the cuff comment about Richard Nixon. It has burned a place in my memory. What he said was "He fooled me twice..." and I think had something to do with me claiming that Nixon was a liberal compared to George W. Bush.

"He fooled me twice.." hmmm, why does that stick out at me like a soar thumb? Now my dad is a republican, a conservative I guess, but not a neo-con. He comes from a small town in southern Virginia where being a republican is kind of a birth right. On the other hand, he was a suporter of Governor Warner and Tim Kaine, so he's not totally blinded by the partisanship (although I did have to come back from college to cancel his vote for Oliver North in the 90's, what was that all about?) It's the manipulation of the issues and the media. Thats what it is. My dad was right, he got fooled by Nixon. Not in was Nixon was, pro-buisness, but by the idea that Nixon was a honest man with the nations best intrest at heart. The same is poised to happen in '06 and the Democrats are already falling into the trap.

Not a month ago KArl Rove was addressing the Congressional Republicans and telling them that "National Security" was what they were going to win on in 2006. And low and behold, we have been in a debate on port security for the past 2 weeks. Notice that republicans that are up for re-elections disagree with the President, it's not an accident. Do you really believe that the uber-disaplined media machine that Karl Rove oversee's has gotten this incompitent in one year? Come on! It's a plan to make the Congressional Republicans seem more reponcible that they are, and everytime a Democrat agree's or disagree's there possition weakens. It's a tuff position to be in, but thats what happens when Democrats allow the national debate to be framed.

It get worse. I was at Giant (my local grocery store) and I was checkout at the register by a middle aged guy whom I know to be a conservative (I remember himtalking Republican politics while on the job with a customer ahead of me in line in 2004) who had pepered his work uniform with what can only be decribed as "flare." This "flare" was all 911 based. "Never surender,""Never forget," kind of stuff. I'm speaking to the manager tomorrow. If you see this, do the same. It is not patriotism, it is fear mongering and is part of the republican plan to hold their seats.

What happened to all we have to fear is fear itself?? Someone should make 911 - No Fear! Buttons. The only way to win the "war on terror" is to refuse to be afraid. Thats it. So lets all remember what the Repuyblicans have done to this fair country and seen them back to the corprate world where they belong.