yes, i know i live in utah and i know that utah is conservative, but that doesn't mean that i can't hope for the nation as a whole. since i live in utah, i guess i'm a liberal. outside of utah, i'm sure everyone would say i'm conservative and that's okay too. either way i couldn't adopt one political party and assume that it was going to take me where i wanted to go anyway. that said, i do know one thing: i'm not a republican.
a friend asked me what i thought the way utahns voted on initiative one, an initiative sponsored by the Utahns for Clean Water, Clean Air and Quality Growth group. this initiative was to protect rivers, streams, lakes, watersheds and even giving money to recreation. utah voted no, even though the estimated cost would have been $14 per year to a family of four and could only extend up to 13 years. ¿what's wrong with protecting our land, air and water?http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=4330&State=45&res=1024
so, in response to that failed initiative, here's what i wrote:
i was really saddened by how much Initiative 1 lost, but we(utah) also elected 'money first' for a governor. i'm sorry, but i just have a hard time believing that this new majority of republicans in office (i.e., the federal legislature) is going to be good for us.
the U.S. has this sense of morality that i find a little disturbing. there is an imperturbability of the nation at the news of continued deaths in Iraq and an absence of accounting for the lives of Iraqis fighting with us. news about shady deals with Halliburton, war under questionable circumstances (the absence of WMDs), the unwillingness to admit mistakes by the president or vice president and plenty of bad news in the week before an election didn't combine to dissuade the general public from this "moral" stance. death to foreigners and big business gets the rubber stamp of approval. 'me first' wins again, followed closely by 'right now' in second. middle america is comfortably unconcerned about questioning whether or not their government's actions are just. tuesday's election results are clear about that.
it's hard to find someone who says, "we've been giving money enough room lately," in order to focus on the quality of living. there is always going to be somebody, whether it's the government or private parties, who is ready to advance the cause of consumerism. quality of living is where champions are lacking.
sure, we've got national security issues, but 'me first' makes that a mess too. "either you're with us or against us" doesn't leave much room for effective partnerships, but that's okay. the US doesn't need anybody. we'll fight everybody. europe is continuing with the creation of new partnerships, a new peace and a new super power with the progress of the EU, and the U.S. is insulating it's ignorance from anything that isn't "american" with no peace or partnerships in mind. maybe things have to get really bad before the U.S. population changes it's attitude and then they'll ask their government to change it's approach. unfortunately we're going to have to live through four more years of spending, fighting and environmental degradation.
the only consolation to the election results is that George is going to have to deal with his own mess. 18 months from now when iraq is still messy and U.S. troops are still fighting a war instead of maintaining a supporting role to a functioning iraqi government, when the economy is still poor to mediocre, and presidential approval has continued in it's decline, George won't be able to blame anyone else for the state of the nation. it will be his mess, under his leadership.
well, ¿have i ranted enough?
Gulf War Song - Moxy Fruvous (1993)
We got a call to write a song about the war in the Gulf
But we shouldn't hurt anyone's feelings
So we tried, then gave up, 'cause there was no such song
But the trying was very revealing
What makes a person so poisonous righteous
That they'd think less of anyone who just disagreed?
She's just a pacifist, he's just a patriot
If I said you were crazy, would you have to fight me?
Fighters for liberty, fighters for power
Fighters for longer turns in the shower
Don't tell me I can't fight, 'cause I'll punch out your lights
And history seems to agree that I would fight you for me
So we read and we watched all the specially selected news
And we learned so much more 'bout the good guys
Won't you stand by the flag? Was the question unasked
Won't you join in and fight with the allies?
What could we say...we're only 25 years old?
With 25 sweet summers, and hot fires in the cold
This kind of life makes that violence unthinkable
We'd like to play hockey, have kids and grow old
Fighters for Texaco, fighters for power
Fighters for longer turns in the shower
Don't tell me I can't fight 'cause I'll punch out your lights
And history seems to agree that I would fight you for me
That us would fight them for we
He's just a peacenik and she's just a warhawk
That's where the beach was, that's where the sea
What could we say...we're only 25 years old?
And history seems to agree
Tthat I would fight you for me
That us would fight them for we
Is that how it always will be?
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Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore - John Prine (1971)
While digesting Reader's Digest
In the back of a dirty book store,
A plastic flag, with gum on the back,
Fell out on the floor.
Well, I picked it up and I ran outside
Slapped it on my window shield,
And if I could see old Betsy Ross
I'd tell her how good I feel.
Chorus:
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
Well, I went to the bank this morning
And the cashier he said to me,
"If you join the Christmas club
We'll give you ten of them flags for free."
Well, I didn't mess around a bit
I took him up on what he said.
And I stuck them stickers all over my car
And one on my wife's forehead.
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
Well, I got my window shield so filled
With flags I couldn't see.
So, I ran the car upside a curb
And right into a tree.
By the time they got a doctor down
I was already dead.
And I'll never understand why the man
Standing in the Pearly Gates said...
"But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
We're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more."
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