In the beginning there was 9/11. I found myself along with millions of Americans looking for some way to process the feelings of dismay, disbelief and pain at what was happening in my fair city. I wanted revenge against someone, anyone would do, and I just wanted to feel vindicated and protected. Mr. Bush was good at catering to those feelings. I am ashamed to say it but he comforted me in those days with his down home cowboy rhetoric. I trusted him to make the bad guys pay through the nose for scaring the hell out of me and killing the relatively peaceful existence millions of Americans. Mr. Bush did what we all expected and most of us wanted him to do. We went to war with Afghanistan & Osama Bin Laden, where the REAL war on terror was to be fought and I supported his efforts there 100%. Then somehow we wound up in Iraq and my confusion set in.
Okay, Saddam may have been a psychopath, a masochist and lunatic. Yes he did hate America, its leadership and secular ways. Did he have anything to do with terrorism? Maybe, Maybe Not. I won't say either or on that because the intelligence there is sketchy at best. I remember talking to my mother back in 2000 during the whole election fiasco and I remember telling my mother:” If this idiot is elected president, I bet we'll be at war with someone in the next four years." Moms laughed and said maybe and I forgot about it until we decided to invade Iraq. I sat there thinking 'This was his plan all the time,9/11 was a setback in the beginning but then it became the platform for this ill advised, poorly executed war which has claimed the life of one of my Army buddies (Sgt. Pablo Calderon), and so many of Americas sons & daughters.
First it was a war on terror and we sought to remove a threat to America because Saddam Hussein had Weapons of Mass Destruction. We never found those weapons but the war continued. This time it is under the auspices of 'Liberating' the people of Iraq and bringing democracy to the world. Yeah, Right. It has and always has been about oil and controlling the output of one of the largest crude oils producing countries in the world. It's a damn shame. Now I'm not delusional, nor am I conspiracy nut. I expect a certain amount of shady and underhanded maneuverings on the part of my government. I don't expect full disclosure of all operations our military is involved in. What I do expect is not to be lied to and treated as If I posses the intelligence of some Grimm fairy tale character who believes whatever he is told. My friend died because he signed up to DEFEND his country. Saddam was no immediate threat to us. Bush lied o make it appear so and many American sheep fell for it. And many American Lives are being lost because of Mr. Bush's misdirectional presentation of the facts to the American's he was sworn to protect. Ironic ain't it?
I had hoped that Americans would remember the slick way old dubya got into the white house four years ago and how he presided over one of the most ineffective presidencies in years until 9/11 gave him purpose. He was well on his way to being a one term president until then and I had hoped we would keep it that way this past Election Day. Too bad Mr. Kerry was as effective as a band aid on a gunshot wound in providing a viable alternative. So we were forced to accept this cowboy, frat boy and son of privilege (oh yeah, I almost forgot, Idiot) as our commander in chief for four more years. Let us hope that he will leave us no worse off than we are already. So here's to you Mr. President, a raspberry, a middle finger and a million thumbs down to you George Bush on your Inauguration
A sad day Indeed