Edgewise

Received this in my email, thought it was worth passing on?

An American Voter Speaks Out

“How fortunate for leaders that men do not think.”
Adolf Hitler

As we approach this presidential election, I find it more and more difficult to determine the truth I need to base my choice on. The campaigns have resorted to a mishmash of clichés, misrepresentations and psychological intimidations that capitalize on our fear and confusion. The media itself has bombarded us with undocumented facts, uninformed opinions, and quotes from the candidates taken out of context.

I have concluded that the only way we can get to a rational and objective view of the issues is to bypass the campaign ads and media spin, and communicate directly with each other as voters. The responsibility for our future rests with us as voters, and with the leaders we choose. Ultimately, our opinions rest on what we believe in at a personal level. I have taken the liberty to tell you what I believe in, knowing that you and I may differ. I encourage you to take the time between now and this election to examine and clarify your own beliefs, and to stand up for them in your vote, not only for president but in your choices for congress as well.

· I believe that we must view disagreement on policy as a valuable contribution to democracy, and that we must never seek to silence the American citizen who disagrees with his leadership by labeling him as unpatriotic. We have an obligation to speak out for what we believe.

· I believe that as a society, Americans are generous, compassionate people who abhor violence and are willing to sacrifice to help those who are suffering, whether they live in Orlando or in Baghdad, in Iowa or in Palestine. We are intelligent, creative and hard working people with a strong sense of justice. We are willing and able to fight for our country. I believe that we can win the war against terrorism, through common sense and understanding, through the ability to learn from our mistakes, though the willingness to face up to the reality of the world as it exists today, not how we wish it would be.

· I believe in tolerance. I believe in inclusiveness. I believe in common sense. I believe in intelligence and education and social responsibility. I believe we can differ in opinions and still work together as a nation.

· I condemn slander, whether it is directed against Senator Kerry, President Bush, or anyone else. I condemn lies and half-truths and innuendo. I condemn stereotyping at any level.

· I believe in the perpetuation of a powerful middle class America. I believe in protecting the ability of Americans to succeed by their own efforts. I believe that the wealthiest Americans owe their status to a constitution that protects and promotes a solid, stable segment of Americans who work for wages.

· I believe a good economy is based on producing and selling quality goods and services to consumers who are able to earn the money to buy them. The ‘American Dream’ is not based on winning the lotto, it is based on the willingness to work for what we get.

· I believe the American system of public education is the foundation for our society. I believe that it is an honor as an American taxpayer to support it. I believe we should be very cautious about placing responsibility for American public education in the hands of unregulated, unaccountable for-profit organizations, or schools that promote specific religious beliefs.

· I believe in the innate ability of the American people to make compassionate and sensible choices for their own lives. I believe strongly in separation of church and state. I believe we must exercise grave caution in legislating decisions that limit our personal choices.

· I believe our country faces a grave challenge in protecting our way of lives from extremism. I believe that it is going to test our values and our reasoning as individuals and as a society. Three years after 9-11, most Americans remain confused about the cause of the attacks. I do not believe that terrorism can be explained by saying “They’re doing this because they hate freedom”. It is a complex global problem that seriously threatens our way of life. It must be approached with gravity, rationality, and commitment at a personal level from every American citizen to find its causes in order to eliminate its means.

· I believe that we need thoughtful, unbiased leadership. We need facts. We need intelligent, competent answers to issues of complexity. We need a policy that can adapt to changes of circumstances at a moment’s notice. We need to avoid paranoia and impulsive action, and approach our problems with well informed, well thought out responses to the reality of the world we are living in and the world we are handing down to our children.

Thank you for my freedom of speech. Please vote.

[astrospam redacted]

thank you for valuing my pagerank enough to spam me with idiotic pro-Bush talking points... -ed.

One for all and all for one!!! As a long time Democrat all I can say is dump Bush. You people don’t have the faintest idea what a good President is. Clinton and Kerry are my kind of Presidents! Bush is a bin Laden family friend!!! He let them out of the country 4 days after 9/11. He talks about terrorism but attacks Saddam after cutting off that country for years. Weapons of mass destruction? He’s a weapon of mass ineptitude. The economy is in the dumper, jobs are leaving this country . . . Ross Perot would say. .”I can hear that sucking sound again…” Bottom line is that The President needs to go on permanent vacation! He’s like toilet paper entwined through a great forest of trees that we will have to clean up once he finally departs. I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU … douglas.both@bms.com