I overslept and woke up to learn that Kerry’s conceding. My response:
Fuck all.
I don’t recognize my country. I find it hard to believe that Bush won by being “resolute” (apologize for nothing, deflect everything, mislead always) and by playing the gay card (homosexuals are on the march!). I mean, shit: is our country so goddamn homophobic? I think it must be, given that anti-gay bans passed in 11 states. The fact that it even became an issue is alarming.
I don’t know. I don’t want to say that 50% of the country is stupid. But I think a HUGE number of people are ignorant – possibly willfully – about what’s going on. The US is a big fat ostrich, just waiting to get shot in a variety of different ways.
Dan Gillmor pretty much sums it up. And if you’re a Bush supporter, don’t think for a minute that I’m being overly dramatic:
Jeff Carlson | Never Enough Coffee Creations 
Dear Jeff, I was a soldier stationed in Germany during Operation Desert Shield.I was only a private but I had been to college and met students from the middle east.I even personally knew a Kuwaiti prince named Osama Al Koraffi.I did not join the Army to kill arabs of one nasty little country to defend arabs of another nasty little country.I heard American civilians who lived in Germany both on post and off post talk about how we were going to lose.I of course understood that our side losing would probably mean that I would die.I can honestly say that was very bad for my marale,however I also heard American civilians say that they did not want us to go to war.The latter statement was never bad for my morale.I voiced my opinion against going to
Saudi Arabia to fellow soldiers and was punished for having an opinion simply because if the Army wanted me to have an opinion I would have been issued one.I could see through the lies and deception that my poor conflicted buddies could not.I knew what the mind game they were playing on us from day one was.I too was very conflicted.My family back home waas very supportive and stood by our President and they supported me.This was bad for my morale.This meant they supported my President’s descision to endanger my life and to take other lives for nothing.I could not understand what we stood to gain from fighting Iraq.The only thing we stood to gain was killing and death.After we rerstored the government of Kuwaiit what did we get for that?I made a descision.Instead of killing for no reason I decided to take my own life.I considered this more honourable.It is not an easy thing to do.I really had to work up the nerve to do it.I stabbed myself in the wrist and pulled the knife vertically.I heard flesh rip.You may ask why I did’nt just shoot myself.The reason is because at the time I did not have access to live rounds.I was afraid that I would’nt have the nerve to try it later,so I did it when I had the nerve.I was sent back to the United States.I was sickend by the fervor the American people had been whipped into in the name of patriotism.Critisize our President to your hearts content.You may be surprised how the morale of soldiers is affected.Some people would call me a coward.I say that most people who support this war were manipulated by their fear into supportting it.I say that if your support this war then you should send your children to go.I say you should go yourself.You are willing to send others because you are yourself a coward.I faced courtmartial and time in a millitary prison.
I would like to comment on the comments that have been made regarding the soldier’s question to rumsfeld about armoring humvees.The people that read and make post comments on this site are obviously rational and intellegent people.It is unfortunate that they have not been able to reach more people with their critical and rational thinking.The answer Rumsfeld gave was for the benefit of the media and not for the soldiers.I am more and more amazed everyday by the blatent manipulation of the American people by this shameless administration.It has been said that cursing is an ignorant mind trying to express itself.I admit that my knowlede of language fails me but if I were to address Bush I would speak to him in a language his ignorant blinkered mind would understand and he would understand, but the english language fails me when it comes to addressing the American people.I don’t know how we can reach the masses but from me to all of you who write on this site I can only say thank you.It comforts me to know there is hope and that other people think the way I do.