How Bad Does It Have to Get?

Any nation that would return the Republicans to power after the nightmare our country has gone through since 20 January 2001 is going to die. In fact, voting Republican this year is no more or less than an expression of national suicide. How much worse does it have to get, America, before you wake up out of this absurd right-wing dream world you live in?

1. YOUR COUNTRY WAS LIED AND MANIPULATED INTO A NEEDLESS WAR. That war has killed over 4,000 of our best young people, wounded more than 30,000 others, often cruelly, and mentally shattered countless others. It has killed perhaps more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians, driven 2,000,000 other Iraqis into exile, and immensely strengthened radical Islamists in Iran. Iraq is again descending into civil chaos after a brief lull. Every one of the stated premises for the war has turned out to be false. And yet, many of you want to vote for the one man--McCain--who will keep this monstrous conflict going indefinitely, and who even hints at wanting to expand the war into Iran.

WHY?

2. YOUR NATION'S ECONOMY IS TEETERING ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER. Economic analysts are already using the frightening term "worst since the Great Depression" to describe the escalating crisis our economy is in. Government debt has risen SIXTY PER CENT under George W. Bush. The economic con artists have been building a financial house of cards, and now it's crumbling, as the deepening mortgage meltdown attests. Right-wing Republican economic idiocy has caused this dilemma. And yet, many of you want to vote for someone--McCain--who has pledged to keep the same failed policies in place, or even accelerate them.

WHY?

3. CORRUPTION AND INCOMPETENCE HAVE SELDOM BEEN MORE WIDESPREAD. Republican cronies, crooks, and incompetents have looted the federal treasury at a shocking rate. The Iraq War has been a gold mine for Republican-connected companies like Halliburton and KBR. Corporate greed and corruption, such as in the case of Bear Stearns, are the worst since the 1890s. The Katrina disaster was only one symptom of the breakdown of government in America and Republican mishandling of virtually every issue. And yet, many of you are prepared to vote for a man, John McCain, who is more tied into lobbyists and Republican special interests than almost any other politician in America.

WHY?

4. REPUBLICAN SOCIAL POLICIES HAVE BEEN A DISASTER. Under the Republicans since 2001, poverty has risen. The number of those without medical insurance has risen. The gap between the wealthiest and the poorest has enormously expanded. "Abstinence-only" sex education has been a wretched, miserable failure. The gap in the life expectancy between rich and poor has grown. And yet many of you are prepared to vote for a man who has one of the most radical right voting records in the Senate, McCain.

WHY?

5. RIGHT WING FANATICS AND LUNATICS CONTROL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. From Pat Robertson to John Hagee, borderline-insane zealots control the Republican Party. Hagee is trying to bring on a war with Iran to precipitate the Apocalypse. Many who run the Republican Party are so-called "Dominionists" who want to drive anyone who isn't a right-wing fundamentalist End Times Protestant out of the government, or even deprive them of citizenship. Hatred of Roman Catholics, hatred of Jews (despite the "pro-Israel" rhetoric of many of these nut cases), hatred of women, murderous hatred of gays, and a lust for a worldwide religious war are common themes among these profoundly dangerous people. These same lunatics hate science, hate public education, hate environmental protection, hate the court system, and are determined to interject the government into the most personal of all decisions, from the Terri Schiavo tragedy to how married people can have sex. (No joke.) And yet many of you want to vote for someone--McCain--who crawls to these people, begging for their support.

WHY?

People, your nation is in crisis. Despite what the McCain-loving hacks in the media tell you, and despite what the conservative-controlled corporate media are tring to sell you, we're in big trouble. Almost 80% of Americans say this country is headed in the wrong direction. And yet, McCain--who would be nothing but a third Bush term-- has a better than even shot at winning. Why? Because he was a hero in Vietnam? Many men were heroes in Vietnam. Are they necessarily therefore qualified to be president? I respect McCain and honor him for his service, but it doesn't mean he should be president. His record in public life has been atrocious. His policies are utterly wrong for America. He is allied with some of the most dangerous people in the country. He is the new leader of the political party that is strangling this country's future to death. And yet, he might win. So one more time, I ask:

WHY?