Another Lazy Blog Entry - My President

I wrote this right after the last election.

I have to say that looking back I do feel that we have come a long way from here. We seem to have woken up as a people. I still believe whole heartedly when Bush leaves office and the dust clears we will uncover the enormity of the worst administration the Unites States has ever seen. Forget the nation, he is bad for the world on so many levels. He is the president that was so bad for the environment that even people in Arkansas and Idaho are talking about greenhouse gas and emission control. While this side effect is not a bad thing - clearly - what it took to get us here is catastrophic. Kyoto! The problems that the next administration will face are monumental. It is my fear that the next in line cannot truly succeed. They will be to busy cleaning up messes to move forward.

I am hopeful. But I worry for us.

Anyway. Here is the piece I wrote a few weeks after reelection. I did in fact start screaming.

My president.

Bush is now my president. I am against all that he stands for. I am opposed to “faith” based programs that exclude and divide.

Bush is a bumper sticker president. Abortion declarations, NRA proclamations, My boss is a jewish carpenter. Bumper stickers, declarations of those views we hold dear and that divide us as a nation, as a people.

Bush is a bumper sticker.

This is my president. The man who says that God has chosen his path, God has declared his way.

This is my president. The Crusader who strikes out at religious zealots from the Middle east even though he is in fact a religious zealot from middle America.

What a country we have developed that we are allowed to voice our opinions and have our own views openly declared.

What a wonderful world we live in where we are open to make our voices heard and speak out strongly for those things we find important.

The will of the people have spoken, my president says. The will of the people are at my back as I plan to push my agenda items forward.

I am the people. And so, just as I must come to terms with the fact that Bush is my president, so must he acknowledge that he is my president. He represents me, and the 5 million other people who do not agree with him.

I will accept four more years because I have to but I will not sit idly by and let this man forget that he is my president too and this is my country as much as it is those who voted for his right wing policies.

I will stand up strong and I will shout my views if necessary. I will cover my car with one bumper sticker: “Practice Random Acts of Kindness” and I will point my car toward Washington and my president.