Sound Off! The Dark Side of the Force

I’m not sure when it happened, but I think a majority of the citizens of the United States were brainwashed. They were brainwashed into giving up their civil liberties with the Patriot Act, they were brainwashed into thinking that tax cuts could help the middle class, and they were brainwashed into thinking that Republicans supported their issues. When you think about it, their attacks have been both direct and subtle. Those of us who live in New Mexico have seen the vicious Swift Boat Veterans For Truth ads. But today, I’m going to take you on a journey that might explain why “rational” people have become Bush supporters (or remain supporters) over the past four years.

One of the most unfortunate facts about American politics is that Republicans control a lot of news and radio stations. For viewers looking to get a view from the left or an unbiased view, they are left with very few choices. Among those choices, even the most balanced news networks have bias though they try to buffer it with their different reporters. Today, I’d like to examine CNN’s Paula Zahn Now. On the surface, Paula seems unbiased as she tries to have both Democrat and Republican representatives discussing topics on her show. But when a guest makes a strong Democrat point on her show, look at her eyes first and then her mouth. She’s smiling, but her eyes show anger.

Another disturbing trend that I’ve noticed on the news is the quoting of Republican fabrications. One popular one goes like this, “Kerry voted to go into Iraq and then voted against the $87 billion dollars to support our troops.” Surprisingly, you actually get to hear about Kerry’s side of the story on CNN’s website when the $87 billion is mentioned in an article. But you rarely hear about it on television. He voted against the bill because it included billions of dollars in no bid contracts for Haliburton. Kerry voted against the bill because it would increase our deficit and put the burden of taxes on all Americans. Now, let me ask you a question. Do you think the rich outnumber the combined poor and middle class in America? I didn’t think so. Let me ask another question. Do people making over $200K a year need tax breaks? Why not roll back the tax breaks from the richest 2% of Americans to fund body armor for our troops? But I digress.

I think most of us can agree that things haven’t been the same since 9/11/2001. But I miss some of the things we lost after 9/11: media criticism of the President, American civil liberties, and the right to speak out against this administration’s policies. It seems like anyone who speaks out against President Bush ends up getting ridiculed, fired, or resigning. Look at all the people who have stepped down in his administration. Some acted as scape goats for bad policies and others were pressured to step down after being critical of the administration. Remember how Robert Novak leaked the identity of a CIA operative whose spouse was openly critical of the administration?

After 9/11, I’ll agree it was okay for the media to go easy on the administration for a few months while they got their bearings together. But why hasn’t the party ended? It seems like the only people that are pointing out mistakes made by this administration are the Democrat talking heads that show up on some of the prime time news shows. And don’t forget about the comedians, Bush always offers plenty of material for them. Wait a minute, I sense that one of them named Dennis Miller has moved to the dark side. I think the Daily Show put it best when they showed Bush and his entourage walking together to the tune of the “dark side theme” from Star Wars.

I would like to finish by saying thanks to all of the hard working 527s that have worked so hard in New Mexico to ensure that our election this year is not close by any means in this state. You all know who you are and now we need to focus on voter turn out before November. Thanks for reading and keep fighting the good fight and tune into Air America Radio on 1350 AM. Watch the debates, be well informed, and inform others. It’s the only way we’re going to win this election and get Bush Out The Door in 2004.

Howard Jow, a concerned voter