08.31.04

The Boregonian headline today: "Bush hailed for post-9/11 leadership"

The RNC follies have begun. If it wasn't so sad, it'd be funny.

The convention opened yesterday in New York City with a calling up of September 11th. The paper described three relatives of victims, standing in front of the words "September 11, 2001" projected in white on a black screen, each quietly paying tribute to their grief. Television cameras panned to show delegates weeping.

Using September 11th as a media ploy is to be expected. It's the only emotional hook that the elephants have. Exploiting it is reprehensible, mocks the people that were directly affected; it's cheap theatrics.

Septembe 11th was horrible. It was an electronic cattle prod slammed into the US's illusions of isolationism and invincibility. I am appalled, but not surprised, that it's being used to further the aims of the status quo.

We, as voters, should ignore emotional appeals. We should ignore polarizing statements from any candidate. We should look at the state of our country. We should ask candidates what they're going to do about the economy, healthcare, and foreign policy. Period. These are the issues that are important.

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