Warning: Don't read this if you don't want to hear a crazy rant. Really. This is literally a brain dump. Something I just had to get off my chest.
--
Yesterday, I checked the news on cnn.com and the "breaking news headline" was that Britney Spears custody rights were being revoked. This caused me to pause. What? THIS is breaking news? THIS is the news that I should be concerned about? Are you serious? This "news" for some reason hit me like a bmw on the highway.
How did we get here?, I thought to myself. Honestly to the point of tears, almost - I'm not that crazy. But. I am so sad about the way of the world right now. I tossed and turned all night, hardly sleeping.
I distinctly remember where I was when I learned about the first U.S. casualty in Iraq. I spent the weekend up in the mountains and was on my way home when I heard. And I'm just gonna throw this out there, I did cry. This was some one's son. This man meant the world to someone. I will never forget that day. I thought about my brothers, my dad.
I am so mad about this war and even more mad at myself for doing nothing about it. I don't understand why we're not all mad. Because we SHOULD be. And we should be doing something about it. But we're not.
Every time I see that damn ad on tv saying that "they attacked us...," my blood boils. It does. "They" didn't attack us. The Iraqi people did not fly those planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon or that field in Pennsylvania. Who are these people that are stupid enough to believe that? It was a group of extremists lead by an f-ing lunatic, who "we" still haven't captured. I haven't forgotten.
But now we've destroyed an entire country's infrastructure. We've removed their leader, and he's been executed. We can't just leave. Look, I know the world is probably a better place without him. He was a tyrannical leader. I know. But there are LOTS of leaders just like him. Why aren't we running off to Myanmar right now? Oh that's right, they don't have something we want.
Meanwhile, the Polar Ice Cap is disappearing before our eyes. Our soldiers are dying daily overseas, but we should give a shit about Britney Spears losing her kids? I think we all need to start getting mad. I feel helpless. I want to believe our leaders. Really, I do. I want to believe that there are people in office far smarter than I am and they know what they're doing...But I just don't. Not when we find out after the fact that we've been lied to. Hello, weapons of mass destruction? Our reason for invading Iraq...Oh yeah, there WEREN'T ANY.
So, what do I do about it? I vote to put people into power that I believe are going to do their best to turn things around. To help us get our priorities straight. I hope that's enough.
If you've made it this far...do you feel the same way I do? Am I wrong? Should I not be mad? Is it lack of sleep? I'm just wondering if anyone else feels this way too. And if so, what do you do about this. I guess we just keep on keepin' on and make the world around us as good as we can. We volunteer, we make positive choices, and maybe one day we'll wake up and things will start turning around because we've all done our little part and it will add up to one big thing? I really hope so.
7 comments:
Right On!!!!!! You hit that nail on the head. That is a common conversation in our house........ Like it was a suprise that some star has drug and alcohol problems and has lost their kids.... it is just like any other Tuesday on that subject..... predictable, Yes, Newsworthy, NO!!!! We have much bigger fish to fry. Maybe the news channels are trying to brain wash us to forget about the big issues.... who knows..... You should watch the movie Idiocracy.... In my mind that is what is happening. People caring more about the stupid things.... Stupid people having 10 kids each and the smart ones holding off and soon our population will show the effects, heck it already is. Sorry for the comment rant. But everyone in this house is with you. I guess we can start small by voting and being informed, not on celebrity news, but real happenings in the world.
you have a right to rant. unfortunately, the people in power are supposed to represent the people. they don't. each has his own personal agenda. for example, i believe that regardless of how a congressman or senator personally feels about gun control, it is his job to determine how his constituents feel, and vote that way. isn't that what a democracy is about? we don't send people to washington to vote for waht they want, but to vote the way the majority of us want him to. (i am not being sexist here, you may substitute she for he.)
i don't have an answer. just keep voting.
the reason we are hearing about celebrities is because it sells. once a celebrity stops generating revenue for the media, we won't hear anymore about him/her.
i could keep going, but it's time to stop.
If nader were president before 911 he would have made it a law to have locks on the cockpit doors. Save us Ralph (still the only polition beholdent to the people and not special intrest groops...)
my head hurts. i feel better knowing i'm not alone on this though...collectively, we can make a difference.
I love you Amy. I love that you care. If the world, our country, our state, did have people like you, we'd be in more trouble than we are. I love you.
lynn:
did you leave a word out in that sentence?
The people have the power to change our government. I was lucky to come of age during the 60s. Nonviolence changed civil rights, womens rights and the Vietnam War. It can be done. You are right Amy, in that getting out the vote is the first step.I think we wouldn't have had GWB for the last 3 years if more people had voted in the last election. The Christian Conservatives and the Right made a great effort to mobilize their people to vote and it made the difference in the election. Maybe its time for the pendulum to swing the other way.
Post a Comment