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BUSH TO GO
So many
reasons have been offered by so many people as to why Bush must be defeated that
it is almost impossible to think of another one.
He has made so many military mistakes, has broken so many worthwhile
rules of international relations, lost so many jobs, subverted so many
democratic rights, caused so much environmental destruction - "leave no
tree behind!", tried to promote one religion against others, and generally
acted like a "know-it-all" teenager as well as the tough guy on the
block that hardly anything more need be said to bring him down in November.
But still the
polls tell us that 50% of the voters support Bush and are likely to vote for
him. That is hard to accept for
those of us unionists and other good citizens who believe our purpose in life is
to make it better for all. While we
know there will always be those who believe in a better life for themselves and
the devil take the hindmost, we always thought they were in a small minority
such as the very rich. While it is
comforting to think that 50% is still with us, it should be more. We thought
most had learned after the Great Depression, the defeat of fascism in WWII, the
defeat of U.S. McCarthyism, the lesson of Vietnam defeat,
that the
majority
would reject the kind of jingoism, militarism and anti-democratism promoted by
Bush and company. Maybe they will by
November election. We
certainly hope so.
But we have to face the fact that Bush stands a
chance. That does not mean the world comes to an end.
Our country and it’s
democratic ideals will survive as it has many earlier crises.
The movement for a better life for all - those movements for peace,
democracy, jobs, environment, racial and gender equality will
survive, go on struggling and eventually win. We
have never lost a battle for the survival of democracy.
We stand a better chance of winning the struggle
for a better life if Kerry is elected. He
will have to pay off on his election promises - many of which are the exact
opposite of Bush. He is not, however, a silver bullet. Corporate power and its Bush supporters will
relentlessly
pressure Kerry in their direction. He
will
have to yield
to that pressure unless we for the better life bring stronger pressure to bear.
So, take your choice. Struggle for a better life with Kerry as
at least
neutral
or struggle
with Bush as a ruthless opponent of all we hold dear in life.
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