A reply from an American who voted for George W. Bush...twice.
Mr. Moore,
Allow me to tell you how it feels. I am disappointed with some of the decisions President Bush has made during his presidency. I defy you or anyone else to name any elected official that garnered 100% approval from anyone during their tenure in office.
When compared to the laternatives presented to the American voter, I stand behind my decision. The thought of John Kerry sitting down to negotiate anything with any world leader sends shivvers up my spine.
I do not hate Democrats. I disagree with them philosophically, but I do not hate them. I harbor no hatred toward anyone named Clinton. In fact, I know a guy named Clint that is a salt of the earth type fellow. I shudder when I try and conceive the possibility of Hillary Clinton in charge of anything more important than a Tupperware party...but that's not important right now.
I do not affix labels to myself. Seems there are plenty of folks willing to do that for me these days. I've been called redneck, cracker, homophobe, racist, neo-Confederate (I kind of like that one to be honest), fat, obnoxious, and loud. Thhoise last three you probably identify with yourself, huh?
No, in one sense I don't feel very secure. I never have. I see the leaks in security that happen all around me every day. I see how the justice system applies different standards to different economic classes (see Simpson, Orenthal James or Jackson, Michael) and it makes me afraid. Of course, I haven't killed or molested anyone, so I'm probably okay for now. I see how any group of people who are in a minority, be it race, gender, ambulation, religious belief, or whatever, can go in and overthrow our enire system. We are compelled to change the will of many to suit the whim of the few. That bothers me tremendously.
I don't see you doing anything about that. Then again, you are a member of some of those minorities, so since you are being heard, why change things, right?
Yes, I believe that turning over some duties to private corporations is a marvelous idea. It's called limiting the scope of the federal government. It's in the constitution...maybe you should read it sometime. I firmly believe in citizens doing for themselves what they can and should instead of waiting for a government agency to supply it for them. You see, this would reduce my tax burden, and I'm all for that too. I'm tired of paying for those who decide not to work and take care of themselves. Maybe you should just adopt a few thousand of them. That way I don't have to pay for them, and you can make sure they never have to so much as roll over if they don't want to.
And how dare you be critical of any issue dealing with the military? Check your local Webster's dictionary, under hypocrite.
Have you returned any tax credits you receive?
Keep your religious rhetoric to yourself please. I know precisely what I believe, which I would wager is considerably more than you could say for yourself.
As to President Bush's activities on the day Katrina made landfall. I do not have knowledge of what he was doing. I do know that the federal government could not act until the state authorities allowed them to. That's also in the constitution. You really ought to put that hoagie down and read it sometime. You might be surprised. If primary blame must be placed, and judging by your rant, you feel it should, I suggest a long talk with the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Loouisiana. If they're out of hiding yet. Seems a few hundred of their constituants were wanting to have a word with them as well...
We are the laughing stock of the world all right. But it started a long time ago. When a nation founded on freedom of religion bans public mention of the word "God", we get laughed at. Who supported that movement, Mr. Moore? When a nation that was founded on liberty and justice for all routinely allows celebrities such as yourself to walkk away scot free from any crime they are arrested for, we get laughed at. Where was your outrage when Misters Jackson, Simpson, Bryant, and Blake walked glibly out of our courts of justice, leaving their victims unrequited?
Am I to personally pay for the impoverished? Have you been inside a housing project lately, Mr. Moore? Have you seen it flooded with job applications, or food stamp applications? Are our children being undereducated because of the quality of teachers, or because truancy is rampant? Have you considered that if we returned to common sense standards of education, abandoning such nonesnse as "Ebonics", we might be able to teach a kid to add, subtract, write, read, and maybe even THINK?
The middle class cannot afford their mortgage because they have abandoned the widom of their grandparents. They are no longer content to live within their means. They instead insist on maintaining an illusion. This is not the fault of any political party. The blame rests on the shoulders of the people themselves. Easy access to endless credit has enslaved this nation. We are slaves of the banks. What isn't stolen from the pocket of the working class under the guise of "taxes" is obligated to pay for a home 1.5 times what that person can afford, to a vehicle (or two, or three...) far beyond what that person needs. To blame this irresponsible spending on a political party is desperate indeed, Mr. Moore.
By the way...what's your mortgage payment?
Do I feel safe? Personally? Yeah. I do. I chose not to live my life crowded into the urban sprawl so amny seem to love. I don't even call that buzz word of the 21st Century, "suburbs" home. Weird, huh? I chose to place myself in a setting where a man can live by his own merits, by his own standards, and by his own worth. We help one another out here. We don't judge one another all that often. We just live our lives day to day, face what comes up together, and let the rest fall where it may. Personal responsibility still means something out here. If one of us decides not to work anymore, and just lie about the house, well, he gets a little hungry. If he decides to do all he can to make a living and comes up short, well, there's always one of us about with a little helping hand.
Yes, Mr. Moore, Bush is mine. And according to the last election results I saw, he's your president too. You don't have to like him. You don't have to support him. But trying to tear him down is about as un-American a thing to do as I can think of.
Since you chose to paraphrase the Bible earlier, I feel I have the same right. I recall a passage that says words to the effect of "Be ye for me or against me, hot or cold; Not lukewarm, for I shall spew thee out of my mouth." I see you have taken your stance. I have done the same. We will likely never agree on much of anything. That's okay too. You have a larger stage (among other things) than I. That's okay as well.
But listen. very closely. Hush now, Mr. Moore, and listen. Do you hear that sound? In the background?
It's America.
Ignoring your fat ass.
Get used to the feeling.
Good day.
Michael ________
