no subject

[taimatsu]

Oh, God, more than half of the US population really is that stupid. Or evil. Or crazy.

I am somewhat lost as to what I, an individual not a citizen of or resident in the US, with few qualifications and no political clout, can do to make the world a better place for the people That Man is going to ruin it for, especially internationally.

What the fuck is wrong with America? What the hell? I am just lost for words. The BBC chappie (was it Jon Snow?) with the computer-graphics charts and maps last night showed some figures on the trust people put in the various candidates on certain issues. Apparently Kerry was trusted slightly more on the economy (3%), but people trusted Bush by a whopping percentage (something like 12% and 25%) on Iraq and terrorism. This after he's been blatantly lying to and manipulating the country and the world for months! Where are the WMD? Where's Saddam's link to Al-Quaeda? Where is bin Laden? How can anyone trust him on these issues? Where is America's BRAIN?

(Sorry, I'm just distressed that my world is about to head further down the drain. I'll be all right again soon, I'm sure. A few hours on the sofa with some junk food and flashy content-free television will help me forget the real issues.)

Comments

[ruth-lawrence.livejournal.com]

What ever has eaten America's brain dined first on Australia's.

[hoiho.livejournal.com]

The full horror of what Bush's soporters think is happening in the world is here (http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/Report10_21_04.pdf)

Everythign else is lies from the libbrul media, isn't it?

[chrisvenus]

Ah, did Bush claim that there was a link between Iraq and Al-Quaeda? That will explain why there is a war in Iraq (apart from the obvious oil situation). I had wondered what it was in aid of...

[taimatsu]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3715396.stm - see first sentence under the bold header paragraph.

[smhwpf.livejournal.com]

I don't think Americans are stupid. They have been systematically lied to with the aid of a supine corporate-controlled media. They are also, understandably, pretty scared as a result of 9/11. Fear rarely promotes rational decision-making.

[stronae.livejournal.com]

Where is America's BRAIN?

You're telling me. And I live in Florida. There are times I am so disappointed in my countrymen.

[taimatsu]

If you look at the PDF hoiho links to above, Bush supporters are hardly on the same planet as Kerry supporters with regards to what they believe about recent issues and the reality of the Iraq and international situation. Yet they both have access to the same US media. Why is it that Kerry supporters hear this stuff and Bush supporters don't? Or am I getting it backwards, and it's the information that determines their support?

Half the country sees through the lies. What's wrong with the other half?

[smhwpf.livejournal.com]

Probably a bit of both. "Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest" after all.

It would probably be much more difficult to steer people towards the most blatantly lying news sources (e.g. Fox) if there wasn't something else going on to incline them that way. The whole religious right phenomenon is a biggie. How did that become so dominant in white Evangelical US Christianity? You don't have the same trend to anywhere near that extent in other western Evangelical movements. (Which indeed have often been quite politically progressive). I don't pretend to have any answer to that.

[natsukaze.livejournal.com]

I'm almost ashamed to call myself an American.

[taimatsu]

Don't be. The world needs the other half to stand up for the real America; the land of the free, not the land of the gullible and apathetic. Be proud of being American, and see what you can do to haul your country back from the edge.

*sigh* A tall order, I know.

[korby.livejournal.com]

Here's something for a conspiracy theory. Some of the counties in Ohio use the Diebold electronic voting machines. The CEO of the Diebold company is a HUGE Bush contributer, and at one time stated that he would "deliver Ohio to Bush." Personally, I don't trust electronic voting, since there's no paper trail to verify that the numbers they spit out are accurate. Flordia also had several electronic voting systems in place. Once again, Diebold brand machines. Don't get me started on the security holes in them...

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

*bashes head against wall repeatedly by way of agreeing*

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

We don't really have access to the same US media. The media varies a lot depending on where you are. People in the strongly pro-Bush areas, in the middle of the country, are really not hearing the same things as the rest of the country. You'd be amazed.

[imc.livejournal.com]

The BBC chappie (was it Jon Snow?)

Peter "Let's look at the swingometer" Snow.

(Jon Snow is usually seen on Channel 4 News.)

[nannyo.livejournal.com]

I'm just flabbergasted, and I'm an American living the UK...what is happening? Where were our voices heard? what has happened to all the enthusiasm , and the new voters' efforts? WHY WHY WHY? I am also angry and feel sick about this all.
N.

[damerell.livejournal.com]

I don't think this is a conspiracy theory at all. Exit polls in e-voting without paper trail (some such machines _do_ have paper trails) counties were consistently 5% wrong in Kerry's favour. Everywhere else, they were highly accurate. Go figure.