|
|
 |
||||||
 |
Opinion Across The Fence If nothing changes, then nothing will change A quick trip to a baby shower honoring my best friend's first grandchild kept me away from the national news, the Sunday morning talk shows and the late-night monologues.
I had no idea what I'd missed until I flipped on the television early Monday morning to find accusations flying faster than the fists in a bantamweight boxing match. In less than three minutes, I heard that Sen. Barack Obama is an "elitist," Sen. Hillary Clinton is "…acting like Annie Oakley," and Sen. John McCain is nothing more than an "…entrenched Washington insider." The candidates, in true candidate form, are taking every opportunity to cast aspersions on their opponents, discredit them among voters and claim their own God-blessed right to lead this nation. Unfortunately, they all are beginning to sound elitist, bitter and out of touch with the realities behind their high-falutin' rhetoric. When it comes to change, I don't think most Americans want superfluous statements of faith, posturing that unequivocally panders to the "good ol' boys and good-times" stereotypes that show too many rural and middle-class Americans with a shot glass in one hand and a shotgun in the other. I'm reminded of an old Wendy's commercial where the elderly female customer demands to know "Where's the beef?" Similarly, I want to know, where's the substance? What are the policies and who has the best plan to deal with the major issues facing our country? If someone needs a list of issues, let's include: the war in Iraq, rising energy costs, a national economy that most experts recognize is in a recession, skyrocketing health care costs and correspondingly high health insurance premiums, and a faltering educational system that's dumbing down our students. Two things had a profound effect on me before I "checked out" of the news mainstream last week. First, I saw the movie "Stop-Loss." It was gut-wrenching in its realism, and depressing in the scope of hopelessness faced by the soldiers who've already spent more than one tour of duty in Afghanistan or Iraq and suddenly find themselves being sent back again. Stop-loss was created by Congress after the Vietnam War. According to Wikipedia, it is founded on U.S. Code, Title 10, Section 12305(a) which states in part: "... the President may suspend any provision of law relating to promotion, retirement, or separation applicable to any member of the armed forces who the President determines is essential to the national security of the United States." Former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry called the policy a backdoor draft, and that description seems accurate. But of course, I'd expect nothing less of our government. If a real draft were implemented, there's no doubt we'd see demonstrations that would rival those of the Vietnam era. Second in the midst of fighting a war that doesn't seem any more winnable than the one we fought in Southeast Asia, Obama and to a lesser degree Sen. Clinton are doing the old side-step shuffle on questions about the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Instituted during President Bill Clinton's administration, the policy was introduced as a compromise. While campaigning for president, Clinton promised to allow all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation, to serve openly in the military. The current policy is a small step away from the previous ban on those who are not heterosexual. Today, the policy allows gays and lesbians to serve as long as they don't acknowledge who they really are. Our nation has come to believe that a lie is more palatable than an unsavory reality. "I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Obama said in an interview. Translate that to: He's not going to rock the boat hard enough to create any waves. "But," he said, "I think there's increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that this is a counterproductive strategy." Translate that to: Hey, you non-heterosexuals in the military, don't expect too much from me if I am elected. American elections used to be about democracy, and electing strong leaders who would take care of issues at home as well as protecting our global integrity. The closer to the 2008 election we get, the more it seems like the same old politics, and the same old games, with a different set of players. That's part of what I had hoped would change this time around. Kathie Greer: Columnist and consultant for the Amarillo Independent. She can be reached at kathie@amarilloindy.com. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: April 17, 2008
|
|
