Apathy, Lethargy, and Indifference

This is a bit different from my usual entries here. Unlike a lot of Americans these days the upcoming presidential election is weighing kind of heavy on me.
Ever since the debacle of 2000 I have been paying a bit more attention to what goes on in politics. Not that it really matters in the long run, it's just that in 2000 the American people got caught with their pants down around their ankles, and the country hasn't been the same since. Lots of people fell into the catagory of "Me Vote? Why? What Good Would It Do?" They were 'too busy' to pay even the smallest attention to who was running, and what their platforms were about. So, George Bush was voted in. 'Nuff said...
I like to think that if Al Gore had been elected, even just for one term, we wouldn't be the laughing stock of the world. Thank you, W. Thank you, 43. Thank you, El Presidente. Thanks for nothing. You should have quit while you were ahead, standing on the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center consoling a stunned nation. But no, you had to push your still unfathomable, secret agenda on a still grieving nation and we bought it- hook, line, and sinker.
Yep, we were done with 'killing Commies for Christ' in the 1980s, so now we were on to some new adventure. Some new way to flex our American muscle on an unsuspecting world. Some new way for some movers and shakers behind the scenes to make some enormously sweet moola, which is what I think the entire fiasco in Iraq is ultimately about. There were no WMDs there, nothing but some delusional two bit hustler by the name of Saddam Hussein who was wreaking havoc on his poor countrymen. Not really our business. Nope. But you, Dear George, made it ours, which I had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about. I cringe whenever I think about Colin Powell testifying before Congress about how we had to invade Iraq. He was made to look the fool, along with the rest of his countrymen. No wonder why he resigned and left the Bush administration, his humiliation was deep.
These days the administration tries to palm off the excuse that Al-Quaida was there in Iraq back then, and we had to go get 'em. Not true. At the time that was never given as the reason why we were invading Iraq. Never. Not until recently. What a bunch of hooey. Don't get me wrong- I was all for our precious military going into Afghanistan to find the sick bastards that that sent all those innocent Americans to their deaths on September 11, 2001. I thought it was an easy decision, and I still think it was the right thing to do. The American Military did a good job there, and they aren't finished. But they are close. It's the rest of it that I don't get- but at least now we ALL know that Baghdad isn't just a place from The Arabian Nights, don't we?
Why do I bring all this obscenity up? (And yes, it IS obscene. The way the power of the Presidency has been misused by George W. Bush and Co. is nothing short of obscene.) Because it all comes down to being very much our fault; the American people's fault. We were consumed with apathy, lethargy, and indifference about what goes on in our very own country. Our beautiful, rich, blessed, amazing country that our forefathers gave their lives to form, preserve, and protect. Shame on all of us for ignoring this gift that we live with so very easily day after day.
So, now I ask you that as we start to watch the election process begin, yet again, to make sure that you PAY ATTENTION to what is being said by both candidates that are running for the office of the Presidency of the United States of America. Pay attention people!!!! It's just kinda important, doncha think? If you haven't registered to vote yet- then trot your behinds down to voter registration and do so. Then on election day, November 4, 2008 to be exact, VOTE. It is painless, and it doesn't take very long to exercise your right to have your voice heard. There are many people on the face of this earth that do not have the gift of having their voices heard this way. Many people have died to make this privilege available to us. So, don't let their efforts die in vain. It's the least that we can do.