I voted for George Bush
Filed Under Secrets | 11 Comments
Not the second time, but the first. I was upbeat and hopeful and full of enthusiasm and now years later I think, how could I have been fooled so badly? I bear some personal guilt for what is happening to our country. I’m sorry and I could use some forgiveness.
I’m ashamed of how Americans are viewed around the world.
The America I was born and raised in was a different place. We were taught that we could move safely around without having to “have documents” like those bad Russians. We’ve all watched the quiet death of many of our civil rights. Our cherished freedom comes from the lack of restrictions, not from the imposition of more and more restrictions whether it be on your ability to earn a living, speak or simply enjoy your life.
It’s not about Republican or Democrat or even left or right – it’s about acting like Americans, the kind the world respects and in the past wanted to emulate. Americans are more than Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, secret CIA interrogation offices around the world and sabre rattling every time someone says something we don’t like.
In the old days we were taught that the US was the center of the universe and for much of my young life, it was. I want to go back there.
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11 Comments so far
It’s sad that our good intentions have been twisted into a cliché. We live an awful stereotype. Today… any day…. you can watch the news and we are fighting our neighbors, our allies, and our own people. It is the greatest tragedy, and according to history we are only going to trade one tyrant for another. It is our fault that we are trapped in this cycle. What are we to do…?
Your words have touched me, they echo the feelings of the country that I claim. But, the images I see in that country represent something total different… something full of hate and discrimination. I don’t understand this world we live in, but I do understand myself and I know that we are a nation of individuals fighting for a greater good. We should not allow an injustice to propagate simply because we allowed it.
Don’t feel guilty about voting for him, unfortunately the election process is tainted and there just aren’t any good candidates out there to fill the office of president. It could have happened the same way with Gore, or even something worse. I am just praying that our next president will be able to restore some sanity in the White House.
I didn’t, but I understand why people did — both times.
I’d like to go back, as well. I’m not sure that we can. But wanting to is a start.
I’m on the other side of this, sort of.
I’m the only one I know who saw any of this coming, so it’s not like it was everyone but you and I wouldn’t be too embarrassed. I told my then manager that I couldn’t vote for George Bush because he was going to take us to war somehow.
She told me I was crazy.
Then he took us to war somehow both against the purportedly responsible parties for 9-11 and for reasons publicly unknown against Iraq.
To this day, I don’t know what I knew or how, but I was absolutely convinced since well before the 2000 election. It baffles the crap out of me still.
My reasons for not voting for him are a little different than your regrets but they’re linked so closely.
And remember that McCarthy told us, way back when in ‘69 or so, that when it was technologically feasible that there would be a manufactured war in the Middle East used as an excuse to crack down on our liberties. This has been a long time coming and subtle as hell.
we in Europe wait for the day our american friends get rid of the christian neo conservatism Bush and his gang brought to the world. We in Europe still believe in you. We still want to unite with Americans in making this world a better place. Yes there is critism towards you guys but friends do that when they see their friends making huge mistakes. It will work out right. Someday…
I voted for him the 2nd time, but mainly because the alternative was dreadful. It was the lesser of two evils, and I honestly don’t think the horse-faced Kerry would have mucked it up any less that GWB. You’re absolutely right, though. I hate the way America is viewed by the rest of the world, now. We used to be the good guys, or so I thought. It’s embarassing. I support our troops, and I love my country, but I hate that we’re the bad guys now.
Umm…you don’t “need documents” to move around the country. What restrictions are you talking about? Right, I thought so. There aren’t any.
America, like any other country, has done things worth repenting for. But if you think somehow this is new, you need to read some history. Detention of Japanese Americans during World War II, suspension of habeus corpus during the civil war. Those were real violations of rights of Americans. We’ve seen *nothing* like that over the last seven years. So calm down, the world is not ending, and America remains the freest, most open country in the world, no matter what other countries might think of us.
You have lived in a dream all your life. Most of the world has hated americans since WW II. They thaught they alone won the war and expected all other people to scrape and bow to them. as all the rest of the world knows the American’s message to the world is “Do as we say or we will bomb you till you do”.
You dumbass
Well don’t sweat it. Bush is gone. Now we got Barack H. Obama for comfort.
that’s the America I was told about it I wish I could have seen it.