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Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Flip floppin' in America. 

There are rumors of troop withdrawal after the election. Is this talk "cover talk" to deflect from their "real" aim, which is to increase troop level, and make one last push to defeat the insurgents? The rumors of drastic troop increase and drastic troop withdrawal seem to be swirling in the atmosphere for deliberate reasons: the two rumors have the potential to please everyone, to some extent, and mute the criticism of what is happening in Iraq now, today.

Who the hell knows, outside of inner Pentagon circles, of the true intention of this administration, because deception has been the modus operandi from the beginning. Remeber, this is a government in this White House of fanatics; and for fanatics, the ends justifies the means. So question everthing and believe little.

Regarding the debates, I find myself not falling for the hype this year, for two reasons. Number one is the belief pushed by the media, and to some extent by the candidates themselves, that the debates are make it or break it for each candidate. This belief is a tragic joke, given that the debates are being scripted, which is my number two reason for not falling for the hype. If the debates were staged in an open manner with few rules save that of civility, and the two men were able to question and engage each other, then I would have the belief that the debates could be a platform to demonstrate the abilities and the intellect of the men involved. As it is now, a scripted debate has every reason to favor the incumbent. He can answer scripted questions with scripted answers. This is no more a debate than two dead men conversing, which is an apt metaphor for American democracy right now. Unless one of the men has the balls to break the rules and directly challenge and question the other, it could make for a pretty boring night.

I'll probably skip it, and read about it later. Watching it live is like buying their product, even though the product sucks. What if Americans in large numbers boycotted the debates? Large numbers of Americans won't watch it anyway, which is a quiet form of boycott.

If you choose to watch it, at least turn off the spin afterwards. No matter who "wins" this debate (and how does one judge this "winning" in an environment that lacks spontaneity), the spinning will revolve around who the media wishes to win, and I think we have the answer to that question already.

Americans are led by the nose so easily. The people are like sheep, their leaders like stubborn goats constantly getting their horns tangled in the weeds and thicket. When will we take the initiative to create a political process that is free of monied influence? When will the media, once again, belong to the people? The only answer is to turn off your television, and reclaim yourselves.