May The World Survive [Another] Four Years

Four years ago, in my final year of university, my friends and I were discussing the 2000 US Presidential Election Campaign over many weeks. Our many discussions focused on who was the better candidate for the Presidency, though we agreed there wasn't much to choose from. Al Gore or George W. Bush; who is the lesser of two evils?

Our observations of "Dubya" concluded that this man was a ticking time-bomb, much like his father, but even more volatile. We knew, if elected, this man would send the United States to war. We even figured that this man was maniacal enough to "push the button" himself. Even though we were not US citizens, we were sure that if elected, Dubya's actions would affect us north of the 49th parallel.

On the eve of the 2000 presidential election, we prayed long and hard that Al Gore would be elected president. Sure, Gore wasn't much of a candidate, but we felt that he would be a safer choice for the world community. You could imagine our dismay when we learned that the George Jr. called a re-count of the ballots in Florida, and found his way into the Oval Office. We immediately began repenting our sins.

I knew, as many others did, that all George W. Bush needed was an excuse to turn some foreign country into a moonscape. It didn't take long. When I woke to the destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, I was convinced that World War III had begun, and Armageddon was nigh.

It didn't take long to see that the President, as well as the citizens of the United States were seeking revenge for the attack on US soil. A scapegoat was sought, and when none could be found (or evidence eradicating any reasonable doubt), Dubya took the next best thing. Afghanistan was invaded on a whim, because "The United States makes no distinction between terrorists, and the countries that harbor them". As we have seen, the war in Afghanistan was not much of a victory on the War on Terror. Al Qaida was not dismantled; nor was Osama Bin Laden captured.

Then there was the Patriot Act, intentionally ratified to provide protection/safety to the citizens of the United States, but it was nothing more than a bill to take away the human rights of the peoples of Islamic faith/descent. Pure racism. This legislation somehow makes it legal to arrest and detain anyone the government sees fit, and deny them access to a lawyer, among other things. These prisoners [arrested under the Patriot Act] may have well been arrested in Syria.

Then there was the invasion of Iraq, against the objections of the United Nations. The Iraq war was called an unjust war, as no evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction were ever produced. Saddam Hussein may have been captured, but this has done little to quell the political unrest in the country. The United States military is targeted and attacked on what seems like a daily basis. It appears that the US occupation of Iraq is going to be a long and bloody one.

It is no wonder that international polls have cited George W. Bush as the number one contributor to geo-political instability, and the leading hindrance in the pursuit of world peace.

Now, the US occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq is nothing more than Neo-Colonialism. This is a rather long topic, and I will have to reserve my discussion of it for a later entry, but this is no different than the occupation of the Americas by European Empires, and the systematic destruction of the Aboriginal American culture and peoples. It seems apparent that we (as a species) have not learned our lessons the first time around.

It seems apparent that George W. Bush has done little in the way of US foreign policy. After Mad Cow Disease was discovered in a single Canadian bovine, the United States border has remained closed to Canadian beef for eighteen months now -- with no sign of it re-opening soon. Bush has made no effort to establish negotiations with Canada to re-open the border.

As for the US domestic policy, Bush has done little in the last four years. The US economy is still in the tank, and the only thing the president has done is cut taxes for the wealthy and rack up a record-breaking deficit.

The 2004 election was the time for the civilians of the United States to raise their voices and elect a leader. John Kerry ran a good campaign, but in the end the outcome was the same as 2000. George W. Bush has squeaked into the Oval Office for four more years -- much to the chagrin of the international community.

I understand George Bush Jr. has a certain type of appeal to many citizens of the United States -- actually, it is more like the "Divided States of America". If you looked at a demographic map of the United States, you would see the two coastlines are Democratic; while a large red (Republican) rift ploughs through the central plains and the southern states. Knowing a bit about population density would make it easy to see that the areas of highest population density are polarized to the Democrat ideology, while the areas of lower population density are polarized to the Republican ideology. There are many other conclusions that could be made about voter ideology and demographics, but without access to a powerful GIS program and the raw data of the election results, I really don't want to make arguments I cannot substantially defend (I probably already have).

The re-election of George W. Bush is, in my opinion, bittersweet. I was rooting for John Kerry; crossing my fingers for a change in leadership, and perhaps a change in the domestic and foreign policies of the United States government. It looks like I am going to have to wait another four years -- if we are still around by then.

Long-time readers of this journal know that I am a bit of a history fanatic -- especially when it pertains to ancient civilzations. I am a firm believer that the past is the key to the future. The industrialized nations we live in today are not that much different than the Empires of times past. All the greatest dynasties have fallen, and they usually fell at times when they were in the lap of luxury. In my lifetime, I have witnessed the demise of the Soviet Union. In the last few centuries, the British Empire and the Ottoman Empire had fallen. Even Greece, Rome, Babylon, and the Egyptian dynasties have met untimely deaths.

If we examine the demise of the Roman Empire, it wasn't as catastrophic as historians make it out to be. The Roman Empire had conquered most of the known world, and Rome's armies were spread thin throughout Europe, parts of Asia, the Middle East and some of Africa. The Romans lived luxurious lives full of Gladiator games, concubines, and excessive food and drink. A full third of the Roman calendar were holidays. Soon, trade began to slow due to diminishing resources and great distances. It took a number of generations, but eventually, the Roman Empire was financially bankrupt. Without the financial backing, the Roman armies did not march. Trade between the colonies of the Empire soon halted. The once-powerful Roman Empire essentially died with but a whimper.

The debt load of the average American citizen is higher than it has ever been before. Each year there is a record number of personal and corporate bankruptcies in the US. Citizens are stretched to the limit financially, and they are further encouraged to spend more due to falling interest rates, and mass advertising. The US government's track record is not much better than the publics'. The Bush Administration has racked up the highest debt-load in history. I think it is quite possible that Dubya himself could outspend the United States so fast that it would be impossible for the United States to ever recover. Thus, much like the Roman Empire, the United States could collapse under their own debt. With no money, the US war machine would be rendered impotent, and a once-powerful nation could develop into one of the world's poorest. Civil war would be likely, and the USA could break into two (or more) nations.

First lesson in economics: There might not a better way to jump-start a dead economy than with a war, but wars are incredibly expensive. The costs of the war on Iraq and Afghanistan have far outweighed the economic benfits (if there were any).

Perhaps I am looking forward to seeing Mr. Bush's accomplishments in the next four years. It may have taken generations for Rome to fall; George W. Bush might be able to accomplish the same in eight years or less. Maybe I will get my wish for an upset in the balance of (world) power.