the trick is to keep breathing

Okay, first off: Ohio? Plz to be stopping with the smear ad campaign, for God's Pretty Sake. Seriously. Look, I know this one guy voted for/against some stuff, and this other guy voted for/against some stuff, and you want to capitalize on that. But those of us with brains can see exactly what the fuck you're doing! It's all just semantics!

"But!" you say. "Who would vote against increased body armor for our troops?!!" Well, I would, if it were attached to a bill with 500 other pieces of shit on it. You're not giving the context of these votes. Am I really supposed to believe that Guy A seriously stood up and was like "I want to take away Ohio jobs"? Cause I bet he DIDN'T. These bills are always attached to other shit. You can't pull one line out and expect to make a case. I'd be just as pissed if he DID vote for that first bill for body armor and "accidentally" passed another 500 bullshit notes with it.

And another thing! It doesn't tell me anything about Guy B if you spend all your time bashing Guy A! If you want to make yourself look good, make yourself look good! Don't do it by putting the other guy down.

This is a real basic lesson that most of us have learned by middle school, the first time we got made fun of for our glasses/chubbiness/clothes/lack of clothes/gender. We go home, cry to Mommy, and Mommy tells us that some people have to make themselves feel better by picking on other people. These people are called "insecure", they're called "bullies", and they're called "too stupid to think of something better". Then we hug Mommy and everything is okay.

SELF ESTEEM, YOU FUCKING POLITICAL PIGS.

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And second off: GOD IN HIS HEAVEN, PEOPLE!

We are NEVER going to win this war with guns and bombs alone.

NEVER.

Unless you plan on annihilating every single person who speaks out against America.

I sure hope you don't.

We AREN'T. This isn't a kid on a playground hurting other people, and you can't solve it with a spanking and a stern talking-to and some grounding. You CAN'T. This is a war about Hurting People, and every person that America hurts just feeds right back into the concept at the center of the entire conflict.

They've declared us the enemy, and I gotta say, we've proven them right. Came over, bombed the fuck out of them, and then stranded everybody (ours included) because Rock Star: Supernova was on cable that evening. Who have we helped? And I mean, actually helped, not just ideologically helped? You can say that a lot of people are better off now. You can say they aren't.

This is a war of IDEOLOGY. It's a war about HATE. And we may not be able to change the hate NOW, but we'd damn well better make sure we change the hate in the FUTURE, or we're FUCKED!

What I want you to say is: There are a lot less people who hate us now. Haven't heard that one yet. Because it hasn't happened.

Here's an idea.

Look, Democrats! Weak on National Security?! I've got your answer right here!

Every penny that goes into this war - and look, I'm not saying we should cut back; I think the amount we're spending is ridiculous, but I also think that the men and women who go to our defense deserve our very goddam best, okay? - but EVERY cent that goes into this war should be MATCHED by a cent that goes into FUNDING GOOD THINGS.

I'm serious. Every dollar that this nation spends on destruction and war should be matched by a dollar spent on reconstruction, rebuilding, advancement. Every single penny spent on negativity should be matched by a penny put into something positive.

Aid. Rebuilding towns. Building new houses. Helping to set up medical centers. Constructing new schools. Helping farmers farm. Helping doctors serve.

Not just in Iraq, or Afghanistan, where we've made our own messes - although these are great places to start. How about Africa? How about Malaysia? (sp?)

I know, I know, America has their own poor. Yeah, but we've got welfare, and systems in place to help those people. As long as those programs are not cut, our poor and needy have a helping hand. The ones in Africa don't.

Although another thing! How about our own fucking inner-city school systems? How about the teachers who are teaching our very own children and living on half of what I make MAKING TIRES? I'm not saying I deserve less money for my education - but they deserve more, WAY MORE.

And hey! If you don't want to go into other countries - if you don't want to get into that mess - how about something that'll help save lives? AIDS research? Cancer treatment? Vaccinations?

Every time America buys a bomb, it should purchase and plant a tree (or several). Every time it commissions a new plane, it should also commission new roads in the Middle East. Every time we upgrade our soldiers' body armor, we should also be sending a child somewhere textbooks and a new school.

This is the only way we can fight an ideology of hatred: prove that we are above it.

So far, America, we haven't.