Daily Rant - Homeland Security!
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Dear ConvinceYourMom.com, I am a registered Republican - a social moderate and a fiscal conservative who voted for George Bush in 2000 because I believed he would be a “compassionate conservative.” (He turned out to be neither socially compassionate nor fiscally conservative, but that’s another discussion…) In 2000, I was a “soccer mom,” more concerned about shuttling kids to the next game than about world affairs. This year, I am part of the group that demographers have labeled “security mom,” passionate about my family’s future. We live in the shadow of the Twin Towers and our family lost five people close to us on September 11, 2001. It was not a hypothetical, distant event for us; it was personal. This year security surpasses all of my other concerns. Before you vote on November 2nd, and reflexively pull that lever (or punch that card) for one candidate or another, ask yourself the following five questions. Think about the decisions that you make for your family and the decisions that have been made for all the families of America. 1. Does resolutely sticking to a position, even if it is wrong, represent strength? When my kids do this, I point out that they are just being stubborn and not very smart. Smart people admit their mistakes, correct them and move on. 2. Why did we pre-emptively attack a country without any plan for what we do afterward? I always teach my kids that there are consequences to all actions, especially where risk is involved. That does not mean that you should not take risks; it simply means that you must consider what will happen if you take that risk. How will it affect other people? How will they react? Will they welcome your involvement or take offense? Most people react better to suggestions than to absolutes; it is important to understand where a person is coming from before interfering. Reactions are much more predictable when you take the time to study the background of the situation and plan for it. 3. Why was it necessary to alienate all of our allies and why, even now, is the administration still unwilling to make the necessary concessions to win back some support from our friends overseas? I have always taught my children that, even though they may be better athletes and have better sports equipment than their friends, they should not bully other kids. Those kids also deserve a chance to play and to contribute to the game plan. The Chicago Bulls did not win for so many years just because Michael Jordan was a superstar; they won because they had a great team with excellent backup players like Pippin and Rodman and a respected coach in Phil Jackson. 4. Why is it that, with all the problems and miscalculations (not to mention bloodshed) that have occurred in Iraq, no one in the Defense Department has been held accountable? In our family, when we have a caregiver who is negligent and makes bad decisions about our kids, we replace them with a more experienced and responsible person. Shouldn’t the national caregivers at Defense, who have made so many bad decisions and who are responsible for so many young lives, be replaced? 5. Why weren’t we told the truth about how long this war in Iraq would last? (Of course, there is an even bigger question about truth telling and the Iraq War – why were we given a justification for war – WMD - that was also untrue? But, since everyone else in the world also believed this, I’ll let that go for now…) Regardless of who wins in November, we are going to be short of troops. John McCain predicts that, in order to end up with a better Iraq, the conflict is likely to last 10 years. That means that, not only my 17-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter may be called upon to serve, but also even my 10-year-old! Am I really prepared to send my kids off to fight in Iraq? I have always impressed upon my kids that even if you do something wrong, it is better to be honest and to tell the truth about it than to cover it up. The truth always comes out eventually. (The obvious public object lessons in our household revolve around Watergate, Bill Clinton and Martha Stewart…don’t we ever learn as a nation?) If these questions seem very simplistic, remember that the issue of security is also very basic: Are we safer today at home and when we travel abroad than we were on 9/11? When I travel in the U.S., I see lots of new faces at the checkpoints at airports, yet I encounter virtually no security on trains, at subway stations and in high-rise office buildings in New York City. (I get a chill when I ride the train on bright, sunshiny September days like today as I remember a similar day 3 years ago.) And both my husband and I have encountered increasing hostility when we travel overseas. Even our son was heckled on recent soccer trips to two of our closest “friend” nations -- England and Italy. Our friends abroad still love American individuals and the ideals that America stands for, but they are increasingly disturbed by the disconnect between what America stands for and what our government does. You can brush this off as “typical nay saying by the Europeans,” but please understand that we have encountered this attitude throughout Asia and in South Africa and Australia as well. Whatever you do on November 2nd, remember that it is necessary to THINK hard about the future – these are scary times. Your decision is very important. And above all, VOTE…. this year it will be close and your vote will count. Kindest regards, Robin A. |
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