Found in Wal-Mart bathroom....

[Pabst Blue Democrat]

***the following is the contents of a packet that was found inside several stalls of a Wal-Mart public restroom***



Emotions run high in any election year. It just comes with the territory. However, now in 2004, they seem to be running higher than usual. Never before has the country been polarized like it is right now. Pro-Kerry, Anti-Bush, whichever brush you may paint yourself with, in times like these it’s easy to fall victim to the temptation of dishing out cheap-shots. Not here though…know now that the following is going to be substance oriented. There will be no lowbrow Bush is dumb-jokes. No lists of quotes by George W. Bush that don’t really make sense or mean anything in the context of the English language. Get ready for the cold hard facts. No cheap shots…except for this one:

<picture of Bush cheerleading> <picture of John Kerry in Navy>




The picture you see on the left is of a young George W. Bush, the self-proclaimed “War President,” gaining valuable foreign policy experience by screaming into a megaphone on the sidelines of a football game. The one on the right is of the War President’s opponent, John Kerry, receiving a war medal after his tour in Vietnam. If nothing else, it’s a fun piece of imagery to chew on. Now lets keep things civil from here on out.

Everybody has heard the arguments against the war in Iraq. There were no weapons of mass destruction. It’s a war for oil. The threat from Iraq was overstated. At this point, one either buys into these arguments or does not. The simple truth is, that even if we shouldn’t be in Iraq, we are. Like it or not, this is going to be the central issue in the 2004 presidential campaign. Forget the weak economy, the inadequate availability of healthcare, or the ever-rising price of gas. This year the campaign bag is nothing more than a Big Sack of Iraq.

Recently the number of US and Coalition soldiers that have given their lives topped 1,000. Mix those 1,000 with close to 10,000 civilian casualties and a growing insurgency of angry militants wreaking havoc in the area, and we seem to be in what one might call a bad situation. In times of crisis, when one’s nation is in a bad situation it is natural to feel a little hopeless, and when one feels hopeless, one seeks a leader to guide them and to re-assure them that things are going to turn out all right. Undoubtedly, many Americans tuned in to listen to President Bush’s weekly radio address on July 9th to find this leadership. Unfortunately, for the countless numbers of Americans looking for peace of mind and reassurance, President Bush decided to dedicate his entire address to a new threat on American Security. What is this new threat? This mysterious shadowy enigma that is apparently more harrowing than the Iraqi insurgency and more evil than Al-Qaeda?

I give you Public Enemy #1-



<picture of two chubby middle-aged gay men holding hands in park>


They are, quite possibly, the very epitome of menace. Yes, in the middle of a war, when the Homeland Security Department has elevated the threat of a potential terror attack, President Bush dedicated his entire allotment of time to promoting his proposal for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Now, regardless of your own personal beliefs on this “issue,” it’s impossible to argue than it has a greater pending importance than a war. So why then, one is forced to ask, did Mr. Bush feel the need to divert our attention from what is truly plaguing our nation?

Maybe it’s because he’s got nothing new to say. Instead of getting better things are getting worse. Maybe the reason that we as a people aren’t aware of a plan to make things better is because such a plan simply does not exist in the hands of this current administration; and if that is truly the case, then public outcry may be in order, because the trust of the American people and American soldiers has been betrayed, and people have died because of it.


As grim as it may sound, what’s done is done. It’s foolish of anyone to believe that they have the power to change the past. Perhaps even more foolish though, is for someone to believe that they do not have the power to help shape the future. Let’s face it, that’s what is at stake in 2004. The future. It’s not about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about the future of America. In November 2004, we all have a choice to make that will have a direct effect on all of our futures. Years from now, we will look back on our vote with either pride or regret. I for one, intend to look back on my vote with a sense of pride, knowing that I did what was within my power to better my country and the rest of the world.

Liberty, freedom, prosperity and integrity…...these are some words that one would like to believe go a long way in defining America. President Bush often uses these words in his speeches to evoke a sense of patriotism, no matter what topic he may be speaking about.

Liberty, freedom, prosperity and integrity. For the past four years we’ve had a president that has talked about these things. For the next four years we are presented with a chance to have a president who actually stands for them. The choice is ours.

[mikehiggins]

1. I'd be willing to bet

this wasn't an offical Wal-Mart publication.

Just a guess...

[No Mandate Here.]

2. The problem is that we know this.

Those who get their news read to them, including * can't and/or won't understand thoughts in complete sentences, with well reasoned and coherent themes.

I have long had the theory that even if TV news was balanced, the attention span and level of listening concentration makes it so only every other or every third word is actually comprehended. Cable news actually confuse things even further by running the 'ticker' across the bottom, diverting attention from what is read.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if there is a correlation between source(s) of news and political philosophy; IE.- the more from cable TV = less actual thinking for oneself = more conservatism.

If this is the case, perhaps we should be heartened by the recent survey that said that the internet is tied with newspapers for third place as the prime source for news. The overview indicated that it may overtake radio by the 2008 election. I would imagine that at a fair percentage of the internet news gatherers use many sources, including online newspapers.

I was also heartened by the recent CNN poll where over 90% said that the gay marriage push is indeed a diversionary tactic. Others are seeing the transparent manipulation that * and his cabal are using. This is a very good thing.

[REP]

3. This Is Very Encouraging

Both that someone took the time to print these up, and that it was found in a SquallMart. Squallmart shoppers and employees are some of the people who are being hurt the most by Wimp, Jr and I am hopeful that they be read and discussed.