"Tell us how you dealt with information that was anti-bush or anti-war. Did you just not believe it?
You are a valuable resource here and I'm not being mean. You could teach us something.
Oh and don't worry, I was a registered Republican for years. Why? because my parents were and I never paid attention either. I think it was the 2000 election that really got me involved."
"what openned your eyes? That is always informative in helping us figure out what to push on when talking to moderates who have not yet woken up from the haze."
Well......my story is:
I joined the Army as an infantryman at 17yrs old, I am 38 now. And what sucked me into leaning towards Republican in the first place, was what Reagan was doing for the military - in the way of increased pay and building up with lots of new equipment.
Given my personal circumstance, that was the initial attraction for me at first. This attraction then allowed me to later fall for other Republican rhetoric concerning matters of foreign policies. Along with, and in conjunction with the fact, that I was relatively ignorant about economics, I bought and supported much of their domestic policies - I then fell into what I term the
"My team mentality".
But as I grew older and began to work for McDonnell Douglas after graduating from Northrop University. I began to realize as a United Aerospace Worker union member, that the Republican economic ideals were not compatible to the working man. This is where I first starting voting for Barabara Boxer and other Democrats for congress, but still voting Republican for the Executive.
This type of voting was done for two reasons. First to facilitate what I saw as a built in check & balance, and secondly because I still believed in the Republican foreign policies
(I was still clueless about corporate / c.i.a. actions all through the world). I also still fell for their rhetoric about "a smaller government", "state's rights", "not forcing one's sense of moralities upon others", etc.. Can you believe that? It now disgusts me to think of how I was taken.
Then as I became a Longshoreman in the I.L.W.U. I really began to become more and more resentful towards ALL Republican ideas. This very active union, more than any other organization I've ever been exposed to, taught me a lot about the world upon which we live in. Taught me a lot about economics, and geo-political activities. I without a doubt love this union - it's the greatest group and mix of people I've ever had the privilege to be a party to.
So anyway, when George W. Bushco ran against Al Gore, I was by now too dubious towards any Republican to consider voting for one in any capacity. It was the first time I voted Democrat straight down the whole ballot.
But then the biggest epiphany I've ever had in my whole life struck me on Sept 11th.
Remember my aerospace education and experience I mentioned? Well........when I watched in horror and grief what we all watched on Sept 11th and the days following, I started noticing things about the pentagon attack that just didn't agree with my knowledge of commercial jet aircraft. In fact.....I started noticing a lot of things that attracted me to study everything about Sept 11th very closely. The subsequent facts that I have learned about the Bushco family, the hawks, and how they tie into what my union taught me about multinational corporatism.. And now how I see Sept 11th fitting so coincidentally into all these things. It makes me feel dirty and ashamed that I once supported anything Republican.
This is what brought to be so hateful towards the Republican. I have learned that they are nothing less than a fascist cancer, and in my humble opinion they must be stopped before its too late. It is my humble opinion that if they are not stopped, global corporate fascism will rule everything and everyone and threaten to plunge us into the biggest world war history has ever seen.
From the small mountain of documents
(not editorials) that I have studied in the last few years. I firmly believe that this is a real threat.
P.S. And now what I see happening in Iraq. I can't even begin to express my sadness and disgust. This whole thing just sucks.
:dem:
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