America Loves Bush

A certain dose of skepticism is good for everyone. When the news is reporting the latest crisis for you to worry about, we have to remember that in almost every instance things are never as bad as they are reported. In fact, i would go as far as to say that more often than not, the reporting is only half factual. I find this particularly true with global warming and economic related news. The poor level of reporting is really shameful.

Here in Europe, the dislike of Bush and the US is pretty deep. I guess i can't really blame them. The most visible exposure to the US is through news outlets and MTV. Pimp My Ride and Sweet Sixteen make even me question my citizenship.

For the people here to project this dislike directly to me isn't really fair, but it doesn't bother me. To some degree, I think it shows ignorance to how the US works. Everyone assumes unfaltering support by all citizens for Bush. I must admit, I'm guilty of this too though in terms of clumping all Frenchman behind Chirac or all Germans behind Merkel. I guess we all have something to learn. I do think there is a certain amount of jealousy for the prosperity in America, but that is only part of it. People view Bush as an almost dictator-like leader. As much as i dislike the bloated state of governance in America, i haven't thus-far projected that to Bush to any large degree. It took us decades to get where we are. It won't change overnight. I voted for bush, twice, with a healthy dose of optimism. Tax cuts, strong defense, social security reform etc. are all things that i personally think must be the focus of our government. I was sold.

But the second term has been a big disappointment to me. No social security reform, failure to extend tax cuts, the massive spending increase (transportation bill and prescription drug benefit) are all items i would've attributed to a liberal administration, not a (supposedly) conservative one.

Then I ran across a very interesting video today.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2023320890224991194&q=loose+change

I'm not ready to make the whole leap that the video suggests. But as a skeptic and an engineer, its difficult to argue with the evidence. There really can be no doubt that we have not been told the whole story, whatever that whole story is. I have personally tried to make phone calls from a moving plane on my cellphone, and in every case it didn't work. When you start to refute the assumptions underlying the “common wisdom”, the rest of the story quickly crumbles.

By pure coincidence I'm reading a book right now called The War on Civilization. If you have the chance, and the patience to read an 1100+ page book about the history of the middle east, this one is pretty good. It's a real eye opener to the history of war, influence and power in the middle east.

I'll end with another quote...extra points if you know where it comes from.

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. ....when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security“

On a separate note, i can hardly walk today. I skied in Lech yesterday and it destroyed my legs. Lech is one of the best areas I've been to, it's often called the Austrian Aspen. Very expensive, very big ski area and very well maintained. I met up with a friend from work and his buddy who happens to be a ski instructor at Lech. Although we were able to ski anywhere, including off piste (out of bounds), skiing for 8 hrs with someone who skis for a living is pretty intense. I thought i was a good skier. I am, but apparently only for an American. I learned yesterday that i actually suck at skiing and ski at approximately the same level as your average 5 yr old Austrian girl.