Friday, November 03, 2006
THE LAST BULLET
By the time this is posted, the election will be upon us. Critical decisions will be made, too often based upon inadequate knowledge and false or misleading information. Just as we were misled into invading Iraq on the basis of false and misleading information, so may we be misled into endorsing the service of our congressmen and other public office-holders.
With the cacophony of negative and downright dirty advertising, it is difficult for voters to know what to believe. Somehow we must look behind all of that to discern the true character of the nominees and their position on issues of importance to us all. Just because a nominee platitudinously tells us he has our values does not mean that it is so. Often his own advertising and his past record indicate that he does not.
Party is important. One party has ruled in Washington for six ugly and tumultuous years, sending the nation toward bankruptcy and its youth to fight an unnecessary war. That party has sanctioned spying on citizens, holding prisoners in conflict with the Constitution, give-aways to cronies and friendly companies, selective tax cuts, and using torture in violation of the Geneva Convention. They have engaged in selling out government to lobbyists, and then covering up moral and financial corruption. They have given us $2.80 gasoline, temporarily reduced until after the election, and obscene oil company profits.
If this is the party that represents your values, then you should by all means vote to keep them in a majority in Congress. If not, you should vote for a change.
In Oklahoma Speaker Todd Hiett, backed by a few rabid followers, has ruled the House with an iron fist. His door was closed to everyone except lobbyists with money donations. He was likely the most arrogant speaker since the days of J.D. McCarty, threatening the Governor and refusing to deal with the Senate leaders. His character is revealed by the nature of his own negative advertising.
If you would like the state of Oklahoma entangled in some kind of executive imbroglio so that Brad Henry would be afraid to leave the state lest Hiett pull one of his arrogant stunts as temporary governor, then you should vote for Hiett. If you desire harmony in the executive branch, vote for Jari Askins.
In a recent poll of Oklahoma residents, only about 20% said they were influenced by negative ads, while 80% said they were not. All the pundits say otherwise -- that negative ads are effective. Voters should sift through the negative ads carefully, using them to discern the character of the candidate sponsoring them rather than that of the targeted opponent. Some of the "values" and "Christian" candidates have the worst negative ads running.
Perhaps it is good to close with the theme of AARP advertising: "Don't vote. Don't vote. Don't vote unless you know where the candidate stands on the issues."
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
With the cacophony of negative and downright dirty advertising, it is difficult for voters to know what to believe. Somehow we must look behind all of that to discern the true character of the nominees and their position on issues of importance to us all. Just because a nominee platitudinously tells us he has our values does not mean that it is so. Often his own advertising and his past record indicate that he does not.
Party is important. One party has ruled in Washington for six ugly and tumultuous years, sending the nation toward bankruptcy and its youth to fight an unnecessary war. That party has sanctioned spying on citizens, holding prisoners in conflict with the Constitution, give-aways to cronies and friendly companies, selective tax cuts, and using torture in violation of the Geneva Convention. They have engaged in selling out government to lobbyists, and then covering up moral and financial corruption. They have given us $2.80 gasoline, temporarily reduced until after the election, and obscene oil company profits.
If this is the party that represents your values, then you should by all means vote to keep them in a majority in Congress. If not, you should vote for a change.
In Oklahoma Speaker Todd Hiett, backed by a few rabid followers, has ruled the House with an iron fist. His door was closed to everyone except lobbyists with money donations. He was likely the most arrogant speaker since the days of J.D. McCarty, threatening the Governor and refusing to deal with the Senate leaders. His character is revealed by the nature of his own negative advertising.
If you would like the state of Oklahoma entangled in some kind of executive imbroglio so that Brad Henry would be afraid to leave the state lest Hiett pull one of his arrogant stunts as temporary governor, then you should vote for Hiett. If you desire harmony in the executive branch, vote for Jari Askins.
In a recent poll of Oklahoma residents, only about 20% said they were influenced by negative ads, while 80% said they were not. All the pundits say otherwise -- that negative ads are effective. Voters should sift through the negative ads carefully, using them to discern the character of the candidate sponsoring them rather than that of the targeted opponent. Some of the "values" and "Christian" candidates have the worst negative ads running.
Perhaps it is good to close with the theme of AARP advertising: "Don't vote. Don't vote. Don't vote unless you know where the candidate stands on the issues."
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
