A Raider Villanelle

The agony of defeat has ignited my previous dormant artistic side. Here is my ode to the Raiders and the debacle that they are passing off as pro-football. Please win this weekend Raiders, please!



They have hit an all time low
fumbling and bumbling causing me pain.
If they will progress, I do not know.

At the beginning of their record stands an O!
An entire off-season in vain.
They have hit an all time low.

The coach says that this is—oh
shut up! Please you sound so lame.
If they will progress, I do not know.

If there was hard work, it does not show.
There is more than one to blame.
They have hit an all time low

The play caller seems to blow
from a wilderness retreat he came.
If they will progress, I do not know.

Curse words out of my mouth do flow
for my season you did maim.
They have hit an all time low.
If they will progress, I do not know.

Iraq

Wouldn't it be nice if our politicians could deal with this issue without politicizing it. I am directing this at both parties. If Bush and gang did not attempt to use it as a wedge to beat the dems in 04 and the Dems would participate perhaps they could think of some ideas such as this perhaps we could turn Iraq around yet.

I am not holding my breath. As someone who supported and still supports the mission the complete incompetence of our political machine is astounding. A stable, secure Iraq is in the interest of the entire world. Yet the D's and R's act like it is a political weapon.

Enough is Enough

Sex scandals, corruption charges and pork barrel projects seem to be the only thing coming out of congress these days. No wonder the approval rating for congress is lower than at any point in the last twelve years. Ironically, twelve years ago was when the voters threw the Democrats out of the house, which they controlled for years. Notice the trend? Both the Democrats and the Republicans take turns controlling congress before the public gets so mad that we throw them out and hands the reigns off to the other party. Sadly, this begins the completely twisted cycle all over again.

Voting these days is like playing Three-card Monte, no matter which candidate you pick it’s a loser. Don’t believe me though, watch their campaign ads. The candidates gladly inform us their opponents are incompetent and dishonest. Is it any wonder half the country chooses not to vote? The big question is, why does the other half continue to play this no-win game? First off, responsible citizens must exercise their right to vote. This is what makes free societies strong. People that choose not to exercise their right to vote, lose any legitimacy when complaining about government. I believe part of the reason the government behaves the way it does is because they don’t think anyone will hold them accountable. A politically active public is necessary to force change in government.

Enough is enough! It is time to quit voting for the lesser of two evils; there is an alternative. Vote for a third party. I know, you don’t want to waste your vote, right? Therefore, you force yourself to vote for the lesser of two evils. If voting for someone who cannot win is a waste of a vote, then voting for someone you don’t like is a waste of democracy. You waste your vote, when you vote for someone that you know is not the right person for the job. The system will only change if we the people force it to change. If enough people began to vote for third parties, we might be able to create a better democracy. The greatest country on the planet must be able to field better choices than this. By monopolizing elections, the Democrats and Republicans force us to vote for their watered down the list of candidates thereby propping up this broken system.

Third party candidates are not beholden to the interests of a national political party. Both the Democrat and Republican candidates must conform to the national agendas that their parties set. These agendas do not represent local values. We must hold Government accountable. The parties have to realize the people are angry and are not going to take this corruption and incompetence anymore. The government can deal with a politically apathetic electorate but a politically active electorate can spur change. We all complain about political scandals, but we are just as responsible for allowing these parties to dominate politics. So a vote for a third party is a vote for change.

Me? I'm voting Libertarian.