[Peace-discuss] Biden = business as usual...

[Neil Parthun]

With the talk about Biden, here's my opinion about Obama:

I would appreciate it if someone could explain to me the morality of  
voting for Obama simply because we will have a 'haunting by the  
specter of McCain'.

We here in Illinois have the knowledge that we can vote our  
conscience for any candidate because it is certain that Illinois will  
go to the Democratic Party.  Looking nationally, only four states are  
in play -- New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and Colorado and if we want to  
quibble, then let's add a fifth: Virginia.  One could very  
realistically state that it will be these states that will tip the  
election to either one of the imperialists.  So, our prattling seems  
to be much adieu about nothing.  But alas...

How can we as progressives argue for an Obama presidency?  Let's run  
down the stats:

-Obama is for continued military presence in Iraq, despite Iraqi  
governmental forces asking us to GTFO.
-Obama is for continued and increased military presence in  
Afghanistan, despite the masses in Afghanistan demanding us to GTFO.
-Obama is for expanding our bombing to Pakistan in our trek to kill  
killers to prove that killing people is wrong.
-Obama is for the for-profit health care system that has left 40+  
million people without access to adequate health care.
-Obama is not for equal rights and equal opportunities for LGBTQA  
people, denying them equality of marriage.  He even is washing his  
hands of pushing for federal protections by saying that it is an  
issue for individual states to handle.
-Obama sold out civil liberties and privacy rights with his FISA vote
-Obama is condoning the 'haterade' towards Russia
-Obama is condoning the first strike missile systems in Poland and  
the Czech Republic
-Obama speaks for the common man yet has a mansion and makes hundreds  
of thousands of dollars a year

...and I'd just be getting started.

McCain and Obama are nominally different. Both are ultimately  
beholden to corporate interests and beholden to the policies that  
will benefit the elite.  How can any self-described progressive vote  
for such a thing?  We're not voting for the lesser of two evils.  
We're voting for the evil of lessers.  This seems to be the act every  
four years.  Instead of demanding the fundamental changes that we  
want, we end up sacrificing that in the name of pragmatism and  
fearmongering that a Republican administration would lead us down the  
path of destruction.  What we get is more of the same that we've  
had.  Plus, the last time I checked, we have three branches of  
government.  The Democrats gave the authorization of force for the  
war, eviscerated civil liberties, continued funding both imperial  
ventures and are continuing the cadence for impending war with Iran  
and Russia. But it is much easier and more intellectually dishonest  
to put this all at the doorstep of the Big Bad Evil Republicans.

McCain and Obama would bring us policies that would benefit the rich,  
squash gay rights, eviscerate civil liberties and increase war.   
Obama may be "change" but the only thing that will change is the name  
and appearance of the person implementing the policies for the US  
Empire.

Its not the act of seeing with our own eyes alone; its correctly  
comprehending what we see,

      Neil

  We absolutely have to refuse to attribute any kind of permanency to  
that which is simply because it is.
[angela v. davis, 1944-]

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.  
Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as  
you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with  
too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
[ralph waldo emerson, 1803-1882]
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