Me and Republicans

My wife gets mildly irritated at the tone in my voice when I talk about Republicans nowadays. She doesn't know why I have to be so nasty. Especially since I have almost always voted Republican (except in 2004, when I left my presidential ballot blank). She will probably still vote Republican next week because of the abortion issue, but the empty rhetoric they spew on this topic is no longer a reason to reward the GOP at the ballot box, in my mind. I am still as pro-life as ever; I just don't think that I am doing much about it anymore by voting Republican. Some of the other reasons I am in no mood to reward Republicans include the following:

* The party's absolute cheerleading in 2003-04 of the President's Iraq policy. The Dems may have voted for it, but by and large they resisted propagandizing for it. And I am sick of everybody saying that NO ONE knew there were no WMD's in Iraq prior to the invasion. In fact, the burden of proof was on the wrong side. There was actually no proof of WMD's in Iraq going back to 1998, but somehow this lack of evidence was taken for evidence that we couldn't find them without an invasion. A pox on both parties for buying into a simple logical fallacy. But the Republicans positively gloried in their lack of logic and thoughtfulness.

* The gerrymandering of districts across the country by Republican-controlled state legislatures is absolutely shameless (though seemingly nobody cares that much).

* The shenanigans surrounding the elections of 2000 and 2004 has left a near-majority of African-Americans distrustful of voting fo the near future...

* All the scandals that have actually showed disdain for people outside one's family circle.

* The mendacious support for torture, unwarranted searches, and other travesties to the Constitution.

* Katrina and New Orleans.

* The Foley cover-up.

* Continued (self-serving) belief in trickle-down economics.

* The cynicism towards education created by the "No Child Left Behind" program.

* The irresponsible unwillingness to face up to the facts of global warming.

That's enough for now.