Never before have I read the newspaper and said "I can't stand him!"
Judging from his State of the Union Address, either Bush is very confused on matters concerning the nation's youth, or he doesn't care. He said he plans to double federal spending on abstinence education in high schools. Now, this is all very well, if one does not remember that Bush is an advocate of abstinence-only education-- that is, no information on birth control or STDs. Contrary to the belief of millions, this information does not encourage young people to engage in sexual activity. Furthermore, not teaching them about this can and will have devastating results. Because no matter how many times you tell them, "Do not have sex. Do not have sex," there will always be some teenagers who will have sex. These kids will know nothing about birth control, and so teenage girls who might have gone to college and gotten good jobs and become valuabe citizens may drop out of school because of pregnancy. This is not limited to the "bad" kids or the "bad" neighborhoods either: sexual experimentation is common among all teenagers.
Bush also plans to spend $23 million on drug testing in public schools. Once again, this seems fine on the surface. But drug testing is pointless unless it is part of a policy, such as the ones many schools have already instituted. Essentially, this policy demands drug testing for extracurricular activities, and if the tests come out positive, the studend may not participate. This lovely regulation quite neatly makes the problem worse. Students who have abused illegal or prescription drugs are highly unlikely to stop because of a drug test. They may be light users, and/or trying to quit, and feel an extracurricular activity will keep them out of trouble. Deny them this, and what do you think they will do in their spare time? It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.
Then, of course, there is the "same-sex marriage" issue. I speak in great length about this elsewhere, but just remember: this isn't just the "sanctity of marriage." In this country, spouses have legal rights, which Bush clearly plans on denying to multitudes of people.
Don't forget 2.3 million lobs have been lost and recovery has been slow, deficits are going through the roof, and people are still dying in the Middle East, with no end in sight.
All these things are bad, but there's one more element, which wasn't in the Address, which disturbs me more than all of it combined. I am referring to the charges brought against Greenpeace. They rest on an old, inactive law which was enacted to keep brothel owners from infiltrating ships about to dock. In this instance, two protestors from Greenpeace climbed aboard the APL Jade on April 12, 2002. The ship was moving at 10 mph, three miles out to sea. Six activists were arrested on federal misdemeanor charges. The misdemeanor charges are fine. They were tresspassing. But the 15-month late charges against the entire organization of Greenpeace? If Bush wins, this will cripple the environmentalists and set a precedent of absolute power on the part of the President. Greenpeace may be facing a $20,000 fine and five years' probation, not to mention possible government inspections of finances, membership, support, and operations.
Now, Bush is the elected leader of this country. He may have his own ideas about what is right, and in a way, it is good of him to try to project that. But this is not a statement of ideals. This, ladies and gentlemen, is an attempt to break down opposition by an improper use of an outdated law. We all know Bush's agenda regarding logging and the environment, and this is just his way of eliminating competition and making his ideas the law-- and to hell with free speech!
