OPINION: Silence Isn't Golden Now... Speak Up!

An Opinion on Political Opinion Followed by a Political Opinion

By Richard Pullman

The college’s political atmosphere has been non-partisan during my time here. As the November elections draw closer, and with it the deadline to register to vote; the school has remained non-partisan, but now fervently so. The student leadership has chanted “Rock the vote,” often followed by a reassuring monosyllabic colloquial remark such as “dude” or “man,” with hopes of engaging everyone in the political process.

Perhaps we have made people feel too much at ease with such a congenial attitude. Should we actively impress upon the indifferent population that this is possibly a life-or-death matter? Should we suggest that one candidate may enact a military draft and that you may be sent to Iraq, or that the other will supposedly put us in eminent danger of terrorist activity?

Yes. The concept is called political opinion, and it is largely prone to cause controversy. That is what we need in this case. The political activism on our campus has been non-existent as a result of the absence of political opinion. How can people get active if the debate does not exist? To “Rock the Vote” we will need people really getting fired up. I want to see our courtyard become Tiananmen Square, or at least Washington Square Park. Hopefully this article, and the opinions herein, will spark some controversy, and people with polarized views will become intense in their activism.

Consider James Madison’s philosophy, “If it be true that all governments rest on opinion, it is no less true that the strength of opinion in each individual, and its practical influence… depend much on the number which he supposes to have entertained with the same opinion.”

Pure inculcation is the Republican strategy for the race for the White House in 2004. The repetition of false reports of connections between Al Qaeda and Iraq has caused people to believe them. To be explicit, there is absolutely no connection between terrorist organizations and Iraq. The Orwellian tactic has brainwashed a great number of people across this nation into believing some unfortunate falsities. To clarify with truth, weapons of mass destruction do not exist in Iraq. No Child Left Behind is not funded. Americans are now prone to indefinite imprisonment without trial or counsel since the passing of the Patriot Act.

The problem with those truths is that that the Republicans have shifted the focus of the campaign to ultra-simplistic and superficial personal qualities. Their statement is: ‘George Bush is strong on defense.’ The use of the word defense is a substantial misnomer when referring to a doctrine of preemption without causation, but more importantly is that the GOP has skirted the issues and has united as a demagogic organization to instill fear and a stark divide into the American voting public.
To this point I have not mentioned the candidate who has run on a platform of inclusiveness, respect, congeniality, and well-thought policy. Let me introduce to you John Kerry. John is a man who pursued his education, and was successful at the college which he earned admission to on his own merits. John then served in the armed forces, and requested to be sent into a tumultuous and potentially deadly situation in Vietnam to serve his country honorably. While there he became a decorated war hero who came to understand the unfortunate circumstances of our occupation.

Standing up for what he believed in (until recently considered by all to be a core American ideal) Mr. Kerry called into question the legality and morality of free-fire zones in which women and children were killed unmercifully. He explained the inefficacy of a war against a political philosophy to Cavett as a young man. Later on, Kerry pursued a career in politics through the traditional route. Kerry was elected on his own merits to the US Senate where he has served for 19 years. With an extensive background in national and international politics, as well as experience on the Senate select intelligence committee, John Kerry has decided to run with John Edwards for President in 2004.

John Kerry has plans to give all Americans healthcare coverage, to engage in diplomacy and active positive foreign relations. Kerry has chosen to focus on the issues at hand. The man has a complete economic policy waiting to be installed that would bring back the prosperity of the 1990s (which occurred during the last Democratic presidency). Hopefully, it is clear that we do need strong experienced leadership in a time of such importance, and clearly John Kerry has been a strong leader in every aspect of his life.

Rock the vote, dude.