Posted on 11/02/2004 1:29:05 AM PST by Tirian
Why I voted for George Bush
Last night our 5 year old son asked why I supported the President and did not want Kerry to be elected. Though there has been much discussion in our household where the children range from toddlers to teens to twenties, we had not stated things in terms comprehensible to him. So I distilled my position to a simple statement of character. And I rise at 3 AM to write this -- in a relatively few statements that point to issues of character -- just in case it might benefit others.
How you treat people matters. John Kerry is known for yelling at Secret Service agents for "getting in the way" and interfering with skiing and snowboarding photo opps. Though little publicized, George and Laura Bush are known for seeking out and meeting with families of those killed on 9/11, in Afghanistan and in Iraq, far away from cameras.
John Kerry has shown himself more than willing to play on race issues, ironically against a president whose Cabinet is far more racially diverse than any preceding it. Kerry has repeated familiar class envy themes, while he & his wife paid a net tax rate of 12 to 13 percent, far below that paid by Americans earning much less.
Kerry has played up his Vietnam service, but refuses to sign Standard Form 180 that would authorize a full disclosure of his military record. Nor has he explained why his honorable discharge is dated at least 3 years later than it should have been (it came in fact after Carter proclaimed a general amnesty). People like the Swift Boat veterans, who oppose Kerry now based on the Kerry they knew then, have been threatened and smeared, but never convincingly answered.
President Bush signed legislation outlawing the unbelievably barbaric practice described as partial birth abortion. My younger sons were born a month early, younger than others who have legally been "terminated" in this manner. Kerry voted against the ban to maintain the support of extreme abortion activists, the kind of people who have been seen to literally applaud at the end of a video of a successful -- if one can call it that -- partial birth abortion.
Yes, I do disagree or hold neutral views regarding some of the President's positions. But in the final analysis, I cannot imagine my son and the rest of my children living under the system that will emerge when people like Kerry are allowed to rise and hold power unchallenged. The cultural left, the Kerry campaign and their allies like Dan Rather in the mainstream media have played out an extended version of Orwell's Two Minutes Hate that is based on mockery of anything Bush or conservative on one hand and unthinking adherence to anything anti-Bush on the other. That is a poor basis for choosing who will be President in a dangerous world.
very nicely said...
George Bush was once asked about his visits to families and why we dont know about them...he replied because you shouldnt know about them...they are private...the families deserve that.
So for him its not about photos ops or exploiting tragedy, hes a man that understands that and goes quietly about it.
You have a five year old who can understand a reasoned argument on that level? Congratulations to you for a job well done!
Hee hee - this is the grown-up version. The five-year-old version was further distilled! However, we are home schoolers that invest in our kids -- and our 5 year old is a commendable checkers player already, as well as a book addict :)
Thank you for this voice of clarity. This is a keeper.
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