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Sensible people in the Bush family, go figure.
"I am often disheartened when liberals, conservatives and the media alike look for ways to pigeon hole people according to a perceived set of political beliefs. If, for example, I am in favor of environmental regulation, I am a “Liberal”. If I am in favor of welfare reform, I am a “Conservative”. George W. Bush, my second cousin, labels others in this way, regularly and consistently. This kind of behavior is both simplistic and offensive to me. When we hold this kind of perspective, it forces us to to see others in black and white hues and further polarizes us as we consider the “liberal” or “conservative” person across from us.
George W. Bush labels John Kerry as a “Liberal”, and venomously spews remarks about him as if he has shamefully contracted a sexually-transmitted disease. Similarly, in strong labeling fashion, our president and his supporters have tried to shape the label of a “patriot” as someone who does not question the policies or practices of his administration when the country is at war. As someone who considers himself a patriot, I do not know how to understand the “patriotism” of our president. I find it difficult to understand the patriotism behind giving tax breaks to corporations that export jobs overseas, leaving well-meaning and hard-working folks at home without a solid chance to support themselves. I find it incomprehensible that patriotism of the brand our president practices, includes ravaging our environmental policies, resulting in an immediate and lasting degradation of the environment for the foreseeable future, hurting my children and their children, the future patriots of this country. "
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