My fellow Americans, the state of the union is not good. Despite living in a truly great nation-one based on the rudiments of life, liberty, and justice for all-we presently face a multitude of grievous issues that threaten to annihilate the very fabric of our noble democracy. Few of my twenty-something collegiate cohorts are able to recall a time in which the nation was as bitterly divided. With partisanship at an all-time high and U.S. approval around the globe at an all-time low (even our old drinkin’ buddy Canada wont return our calls), it is hard to imagine things getting better any time soon.
America is one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations on Earth and yet 45 million of its citizens currently live without basic health insurance; an absolute black eye. Imagine, if you will, paying out-of-pocket for your family’s dental, doctor and emergency healthcare on a McDonald’s salary. For millions of people, the luxury of imagination is not afforded to them because they live this scenario everyday. Perhaps the saddest irony is that the only people who warn against a national healthcare system are those who are able to afford healthcare themselves.
The inequalities do not halt at a top-heavy healthcare system, rather, they begin. In a time of war, the health and well-being of our troops fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world depend heavily on our foreign policy. Sanctioning the use of torture, in any capacity, on America’s detainees will inevitably lead to the torture of American troops. While the subject of torture has faded from the headlines in light of the recent NSA domestic spying leak, the fight to keep torture illegal remains an important issue and will undoubtedly mean the difference between life and death for our soldiers if they ever fall captive to our enemy. In the most basic terminology: if we torture their troops, they will torture ours. It is that simple.
We are in the midst of perhaps the most unjust war in America’s history and thousands of American troops have perished thus far in vain. It is now an undisputed fact, accepted even by the Bush Administration, that Iraq was not in any way responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001. There were also no “weapons of mass destruction” ever found – the second premise for which we went to war with Iraq. Now, without wind to power our sails, the USS America is stalled in the middle of a very lonely, shark-infested ocean with few friends left ashore willing to rescue us in our time of need.
The Bush Administration, in an effort to protect us from the very enemy they helped create, has been trampling on American’s civil rights by conducting secret wire taps on American citizens. They could have easily conducted these wire taps legally, yet they circumvented the means by which they could have done so and therefore deserve to be held responsible. It is perhaps all too easy to understand why so many Americans willingly hand over their civil liberties during a time of war, but remember, the “war on terror” has no end. One must be willing to suspend their civil liberties indefinitely.
America, tonight the President will deliver his State of the Union Address in which he will lie continually to the world for nearly an hour. I have supplied you with what you need to defend yourself but remember, earplugs work best.
Rodger Thomas Holst is a senior majoring in literature with a minor in film criticism.