Another Four for Dubya Melissa Beedle, Features Editor Strength else lesb KS Strength “Term”inator 2: Tow ll laugh, you'll cry, you may even die o, the US Presidential election has S been decided. George W. Bush is STILL the president of the United States, or perhaps more accurately, the President of his World War on Terrorism. By the time this paper gets printed, this will not be news any longer and you may be sick and tired of hearing about an elec- tion that “has nothing to do with Canada anyways.” (A quote from a friend of mine who adamantly “does not give a shit about US politics”.) I disagree. US politics has everything to do with Canada. Maybe not in a direct way that we notice everyday, but the con- nections are still there. The US is a major super power that can exert economic and Thousands of GREAT Wait DEALS Wait Computers, Furniture, Cars... Grab a copy at your local newsstand today! ee 1 FE rma 9 ng “BC's Best Classifieds" New Every Thursday Receive $2.00 off your next issue of the Lower Mainland New Every Thursday! To the Dealer: Upan receipt of this coupon toward the purchase of the specified product, Trader Ctassified Media will Only. Mail to: Trader Classified Media PO Box 3000, Saint John, N.B. E21 413. Hevember 10/a00H * Expiry date: Jan. 31, 05 military control over any country it wants. They wanted a war in Afghanistan, they got one. They wanted a war in Iraq, they've STILL got one. Diversions through war. Anyone who has ever taken a political-science course knows that the US has a history of war. Whether America is the middleman or the instiga- tor, Mr. Bush himself has said that he is a “War President.” Perhaps this is an indica- tion of what is to come in the next four years. Who will be next on their “axis of evil” list? The thought scares me. It should scare you, too. I don’t want this article to be yet another vent on the democratic system, or lack thereof. That is not the issue. The issue is, we need to talk politics. Serious changes need to happen. But how can man who so clearly misrepresents the interests of an ideal democracy been left in charge? A man who has put an affluent country billions of dollars into debt and gone against the UN to create a war that probably has more to do with oil than any “imminent threat.” The only thing I can come up with is that all of Bush’s lies (weapons of mass destruction, the Jessica Lynch story, etc...) left one very confused public. Chances are the public didn’t want to believe that a man who is in charge of their country—a man they elected—could really be a mad- man. After all, no one wants to bite the hand that feeds them. Oh, and I almost forgot, Bush also had the glory of having millions of Evangelicals behind him. Not to mention the National Rifle Association (NRA). churches. Guns and What a f. NE they? Do we have to wait another four years before the American people step up and see the bombs that have been going off around them ever since Dubya got elected? What happened? All the celebrities who canvassed, from Ben Affleck and Cameron Diaz, to Puff Daddy and Michael Moore, did not do one bit of good for the election. Well, maybe a little good, but not enough to really make a dif- ference. Dubya is still chief. Michael Moore’s website didn’t even have much of a reply. Maybe he was so hell-bent on Bush not getting re-elected, that he forgot to plan for if he actually won. Moore’s only message reads: “We’re not going away.” I hope he doesn’t. Michael Moore, despite all his critics, is still one of the few, and the best watchdogs we have on issues that affect North America. I hope he has something good up his sleeve. Back to Bush—what gives? Why has a Bush had the glory of millions of Evangelicals behind him. Not to mention the National Rifle Association. Guns and churches. What a combination. combination. Now, supposedly, Bush is that if women get sick, they should “pray to Jesus.” Right. If that’s what he does for the churches, I don’t even a preaching want to know what he does for the NRA. What’s interesting is if you look at the map of the US elec- toral votes, you can clearly see that the “ > ” progressive states like New York, Washington, Oregon, ae California, and Hawaii are the only states that had a majority vote against Bush. All the middle and south “conservative states” voted for Bush. That gives the term “stereotypical south” a whole new meaning. We might be better off blowing ’em all up. But then again, that would be too Bush-a-cratic. The sad truth is that even if Kerry had won the election, we really would have no guarantee that he would be any different from Bush. He too, is backed by mega- millions from corporations whose inter- ests need to be met. Favour-for-a-favour type of thing. My only solution, for what- ever it’s worth, is that the only way to change US politics is to change the whole system. All campaign money should be equally divided amongst all presidential candidates if we really want a fair race. All I can say at this point is: I’m oh-so-proud to be Canadian.