| OPINION
| October 15, 2004
Guest Column
Fighting Shadows
The president should focus on
pressing domestic issues rather than exaggerated international threats
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| The Shorthorn: Daniel Worthington |
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“This is your brain on drugs.”
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America’s famous 1987 public
service announcement, which used the image of eggs sizzling in a
frying pan to illustrate the effects of drug use on the body, served
as a media focal point for the so-called war on drugs, aimed at
curbing drug use nationwide.
Fast-forward 17 years, and a similar situation is on our hands.
However, this time it’s for the war on terror, which arguably
serves as the backbone of George Bush’s campaign.
Ready for the real scoop, Mr. President?
Just as there was no war on drugs, there is no war on terror. They’re
just names given to socio-ideological agendas to make them seem
more important. Although the Sept. 11 attacks placed a renewed —
and incredibly justified — emphasis on national security,
the war on terror is not the most important issue in this year’s
crucial battle for the White House.
Bush constantly bashes his challenger for being unconcerned about
the war on terror, attempting to convince voters the nation would
be less safe with Kerry in the Oval Office. The difference between
them is not that Kerry is nonchalant about terrorism and Bush isn’t
but rather that Kerry has his priorities straight, and Bush doesn’t.
Our economy is struggling, no matter how much Bush tries to say
otherwise. For the first time since the Great Depression, we’ve
seen a net loss of jobs nationwide. A friend of mine had to move
last summer because his father was relocated from Southern to Northern
Ohio. Why? Because of a poor economic outlook. Ohio has seen a loss
of more than 200,000 jobs since Bush took office. On multiple occasions,
my friend has at least partially blamed Bush for the move, and I
agree. The president seems overly concerned with defending America
in the nonexistent war on terror and far from adequately interested
in solving glaring domestic problems.
Those domestic problems are of paramount concern to me because I
have a major disability, and investigating Bush’s record reveals
that he’s shortchanged me and other Americans with disabilities
since taking office. He’s promised much but delivered little,
refusing to allocate sufficient money to the programs he once vowed
to support. Some of the judges he’s appointed consider antidiscrimination
laws unnecessary, and he’s even neglected to push for compliance
with a Supreme Court ruling aimed at keeping people with disabilities
out of institutions.
It’s no wonder that Kerry’s platform statement on disabilities
is more than seven times as long as Bush’s.
Bush has been similarly unconcerned with protecting the environment
and guaranteeing minority rights. It looks, as Kerry has said, like
another Bush administration will offer “more of the same.”
Kerry has plans to start fixing those problems.
The best way to keep America safe is to concentrate first on solving
the plethora of domestic problems plaguing the nation. Terrorism
is a tactic, not an enemy. It can’t be defeated. It should
be curtailed as much as possible — and Kerry has promised
to do that — but it won’t disappear as Bush seems to
think it will.
There’s much more at stake on Nov. 2 than just fighting terrorism
and preventing another Sept. 11. Let’s focus on protecting
ourselves from the inside out, not from the outside in.
John Kerry isn’t lax on terrorism. He just knows what he’s
doing.
— Luke Jensen is a communication senior
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