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November 02, 2004
Le Tigre and reasons to vote Bush out of office
I first heard of Bikini Kill around 1997 just as I was getting into punk music. I liked their music and found it empowering but found it a little too dark to really get into. Flash forward to 1999 when the lead singer of Bikini Kill and famed feminist, Kathleen Hanna, formed the band Le Tigre, a feminist band with noticeably more poppier tones and released their self-titled album, one of my favorite albums of all time and if you haven't got it then shame on you--you should run out and buy it immediately, for the music if not for their feminist content. I first saw Le Tigre perform at Maxwell's and they put on a great show, with all these self-made video clips projected on a screen behind the band while they played. I wasn't as enthusiastic about their follow-up albums and didn't go to any shows until last night. Their new album is on a major label and, while it didn't grab me in the beginning, going to the show has definitely made me appreciate it more. One reason to buy it-- it has a great cover of "I'm So Excited" which has been on my replay button many times.
I have to give Adam credit for going with me to the show last night--he doesn't dislike Le Tigre but doesn't feel that strongly about them either and he knew we'd be in a room filled with post riot-grrl era girls but, fortunately, I think he enjoyed it as much as me. Le Tigre put on a great show--they had video clips again last night which were really good, all their songs were strong, and last night had a palpable energy due in part to being the eve of the election and the activist nature of their songs. I strongly recommend you go to a Le Tigre show at least once in your lifetime.
Reasons at least to buy their first album:
"My My Metrocard"- one of the poppiest, catchiest songs on the NYC subway
One of my favorite lines in a song:
Linoleum floor, linoleum floor, your lyrics are dumber than a linoleum floor
And, now, as it is Election Day and I hope we get a new president by the end of the night, I thought I'd share something my brother wrote. He's 22 and I've always seen him as my younger brother and I was super impressed when I read this, an article that got printed in his college newspaper:
In Yoni Rubin's column, "When asked ... anyone but Kerry" (The Daily Targum, Oct. 27), he takes a look into Kerry's record and reiterates the Bush campaign's label of Democratic presidential candidate Kerry as a flip-flopper, yet he neglects to mention Bush's record. How about we break it down: record deficits on a reckless spending history, first president in 75 years to lose jobs, soaring health care costs, ruined Social Security with broken promise of setting aside $2 trillion of the surplus left President Bill Clinton left for Social Security, a growing rift between the rich and poor and a divided country alongside increased hatred toward America. But I guess Rubin would argue he is purely a victim of circumstance, and none of our current problems could be attributed to our president (read: ZERO responsibility).
Now let's talk about social issues. For a man who claims he doesn't let his religious beliefs affect his policy making, he seems to often wear his religion on his sleeve. I wonder where he got the idea to introduce a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage? Although his stances and actions on such controversial issues may seem God-inspired, the church isn't on his side with all issues. Religious leaders, including the Pope, denounced the War in Iraq, yet Bush often invokes God's name when speaking of his decision to invade Iraq, saying "we're spreading freedom and liberty," and that "freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in the world." Christians once waged many wars and shed much blood in the name of Jesus. Must we do the same and impose our will onto others in the name of democracy in order to spread freedom?
Bush was rather quick in reaching his decision and quite eager to invade Iraq. We now know secret planning for the invasion took place far before this "threat" was brought the public's attention - not even in the months after Sept. 11. Despite opposition from top advisors such as Colin Powell, Bush quickly dismissed the criticisms, urging them to side with him, which they eventually did. Powell argued against war before supporting the president and is even recorded as saying Iraq posed no serious threat and possessed no "significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction," statements which national security advisor Condoleezza Rice reiterated.
I love how easy it was for him to make the decision to go to war when neither he nor his children have to fight. Tell the families and mothers of the thousands of soldiers who died fighting in Iraq that this was just war, used as a last resort. Even now, knowing Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction and learning there was no connection between Iraq and Sept. 11, the president said he would have done everything the same way, which is pretty scary if you ask me. The administration continues to insist Iraq is an essential piece in the war on terror, and amazingly, after all the evidence that contradicts the president's previous assertions, polls show that over 50 percent of Bush supporters continue to believe that Iraq was tied to Sept. 11 and that they do in fact have weapons of mass destruction.
Does this show they are delusional, or has Bush cleverly swayed the American public? To his credit, he was successfully able to divert our attention from the real terror threat that is Osama bin Laden right into Iraq.
Now, whenever anyone questions the war, the administration is quick to pull out the unpatriotic card. Criticize the war, and they immediately go on the offensive, willing to say anything short of calling you a traitor. So whenever we go into war and invade another country I suppose we should never question our president? Reminds me of when Hitler's authority was never questioned. What makes this country so great is our freedom to question our government. I think it's dangerous for us not to speak out against the government when you feel it is doing something wrong. Instead of answering the criticisms, Bush often replies with, "You're simply denigrating our allies and troops."
This is the same man who said he believes there should be restrictions on free speech. In response to a question regarding his thoughts on all the criticisms and jokes made about him on the Internet, he said, "There ought to be limits to freedom."
Do I think Bush is a modern-day Hitler? No ... but I do believe he is bad for America, and for the sake of our future, I will be voting for Kerry.
Posted by Jennifer at November 2, 2004 10:46 AM