It's nice to know that certain aspects of my personality just don't change. Like the aspect that makes me procrastinate. My first article for my class is due tomorrow. Have I written it? No. Have I started it? No. Have I had a good chunk of the afternoon to work on it, thanks to the company picnic that I left at 3? Yes. Will I be able to spend a lot of time on it tonight, time before the time I usually go to bed? Um, not tons, no. Oh well. It'll get done. It's not like this grade means anything, right?
Anyway, there are things that are happening in this country that make me nervous. Namely, the restrictions on liberties because of our situation. It makes me very uncomfortable to read in the paper that immigrants are being arrested and kept in jail without trial or any real legal justification. And I really don't like that you can't criticize President Bush without being called "unpatriotic." I mean, I think he's doing a good job with this, and that was a great speech last week, but for that, really, I credit his advisors and speechwriters, not him so much. I give him a ton of credit for choosing the people he did to surround himself with. I think he did a great job with that.
But I look back and recall what Bush was like on the 11th and 12th. And I compare him to Mayor Guiliani and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Their reactions and statements and actions moved me. Bush's didn't so much. I think Bush has gotten a lot better since then, but overall, I'm a lot more impressed with his speechwrite than I am with him. My question is, when did presidents stop writing their own material? Or did they ever? Even George Washington didn't write his own material.
But the criticism people get for not being like, "Bush is the greatest! I'm so glad he's the president!" is rather upsetting. I was reading a forum on (where else?) MBTV and someone made a comment that she still thought Bush is, overall, a yutz. And man, did the bashing begin? Criticizing the president doesn't make someone unpatriotic. Because you know what? Bush still isn't my favorite guy in the world, and I'm willing to bet that any other president's approval ratings would be in the 90s if he was president right now, too (well, if he had the same kickass speechwriter; again, kudos to Bush for that choice). But I support the Office of the President 100%. And if that doesn't make sense...tough.
And...HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRIE!!!
Current song in my head:
"Soon It's Gonna Rain" from The Fantasticks