TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2004
OPINION
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7B
the that main- Ryun leg- nieve
arm-eeeply con-serve His moving mers' con-
ough oils for wage stock of eable. beehind issues lily and can-arily a progress.
enior in
Kerry will reach out to world
-TREASURER
BLAKE SWENSON
bswenson@kansan.com
This election is about these two Americas. Two drastically different paths lie ahead of the decision we make on Nov. 2. The road we choose to travel determines the course of our country and civilization.
Simon, an Ethiopian immigrant, found his way into my office. Simon looked at the variety of campaign yard signs and began speaking reverently about America—a country where people can live and worship freely As citizens in this country, we don't fully understand what America means to those abroad. Simon warned me that the faith the world once had in America was rapidly disappearing.
Simon reminded me of the reason I was voting for John Kerry. I am mad. The Bush America is not the America that Simon dreamed of in Ethiopia and it is not the America that I grew up loving.
In the last four years one man has squandered the goodwill Americans earned throughout the past 217 years by fighting an unjust war under our name, but not our values. No longer do others look to America as a beacon of hope. Instead our country is viewed as a greedy and arrogant world bully.
Americans often underestimate the influence of our position. The decisions our president makes affects every citizen in every country around the globe. The president is not just the leader of our 50 states but the "free world."
Kerry is the solution. As citizens of this country we have no other choice.
This century demands a president who can reach out to the
world community and be a superpower that promotes our values of freedom, justice and equality. Kerry's history shows a record that is rooted in these American values. He recognized and responded to the threats against this nation when he enlisted to go to Vietnam. He witnessed the atrocity of war and came back home strong enough to admit America's mistakes. Kerry's experience has taught him we cannot win a war by acting like the enemy.
Kerry speaks of meeting a global test because to be the leader of the "free-world" the United States must be the best. We must not just pay rhetorical lip service to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The war in Iraq is growing worse and it is the most important issue in the election because its worldwide impact. Here at home a war based on misinformation has cost the American taxpayers more than $200 billion and the deaths of 1,100 soldiers and 15,000 Iraqi civilians. The war has distracted our government from fixing the economy, education, health care and social security. We still have not found Osama bin Laden.
These past two years have stretched the Army so thin that the thought of a draft looms. The one way to guarantee America does not have another draft is to elect a president that is able to bring the world back to our side. Kerry can accomplish this task.
It is our responsibility to redeem our reputation. At this young age we have been presented with an opportunity to decide America's future and it will not be guided by fear and deception.
Blake Swenson is a Topeka senior in political science. He works for the Kansas Democrats.
On Nov. 2 vote John Kerry for President.
Steve Sack/ KRT
Bush ensures stronger, safer America
George W. Bush won't be running for his second term on Nov. 2; it began at 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001. At that exact moment, the largest terrorist attack carried out on American soil ushered in a new era in United States history and in the current administration. Nearly 3,000 Americans perished that day, but it was the last in a series of violent terrorist attacks against this nation.
STEVE VOCKRODT
svockrodt@kansan.com
The United States has never faced an enemy so real and determined. After hostage crises with Iran in the late '70s and early '80s, a bombed Pan-Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, at the hands of Libyan terrorists in 1988, the slaughter of U.S. soldiers in Somalia in 1993, embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the attack on the U.S.S. Cole in the Persian Gulf,
and culminating in the World Trade Center attacks, Bush had enough, and did something about it. Since then we've seen nothing to the magnitude of previous terrorist attacks, and major terrorist organizations have been disrupted and its members arrested.
A relaxed attitude from previous administrations toward prior terrorist threats and conflicts only served to embolden terrorists. The 9/11 Commission Report pointed out specifically that U.S. troop withdrawals
from Lebanon in 1983 and Somalia in 1993 only solidified the resolve of terrorists, who saw the departures as a sign of our vulnerability. The report said that the decision to leave Lebanon was "routinely cited by jihadists as evidence of U.S. weakness."
Inactivity during the Reagan administration made us look vulnerable; strategic bombings in Iraq during the Clinton administration only made Saddam Hussein more resilient; action during the current administration has made us stronger.
War is never an attractive option: it is gruesome, and it is costly both in terms of economics and morale. But in this case, it was finally necessary.
Since deploying troops to Afghanistan and Iraq, terrorism has ceased, and the United
States has never been safer within its own boundaries. The Bush administration has set out with an aggressive and effective deterrent against terrorism abroad, while beginning to overhaul counterterrorism intelligence at home in accordance to the report's recommendations to further disperse the terrorist threat. Done are the days of cutting counterterrorism funding from previous administrations. Done are the days of half-hearted attempts at merely stalling terrorism. Done are the days of a weak and indecisive America.
Now beginning are the days of a stronger, safer America, all under the watch of George W. Bush.
Steve Vockrodt is a Denver senior in journalism and political science.
CONGRESSMAN DENNIS MOORE
"I'm proud to have represented KU in Congress for nearly six years. We have made real progress, and I never forget why I'm in Washington: to serve the people of Kansas, and to continue making our state and our country an even better and safer place to live. I would be honored to have your vote on November 2nd."
Dennis Moore and his wife Stephene
Quality Education
- Introduced legislation calling for full funding of the No Child Left Behind Act
·Wrote a bill to help end the teacher shortage
·Supported increased funding for federal student loans
- Led the fight to bring Amber Alert system to Kansas City to locate kidnapped children quickly
·Supports our soldiers by writing legislation now law - to pay all travel costs for our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan for Rest and Recuperation
Protecting Our Environment Named Environmental Champion by the League of Conservation Voters
VOTENOVEMBER2
Safe and secure nation
www.mooreforcongress.com
Paid for by Moore for Congress
PO Box 14631
Lenoxia K5 66285
Tel)913.888.4838
Fax)913.884.0903
Domestic & Foreign Complete Car Care
"We StandBehind Our Work, and WE CARE!" 842-8665 2858 Four Wheel Dr.
LAWRENCE
AUTOMOTIVE
DIAGNOSTICS
INC.
BIG Discount with Student ID!
Next to Dr. Lenahan, Your Top of the Hill Optometrist 4 Years Running!
- Eliminate long lines and the proof-of-insurance runaround.
- Extend hours, locations,
and on-line access.
- Serve all taxpayers in a friendly and helpful manner.