NEWS: Thank You, Mr. President

POLITICS: Thank You, Mr. President

I was reading today about the Bush administration's plan to increase logging in Oregon's old growth forests by 700%. For those of you that don't know, old growth forests are forests that have not been logged for at least 200 years. They contain a variety of different tree species of varying ages, including some very large trees that are hundreds, or even thousands of years old.

Here's a handy little diagram of the state of old growth forests over the last few centuries:



You see that tiny little black patch? That's the 1% of old growth forests left, and ol' Dubya is planning a preemptive strike against the weapons of moss production. So I got to thinking, "Holy fuck! Is there anything positive this douchebag has done for our country in his entire time in office?"

It's a hard question to answer isn't it? I can only think of one thing I can thank George W. Bush for -- making me and many other Americans finally care about politics and allowing a discourse of true change in our nation's policy.

I remember the 2000 primary elections; I was attending my freshman year of college, Bush and McCain were battling it out on the Republican side, Al Gore and Bill Bradley on the Democratic side. Despite having daily discussions about it in my US Government class, the most I can remember thinking about was how McCain easily had the hottest wife.

Ultimately the election was "won" by a far right fringe Republican advocating smaller government, strict constitutionalism, and decreased US military involvement in world affairs.



Wait, that...sounds familiar.

Anyway, fast forward to the 2002 midterm elections, which came and went with nary a thought. In fact, the only thing I remember about the 2002 midterms was The Daily Show's School House Rock homage explaining how little importance I should be giving it.



It wasn't until Dubya had a full four years to completely fuck our country up that people finally started to pay attention. Despite comments of being "a uniter, not a divider" the 2004 elections were the most divisive in my lifetime. The ridiculously misleading concept of red states and blue states, terms never used before Bush's first run had now become ubiquitous.

However, it also produced the highest voter turnout since 1968, the tumultuous year that led to the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the height of the war in Viet Nam, and civil rights protests at home. So I guess that's one feather he can put in his cap.

The Republicans scored huge successes in all three branches of government that year, but it would only raise the pendulum higher in one direction to swing it to the other. After two more years in office with stellar results; the bloodiest year in Iraq still to come, dwindling support from The Coalition of the Willing (to Get the Fuck Out), a plunging dollar, threats of recession, and scandal after scandal for the Republicans, the nation finally woke up out of its retarded slumber and rallied for change.

The 2006 midterm elections didn't just have a slightly higher turnout than previous years, but significantly higher, the highest since 1970 and brought about the first major changes in Congress since 1994. It was the first time I personally had voted in a midterm.

Unfortunately not much has happened since then. More people died in Iraq in the year after the midterms than in any year prior. The Speaker of the House rolled over on every important piece of legislation promised, refusing to impeach an adminitration that had committed endless atrocities. The president of the Senate, a Mormon Democrat against abortion, gay marriage, and with mixed views on gun control and Iraq has tabled legislation even his own party was adamant about.

But at least I know about all of these things. And for the first time ever I'm sitting at the edge of my seat watching primary elections, refreshing news sites for the latest information. For the first time ever every Democratic candidate is preaching a system of universal health care, a reasonable energy policy, and sweeping tax reform, not just the fringe ones. For the first time ever the Republican candidate not considered the corporate whore media darling is raising the most money.

I reckon that if Bush had been a mediocre president -- not great but not the catastrophe he's become -- we'd still be settling for the status quo. Our two party system would still be hammering at milquetoast legislation that reached for the lowest common denominator. Before things could get better I guess they had to get worse, and I for one am anxiously awaiting that pendulum to finally swing in the other direction.

So thanks Dubya, we owe you one.

Great article, and you raise a valid point. Some times it takes the worst possible scenarios to wake people up from apathy/acceptance. Lord knows that's what it took for me.

Oh, and about the old-growth forests.

When the country falls into chaos and disorder, the loyal ministers appear.

-Laozi, Dao De Jing, Ch. 18

Isn't that how it always is in life? Bland daily activities that a person can just get by on will lead them to ignore the possible change. Sometimes it takes a strong kick in the ass to wake a person up and get them to do what needs to be done. Obviously, the best case scenario would be to not fall to destruction before the realization hits, but for many it's the only way.

I was never interested in politics before the Bush administration. I find myself following candidates, keeping updated on issues, discussing them with a couple of folks at work who are also interested in politics (and one of them leans toward conservatism and the Republican party; he likes Huckabee, so it's a different viewpoint for me to learn from) - I think this sort of thing is happening for a lot of people.

The caucus turn-out has been incredible according to the numbers published so far. I really hope this continues and the country has a record turn-out for voters.

Look at how his idiocy has moved so many to come out and vote in primaries, whether for MY MAN or the lying-dirty-cheating-crybabies.

In the old days I'd say something helpful and smart, like "oh someone should kill him" but we all know the EVIL ONE who is really in charge, if only we could find him in his underground bunker (near colorado springs).

YES WE CAN have a different world. Please register to vote, everyone!!!

I've been finding out about the political views of friends I've known for years, some of them surprising, and having hours long discussions (ok, arguments) on the subject.

So basically you are saying we can continue getting fucked in the butt or we can fuck shit up, amiright?

FUCK SHIT UP '08!

Haha, ya'll said shit

yup, thanx dubya

ima gonna spraypaint someone. peace.



Nice article though AceT. I enjoyed it, but seeing those forest maps really hurts.

How exactly did they draw up those first two? I can't imagine anybody had adequate means to make any reasonable estimate of forestry in 1620.

Source

I imagine it's not too difficult, you just find where forests grow naturally. They obviously weren't logged in any significant amount before the industrial revolution.

How do we know what the earth looked like millions of years ago? My guess is it's mostly an estimate.

EDIT: Or whatever was said above me while I was posting as well.

Maybe that's how *you* know. *I* used my time-travelling spaceship.

I heard the trees are homegrown terrorists.

That's hot, just saying.

Now there is a sticker I would proudly put on my car.

Well, people most likely bought and paid for the land to log it so there are likely records, not to mention forests make great farmland so again paper trail. It's most likely a bunch of sources together to come up with a reasonable estimate as to where the forests were.

Alright, I can jive with that. It doesn't really seem to take into account that there are ways to lose trees that aren't man-related, but most of those regions aren't huge forest fire zones anyway.

Tee shirt!

He's been gnawing at this bone for quite some time.


My head hurts.

I'd buy it. Or, at least steal it off his back.

Buy yours today!