Today is Loyalty Day

Today is Loyalty Day in the United States. In proclaiming it, George W. Bush said that we are bound together by "equality that is entrusted to all Americans." Sorry, George, but as a woman, I have yet to see mine. And I have a lot of company in the thousands of other women, people of color, gay citizens, people with disabilities, and non-Christians who live in America.

Bush also said: "The right to vote is one of our most cherished rights...." Did he think that in 2000 in Florida, when people of color were threatened with terrible consequences if they tried to vote, or when the Brooks Brothers riot took place? Did he believe that in 2004 in Ohio when the Republican Party intimidated potential voters, manipulated the tabulation machines, tossed votes out, refused to provide enough voting machines, and repeatedly broke Ohio election laws?

Bush has also declared that we should make a commitment to be good citizens. This is one time I really do wish people would listen to the resident, but I don't think they are going to stop driving through our neighborhoods at high speeds, letting their dogs roam the streets, littering the sidewalks, and playing their car radios at a volume that can be heard in the next state. And I wonder if Bush really wants them to stop stealing election signs, kicking peaceful protesters to the ground, sending threats to Cindy Sheehan, and taking away people's civil liberties. Somehow, I think not.