For the past few weeks, the ongoing vote on the proposed Alumni Constitution has been the focus of political debate on our campus. While the future of this document is certainly of key importance to the Dartmouth community, we must not allow it to divert our attention from another upcoming political event, one with much broader consequences: the midterm elections. This year's elections for seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives offer an opportunity for our desensitized nation to wake up and become aware of all the negative changes it has suffered over the past six years of Republican administration, and diverge from the calamitous path down which it is rolling.
When the 2002 Congressional elections rolled in another Republican House and Senate, and when George W. Bush was elected president for the second time, I was very disappointed. However, a few years later, it turns out that this was not just a disappointment, but one with severe ramifications for the United States. Since 2000, the administration has subjected our country to a number of detrimental policies, with some particularly atrocious ones implemented over the past few months.
Fomenting fear of terrorism to justify repressive measures has been a pastime of the regime since 2001. CBS News and New York Times polls show that we used to worry about the economy; now, we have been conned into worrying about loosely defined threats lurking in corners all over the world, as illustrated by the fiery colors of the Orwellian Homeland Security Advisory System. In addition to the already well-known wiretapping and Guantnamo imbroglios, this summer has seen even more absurd developments. President Bush admitted to the existence of secret CIA prisons. Airport security was tightened, leaving passengers thirsty, bored, and humiliated by requiring them to replace their carry-on luggage with clear, liquid-less and aseptic plastic bags.
On Aug. 11, The New York Times commented on the passengers' "grudging acceptance" of these newly stiffened security measures. Although such compliant response to airport security changes may seem to be a minor point, it is a poignant reflection of the general passivity of the population. Why all this silent acquiescence, a mode of behavior seemingly so uncharacteristic of America? On one hand, this is a country that not too long ago accepted Japanese internment and forced sterilizations. On the other hand, it is a country where Howard Dean's overly enthusiastic scream and fist-pump combo was considered the political equivalent of suicide, causing his approval ratings to drop precipitously.
Although the current problems facing our nation may differ in magnitude from the ones mentioned above, I hope America is also a country where despotism, infringement upon individual rights and a blatant disregard of the Constitution will not be assented to submissively, but will instead garner a strong negative response.
Now is the time to provide it. The most recent New York Times poll shows that 61 percent of the population disapproves of the way the Congress is handling its job; however, incongruously, a full 53 percent of the population approve of the performance of their local representative. Stances like that will not change the deplorable political status quo. Therefore, I call on you to seize the midterm elections as an opportunity to change the direction in which our country is headed: vote against the incumbency.
