"'Tis a black, black day, indeed."
"Nightmare, nightmare go away!"
"In our darkest hour...I think the end
is near"
"Oh no...that's all I can say."
And the list goes on. By reading the various away messages of my buddies, one would think that something really bad had happened. And while this may be an accurate inference according to some, others would (and have) chastised this overreaction to the results of Election 2004.
I admit, I was (and still am) bitter about Bush's re-election as president. I sulked, I cried, I complained, and I cursed. I even refused to party last Thursday night because I was still in mourning. And as I sat with my suitemate, who was even more heartbroken than I, lamenting about the hardships that the next four years would bring, wondering what country Bush would invade next (my bet is on Iran), I had an epiphany: It could be worse.
We could be Iraqis, previously dominated by a dictator and now occupied by U.S. forces and living in chaos. We could be Cubans, where they have had a dictatorship for 45 years. We could be Sudanese, where mass genocide is taking the lives of thousands each day. We could be Saudi Arabian, and at the mercy of the royal family. We could be Palestinians, who are citizens of no state and victims of a corrupt Palestinian Authority and a selfish leader. And the list goes on.
While we may complain that we have a president that invades other countries without our consent, we could be citizens of the invaded countries. And, while we may not be proud to be Americans when the whole world despises us, we should still be proud that we have free presidential elections every four years, and the opportunity to criticize the president in our free press. Although we may not be happy with the decision, the American people did speak and they chose George W. Bush.
Think of all the despair that Bush despisers felt last Wednesday. Now magnify that by 15 years, eliminate the forum where this misery is vocalized and add economic hardship. This is what millions of people feel each day.
And, while Democrats might be less than pleased with Bush, at least he is not Arafat - a president and fatherly role model for the Palestinian people who, in reality, he has done more harm than good for. He has allowed his people to be the refugees for the longest period of time in history (almost 60 years for some). He has refused to compromise with Israelis (he made no counter offer at Camp David II), thereby preventing his people from achieving their own state. Probably his biggest flaw in addition to his diplomatic failings is stealing money from his own people. The United States and the United Nations give millions of dollars each year to the Palestinian people, which ends up in Arafat's various bank accounts. I could go on and on.
With Arafat's death imminent, the Palestinian people have been liberated from the grips of a corrupt leader. While it is yet unclear who will take over, and if there will be free elections, any sort of regime change should be a welcome experience for the Palestinians. Perhaps they can choose a leader who is committed to finding a solution to the problem.
Democrats will have to wait another four years for a presidential regime change and two years for electing new congressmen. But at least we voted. And we will not have to wait 60 years for another election. Cheer up. It could be worse.
Samantha Goldman is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
