surprise, surprise!

Newspapers all over are talking about how the "specific information" the government is talking about is four years old or so. The assumption is that Bush is using the information to make himself look good and distract people from the Kerry convention. That would explain why the information came out on Sunday, right after Kerry made his speech - and might explain why the polls didn't look so good for Kerry.

I thought of another very clear and easy to understand point which looks bad for Bush: if we had the information four years ago, why would it be coming out only NOW if not to help Bush in the polls? If this was at all serious, people would have informed Citigroup etc. a while ago to give them time to protect themselves. At the least they could have had months to investigate their buildings and check out their staff. Instead, the information was held back until now and people are told an attack could happen any day. So there is reason to believe this information is not genuine. Bush is wasting New York's limited money on a false alarm. This is horrifying because there are real terrorist threats out there. One day a real attack will be imminent and we won't have the money to do anything but buy gum and spit it at the terrorists.

I recently went to England and was reminded of a day three years ago when I first went to attend University there, right after the 9/11 attacks (should have flown on September 12th, but flight was delayed of course.) I was very gung ho about meeting people and learning BSL, so I flew over a week before classes began in order to go to Blackpool for a Deaf party despite not knowing anyone or having a place to stay - about a thousand Brit Deafies were there, and a few Americans too. When they found out Americans were there - this was on September 15th or 16th, I think, 2001 - the Brits immediately organized, collected a few hundred pounds, and forced us up on a stage. They told us they would put the money together and send it to New York right away. People were crying in the audience. The support and love and sympathy was so palpable; it was really a beautiful scene.

Bush threw away all this love and sympathy with his lies and bad policies.

The thing that pisses me off is that he and his friends like to say people hate America. People do not hate America. On my recent visit, people loved meeting me - they liked the American. But they all said negative things about Bush. I heard again and again from Deaf people that Bush makes people more afraid than terrorists ever could. The recent false alarm is an example of this. I'm convinced the world still loves us quirky, funny Americans and the things we make, do and create. They like American TV, American books, American art, American cars.

The fact is that the sympathy the world had for America after 9/11 is still there. People still love us. But they don't trust our leader, and who can blame them? When John Kerry takes office, that sympathy will be available to him and he will be able to do amazing things with it. He will need it. Bush will leave this country a wreck, and the effects of many of his policies won't be felt for many years. It's easy to destroy, it's hard to build. It's easy to divide and hard to unite. I only hope Deaf people over the world will continue to support us Deaf Americans. I still feel like crying when I remember those faces in the audience, and my own embarrassment at how inadequate my words of thank you were to the kind of unsolicited love and support British Deaf people showed us.

Is it any wonder I fell in love with England?