A problem I have

Recently I had the opportunity to see Bill Richardson speak twice within the span of a few days, and I noticed a few things that bother me a great deal more than I think they did in 2004, when I was wet behind the ears and gunning for Kerry (yes I was, shut up).

For the most part, I agree with what Bill Richardson says, although I don't think he has his head on straight necessarily in calling for the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and leaving a peacekeeping UN coalition, when we all know the UN probably won't do that, or at least don't do it well. I digress. Richardson is fine, but the people who go to these things, Republican or Democrat, are kind of disgusting. The one thing I said to Mendelson upon leaving the Memorial Union after seeing Richardson was that I think that people who raise their hands during Q&A sessions in order to make statements or comments rather than questions are the worst scum on the face of the earth. It just seemed that everyone there was extremely selfish and guided by a need to find a candidate who will promote the individual welfare of themselves. "What will you do for me?" being the first question anybody ever asks.

For example, a rather old gentleman sitting behind me kept making comments under his breath that were blatantly stupid or inaccurate. In the former category, we have this (and I am paraphrasing):

Bill Richardson: We need to understand that our individual freedoms come at the cost of many people's lives.
Old Man: (muttering) I don't agree with that, that's bullshit.

I thought that point was and is still fairly inarguable, the fact that people have died in order to preserve certain freedoms. I mean, it happened during the American Revolution.

The older gentlemen would also make inaccurate statements:

Bill Richardson: When I am president I will restore Habeas Corpus...
Old Man: (muttering again) You see, he's the only candidate who will actually say he will restore Habeas Corpus without being asked...him and also Dodd.

To which I wanted to turn around and respond, "Motherfucker, I saw Obama like a week ago and he said that exact thing." But of course I didn't, because I was watching Richardson talk.

Sometimes people on the ideological left just piss me off. Someone asked Richardson the very reasonable question of what to do about the unstable situation in Iraq and the likelihood of a civil war were we to pull out, and people started booing him. The fact that he asks a reasonable question and thinks about the consequences of leaving Iraq rather than just unthinkingly pulling out must have got all these old-school "liberals" really riled up.

Oh, and the statements, the horrible statements. One woman, rather than ask a question, basically said, "Bush wants us to give up our rights to serve his own agenda, but my parents didn't raise me that way to give up without a fight," and everyone cheered. Oh yeah, my parents taught me to always be completely subservient to authority. Come on.

Actually, the single most revolting thing about these events may just be the cheering. Every time Richardson says something they agree with, they whoop and holler. When Richardson says that he believes American intervention in Afghanistan is right, absolute silence. It's appalling. When I have an argument or conversation with a friend or relative, I don't cheer loudly every time he or she makes a good point. And I realize I am being hypocritical in saying that because I did do a fair amount of clapping. Were I president, I would make audience applause illegal until the conclusion of a presidential candidate's stump speech (loud applause).

I was also perturbed that we were told to stand for the pledge of allegiance just as Richardson came out. I don't like doing the pledge of allegiance or any pledge at all, and it's not because I am anti-American, despite what Bill O'Reilly says. As I don't like the idea of living in a police state, I don't believe in pledging allegiance to anything, especially abstract concepts. I could say something about how that goes back to religion, but I'm becoming a broken record.