The Good Atheist

The Bush presidency has been a disaster. Perhaps there are some of you out there that believe that somehow, history will vindicate this man, but it is as clear to me today as it will be in 50 years; President Bush is the worst president in the history of the united States of America.

It could be the fact that his government was involved in perhaps the biggest scam in the world by convincing their blood drunk populace that Iraq was responsible for 9/11. It could have been the general incompetence and cronyism that led to the Katrina disaster, or the fact that no other president has ever overseen such an unprecedented debt increase in the country’s history. Yes, these are all very serious charges, all made worst by the fact that the US is in the worst recession since the Great Depression.

I want to put aside the fact that the money being pumped into corporations without proper oversight represent a watershed moment in US history, since there is still a chance that with his departure, there may be changes on the horizon. No, the real legacy that Bush brings to American politics is the  division he managed to create, and the anti-intellectual crusade that will resonate for generations after his departure.

How frightening is this world when one of the most incompetent and ignorant candidates ever to enter politics survives on the premise that he is one of the “common people”? President Bush managed to convince the American public that he wasn’t elitist, despite the obvious fact that he has always been rich, and that his entry in politics is a nepotistic affair. His general stupidity and lack of eloquence was seen as some form of quality. This has opened the door to so many other incompetent candidates that it now appears that a person’s intelligence and skill seems less important than how well the general public can “relate” to them. How popular was Sarah Palin, who is, without a doubt, perhaps one of the most ignorant and uneducated politicians of all time? How close was this person from the White House?

There’s a reason that the office is usually held in such high regard. The fact that one human being carries with them the ability with one button push to eradicate the entire population of the Earth is not a responsibility to be taken lightly. And yet, the mistrust of intelligence, reason and education is now rampant. If you’re smart, you’re branded as an “elitist”.

This legacy will have consequences in the long term future, unless there is a movement to counter this attitude. Stupidity is nothing to be proud of, and it is not a state of mind but rather a general lack of education. All humans have possess the ability to be intelligent and thoughtful, but for some, it can be harder than others. If we continue the Bush tradition of being proud of our ignorance, it may set the wheels in motion to our eventual destruction. That’s not a legacy anyone should be proud of.