November 2004 Archives

"As long as people don't start eating cats and they don't enter the food chain, then we should be handled like the GloFish," Brodie told the AP.

From CNN.

The sound of a revving gas powered landscaping implement?, or an ode to a hearty pirate libation? You decide.

The election results are varied... based on the sources that I choses to believe, the race is at 254/252 with Bush leading by two electoral votes. It seems like there are 200,000 uncounted provisional ballots in Ohio (worth 20 electoral votes), but with Bush holding a current lead of 136,000 votes in that state, Kerry would need to land 168,000-or-so of the provisional votes to win. Not the black-and-white "insurmountable" statistics claimed by many, but its certainly a log shot.

I'm a cross-ticket voter. I do not consider myself affiliated with either party. There are portions of each platform that I agree with.

Others in America, it seems, are treating the election like the Superbowl. They are rooting for teams, and not making informed decisions. I say that because, in my experience with coworkers and acquaintances, nobody has made efforts to find the data themselves and judge it; they all gladly accept whatever their media-outlet-of-choice feeds them, complete with its biases. I'm not saying all Americans are like this, but there's certainly a tight collection of them in my local community. This morning, there has been gloating, taunting, conflict and a lot of speculation going on all around me.

My feelings are quite different. In a choice between two inadequate candidates, I have found comfort in a silver lining. That fact is that, regardless of the outcome, we are Americans. We have voted. We have the right to vote. That alone puts us in a position of freedom that is strong. We are free. Did "my candidate" win? Regardless, I had my say and millions of other voters had theirs too.

Four more years of President Bush? A new leader with a surprise comeback from Senator Kerry? Only time will tell. But either way, I'm glad to be an American.

It has come to my attention at this late hour that some people still do NOT intend to vote. If you are an American, and have not forfeited your legal right to vote due to some felony or conviction, than it is your national duty to drive to your designated ward, spend a few minutes in line, a few more minutes filling out a little slip of paper, and then continuing on your way. It's not that hard, for chrissake.

The complaints I've heard today shock me. Are people this stupid?

1. "Why vote, my state's polls already show that my party is [ahead/behind]..." — what a stupid concept. If your candidate is ahead by 10 points in the polls, and you dont vote because you think he's a sure win, you may want to consider going back to school. Think about it: If only a few hundred more people are as stupid as you, the polls will be reversed because the "sure thing" voters all stayed home! The same logic holds true for the underdog. If people give up and simply dont vote, you have doomed your candidate to failure!
2. "I don't have time" — Well, you don't have time to complete an absentee ballot, because you waited until the night before the election. You could have solved this conflict between your magnificent social life and your civic duty with a simple bit of planning, Einstein.
3. "Well, I didn't vote absentee, and now I still dont have time!" — If your this stupid, your time cant possibly be that valuable. Go and wait in line tomorrow with the rest of us. I heard a woman on NPR bitching that she was incensed at having to wait in lines for two hours to pre-vote (some states allow it), because her time is so valuable. Well you know what? If your time was more valuable than the combined electorate of the entire country, you would be running for President yourself instead of slurping Dunkacinos and picking your nose.
4. "I don't know who to vote for." — Turn on the news. We've all heard it seventy-twatrillion times before, but you can blessed with utter amazement as you see the battling campaigns for the very first time.
5. "I dont know who to vote for other than the President, and I dont want to just pick." — This one is a little bit better. It's noble to want to make an informed decision. However, you don't have to vote for every office. Vote for the ones you know and feel strongly about. Or just vote a straight ticket like 99.44% of uninformed voters do.
6. "I'm still undecided." — There are still a few who are, according to the polls. So... you're online reading this, and need help making a decision. Go here or any other number of informative sites. Steer clear of biased news sources (good luck). Make a decision. Stay up all night if you have to, the booths are open all day tomorrow.
7. "I can't get off of work." — Tell you boss that he or she is a Nazi. Go vote.

Ok... I'm finished ranting now. I didn't want to get all worked up about this, but I heard every one of these stupid arguments today.