(no subject)

[cleolinda]

I don't have a lot to say about the election results, except that this is what I'm clinging to.

I realized something a little ugly about myself last night--that I was hoping Kerry would win so I could heave a sigh of relief and go back to being blissfully unaware of what's going on in this country politically. And I'm realizing now that I shouldn't have done that in the first place, and I sure as hell can't afford to do it now. There's no one man we could have elected who would have fixed the injustices going on in this country, partly because half the country doesn't even see them as injustices. We can't rely on one man to fix everything, and I think part of our current heartbreak is that we thought we could. If we could win this election, we'd be home free. But that wasn't true in the first place.

I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe in the right of two people who love each other to be together. I believe in the right of a woman or a couple to make their own reproductive choices. I believe in a flat tax rate, not more breaks for the rich. I believe that we entered this war on false pretenses. So we have a lot of work ahead of us. The thing is, this way we know it up front.

Comments

[vasaris.livejournal.com]

*hugs Cleo*

What she said.

[maeritrae.livejournal.com]

I'm largely clinging to the fact that Obama won his seat. With luck he'll make President in twelve years.

[maeritrae.livejournal.com]

(I'm working on the assumption that Hillary Clinton will be elected in a landslide victory in four years.)

[celsitude.livejournal.com]

For the first time today - I feel a little bit better about this whole thing.

Thanks

[emilytarot.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the link... I agree, I was wondering about how Kerry, if he won, could possibly last more then 4 years after taking Iraq under his wings, an unsalvagable situation.

(BTW, also so sorry about the Ovaries...>Ships you new ones< What a pain in the ass. >.<)

Amen about how this says we can't become apathetic. he, as Steven Colbert pointed out last night, People are saying they want us us to go back to congenial, polite debate, but fuck that... Stay Enraged, Eat Rage for Breakfast, keep those flames and spitfires burnin', and hope it catches a few peeps in the butt over the next four years.

I fear for Roe Vs. Wade, tho'. Oh, I fear. >Eats more chocolate<

[t4-flirt.livejournal.com]

::applauds Cleo:: girl, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'm a journalism major, and I just picked up a minor in political science. It's high time I became more aware of the CRAP going on in our country. Either that, or I'm moving.

[rpp.livejournal.com]

Thank you. This (and the post you linked to) made me feel better.

[vodou-chile.livejournal.com]

We were all "snoozing" when we let the senate become majority republican.
No, one man can't fix the country (just as one man couldn't screw it up).
But we can't fall asleep at the wheel again.
We all need to open our eyes to the way this government works and make changes that will limit the presidents power, regardless of who it is.

[lilgoala.livejournal.com]

The last paragraph reminds me of that Savage Garden song.

[mistressofrohan.livejournal.com]

Icon LOVE! I've been searching all over the 'Net for a wintry icon. Would you mind if I borrowed it? I promise to credit!

MM

[shawnj.livejournal.com]

Except that you aren't choosing one man. There are 30,000 people in the executive branch who mostly work toward the agenda of whoever is in power.

[wock.livejournal.com]

"I believe in the separation of church and state. I believe in the right of two people who love each other to be together. I believe in the right of a woman or a couple to make their own reproductive choices. I believe in a flat tax rate, not more breaks for the rich. I believe that we entered this war on false pretenses."

You should have voted libertarian. You're square in that corner.

[altiloquent.livejournal.com]

I'm a Libertarian as well, but it is so hard to make yourself vote third party. I didn't even do it.

[breakofdawn.livejournal.com]

That makes a lot of sense, but what I am worried about is Bush making a huge mistake that will cost more people thier lives during the next four years.

[lee-in-limbo.livejournal.com]

*nods* Right words. Wish they weren't necessary... but you definitely said the right words.

L o L,
concerned

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Would it help to know that here in Dallas, in Texas of all places, the voters elected a gay, Hispanic woman (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TX_ELN_DALLAS_COUNTY_SHERIFF_TXOL-?SITE=TXBRY&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) sheriff?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Addendum after reading some of the above comments -- she is also a Democrat.

[pygmymetal.livejournal.com]

partly because half the country doesn't even see them as injustices.

I think what differentiates us from the other half of the country is that we have open minds, to experience new things and people. The other side refuses to explore that 'dark shadowy place' and continues to trumpet their opinion and yelling that we need to consider their side, when they refuse, at any point, to consider ours.

*hugs*

[christigilly.livejournal.com]

I really resent that a lot of non-Christian Democrats see ALL Christian Republicans as fundementalist, narrow-minded people. I could call hard-core liberal Democrats narrow-minded in that they refuse to acknowledge any ideals other than their own as right. It goes both ways.

I'm against anyone who says that "God hates this person/group of people/etc." (because He doesn't, and saying that He does is hate-mongering shite) but that doesn't mean I'm going to change my belief that abortion is murder. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand outside the local Planned Parenthood with sickening photos to scare people away. See? Beliefs, good. Crazy people, bad.

And I for one agree with the idea that anyone should be able to bond themselves to someone they love/trust in a legally-binding way. If I end up not marrying and not having any children, for instance, I might want to legally join up with my best friend to buy a house or something. Or, if someone has a horrible relationship with their parents, they may want to entrust their end-of-life proceedings to a life-long business partner that is trustworthy (without the parents being able to contest the last will and testiment simply due to the fact that they are blood-related). I think letting the states decide to allow unions like this will benefit everyone, and whatever ceremonies that you want to put along with it are your business. I just think that calling it a marriage might be going a bit too far. After all, I think that the independent gay and lesbian communities could come up with a name for the aforementioned ceremonies that would better suit their ideals.

Sigh. Ok I'm done. My brain is just about fried from political debate/discussion, so I hope at least some of this made sense.

[foresthouse.livejournal.com]

While I generally keep up with politics (I would have to be living under a ROCK not to hear about it at least a bit during LAW SCHOOL), I must confess a small part of me had this same desire to:
go back to being blissfully unaware of what's going on in this country politically
if Kerry won.
*sigh*

[ambiguousreason.livejournal.com]

I feel better now, so thank you. And you're right -- electing Kerry into office would not have made everything better again. It's just not that simple.

Question: When you say, "I believe that we entered this war on false pretenses." ...What exactly do you mean?

Not arguing at all (at least not yet XD). I'm just curious.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Basically, I'm referring to the whole weapons of mass destruction debacle where we started out hunting for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and ended up capturing Saddam in Iraq. I mean, if that's what Bush wanted to go do, fine. But don't try to pretend like it had anything to do with 9/11.

[shanisasha.livejournal.com]

I want to be able to walk through an airport without the immigration officials snarl at me. I want to be able to open my email on Friday without abject fear that a new policy has been penned in and my stay in the States to study has been put on jeopardy.

I want to be able to talk about these fears with Americans without recieving a growled "If you dont like it, you can go back to your own damned country and good riddance." And this was from someone I once considered a friend.

Sorry, being an international student is like having plague lately.

[katla-asriel.livejournal.com]

Allow me to provide some humour to this...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/katla_asriel/betterbush.jpg

This is a picture my friends and I made after school upon learning that Bush was our new President. It's our hope that one day, he realises that he can raid his wife's closet to look as good as he does here...

Well played, Kerry. Well played. *solemn wave of flag*

That pic made me smile

[mariebernadette.livejournal.com]

And thank you, Cleolinda, for the link in your post. I've been feeling down all day and it's nice to see a different perspective.

Another POV, televisino addict style, Tee Vee Election Day coverage of the media coverage itself (http://teevee.org/). Danku!

[illmantrim.livejournal.com]

Theres a lot of work ahead, you're right... now the real wor4k starts and gets even harder... but we are americans in the end and we will not go down without a fight...

[tvsbruce.livejournal.com]

I was going to leave a post discussing and disputing some misconceptions about conservatives. I had planned to do it in a polite, gracious manner.
But after 2 years of hate filled campaigning, I find I'm just too tired. It'll be nice just to recharge my batteries for a few months.
Civil discource in politics is gone. It's not any one sides fault. I'm not placing blame.
Am I happy about the elections...For the most part, yes. But neither side sounds like it wants to come together for what's best for all of us.
Let's be honest, I couldn't change any one's opinions here, nor is it it likely any of you could change my veiws. Only you, and the moments you will experience in life can do that. They may only re-enforce what you already believe.
I would like to think we could all try to make the best of the next four years, work together as one nation, not two political parties, and then both sides would campaign in a clear, honest manner.
Sadly, I don't think it's going happen.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I'm not too happy about the state of political discourse, either. The debates I remember from when I was younger at least didn't involve pundits calling each other "traitors" and "idiots." And I would like to see both parties come together and make the best of what we've got, too. I do disagree in that I don't think the election turned out for the best, but that doesn't mean that I have to give up on my hope for a better atmosphere in general.

[istoo.livejournal.com]

Hello. Sorry this is off topic. There are trailers (http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/lemony_snickets) for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events movie, and a web site (http://www.unfortunateeventsmovie.com). Please forgive me if you know about this already.

[takekammuri.livejournal.com]

Dear Cleo, I am really sorry for highjacking your journal like this, but I would like to make use of your wide audience for the greater good. I hope that you will decide to draw attention to this post - so many people are on your friends list, and I feel that this has to go out.

I just wanted to say that at around 1:30 PM, on November 3, 2004, i was listening to Air America Radio's Randi Rhodes show. Greg Palast, the BBC reporter who reported the 2000 incidents in Florida was speaking, and he was saying that in Ohio, where he was physically located at the time, there were literally hundreds (i emphasize the plural) of thousands of ballots that had not been counted up to the time of Kerry's concession on TV. He emphasized repeatedly that all those ballots were from Black areas, who usually vote Democrat. He added that there were similar reports coming in from New Mexico, from Latino-inhabited communities. I repeat, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF UNCOUNTED BALLOTS.

Please, draw attention to this in your journal. I am not a US citizen, but I've lived there for over three years and I feel for the cause. You cannot, no, you must not let them get away with this again. Not for the second time. If the US is going to allow itself to be suckered into a second Bush II term, then it will deserve whatever it will have coming.

And in case you people did not get it yet: THEY ARE TRYING TO SCREW *YOU* OVER! AGAIN!

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I've found Palast's blog where he mentions vote challenging in Florida, and I found the Air America site, but I'd really like to see something on the Ohio part in print. It's just more helpful to have a transcript to link to and show people. Do you have anything, any links?

[elistaire.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

What you said, twice and triple times over.

Freedom. Liberty. The right to make choices for ourselves. Freedom of religion. Freedom from religion.

[t4-flirt.livejournal.com]

can i use your icon? that is SOOO adorable!

[sheron]

this is well said. :)

Just a little note about taxes

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

The Bushes have an eighth of what the Kerrys have in the way of money, yet the Bushes paid a tax rate of 22.7% while the Kerrys paid 15.2%. Kerry's tax plan, as projected by the Argus Group, would have dropped his taxes yet another percent and would have increased small business tax rates to 35 to 40%. My brother-in-law owns his own business--not a snowball's chance in hell could he have paid 35% in taxes and survived with enough to keep a house over my sister's head and food on their table, especially with a little baby girl due in February.