Category: Political

Categories
Political

All is relative

Note from 2023 when this was recovered: No, I was wrong. Brooks is the pawn of the devil, and he’s not worth listening to.

Loren Webster talks about too many bridges being burnt, and I can identify with this. I am at that point now where I am thinking of burning some bridges, an impulse brought on by reading others’ implications that those of us who don’t share the sound and fury about the ‘reds’ winning, are somehow compromising our beliefs.

Per the Tracy Chapman song Loren quoted:

All the bridges that you burn
Come back one day to haunt you
One day you’ll find you’re walking
Lonely

Scott Hanson pointed to a NY Times editorial by David Brooks very worth reading. I know, I know — Brooks is the pawn of the devil. But he’s also one of the ‘reds’ we should be listening to:

But the same insularity that caused many liberals to lose touch with the rest of the country now causes them to simplify, misunderstand and condescend to the people who voted for Bush. If you want to understand why Democrats keep losing elections, just listen to some coastal and university town liberals talk about how conformist and intolerant people in Red America are. It makes you wonder: why is it that people who are completely closed-minded talk endlessly about how open-minded they are?

(Here’s another interesting NY Time’s article on this issue, but I don’t necessarily agree with all the opinions expressed.)

Looking at the vote counts in the states that passed anti-gay marriage initiatives, to get the numbers they’re getting, they’ve had Democrats vote for this in addition to Republicans. Remember my post, An Actual Conversation? Both of the people featured in this voted for Kerry. Nothing is ever as black and white as it first appears.

I wrote in comments in another weblog that I hope every fear I have about what could happen under Bush doesn’t materialize. I have no greater desire now, than to be proven wrong about all of it, and will do everything in my power to ensure this.

Last post on politics for a while. I think we all need to take a deep breath and give this subject some space. I for one happen to like most of the people on the other side of the bridges I’ve been thinking of putting to the flame; too much so to follow the impulses of the moment. They’ll have to make their own decisions as regards their own fires.

Categories
Political

Through the rubble, gently

I had planned on heading to Arkansas yesterday, but the weather worked against me. And I need to finish an article on Adobe’s new DNG format and converter. More on this later.

I wish I had, though, because going through the weblogs yesterday was like attending an Irish wake; with much lamentations mixed in with what must be a record amount of either anger or gloating. I wrote a post about this at the Kitchen saying that if yesterday was the big test of weblogger open communication, well, we bombed badly.

I think what got me most was seeing in comments in more than one weblog, people who have read each other and commented on each other’s posts for a long time, sometimes even years, say such things to each other as to be beyond repair — just because one happened to vote Republican and the other Democrat. And still others pointed a finger of blame at those of us who supported Kerry, telling us we didn’t work hard enough. Well, screw you, boyo.

It was a post in Mike Golby’s weblog — yes, that Mike Golby, known far and wide for his, shall we say, passionate writing against Bush– who put some needed perspective on all of this. He was writing about a South African political cartoonist, Zapiro, and specifically one cartoon that’s causing some heated debate in his country.

As relates to our recent election, Mike wrote:

I do not know Zapiro, but I did come to know his mother, Gaby. She was, without doubt, a great, selfless and humble South African. She was also as feisty as all hell.

Were she an American voter on the receiving end of a sound thrashing, I doubt she’d bat an eyelid, resort to beating her breast, cry foul or feel ‘done out’. She’d take solace in the fact that democracy works and, as a citizen mindful of the legitimate laws of her land, continue her work, bettering the lives of those around her.

With her eyes fixed on future victories, of course…

Yes, democracy works, and did work this week. This election was not stolen, and was not rigged, and from what we now know, 51% of the voters in this country voted to retain President Bush. That’s a fact of life, and either learn to live with it or move to Canada.

(What do you mean, Canada says, thanks but no thanks?)

Also contrary to the assertions voiced by many, the people who voted for Bush are not stupid, blind, selfish, ignorant, violent, and hateful bigots, who allowed religion to determine their votes. Some are, but then, the same can be said of some Democrats, too. Keep making assumptions that the only educated and intelligent voters are those who live in Chicago, Boston, New York, San Francisco and other coastal cities, and you’re going to continue to find yourself on the outside of any power structure, whining into your Starbuck’s lattes. Boo, grande, hoo.

No, there were a lot of reasons why people voted for Bush, and didn’t vote for Kerry, and we either learn more about these reasons and do better in the future when it comes to communicating with these folks; or we can continue spinning our wheels indulging in anger and spite, and ain’t it great that webloggers can be so damn passionate?

(However, if you choose the latter, remember this: we spent the last four years angry, and what we have to show for it is four more years of Bush, and from what I can see, an even stronger foothold in Congress for the Republican Party. )

Right now my concerns are focused on what can I do in the next four years to help minimize negative impact on issues of importance to me: support for gay rights; countering our aggressive behavior both internally and external to the country; promoting global health insurance, and more corporate accountability; and especially the environment, an issue I feel I can have the most impact with. The first move in this direction is to have my broadband internet connection yanked on the 20th. Less time here more time out there.

Now, why do I have the feeling that with this writing I just got off the Cluetrain? But then, it doesn’t run through backwoods states like Missouri, anyway.

Categories
Voting

Spirits Lighten

It’s an odd thing, but after I voted today, I felt revitalized – is if a huge weight has dropped off. I want to work in code and plan my Ozarks trip (now Thursday as the weather blows), and write things and even watch the returns tonight.

All from punching holes in a card and making sure no little whatyoucallums are stuck on the back. It’s done, done, done, done, and there’s nothing left to do, do, do, do, except move on.

Please let there be a clear winner tonight.

I did find out that my ISP hosts several Florida county supervisor sites, so expect the site to go up and down all day today. At one point, looked like an even dozen servers were down. The American Election has become a Dos (Denial of Service) to the Internet.

Categories
Voting

Voting

I haven’t voted yet, decided not to add to the times of the people who are voting before going to work. Since I work from home, I can vote anytime during the day, though I plan on going over in a bit.

I received email about how to vote pro-life, sent by the Archbishop who sets up shop in the offices on the other side of the church where I’ll vote. I am curious if he’ll try to add some kind of influence at the polling place. Normally, though, the people who run the polls at this church are meticulous about preventing any such thing. We’ll see in a bit.

When you vote, you can save time by selecting a straight party line vote. I am voting straight party line, but will still vote individually. Democrats, of course. There wasn’t one Republican in this state who didn’t bring up that their most important concern is the prevention of gay marriage. I only hope when these people meet their God someday that he proves as intolerate of them, as they are of everyone else.

Well, that was a piece of cake. No waiting since I was the white ballot machines, and the current flurry was the green machines. I just missed the flurry of white machine voters. Go me.

No muss, no fuss.

There was a funeral going on at the same time, though. Interesting to see a gold hearse right out in front of the entrance to your polling place.

second update

I had a feeling my timing was good. According to this Bloomberg story:

In Palm Beach County, Florida, a Democratic stronghold, the wait was as long as an hour and a half. In Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, voters who arrived when the polls opened at 6 a.m. had to wait an hour.

Yup, that’s my area, though most likely not my polling place.

Categories
Voting

No Kansas City Tomorrow

The Techwatch people never did respond to any of my inquiries as to where I’m supposed to be tomorrow; or about the hours and what I need to do, so I won’t be going to Kansas City after all.

I tried to volunteer to drive voters to the polls tomorrow, but it was too late. I guess all I can do on tomorrow’s momentous day is get up early and go vote, before the buses bring in all those senior citizens from all the retirement communities that surround us.

I posted some old, old poems, but I’m not poet (which is warning). Today seemed a good time to do it. I know–odd. Don’t worry, I’ll only do this on the eve of critical presidential elections.

I’ve been pushing at those working for this candidate or another lately, but that’s my burnout with this election, not with the volunteers who have worked hard to get their person elected. I admire such hard work, and good on you.

But unlike the excited anticipation elsewhere, I just feel let down – like today’s Christmas day (or whatever holiday of your choice) and we’ve opened the presents and all the fun is over with. You know the feeling. I am glad that the race is over, but I wonder what it will leave in its wake.

I was feeling low enough that I actually went to some of the sites that raise my blood pressure, in order to incite a little of the old burn. At Instapundit I read the following:

ARE WE REALLY MORE DIVIDED THAN WE’VE EVER BEEN? I recently asked my mother whether this election was, as everyone I work with keeps assuring me, “the nastiest election ever.” I live on the Upper West Side, three blocks from the house I grew up in, and honestly, this election feels to me very much the same as the elections of 1984, 1988 and 1992, when we also had Republican incumbents: the daily predictions of apocalypse should the incumbent be re-elected, the virulent and vicious hatred unleashed in logorrheic torrents every time his name was mentioned, the threats to leave the country if the Republican was returned to office .

But I was a schoolgirl then, and couldn’t vote, and it’s very possible that my memories are not representative, since most of my teachers ranged between the liberal democratic and the hard left. So I asked my mother, who remembers those days more clearly.

(Emphasis mine)

Instapundit was a schoolgirl!?! Damn! Instasexchange, I guess.

Took me a couple of moments to realize that Glenn Reynolds is having guest authors.

(P.S. Vote tomorrow, or I’ll publish more poetry.)