Politics

Ok, I am going to try to get it all out today, so I can leave it. I've been saying on my away message that I'm gonna drop politics as of midnight tonight, so here it all is:

Ok, I too voted for Kerry. I think that the country would have been a lot better off under him. However, I will add that I think that both Kerry and Bush suck, and that despite his being pure evil, I was most impressed with Dick Cheney during this election season. Anyway, here goes:

1) I don't think I could say it any better than I did in my away message: "The world is not over. YOU are not leaving the country. Claiming so is neither original nor clever." I will add that if you are honestly thinking about leaving the country, this does not apply to you. But really, you live in the most privileged country in the world. I understand that the election did not go how you wanted. It didn't go how I wanted. But the "I'm taking my ball and leaving" attitude is spoiled and bratty. You are better than that. Fix things from within. Work for what you believe. Educate people. (And that leads me to my next annoyance...)

2) Just because someone doesn't think like you do, or value what you do, or vote for you who think they should, that doesn't mean they are stupid. Assuming that you know what is best for someone and how they should think is one of the most arrogant thoughts I can think of. People aren't stupid just because they have a different outlook on life. The weird part of this for me is how the people who are making claims on the contrary are the people I thought to be some of the most open minded people I know.

3) I may agree that gay marriage and abortion shouldn't be political topics. But they are. And every one of you that is ranting, claiming that it is bad that the country voted based on these issue, ask yourself this: If abortion was illegal, and gay marriages were prohibited, and a candidate was running on a platform of legalizing abortion and passing a constitutional amendment to allow gay marriage, would you take that into consideration when you voted? I bet you would.

Ok, I hope that's it on the politics, at least for a while. Holler at me if you want to debate. I love debating.....

PS - Finally, Bush definitely won this year, and I haven't heard any (or at least not many) cries of foul play. So we need to do our best to work with the situation. I am not as frustrated with Bush as many of you, but still, make an effort to start anew. I think Jeff (who is relatively liberal) said it well:

I'm going to give George W. Bush a chance to re-earn my trust and respect as a leader. I am by no means offering him a clean slate, and I will not forgive him for the missteps of the past four years, but I am going to give him the opportunity to make right over his second term.

I don't have much faith that he'll do so, but he's at least getting the chance to.

From here, I see one of two scenarios playing out. Either a) Bush improves and begins to repair the nation's international image, or b) we put up with four more years of the same ineptitude and win in a landslide in 2008. Of course, I realize that reality will probably fall somewhere in between (like, Bush continues his ineptitude but the Democrats fail to sweep in '08), but this at least gives me hope for now, so I'm holding onto it.

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