Election Day

[piasharn]

Thank goodness that there were no morning or day classes today. If there had been, it would have been hellish for me to get out to vote.

And please let Granholm win the govenor's election... Posthumus is the epitomy of the stereotypical Michigan Republican. Gods, what a jackass... near the beginning of the race, he stated that he is the better candidate because Granholm doesn't have those "good, Michigan values." (She was born in Canada, grew up in California and got her degrees from Berkley and Yale.)

Y'know... I actually got insulted a while back when someone found out that I'm from California. Have I ever mentioned that those "good, Michigan values" that so many Republicans around here love to talk about include insulting anything that is different from them? Basically, if you're not white, Christian, heterosexual, Republican and conservative, you're out of luck.

Well, actually, that's more true for the west side of the state than the eastern side... they're much more diverse and open-minded.

And I really don't mean offense to those who do vote Republican. I vote for whomever I think is the best candidate, regardless of party. Given the rather conservative nature of my area, however, I end up voting Democratic more often since they are the ones that tend to support me and my beliefs. For example, being gay, I can't bring myself to vote for a person who actively opposes gay rights. Looking through information on the various candidates, the only ones who did support equal rights for homosexuals are Democrats, Greens and Libertarians. The only ones who opposed equal rights are Republicans.

I'm sure Republicans in places like California are much more sane than the ones over here. (At least I hope they are...)

(Sorry if I sound rather defensive. Besides being insulted for being a native Californian, I get bashed a lot for admitting that I lean to the left. And I still have no bloody clue why being a liberal is seen as such a bad thing.)

Still, I have more respect for people who voted for Posthumus than the ones that didn't vote at all. If you don't bother to get off your ass to vote, then you don't have any right to complain about the results. You can whine all you want about how "My vote doesn't count anyway..." or "These issues really don't have anything to do with me or my life..." but I really don't give a damn. Yes, this does influence your life, and you have a chance to directly influence it.

Of course, the voting system isn't perfect, but that's a rant for another time.

Comments

Thanks

[(Anonymous)]

Pia' Sharn,

Thanks for voting. I know it's discouraging these days.

I'm enjoying reading your old logs. I love the
George 2.0 label. Good stuff.

jupiter jenkins

Sounds like

[dawndancer.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the "Michigan Values" are just like the "Alabama Values". I voted Dem in the Gov election. Can't stand the idea of that ass Riley being gov. Thing is the results are Riley 49% and Seiglman 49.3%. Seiglman won but Riley is going to fight it. How Republican of him.

Problem with being liberal? I think it boils down to what the militant left wingers do, say, and in general how they act that makes everyone look and say "Well hell, they are all wing nuts."

Re: Sounds like

[piasharn.livejournal.com]

Well, good luck with the govenor's race in your neck of the woods. And I can certainly understand those "Alabama Values". Actually, given what I've heard about parts of the deep south, some of their "values" put the Michiganders to shame...

"Seiglman won but Riley is going to fight it. How Republican of him."

Well, I wish some of the Dems would do that... They've been rolling over for Bush, and I'm still pissed at Gore for not being more agressive during the whole election fiasco. (Not that I could stand the guy, but all data is pointing to the fact that he really did win Florida, and he should have stood up to the opposition.) That's why I don't register with a party... I can't stand either of the two big ones ^^

And while I can understand why people (especially far-right-wingers) would judge all liberals by the extremists, what I don't understand is why the moderates and even those who lean a bit to the left often bash the term and its followers. Yet they don't judge all conservatives by people like John Ashcroft or Jerry Falwell. Not to mention all those radical conservatives who bomb abortion clinics, post pictures and personal info about women they see going to OB-GYN offices and groups like the KKK... I can't think of any liberal that would go nearly that far. It's like the general public has gotten this horribly twisted view of what a liberal really is.

And, like this article (http://www.nauseamanifesto.com/modules.php?name=Sections&sop=viewarticle&artid=43) points out...

"So what topics are the thorn in the side of the ultra-right? The right wants to shape opinion against the realities of global warming, ecological conservation, energy conservation, reproductive rights, and equal rights for minority religions, just to name a few. But I see all of these issues, ALL of them, as moderate issues. To claim that clean air is a liberal, bed-wetting battle cry is to show ignorance in what Leftist really means. If clean air is a leftist issue, then what would you define oppressive political communism as?"

I'll shut up now ^^;;;;;;;

Jupiter Jenkins on Politics and public conversation

[(Anonymous)]

I think one of the problems regarding amurica and its current state is the devalued conversation of our public rhetoric. The whole thing doesn't really seem to be about ideas but about other things like winning and the bottom line and mindless entertainment of the basest and most passive sort.

So the words liberal and conservative don't mean what they used to mean. Liberal --- libre --- freedom.... liberty.... This resonance is lost. And has been redefined to mean people who feel more than think and have too much sympathy for the underdogs. Like wise conservative is not about conserving things. There are things that need conserving I believe.... like history and conversation of evolving art and music.... context is provided in that way for growth...
And conservatives get away with all kinds of non-conserving notions like the state putting its citizens to death and taking away their civil liberties and making war. If there ever was a non-conserving notion it is the madness of war.

It drove me nuts when George W. declared a war on poverty with the same kinds of words that Nancy Reagan declared a war on drugs (just say no). This is not exactly a war. Of course there will be mass destruction and death so I guess it doesn't really matter.

Oops

[(Anonymous)]

In that last paragraph I meant to write George W. declared a war on terrorism..... the slip was funny however.... jupiter