5.22.2008

I Read Somewhere...

I've been noticing how often what I have to say starts with "I read somewhere..." It could be the next hot drinking game. And then we'd all be very drunk. Children: stop reading! It will only end up badly, with cheap tequila and anonymous postcards home, begging for money to support your Sunday Times habit.

5.12.2008

I Am American, Hear Me Vote!

I live in Oregon, where voting is all done by mail. It's actually super-efficient, and I think it would be good for other states to do this, but there's a little bit of a letdown, too. You don't get that "Get out the vote!" energy, where you brave the weather and stand in long lines with a whole cross-section of America, feeling like you're part of something bigger, the satisfying push of the button as the green light comes on, or ka-chunk of the lever - popping an envelope in the mail just isn't the same - and perhaps saddest of all, you don't get a sticker. Those "I Voted!" stickers were always my favorite part. Maybe I'll just have to make my own, and wear it around, and hand them out to people. If you wait until the very last day and drop your ballot in the box instead of the mail, there's usually some streamers and a flag, and volunteers congratulating you. But it's not the same, and there's still no sticker.

Nevertheless, it feels good to vote. Granted, the more I learn about our electoral system, the more pissed I get - come on, people, this is democracy? To hell with the founding fathers, we gotta represent! Besides, I believe if they were around today, they'd be all for changing it up. Superdelegates - out the window. Electoral college - what the fuck? We can read now, you konw. Most of us. (that's a whole nother entry right there) Popular vote, man, that's what it's all about. And then we just have to work on educating the masses - I won't go so far as to say we should reinstate some kind of test to be able to vote, but it's pretty depressing when you hear what some people think. From an interview on NPR: (this is a woman talking, in Indiana, I think) "I don't think the world is ready for a woman president; they might think less of the US if we elect Hillary, so that would be bad for our foreign relations. But I'm worried about Obama's past as a Muslim..." Where do these people live? Oh yes, Indiana - and all over, I'm sure. And that's the people on the right side of the force - though I find when I actually talk to Republicans, we have a lot more in common than the media would like us to think.

Ok. I hope you all got out there and made your mark. It's what being American is all about. That, and Dairy Queen. Mmmm....