Fear more years

[elfs]

No, no news today. If you want to look up the attempt by the Pentagon to cover up the loss of 350,000 kilos of extremely efficient chemical explosives, you can go to Google News or Reuters or whatever.

I'm just tired. Goddess, the stress level in my house is high enough these days without the election being on our minds, the constant fear that the chimp is going to win and we'll be facing... what?

Four years from now, Bush's supreme court will have overturned Roe v. Wade and affirmed Bowers v. Hardwick: abortion will be illegal, and homosexual activities inside one's own home will be felonious conduct. The inclusionary doctrine of the Bill of Rights will be overturned and state governments will be free to adopt state religions, ban speech they deem offensive, the whole litany. Meanwhile, within the federal government, fiscal policy will be made in secret by corporations and social policy will pander to a concrete religious base that maintains intolerance *is* a holy tenant.

Of course, with Kerry, the whole DRM thing will continue, and there's no promise that student's right to use the GPL, which the Democratic Senator from Microsoft has tried to ban before, will survive four years with either party. His health care plan scares the gizzard outta me.

I'm a big believer in mixed government. Kerry is only up on Bush by 4% in Washington as of the latest polling rounds, which sucks because if it had been bigger I'd've voted for Badnarik. Omaha wants to discourage me from voting for Badnarik anyway because she's dismayed by the platform entry that states he'd bring the troops home immediately; well, that's a consequences of principles and principle number one is that the United States government has no business getting involved in foreign adventures that are not explicitly defensive. And I doubt things in Iraq could get "much worse" than they are now.

But I guess I'm voting for Kerry. I'm going to vote for a Democrat (and wash my hands afterward) because, well, malevolence, malfeasance, incompetence, and a disconnection from reality have been the hallmarks of the current administration.

Jim Hightower once commented that "If the Gods had wanted us to vote they would have given us candidates." Well, the Gods gave us something worse: an anti-candidate, compared to whom anything else on offer is preferable.

Comments

[damiana-swan.livejournal.com]

Elf has 2 daughters, as I do. This election isn't just about the level of damage that Bush could do within the next 4 years (which, face it, is considerable) it's about the level of damage that a Bush-appointed Supreme Court would do over the next 30 years. According the GW himself, he expects up to 4 positions to come open within the next few years.

I'm not just voting for Kerry for my own sake, for the sake of the economy, the environment, and the civil rights that I consider to be the foundation of what makes the United States special. Nor am I voting for Kerry just because I think he would treat our military with far more of the respect and care they deserve. I'm voting against Bush for my daughters' sakes, to help preserve their right to make their own medical decisions.

[phred1973.livejournal.com]

If you earnestly and honestly believe that Kerry can and will deliver the best possible (and sensible, responsible, and feasible) outcome, then by all means, please vote for him.

I, however, must respectfully disagree with your choice.

Isn't this why we have the vote?

BTW: I have a daughter as well. She's 18 months old. I make my decisions with her in mind as well. Whomever you choose, please choose FOR something that you believe the candidate can and will deliver on, while keeping in mind what else they stand for that you don't like... or even that they DON'T actually stand for anything at all.

I ask Elf to vote his mind and heart, without weighing the odds that putting his pebble in the box that matches his own nature causes some other box to outweigh all others individually.

Whether he chooses to do that or not, is really up to him, isn't it?

As it should be.

[damiana-swan.livejournal.com]

I can't honestly say that I think Kerry is the best person for the job. I can say I think that, of the possible candidates, he is the best choice we have. While I think it's a good idea to cast one's vote for the candidate who most closely represents one's own interests and values, in this particular case (IMO) it is absolutely vital to use the ability to vote to get Bush OUT. Unfortunately, the two goals don't always end up pointing to the same line on the ballot, and when that happens it's important for each voter to evaluate what is more important to them, living according to their ideals, or using the power they have to shape reality. My belief is that it's more effective to start by shaping reality when you're shooting for an ideal.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

It is not that I believe that Kerry can and will deliver the best possible outcome. It is simply that I believe that Bush will deliver the worst possible outcome, and I'm going to take Heinlein's advice on voting to heart: there may rarely be things to vote for, but there are always things to vote against.

I must vote and vote effectively. Given how tight this race is, I cannot allow the popular support for Kerry be reduced by even a single vote. Not because I support him popularly, but because the popular vehemence against Bush's mendacity must be as clear as possible.