A Tale of the Politically Aloof
If there is one thing President George W. Bush has done for me, it would be turning my carefree ear toward the world of politics. The first time I voted because it meant a few hours off work. The second time, I voted and watched in horror as America voluntarily, masochistically chose to re-elect the worst president in American history. I thought I did all that I could to prevent that from happening, I was wrong.
I can do more, I can and I will right now. I was taught by society that it is rude to talk about politics. True, arguments and hurt feelings are often the result as beliefs are a core part of our being. This time, it is too important to sit idly by as these historic events unfold tomorrow. So, I will be rude, I will tell everyone I know what I think. Hooray for blogs!
In every election past I have had a choice between two people I didn't know very well, and I choose the one that I thought could be trusted more; the lesser of two evils as it were. For the first time I feel that there is a candidate that I want running the Executive Branch. I am looking forward to seeing what Barack Obama could do for us as the President of the United States. He makes me feel proud of being an American again. He gives me hope; not an intangible emotional hope, but a real hope that I can see in him. With him as our leader, we could restore our good standing in the world, help Americans back onto their feet and we can stop leading our country with fear and start leading it with pride. He is ahead in the polls but I am not so presumptuous that I will call it a done deal. Things could go wrong, and I don't want to jinx it.
I am also very concerned about Proposition 8. This is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. If anyone supporting this proposal has read the history of America, they would know that opposing the rights of other human beings generally ends in the condemnation of those who opposed those rights. On the other hand, if I read the same history of America, I would see that we have a long history of repeated mistakes. I don't even know how proposing a law that restricts the rights of others based on a religious belief can be legal! More appalling is that nearly half of California disagrees with me. It is so hard for me to believe that if I look around me, half of the people I see are walking around, proud to vote against equal rights of others. Proud to be a bigot.
Though I have never been as ashamed to be an American as I have in the last 5 years or so, we live in a great country. I live in comfort, I am well fed and entertained and it would be easy to close my eyes and ignore my responsibility as a citizen; easy to say these wars, laws and greedy acts are the fault of others, but it would not be true. It is my responsibility. We are all responsible for what happens tomorrow. We are all responsible for everything that has happened. We can never say that we have done all that we could.
This time I will not sit idly by.
UPDATE:
What is that feeling welling up inside me, tugging at the corners of my mouth? I do declare, I think it's pride.
-Aaron
I can do more, I can and I will right now. I was taught by society that it is rude to talk about politics. True, arguments and hurt feelings are often the result as beliefs are a core part of our being. This time, it is too important to sit idly by as these historic events unfold tomorrow. So, I will be rude, I will tell everyone I know what I think. Hooray for blogs!
In every election past I have had a choice between two people I didn't know very well, and I choose the one that I thought could be trusted more; the lesser of two evils as it were. For the first time I feel that there is a candidate that I want running the Executive Branch. I am looking forward to seeing what Barack Obama could do for us as the President of the United States. He makes me feel proud of being an American again. He gives me hope; not an intangible emotional hope, but a real hope that I can see in him. With him as our leader, we could restore our good standing in the world, help Americans back onto their feet and we can stop leading our country with fear and start leading it with pride. He is ahead in the polls but I am not so presumptuous that I will call it a done deal. Things could go wrong, and I don't want to jinx it.
I am also very concerned about Proposition 8. This is the civil rights issue of the 21st century. If anyone supporting this proposal has read the history of America, they would know that opposing the rights of other human beings generally ends in the condemnation of those who opposed those rights. On the other hand, if I read the same history of America, I would see that we have a long history of repeated mistakes. I don't even know how proposing a law that restricts the rights of others based on a religious belief can be legal! More appalling is that nearly half of California disagrees with me. It is so hard for me to believe that if I look around me, half of the people I see are walking around, proud to vote against equal rights of others. Proud to be a bigot.
Though I have never been as ashamed to be an American as I have in the last 5 years or so, we live in a great country. I live in comfort, I am well fed and entertained and it would be easy to close my eyes and ignore my responsibility as a citizen; easy to say these wars, laws and greedy acts are the fault of others, but it would not be true. It is my responsibility. We are all responsible for what happens tomorrow. We are all responsible for everything that has happened. We can never say that we have done all that we could.
This time I will not sit idly by.
UPDATE:
What is that feeling welling up inside me, tugging at the corners of my mouth? I do declare, I think it's pride.
-Aaron
posted by Aaron at
11/03/2008 12:56:00 PM
4 Comments:
just the best post ever!!!
Like I can believe anything from a guy who sticks his wiener in the blowhole of a plushie orca...
Go Obama!!!
One of the nice things about Oregon is the ballots get mailed out and I can vote in the privacy of my own home. I had my ballot filled out sealed and mailed back a week ago.
oh interesting little voting tidbit.. did you know that North Dakota doesn't require people to register to vote. Voters must bring a photo ID issued by the state, military or an American Indian tribe, a recent utility bill that lists the voter's residential address, or sign a sworn statement attesting that they are eligible to vote in their precinct.
Vote No on Prop 8!
Gays and nerds need to stick together -- we were both called fags in high school.
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