Sorry, but I have to do it, because it is all heavy on my mind as it is in so many others today.
I just received this email from a lady at work who I believe to be republican. I am glad she forwarded it to me as it put into words a lot of what I am feeling. Sorry it is one long rant, but I just didn't have it in me to space it out. Yes, I am lazy.
This was an interesting read.
Dear Friends,
I am sad and depressed. I am also angry. Angry at the pathetic Democrats. They couldn’t beat a guy who openly lied about WMD's leading us into an unjust, brutal, civilian-slaughtering war. A smirking idiot, who defied the UN and enraged nearly every other country in the world, making us the most hated and least respected nation on Earth. Someone needs to found a new party.....today! The Democrats have completely lost their relevance. If they couldn’t win this one, when the hell will they ever win? The House, the Senate, the President and Supreme Court are all red now. The fucking end is near! We are left to wait and watch as one by one our liberties will disappear, and our Country will continue to fall into the hands of these greedy pigs as we are forced into a climate of fear and distorted, misappropriated Christian values. How does Canada sound now? I have never felt this desperate and disgusted and heart-broken all at the same time. It is not just a nagging my-team-just-lost-the-game disappointment, it's a sinking, pulling, tearing explosion that has decimated my faith in humankind. It is becoming increasingly evident that enlightenment and compassion are punishable offenses in this country and aggression and ignorance are the wave of the future. Well that future starts today.Think about how old you will be when this ignorant, violent, war-mongering, short-sighted, puppet leader of this dictatorial, fundamentalist regime will be out of office, its positively terrifying.Who can we blame? Only ourselves, for not demanding candidates who represent what we think. Real liberalism, real humanitarianism, not this made-for-TV, watered-down centralist bullshit. John Kerry was truly representing the anybody-but-Bush mentality and we bought it. We went for the lesser of two evils, some of us even deluding ourselves into thinking Kerry was actually who we wanted, as opposed to what we wanted In my mind, the Democratic Party is dead and gone, it is high time for something new. I will never cast a vote to left-center field again, no more one size fits all liberalism for me. It was a war, and common-sense lost, compassion lost, humanitarianism lost and most of all we lost. Time to rebuild the ship and find a new route.I wish I voted for Nader.
Yours in terror,
Joe
And my response to her:
Definitely interesting and I have to agree for the most part. Unfortunately when faced with bad, worse and worst, you are forced to vote for Bad. Also, in voting for anything other than Republican or Democrat you are pretty much assured, with the system as it is now, that your vote for sure won't count. Thanks for passing this along.
This being the first ever Election that I have voted in, I am dealing with a huge mix of emotions that I think began that horrible morning of September 11, 2001. Before that date, I never really gave much thought in general to patriotism, to our government (other than I don't like it), to our military or to who was president. I pretty much had always had the mentality that my vote did not count, especially living in Texas.
I was raised a liberal/democrat if we are talking in labels. To me I was raised to be openminded and accepting of others. I was raised to respect not just my elders but all people regardless of race, religion, or opinions. You respect me and I will respect you. I am the type of person that can almost always see some part of both sides of an argument. I am a "what if" person to some extent. "What if" such and such happened to me? How might that change my opinions? For example, I am not wild about the death penalty for the whole reason of killing a person who killed a person is not an example of what is right to me and is really just hypocritical. But what if someone raped and brutally murdered someone very dear to me? How might that change my views?
Since September 11, 2004 my patriotism has risen to the top. I finally could understand why someone would choose to be in our military. I was finally, utterly thankful to the men and women that choose to defend our country. I, for one, could not do it, but I am so very thankful that these people sacrifice all that they do to protect my freedoms and my homeland. I cry whenever there is a tribute to our soldiers or our police force or our fire departments. I have paid attention in the last four years to what was happening in this country and to the choices our President has made. I do have a voice and I should use it for no other reason than people have died and fought so that I might have the right to vote.
So I voted. I was nervous driving to the polls with my husband. I was nervous standing in line. I was nervous because I was doing something I had never done before and had the fear of "what if I don't know what I am doing?" I was nervous because I knew as I voted, my husband was canceling out my vote. But I voted, because there are people in this world today that do not have that right.
Yesterday I sat in my office with my door closed. (the majority of my office is republican, like 99%) I went to lunch and listened to people around me rave about he who I was not voting for. I listened to news casts while all I could think of was, "I am so tired of listening to bullshit. I can't even make an informed decision because everything I hear or read I have to wonder if it is even true. How much of this crap is true? 10%? I don't know, but I am tired of it." I had a pit in my stomach all day yesterday and even worse today. I couldn't help but thinking that regardless of who go the most votes, that Bush was going to win. I felt/feel hopeless. It makes me even more scared to have children. Yes, it is all in God's hands, but part of me feels like, "Maybe God is testing us and we are FAILING." What if...?
I don't know if it is the fact that I am PMSing or what, but I feel like crying. I can't imagine something like this, which I have never chosen to participate in, could affect me this much. I read in a blog, sorry I can't give credit where credit is due, "democracy bubble". That is exactly how I feel. This is a farce. So many people (I really hate to stereo-type and judge) talk about moral values and God and acceptance and compassion. Where is it? I don't see it at all? How is compassion blowing up another country? How is acceptance all the mud slinging and name calling that has been all over this Election. Where are the moral values? What happened to integrity and truth and justice and the "American Way". The American Way seems to have gone to the majority that says, "my way or the highway."
I will stop now, but I am truly feeling betrayed and sad today. Sorry again that I did indeed, "Go there."
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