"We'd Make Neil Young a Senator...
I live in a bi-political party household and, while I don't have the luxury of feeling smug and sanctimoniously intelligent about all my decisions, it has made me a better listener forcing me to be more tolerant of the thoughts driving diverse opinions. The one thing I am hearing from everyone I hang with is that WE ALL WANT THINGS TO CHANGE in our country and we all want it to change for the better. That alone is something to unite us as Americans despite the ever escalating negative campaign ads.
For those youngsters voting in this election who are sick and tired of hearing about the Sixties and fighting old battles--close your eyes, cause you ain't gonna wanna to hear about the Forties either. But, as my BFF Winston Churchill stated after Victory in Europe and after he was roundly defeated in Britain's first General Election since 1935, "They are perfectly entitled to vote as they please. This is democracy. This is what we've been fighting for."
I may not agree with a vote for McCain, but I would disagree a gazillion times more with a decision not to vote at all. Be a patriot and do your civil duty--VOTE. That is precisely what many men and women on this beautiful blue planet are fighting for.
Hubby and I may not see eye to eye on presidential candidates, but this we could totally go for:
...even though he came from Canada."
please note: music by Over the Rhine, art by Dr. Seuss, photo from the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, big blue planet from a higher power filled with Love
I agree. The tensions are getting ugly and we all just need for Nov. 4th to get here. As I left my local democratic party office yesterday, carrying an Obama/Biden sign, a man made a comment to his small child about the bitch (me) who was voting for Obama bin Laden-a terrorist. His child was no more than 3. I believe the child's intellect was superior to his father's, not because he is not a democrat, but because he chose to put his toddler in the middle of it all. I've really had enough of all of this. It's time to vote.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you wrote this because I've gotten in rather heated debates with people who are so sanctimonious about their candidates and so degrading of everyone who has a different view. I am ALWAYS saying that democracy means the people choose. ALL the people, even those you think are "stupid," or "rednecks" or "ignorant" or "elitest" or "extreme" or WHATEVER. I feel the same way about protests--I might completely disagree with the point of view of the protesters but the RIGHT to protest and express even the most offensive viewpoints is DEMOCRACY, it's AMERICAN in the best sense.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, I LOVE NEIL YOUNG. Been a fan since the 70s.
I admire you for remaining even-keel in a bi-political party home. When I first met my husband he was a "card-carrying Republican" but we'll be canvassing our town together for Obama-Biden on both Saturday and Sunday. This is not to say that I don't have some close friends who are Republicans because I do, but I don't have to live with them! There have been times during this election when hubby puts on his R-cap for the sport of debate. I become extremely agitated and don't think I'd survive actually living with that on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteWe vote by mail in Oregon and marked our ballots on Sunday. I took them to City Hall today rather than mailing. There were two ballot boxes side-by-side with a sign nearby that said "Deposit in either box." I started to put them in the box to the right, but...true...I stopped myself and put them in the LEFT side instead. As I walked away I laughed to myself thinking the scene would make a good Candid Camera episode!
There's a lot of apathy about voting in the UK - a really dreadfully low turnout at most elections - which is why extreme parties like the BNP seem to be on the rise (depressingly)
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to vote because my general opinion is they're all as bad as each other - but i keep going and voting because if i don't then i think i would be giving up my right to complain if someone i mistrust slightly more gets into power because i failed to exercise my democratic right. People died for this freedom - we tend to forget that