I had a dream last night, or maybe it was more of a nightmare, that I was running around like a modern day Paul Revere, wildly imploring everyone to get out and vote. I was BESIDE myself, and for reasons that I cannot now recall, had taken upon my own shoulders the weight of the future election.
Too many triglycerides before bed….
I mean, I suppose I have been thinking about the upcoming election. I have been watching the debates and the talking heads pontificate. I’ve been keeping an eye on the forecast, and engaging in a friendly weigh-in on an issue or two with friends over dinner. I’m not what you’d call a politicist, but I’m not exactly in the dark either. This dream however makes me think that I am more aware than maybe I am allowing myself to admit. More, concerned.
When George Bush was elected the first time, I was still very new to the political game. It was only my second time voting and honestly, I was not as educated as I am now. But even then a few things were certain.
I was young and female. I was an artist. I was anti-war and pro-environment. I believed in equal rights for ALL, not some. I was for a woman’s right to chose….and everyone’s right to chose in general. I believed in the separation of church and state. I thought that the laws should benefit the greatest number of people possible and not just the powerful and religious few. I think education should be among the highest priorities, and that teachers should be paid higher than baseball players..
I was barely breaking 20 when I thought all of these things, and I still had much of life to live. I didn’t know everything, but I knew one thing for sure. If a man cannot form an intelligent sentence, he shouldn’t be president. Seemed obvious.
I remember being embarrassed for the little awkward man, bumbling and fudging his way through debates. Looking like he was wearing his father’s suit, and mugging for the camera like the tourists standing behind Matt Lauer during the Today Show. He was ridiculous, and comical and NEVER going to be President. He was a buffoon. I was 20 and could see it.
When he got voted in once, I was stunned, when he got voted in again, I was depressed. And I have watched ever since, in my depressed state, this country become a punchline.
So, here we go again. This time I am older and more educated on the issues. Things effect me more now. The economy for instance, health care. The thought of my unborn children inheriting this war, this debt, this environment, and the contentious relationships with other countries.
I don’t pretend to know what this country needs to recover. And I am not certain if I like any of the candidates especially. I know that I live in a country that will let you die of a disease that is curable if you can’t pay for the treatment. I know that we’re fighting a war that is so out of control and confusing that no one knows what the truth is anymore, or how to find it. The ice caps are melting, and the air is polluted. And everyone is broke.
When people say that I should move if I don’t like it here I think…I don’t want to move, I live here because I’m American and this is what I know. I want to help America thrive. I want to vote in a better system. And when our President speaks, I want to feel represented….not mortified.
I think my dreams are telling me that I am outraged, and that I want you to be as well. I am not telling you who to vote for, or to agree with my politics. Politics are personal, and that’s what makes this country great. You are entitled to your own beliefs, as am I.
I guess I am just saying that this is important, that it’s a broken system that needs fixing. And that it is possible to be patriotic about something besides war.
I’m asking that we pay attention, ask questions if confused. I’m confused…believe me!
If you already do pay attention, then ask the people around you to pay attention also.
Get your information from multiple sources and do your research. Be open to everyone’s opinions, then form your own. It’s the only way to see the whole picture.
Give an insomniac a good night’s sleep and please vote.
Please.
{ 6 comments }
By all definitions you and I are opposites and either you or I should be surprised that we hold many of the same views.
But I am not surprised, because the views you espouse are common sense and being surprised at the expression of common sense is too depressing.
And you nail a central issue – most, if not all of the Presidents elected in my life have been elected by approximately twenty-five percent of the registered voters, perhaps twenty percent of the possible voters. We just had an election here where only about ten percent of the registered voters voted.
My great grandfather stated that the American people elected no one to office better then themselves. Another saying of his tied into this – ‘Never underestimate the stupidity of the American People”.
And we never learn, I was watching the new “Young Indiana Jones”s DVDs and was amazed by the parallels between Pancho Villa and Osama Bin Laden. Both were ‘independent’ operators in their own world (Villa a revolutionary in Mexico and Bin Laden a ‘guest’ in Afghanistan). Both attacked the US (Villa attacked Columbus New Mexico and Bin Laden New York). The US responded in both cases by invading and failing to capture the villain.
But the final horror was that in both cases, the US got involved in major war which distracted from the failure to capture the villain. WW I and Iraq.
We just never learn.
But I heard President Bush’ retirement plans – read below …..
News Release – President Bush announced his retirement plans today. The President stated that immediately after turning over the office of the President to his successor, the then former President Bush, plans to directly enter the search for Osama Bin Laden.
Former President Bush will begin his search for Osama Bin Laden with a new partner, one OJ Simpson, at the first hole of the Palms Beach Resort’s golf course.
Cass, Thank you for such a well written, beautifully worded blog. I share your political views, but also agree that we are all Americans & should uphold the Bill of Rights & live in the free country our ancestors fought for us to have today. The “idiot”, for lack of a better term, who holds the office of President today, was in fact, not elected the first time but placed in office by some sort of “electoral red tape”. Imagine where we would be now if Gore, who really won that election, had taken office.
I’ve argued many times with people who feel that I should respect Bush simply because he holds the most powerful office in the free world. Seriously, the guy is a complete moron who cannot even pronounce his own name correctly and who continues to lie to Americans while killing and maming our own in a criminal and unjust war, but I’m supposed to respect him simply because he’s the president? Sorry, that’s not what being an American in my opinion…But I digress….
The most powerful tool any American has, regardless of their political stance, is VOTING! That means in your local elections as well as the national ones. Get involved, find out who your representatives are and what they stand for, choose who you want to support and then actually support them. Make a difference by getting involved.
Let your voice be heard by casting your Vote! Too many complain about the state of our current economy or the war, or whatever, but haven’t voted since Nixon. So get out there people. Do something about it!!!
Again, thanks Cass for reminding me and all of us of the importance of Voting. By getting involved we are doing more than voting, we are truly caring for our country and protecting those freedoms we all enjoy today.
Since it’s Veteran’s Day today folks, why not remember those who gave their lives and limbs over the last 231 years so we could be Free America by getting involved!
And let’s pray our troops can all return quickly and safely!
Peace, Love & Light to you Cass.
Rie
Namaste!
Hi Cass,
I love your myspace and your blogs are great. I enjoy reading them.
Still new to this, but I am trying to learn. I hope you get this.
Hi Cass,
Love reading your blogs. I am not so good at this, but trying. I hope you get this.
In a MySpace “status” note as of the past Thanksgiving, my longtime virtual friend Bill Berends of the Jerseyan band Mastermind said:
“Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends and apologies to my international friends. I didn’t vote for THEM!”.
I replied him: “You needed not adding the second part. One’s right to vote and one’s choice on the voting day are not subject to questioning. It’s not your fault, anyway. And, besides, someone that makes the music you make couldn’t have voted for THEM”.
I think part of my then reply to Bill also applies to this blog entry, to the blogger, to the band, and to the reader.
To which reply, Bill, in turn, replied: “If the upcoming election is won once more by who is not supposed to, then may I come to Canada?” To which I said “You’re welcome here anytime, Bill, as well as the entire band”.
I will leave up to the reader if this part also applies to this blog entry and to persons related to it.
Funny thing, however, is for how long Bill has been flirting with coming to Canada. And I too, in my turn, started liking Jersey lately.
But Bill already told me there’s not enough room even for Jerseyans down there in Jersey…
I was 20 when I voted for Al Gore. I was in the gay rights, environmental and feminist clubs at my college and spent what precious little extra time I had being politically active. I rarely kept up with politics and only knew the “big stuff” that went on in the country and the world, but I knew what needed to be done to be a decent human being. I just knew Gore was going to win, because who the hell would ever vote for the other guy? I remember watching the results on election night as Florida was called for Gore. I remember going out into the hallway of my building and my neighbor, who was from Florida, was out there cheering and saying how proud she was of her state. Ironically, it was an alumna of my college, Catherine Harris, who ensured that was taken away. After Bush “won,” I took solace in the fact that I just knew it could not happen again. How could it, after all the bad stuff that I knew was about to happen? Unfortunately I was right about the bad stuff and wrong about it not happening again.
When I vote next year I will be 28 and I am a million times more knowledgeable and mature than I was then. I just know that the good guy will win this time, because how can this happen again? I think (and hope) that the past few years have caused all Americans to grow up a little. I just can’t be wrong again.
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