Oh God, When Will It Finally End?

I am not one to get into political discussions with people, other than those who are closest to me, because I absolutely cannot stand the bigotry and closed-mindedness many individuals possess in this great state and across the country. A hearty debate never hurt anyone, but I'm not the confrontational type, so I try to avoid arguing unless it's something I feel very strongly about, and am determined to make the other person see my point of view... they don't have to accept it, just understand it, and acknowledge and respect that it's valid.

I got an e-mail from Wikiball about McCain and his shady campaigning strategies and it really set me off. I responded to her and said I think he is a shady son-of-a-bitch, and I, like Auri, will move to Canada if he is elected. (I mean, come on, if Auri moves, I'm going with her this time. I refuse to be left behind again... snicker, snicker.) Wikiball concurred. I started typing a response, and went off... here is my reply:

People would respect him more if he wasn't acting like a two year old! America is sick and tired of listening to the scare tactics, the bullshit, and the bullying. We want a leader whose head isn't up his ass, and who can put a semi-coherent sentence together. I don't care that McCain was a POW, or that he fought in a war, or that he has "experience." Big freakin' deal. America needs change right now and McCain is not going to provide that. The status quo has gotten us absolutely NO WHERE, and it's about damn time that it changes. We're in a recession, millions of people have lost or are losing their homes, millions of people have no access to healthcare, whether its free or just affordable, and we're spending a gazillion dollars a day fighting an endless war that isn't ours to fight. The repercussions of the Iraqi war are unknown at this time, but I can guarantee you, they will be felt the world over for years to come.

That was where I ended the e-mail, but I could go on.... maybe I will ... If I can say one thing, it would be to vote on November 4th. That is a Tuesday for those of you who don't know (Auri). I don't care if you vote for Obama, McCain, Nader, or me for that matter. What I do care about is the fact that the majority of those who do vote (which the number of voters by comparison to the number of eligible American voters is ridiculously small - did that even make sense?) vote for their candidate because they were told to. People, you need to educate yourselves about the candidates. Don't vote for anyone just because "you should," or because that's, "what you were told to do." Open your minds!!! Don't cast your vote because your husband, wife, parents, religious organization, or dog told you who to vote for. Vote for the person that most closely represents your values and opinions and who possesses the traits you want to see in your leader.

If you honestly cannot bring yourself to vote because you so strongly disagree with both parties, then don't vote. But make an educated decision about it. And don't complain about the administration for the next four or eight years... if you don't vote, you have no right to complain. Or do like my grandma's 80-year-old neighbor did... she was so mad at both parties, she voted for Nader just as a protest! The argument is always made that, "Oh, we live in Utah, so our votes don't really count!" While this may be true, has it ever been proven? I'm extremely curious to see what would happen, if by chance, Obama did win the popular vote here.... do you think our electoral votes would be cast to represent that, or would they go to McCain? Just something to ponder. How will we ever know if y'all don't get out there and vote!