Election Day

I'm about as aware of the results as everyone else. I'm disappointed but not surprised. I think there is a bright side to this. Bush will now have to stew in his own mess for the next four years. I can't imagine Iraq getting any better. The fault will lie squarely where it belongs. I can't imagine working America doing a whole lot better either. Once again the fault will be clear. I think this will make us even more determined and possibly set the path for a female president. I'm excited about Barak Obama. More corporate mischief is sure to take place now and that will empower Eliot Spitzer and encourage other state attorney generals to follow his example. I hope it will revive a Kennedy style Noblesse Oblige.
On the darker side I hope Justices O’Connor, Ginsburg, and Stevens (I have a man crush on him too) can make it four years. To hell with Rehnquist, Nixon waits for him. I also believe that America now collectively shares in the sins of George Bush. If we did not vote for him then we did not work hard enough to educate the electorate. We have let down the troops who serve in Iraq and who are going to serve in Iraq. Last year there were an average of 20 attacks on American troops a day. This year there are 80 per day. We have dishonored the over 1000 dead and the hidden injured. We have made a mockery of our promise to liberate the 100,00 Iraqi casualties.
This election means that my cousin Gabby and Rueben are in great danger. It grows every day. Gabby is in the Green Zone which gets bombed more frequently each passing day. Rueben is an air force technician. Although he is not on the front line he is not immune from mortars. It also means that my compa Chipper will be rotated back to Iraq. He has recently been stationed in Guam after 2 years either in Iraq or in Bahrain waiting to go to Iraq. At the end of his tour he will not be allowed his discharge. This is how this administration has honored our troops and will continue to do so.
This election means that more National Guardsmen will lose their jobs, their homes, and their families. This is how this administration honors our troops. The 300,000 veterans on VA waiting lists will remain on those lists, another honor to our troops. The dismembered and crippled will continue to be ignored, another honor to our troops. We all share in this guilt.
Last I'm going to mention Measure 36. This is an amendment to the Oregon Constitution. It defines marriage as something that only occurs between a man and a woman. It is an anti-homosexual measure. This is a measure that reeks of hate and bile. I knew it would pass on an intellectual level but on a human level it shocks me. The amount of hate and intolerance directed at other people is disturbing. It's always ugly to look into the face of hatred. This election has been a vote for fear, hatred, ignorance, and intolerance.