2002-11-05
4:11 p.m.

Goddammit, why can't I type something that I think's at least remotely interesting to read? That's why I've been away for a few days. I type it, I read it, I hate it, I delete. Kinda like the lather-rinse-repeat process, except with much less hot water and nudity. See? That's what I'm sayin'. That sentence made no sense whatsoever. Mike be a writer bad. Good writin' here? No.

In any case, whether I write here or not, time passes and things happen.

YOU: Gee, Mike. 'Things happen?' What a font of philosophical insight you're turning out to be.
ME: Shut you're friggin' pie-hole!!!

Ok, now that that's out of the way...let's see; where was I? Oh yeah....Election Day.

I'm ready. I'm ready to vote. I'm ready to cast my ballot as to who I want as the next Governor of the State of Maryland. I'm ready to vote 'yes' to a list of bond issues that would further fund Baltimore's parks, libraries, arts, and attractions. I've been listening to the candidates and learning about the issues and making myself more informed over the last year. I'm ready. I'm sick of the back talk, the double talk, the half-truths and the lies. I've had the discussions, had the arguments, made up my mind, second guessed myself and made up my mind all over again. I'm ready to vote. I want to vote. And then I want to move on.

I had the cliched discussion with a friend the other day. You know the one, "If you don't vote you have no right to complain." She went on to say that in the end, it doesn't matter what vote you make - just so long as you vote at all. But you know, that's not entirely true. A vote with no thought behind it is a vote wasted just the same as a vote not made. Sure, you might have put your candidate into office, but was it your heart and mind that put them there? No. And, in that sense, making an uninformed vote is a failure of the democratic process. The same can be said for those who vote their party's line with nary a second thought. People, the point is not to ensure Republicans or Democrats (or Libertarians or Greens) hold seats of power, the point is to make sure you're best represented in Washington or your state capitol or your town. Another friend of mine is a consistant source of aggrivation. Not because he votes down-the-line Democratic; that's his choice to make. My frustration comes from the fact that his reasoning is, and I quote, "Republicans are assholes." How does he know this? Personal experience? Political watchdogging? Nope, his daddy told him. A few days ago, a friend of mine sent our crew an email urging us to get out and vote. Because, she said, "low voter turnout [will] result in the Republicans controlling the White House, Senate and House." What's that? Oh yeah, of course I responded. And yeah, I probably did take things a little too personally. Here's my reply:

Oh NO!!!! Unless we (as the impassioned twentysomethings that we are) get out the vote, its quite possible that there could be....eeeep...Republicans in positions of power within our country. Can you imagine? Mandatory meat-eatings. The weekly trip to the local wetlands to pour motor oil endangered species. Women and minorities brow-beaten to the days before suffrage. It would be horrible, horrible I tell you.

Ok, no, I know that's not what whomever wrote your forward really meant. Accuse me of being overly sensitive...and you'd be dead-on accurate. I guess I just take offense at the Republican=bad line of thought. You know me. Am I a toe-to-the-line yesman of the GOP? Do I ignore environmental issues? Do I work to disenfranchise minorities? Am I in the pocket of big business? The problem is that people forget that for every Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly, there are millions of {(my name deleted b/c I'm sure at least one of you is a psycho-assed stalker)} out there who would no more club baby seals or squash the rights of minorities than they would put a bullet in their head. It's like this: how many times ove the past year have you bristled over the assumption that all Catholic Priests want to abuse children? A dozen? A hundred? I (and many other moderate and, yes, liberal Republicans) feel the same way when our party is painted with a similar broad brush. I'm not saying that the Republican party hasn't acted in ways that define reprehensible, not at all. For that matter, the same can be said about the Democrats. I'm saying that the casual assumption that all x's believe y is what fosters a partisan spirit and what, ultimately, lies in the way of any significant change in our country.


Yeah, yeah, I know I'm a dick. No need for the emails, ok? I guess my point was that, just like people, you take political candidates one at a time. Get to know them and what they stand for. Don't prejudge and lump them in to an easy-to-write off group. Anyway, I spent the rest of my reply trying to play nice.

In the end though, your forward made a fantastic point. Take ownership. Vote. We celebrate, we complain; but really, we have no right to do either if we're not involved in the process. I think it's also important to remember that just getting out and pulling the lever isn't enough. Not only must you vote, you must make an *informed* vote. Nothing's more dangerous than an unfounded belief. We all need to take the time, do the research, form our own thoughts.

Then pull that lever. But pull it with your heart and your mind.

Not with your party affiliation.



The point is, there should only ever be one motivator in your electoral choices. Not political parties or special interests group. Not even the almighty dollar.

No, the only thing you need to consider is far less sexy and far more sublime.

Your conscience.


downtown----uptown
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