Come to NH!

Hi, Common--Gooders,

It's getting close to election time and I'm getting nervous. I live in NH, a swing state that went Dem last election, and I want to invite you to come help swing it Obama/Biden. I'm doing some work for the campaign and if you want to join me -- for a weekend or even longer -- I'm happy to house you, feed you, etc. Spread the word, too -- I'll take strangers in and will find other places for folks to stay.

-- Melissa

The Common Good is for Obama and Obama is for the common good.

Let's change the name Evangelical Christians to Radical Christians--just to keep terms comparatively accurate.

Idiot

Mr. Bush made it clear in remarks on Tuesday that he thought his proposal to increase automobile fuel efficiency was sufficient for the moment; he gave no indication he would ask the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate emissions of heat-trapping gases.

“Whatever we do,” he said, “must be in concert with what happens internationally.” He added, “Unless there is an accord with China, China will produce greenhouse gases that will offset anything we do in a brief period of time."

What kind of policy is that?

Honestly President Bush is an amazing actor & Karl Rove is a brilliant fuck face

but that shouldn't matter.
Lately, I've been having this fantasy about having a debate with President Bush where he'll keep saying absurd things & I'll keep answering with things like,
"Do ya'll think the American people are dumb? Do ya'll think we're going to believe this rich fake? I'm 'Merican not some idiot!"
& applause will sound as across America people in front of television sets put down their Cokes & Buds and lean forward in their lazyboys.
Lately, my fantasies of change are growing too large to ignore.
& yet if New York City has taught me anything, it's that it doesn't matter how much you believe or how hard you work, or even whether you have talent & brains, it's who you know & where you live that determines your destiny & the rest is bull-shit. If you weren't in the right pre-school it's a lost cause. I mean fuck, we can't even fight back against this administration because even to do that you need some money.
I'm so sick of capitalism.
& I'm so exhausted by pseudo-anti-this&thats who are really just somewhat privileged kids who think there's something sexy about the whole revolution idea & wear Che shirts & sure maybe they care a little bit, but in the end they just want a family & vacations in exotic places & fame (but to be fair, fame for something sort of worthwhile). & to be honest, maybe if it were possible for me to get those things, maybe I'd want them too, who knows? But reality is that I can't get those things & I also can't fightthepower, so I'll take whatever shit job I can find that pays me enough to pay my bills & that's that. That's America.
I felt the need to rant.
Something about the speech last night & how the administration is saying the people of Iraq are the same as the people who bombed the World Trade Center. It's so 1984. This is what everyone will believe. This is the truth because this is what's being said. It doesn't matter what was said 2 years ago, or what will be said in the future, all that matters is right now & the fucking idiots believe this shit.
I'm done.

Canadian Right Wing Welcomes Bush

There is a little group of right-wing Conservatives here in Canada who are holding a welcoming rally for Bush when he visits Ottawa next week. This is from the Globe and Mail:

Connie Wilkins of Free Dominion is baffled by the extent of American-bashing among Canadians and even some politicians. She co-founded the on-line forum that offers about 5,000 members a place for right-wing views but is not officially linked to any political party, she said.

“We stand behind the United States and we stand behind their President,” Ms. Wilkins said in an interview. “We consider them as our allies and their country as our friend.

“If it had been the CN Tower that had been bombed instead of the World Trade Center, the U.S. would have been right there.”

I have a lot of problems with how she frames things. First disagreeing with Bush and the policies of his administration is not America bashing despite what Bush would have us all believe. Second when the WTC and the Pentagon were attacked Canadians in droves sent all kinds or material goods and money to NYC to help out. We also were first in line to go to Afghanistan where we still are today. So how are we not helping. Oh, that war in Iraq. Actually despite what our government says we do (did) have warships helping out in the Persian Gulf, but in anycase our government chose not to participate because it was felt that there was not a strong case justifying an invasion and that in fact the invasion was very likely a criminal act. Should we be torturing and disappearing people too just because Bush and his ilk think it's fine? Of course not. This is a tactic that the Canadian right-wing loves to employ. Make those who do not back Bush feel guilty for letting our neighbours down, as if everyone in the US just loved their government. So it would be interesting if some of you go to www.freedominion.com and let Connie Wilkins know how you feel about matters concerning the Bush Presidency. No doubt she will question your patriotism and label you a liberal as she falls in love line with Bush.

No longer willing to share toys...

At the federal level, it's pretty hard to dispute that the Republicans have a mandate. They control the Presidency, the Senate, the House, and the Supreme Court. Since the election, I've had the feeling that Kerry would have ended up being a lame duck president anyhow, with so much opposition in Congress and that the best thing to do is to let the Republicans do their worst with the mandate they've been given. Maybe that is what it'll take to get people in poor states to realize that they are not exactly voting in their interests.

As this article points out (drawing on some of the excellent point first mentioned in Fuckthesouth.com) the Republican platform of small federal government and (except in the event of disputed elections) strong states' rights, could actually be used to make things a little easier for those of us who would rather pay taxes than tithes.

Of course the Bush administration has governed over the largest expansion of the federal government in recent memory, but that's perhaps an issue the Democrats could have worked a little more.