After speaking with many friends of mine, I have informally determined that around 20% of the people I know voted. The overwhelming reason for this lack of showing at the polls: Apathy.

I can understand to some degree, why people would feel fed up and no longer care. A multitude of incidents ranging from the stolen election of 2000 to diebold’s “malfunctioning” electronic voting systems make it feel like the elections are rigged. On top of that, the complete domination of the presidency, house, and senate further propagate the feeling of disillusionment my friends (who are not surprisingly largely progressive) feel.

Of the 10-15 people I asked who didn’t vote, the overwhelming response was either that their vote doesn’t matter, so why bother. In an odd way, it makes me think of Voltaire’s famous quote: “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible”. Taking the quote a little bit further, it’s equally true that if no snowflake ever shows up, an avalanche cannot occur. No change happens if all of the little snowflakes, all 10-15 of them, stay home because they think they don’t matter.

I’ll admit, I’m exhausted too. I care too much, and probably out of self interest. During the last election, a friend quoted a chapter from Moby Dick called “The Monkey Rope”. You can find it here.

It was a humorously perilous business for both of us. For, before we proceed further, it must be said that the monkey-rope was fast at both ends; fast to Queequeg’s broad canvas belt, and fast to my narrow leather one. So that for better or for worse, we two, for the time, were wedded; and should poor Queequeg sink to rise no more, then both usage and honor demanded, that instead of cutting the cord, it should drag me down to his wake. So, then, an elongated Siamese ligature united us. Queequeg was my own inseparable twin brother; nor could I any way get rid of the dangerous liabilities which the hempen bond entailed.

Today is one of only a handful of days you’ll get in your life to have a tangible say about our government. Voting is expressing your opinion of your government. If you like Bush, the war in Iraq, the corruption, greed, and arrogance of the Republican party in the last 6 years, vote for Republicans. If you disapprove, show them how unhappy you are by balancing the field some. If I’ve learned anything from these 6 horrible years, it’s that a party allowed to run freely and unchecked is dangerous and un-American.

This is a year where you can make a difference. So regardless of who you vote for, get out there and do it. Quit being so apathetic and make your voice heard.

Take a look at [this](http://www.grassleyworks.com/grassley/wrapper.jsp?PID=4090-69&CID=4090-100604A) website:

> *”Bush introduced Mike and Sharla Hintz, a couple from Clive, whom he said benefited from his tax plan.*

> *Mike Hintz, a First Assembly of God youth pastor, said the tax cuts also gave him additional money to use for health care.*

> *He said he supports Bush’s values”*

Ok, so now we know all about Mr. Hintz’s morality and values, check out [this](http://www.theiowachannel.com/news/3976822/detail.html) site.

>*Rev. Mike Hintz was fired from the First Assembly of God Church, located at 2725 Merle Hay Road, on Oct. 30. Hintz was the youth pastor there for three years.*

>*Police said he started an affair with a 17-year-old woman in the church youth group this spring.*

Values eh?

Links provided by Tony.

As you may or may not know, my birthday is Nov. 4. For my birthday, I’m asking you to go vote. The best gift I could get from you is a new president.

Thank you for your time.

For those of you who haven’t heard or seen Eminem’s new video “Mosh”, you need to. You can get it from the gnn website [here](http://www.gnn.tv/content/eminem_mosh.html). This video is powerful, to say the least. I am going to post some of the lyrics here that I find most intriguing.

>Don’t matter what color, all that matters is we gathered together
To celebrate for the same cause, no matter the weather
If it rains let it rain, yea the wetter the better
They ain’t gonna stop us, they can’t, we’re stronger now more then ever,
They tell us no we say yea, they tell us stop we say go,
Rebel with a rebel yell, raise hell we gonna let em know
Stomp, push up, mush, f*ck Bush, until they bring our troops home

>Imagine it pouring, it’s raining down on us,
Mosh pits outside the oval office
Someone’s trying to tell us something, maybe this is God just saying
we’re responsible for this monster, this coward, that we have empowered
This is Bin Laden, look at his head nodding,
How could we allow something like this, Without pumping our fist
Now this is our, final hour

> Maybe we can reach Al Quaida through my speech
Let the President answer on high anarchy
Strap him with AK-47, let him go
Fight his own war, let him impress daddy that way
No more blood for oil, we got our own battles to fight on our soil
***No more psychological warfare to trick us to think that we ain’t loyal***
If we don’t serve our own country we’re patronizing a hero
Look in his eyes, it’s all lies, the stars and stripes
They’ve been swiped, washed out and wiped,
And Replaced with his own face, mosh now or die
If I get sniped tonight you’ll know why, because I told you to fight

And the closing statement is possibly one of the most pointed things I’ve heard in any song in some time.

> ***In these closing statements, if they should argue, let us beg to differ,
as we set aside our differences, and assemble our own army,
to disarm this weapon of mass destruction that we call our president,
for the present, and mosh for the future of our next generation,
to speak and be heard, Mr. President, Mr. Senator***

Wow.

PS. If you can’t get the video from the above link for some reason, I can send it to you.

Check out the new florida ballot [here](http://wearabledissent.com/101/floridaballot.html#). I find it amusing.

This I also find amusing:

This I just find scary..

Now regardless of your choice of candidates, you have to find some humor in the first two images. I’m curious what you all think about the last image. I’m not sure I agree with it.. Honestly, it gives me the creeps just looking at it.

Also if you are the one who created any of the above, I apologize for not properly crediting you properly. I have no idea where a lot of the stuff I run across comes from. Just email me and I will properly cite you.

Thoughts? Comments?

**Edit: This is post number 100!! **

If you were wondering what GWB was writing during the first round of debates, [this site](http://www.thatsuncalledfor.com/debate_notes/) has gone to great lengths to bring this top secret data to you. Enjoy.

A friend of mine over at phu-q.org posted this today. I think its a good point, so I’m reprinting it here.

VOTE!

There is no reason not to vote. Pick an issue. For many people, the right to vote is still a relatively new thing. Many people have died for a right that the majority of the citizens of this country piss away. There are many issues out there that can and will affect you. Every vote counts. If you don’t live in a battle ground state, make it one.

VOTE!