Rewrite: 7 Feb 2004
My original write-up here, written in November 2000, was in response to a few
write-ups complaining about the dearth of candidates, in particular
presidential candidates,
who fulfilled one's wishes for someone worthy of leading our country, in this case, the
"blessed" United States of America. We want someone we can admire. Neither George W. Bush
nor Al Gore really inspires one to jump in and help make our community, our country, better
the way a leader should.
My response was essentially that we have to become involved in the process before we can
demand better. It's no wonder our politicians spend all their time sucking money out of
corporate donors and spitting out attack ads. Most people pay scant attention to politics,
so only sound bites get through all the signal-to-noise in our media.
Well, the 2004 election cycle is quite different for me, and I think for most people, than the
2000 election. Many world events have grabbed us by our collars and forced us to do something
for our community. From where I sit, I cannot sit idly by and swallow the sound bites I know
to be downright Orwellian. So, I will be involved this election cycle more than
ever. I don't care who the candidates are, because I know the issues. I urge all of you to
GET INVOLVED no matter what your ideology. If we have an electorate
demanding to be informed and involved and LISTENED TO then maybe
we'll expose some light on the underbelly of politics. In other words, if the people who vote
PAY ATTENTION, then the bastards in our capital(s) have to do
what we tell them to.
Only after we show we are a sentient electorate can we expect our candidates and leaders to
be admirable and inspirational.