(no subject)
I couldn't sleep last night. I think I ended up waking up around 4AM and I dozed in and out of sleep until about 530ish when we usually get. It feels like Christmas morning, there's electricity in the air, it's definitely a special day. A historic day in the making, the whole world is watching, and it seems like a large chunk of them are going to have their eyes focus on Grant Park. It's nuts, downtown's pretty much shutting down, they're telling people to park at the AIRPORTS and take the CTA in.
It took Melissa an hour and a half to vote this morning, it's crazy. (especially since they let the old folks cut to the front of the line, they don't have anywhere to be, people have to get to work you old geezers) People are excited, energized, people are optimistic. I guess that's a good thing right? On the radio they're saying that's it's the "end of apathy" in this country. No matter who wins, things will be different and the politicians will now know that they're being watched and scrutinized.
Really?
Well, maybe I'm an a-hole, jaded, cynical beyond the point of no return, but I'm not voting. That might come as a shock to some of you and maybe this will too, but I've never voted. That might sound irresponsible, lazy (my wife says I don't out of sheer laziness), or just ignorant. You're all entitled to your opinion, but to me, my vote, seems as useless as trying to tell the sun to stop shining. After every thing is said and done, our lives won't be much different. We succeed and fail at life because of what choices we make in our lives. How hard we work, how much we study, it's up to us. Not somebody in the White House. Granted they can make things easier or harder for us, but to what extent? Besides that, it's not like my vote for Obama in Chicago, hell Illinois, is going to make a difference. I think I had much more of an impact signing petitions, calling Senators and writing politicians.
I don't know, I guess it all started when I was in grammar school. Teachers and adults like to tell you that you can be whatever you want to be. That life is just full of possibilities and that the future is yours for the taking. Well, except if you weren't born here, then you can't be President. Well since I can't be the man, I'm going to vote for the man. There is a point to telling children these lies, err...encouraging them, to be all they can be. But life's not like that, everyone can't be a winner, and we're not all going to have great high paying jobs. We're always going to need custodians, burger flippers, and landscapers. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably tell my kids the same lies, because they're not always bad, just misleading I guess.
Max Brooks wrote that they're tools, like fire. They can heat us, help us cook our food, or they can burn us. Lies are useful. Religions, politicians, countries, they all use them to placate us, to keep the status quo, to keep order. We're told that if we're good we'll go to heaven, not to use contraceptives so we can keep those Catholic schools full. That we actually have a choice in our leadership, in who will lead is. I would have voted for Obama this year, no doubt about it, just like I probably would have for Gore in 2000 (how'd that turn out for you America, the guy that got the most votes didn't win) but unfortunately the President really doesn't run our country. It's naive to think so. Money talks, always has, always will. The fed, the banks, JP Morgan, they're calling the shots, Rockefeller money.
I like Obama, but you don't raise 150 millions dollars in a month without being in someone's pocket.
Then again, that's just the price of playing the game. Every politician has to make deals here and there. I don't know, I want to believe the lies, I want to get swept up in the excitement. Admittedly I am, I'm a good mood, I want to go down to Grant Park and celebrate with everyone else. If nothing else, at least Obama will improve our image around the world. A black man, named Obama no less, as our country's leader.
Maybe what really bothers me is how people take their rights and privileges for granted. I remember hearing how so many people didn't bother to vote when I couldn't vote. I've seen how ignorant people are and how they don't know anything about the issues, the candidates and even about their country. I had to study and work to get my citizenship, and a lot of the morons here take it for granted. I was quizzed about our nations presidents, our states and laws. I had to learn about the constitution and about our nation's history. My parents had to as well. I know that we all learn the same things in grammar school for our constitution tests and in US History but I think most people just forget about it afterwards.
If everyone researched the candidates and made informed decisions I think we'd all be better off. But how is my one vote going to offset the votes of hundreds or thousands just voting for the person that their union told them to vote for. Or worse yet, TV told them to vote for. Paris Hilton actually thinks she's influenced the elections. It's insane. Wait, Steven Spielberg and a bunch of actors made a cool sarcastic commercial telling me NOT to vote, I'm confused?!
I'll quit ranting now, but really, I want to believe...I want to believe that Obama will win in a landslide, that he will lead our country into a new age of peace and prosperity. That all the idiot supporters of McCain will either leave the country or come to their senses, and that life will be good. I guess really I'm just full of shit because I already believe the biggest lie of all...
because I'm hopeful.
It took Melissa an hour and a half to vote this morning, it's crazy. (especially since they let the old folks cut to the front of the line, they don't have anywhere to be, people have to get to work you old geezers) People are excited, energized, people are optimistic. I guess that's a good thing right? On the radio they're saying that's it's the "end of apathy" in this country. No matter who wins, things will be different and the politicians will now know that they're being watched and scrutinized.
Really?
Well, maybe I'm an a-hole, jaded, cynical beyond the point of no return, but I'm not voting. That might come as a shock to some of you and maybe this will too, but I've never voted. That might sound irresponsible, lazy (my wife says I don't out of sheer laziness), or just ignorant. You're all entitled to your opinion, but to me, my vote, seems as useless as trying to tell the sun to stop shining. After every thing is said and done, our lives won't be much different. We succeed and fail at life because of what choices we make in our lives. How hard we work, how much we study, it's up to us. Not somebody in the White House. Granted they can make things easier or harder for us, but to what extent? Besides that, it's not like my vote for Obama in Chicago, hell Illinois, is going to make a difference. I think I had much more of an impact signing petitions, calling Senators and writing politicians.
I don't know, I guess it all started when I was in grammar school. Teachers and adults like to tell you that you can be whatever you want to be. That life is just full of possibilities and that the future is yours for the taking. Well, except if you weren't born here, then you can't be President. Well since I can't be the man, I'm going to vote for the man. There is a point to telling children these lies, err...encouraging them, to be all they can be. But life's not like that, everyone can't be a winner, and we're not all going to have great high paying jobs. We're always going to need custodians, burger flippers, and landscapers. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably tell my kids the same lies, because they're not always bad, just misleading I guess.
Max Brooks wrote that they're tools, like fire. They can heat us, help us cook our food, or they can burn us. Lies are useful. Religions, politicians, countries, they all use them to placate us, to keep the status quo, to keep order. We're told that if we're good we'll go to heaven, not to use contraceptives so we can keep those Catholic schools full. That we actually have a choice in our leadership, in who will lead is. I would have voted for Obama this year, no doubt about it, just like I probably would have for Gore in 2000 (how'd that turn out for you America, the guy that got the most votes didn't win) but unfortunately the President really doesn't run our country. It's naive to think so. Money talks, always has, always will. The fed, the banks, JP Morgan, they're calling the shots, Rockefeller money.
I like Obama, but you don't raise 150 millions dollars in a month without being in someone's pocket.
Then again, that's just the price of playing the game. Every politician has to make deals here and there. I don't know, I want to believe the lies, I want to get swept up in the excitement. Admittedly I am, I'm a good mood, I want to go down to Grant Park and celebrate with everyone else. If nothing else, at least Obama will improve our image around the world. A black man, named Obama no less, as our country's leader.
Maybe what really bothers me is how people take their rights and privileges for granted. I remember hearing how so many people didn't bother to vote when I couldn't vote. I've seen how ignorant people are and how they don't know anything about the issues, the candidates and even about their country. I had to study and work to get my citizenship, and a lot of the morons here take it for granted. I was quizzed about our nations presidents, our states and laws. I had to learn about the constitution and about our nation's history. My parents had to as well. I know that we all learn the same things in grammar school for our constitution tests and in US History but I think most people just forget about it afterwards.
If everyone researched the candidates and made informed decisions I think we'd all be better off. But how is my one vote going to offset the votes of hundreds or thousands just voting for the person that their union told them to vote for. Or worse yet, TV told them to vote for. Paris Hilton actually thinks she's influenced the elections. It's insane. Wait, Steven Spielberg and a bunch of actors made a cool sarcastic commercial telling me NOT to vote, I'm confused?!
I'll quit ranting now, but really, I want to believe...I want to believe that Obama will win in a landslide, that he will lead our country into a new age of peace and prosperity. That all the idiot supporters of McCain will either leave the country or come to their senses, and that life will be good. I guess really I'm just full of shit because I already believe the biggest lie of all...
because I'm hopeful.