Take heart, people.
I see a *lot* of the people on my flist despairing at people's fuckheadedness, to which I just want to say: Dude! People here (not the press, to my disappointment and horror!) are shaking their heads and saying stuff like 'what? is it some kind of third world country or something? what do you mean not enough ballots, software errors, voter intimidation & misdirection?'
This isn't just people being bastards, people. I'm having a hard time seeing officials and the press, even the international press, taking these elections seriously, and talking about how Kerry should concede now without all ballots received and counted because 'people are tired of it', as if it's *about* that. When it should, one presumes, be about the most accurate count of the votes reasonably possible. This isn't reasonable, people.
Two quotes. From Graydon, on Theresa Nielsen Hayden's blog:
"The problem is hundreds of state officials who see nothing wrong with rigging the vote-ballots in the trash, shredded registrations, touch screens reported to check 'Bush' when you press 'Kerry', false 'your voting place has moved' phone calls, and the other stuff that hasn't made it to any kind of national attention yet."
One from gjstruthseeker:
"and if you're not happy with the results, remember that this isn't the only time you can exercise your civil rights as a citizen. We're shareholders in something hugely important, and there's still a whole lot that can be done, that needs a voice, that should be advocated."
And I'm watching the BBC news right now, and just now someone said conceding now would be the 'gentlemanly' thing to do. The only thing more surreal than that is to see that statement go unchallenged by people with presscards.
This isn't just people being bastards, people. I'm having a hard time seeing officials and the press, even the international press, taking these elections seriously, and talking about how Kerry should concede now without all ballots received and counted because 'people are tired of it', as if it's *about* that. When it should, one presumes, be about the most accurate count of the votes reasonably possible. This isn't reasonable, people.
Two quotes. From Graydon, on Theresa Nielsen Hayden's blog:
"The problem is hundreds of state officials who see nothing wrong with rigging the vote-ballots in the trash, shredded registrations, touch screens reported to check 'Bush' when you press 'Kerry', false 'your voting place has moved' phone calls, and the other stuff that hasn't made it to any kind of national attention yet."
One from gjstruthseeker:
"and if you're not happy with the results, remember that this isn't the only time you can exercise your civil rights as a citizen. We're shareholders in something hugely important, and there's still a whole lot that can be done, that needs a voice, that should be advocated."
And I'm watching the BBC news right now, and just now someone said conceding now would be the 'gentlemanly' thing to do. The only thing more surreal than that is to see that statement go unchallenged by people with presscards.