All's Well that Falls Well
Jerry Falwell died this week. He was 73. The near twenty-year difference in age between him and Yolanda King, who also died this week, is proof positive of the old adage that only the good die young. That having been said, I do admire the guy. Don't get me wrong, I think he' was a hate-mongering, sexist, homophobic asshole. And the thing that I admire him for, the foundation of the Moral Majority, helped put Ronald Reagan, one of the worst Presidents we've ever had, I don't care what anyone says, in power.
And yet, in the late Seventies when he founded the MM, Falwell was decried by those to his right (It's hard to believe) who felt that Fundamentalist Christians should keep themselves out of politics, even going so far as not to vote and participate in the process at all, for fear that they would be somehow contaminated by the inherent dirtiness of politics. But Falwell registered millions of Americans to vote, clinching the election for Reagan in the process.
Millions of Americans. Voting. Now I don't care in the end if you vote Democrat like a sensible person or if your conscience steers you to Republicanism, Libertarianism, American Taxpayers Party, Socialism, Communism or even Nazism. Just vote. And I don't care if you're the only person who voted for Gary Coleman for President last time 'round. Your vote should be counted and on record. And I don't care if the leading candidate, Republican or Democrat, is roundly trouncing his or her rival. Every vote should be counted. Doesn't matter if it's down to the wire or a million behind. Every American should be voting. Every vote should be counted. End of story.
Pericles, that old Greek, said "We do not say a person who keeps out of politics is minding his own business. We say he has no business here at all." And it warms the cockles of my bleeding liberal heart to think that I managed to equate Falwell with a Greek philosopher-king who probably diddled around with some young men in his day. The mighty
math_avenger cited a statistic recently in his LJ which I had also heard on the radio: 85 percent of the French population voted in their Presidential election last week. 85. We did, what, 65? Not acceptable. And French voters who didn't like the two finalists, they filled out forms which stated just that. "We're not happy with this. And we're telling you so."
If I had my druthers, Election Day would be a national holiday. All the shops would close. And it would be the responsibility of every American, just like paying your taxes, to cast his or her ballot in decision of how those taxes are ultimately going to be spent. You can tell me you don't think your vote will matter and you know what? Maybe it won't. Maybe you're a red-stater at heart living in True Blue (thank you, Unions) Michigan. (But also: boo fucked-up Electoral College system). Doesn't matter. Your vote doesn't have to matter necessarily to the whole three hundred million other Americans. But it does have to matter to you.
And yet, in the late Seventies when he founded the MM, Falwell was decried by those to his right (It's hard to believe) who felt that Fundamentalist Christians should keep themselves out of politics, even going so far as not to vote and participate in the process at all, for fear that they would be somehow contaminated by the inherent dirtiness of politics. But Falwell registered millions of Americans to vote, clinching the election for Reagan in the process.
Millions of Americans. Voting. Now I don't care in the end if you vote Democrat like a sensible person or if your conscience steers you to Republicanism, Libertarianism, American Taxpayers Party, Socialism, Communism or even Nazism. Just vote. And I don't care if you're the only person who voted for Gary Coleman for President last time 'round. Your vote should be counted and on record. And I don't care if the leading candidate, Republican or Democrat, is roundly trouncing his or her rival. Every vote should be counted. Doesn't matter if it's down to the wire or a million behind. Every American should be voting. Every vote should be counted. End of story.
Pericles, that old Greek, said "We do not say a person who keeps out of politics is minding his own business. We say he has no business here at all." And it warms the cockles of my bleeding liberal heart to think that I managed to equate Falwell with a Greek philosopher-king who probably diddled around with some young men in his day. The mighty
math_avenger cited a statistic recently in his LJ which I had also heard on the radio: 85 percent of the French population voted in their Presidential election last week. 85. We did, what, 65? Not acceptable. And French voters who didn't like the two finalists, they filled out forms which stated just that. "We're not happy with this. And we're telling you so."
If I had my druthers, Election Day would be a national holiday. All the shops would close. And it would be the responsibility of every American, just like paying your taxes, to cast his or her ballot in decision of how those taxes are ultimately going to be spent. You can tell me you don't think your vote will matter and you know what? Maybe it won't. Maybe you're a red-stater at heart living in True Blue (thank you, Unions) Michigan. (But also: boo fucked-up Electoral College system). Doesn't matter. Your vote doesn't have to matter necessarily to the whole three hundred million other Americans. But it does have to matter to you.