Not So Nervous about the Presidential Election Tomorrow

[dawn_felagund]

Tomorrow is the presidential election. World, breathe a sigh of relief; our years-long election cycle will again grind to a close. Of course, it will start up again soon enough

Comments

[heartofoshun]

This semester, I'm taking an eight-week course (Antiquity and the Medieval World)

Fascinating. I had a question about that tonight.

I find it so weird that I live in a country, in this day and age, that would even have to worry about someone like Mitt Romney being elected president. It staggers the imagination.

[dawn_felagund]

I know. Some of the issues that are seen even worthy of debate these days blow my mind. How can we even be devoting any time or attention to an issue that can't be argued without leaning on religious-based morality? And how can it not be frightening to anyone--Christian, conservative, fundamentalist, or otherwise--that another person's religion can be invoked to deny you your rights?

The women's issues, of course, floor me too. The fact that we're arguing about whether women have the right to birth control or an abortion after a rape in the year 2012 seems almost Twilight Zone at times.

What was the question?

[heartofoshun]

For my Yuletide fic, I was wondering to what degree I might be able to put classical references into the mouths of the nobility in the late 1300s. I found an answer to my question by locating references to classic mythology in the Roman de la rose written and widely circulated among the literate in France and England before the time of the piece I was writing.

[phyncke]

I love elections and the excitement of it. I am watching some local measures pretty closely here too. We would like our pools back.. Stuff like that. I love this process we go through.

[dawn_felagund]

We have a lot of big ballot measures in Maryland this time around too. Question 6, of course, but also expansion of legal gambling and the state DREAM Act. The fundies are frothing over all of them. Gays! Sin! Brown people! *headsplode*

I get too anxious if I follow it too closely, so I tend to read enough to stay informed and really don't look at polls at all. (The handwringing over the Obama-Romney "draw" has me particularly annoyed, since Obama has maintained a clear lead in electoral votes; it's such an obvious ploy to sell papers, get page clicks, and frighten liberals into making donations.)

[with_rainfall]

Never have been and am going out on a limb to say that I never will be. I resent being governed by another person's religious beliefs.

It's also about the separation between church and state, and that's really what gets on my nerves. Unfortunately politicians, particularly the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, are pandering to those views because they don't want to alienate the religious side of politics. And that is not fair because gay people shouldn't not have the option to marry - it's a decision that affects them, and them alone, and they should have the final say, not conservatives who won't be harmed, anyway

[dawn_felagund]

It's also about the separation between church and state, and that's really what gets on my nerves.

Over here, some conservatives will argue that the Founding Fathers never actually intended that, being as the language itself "separation of church and state" doesn't appear in our Constitution proper but in The Federalist Papers, so clearly the framers--some of whom weren't even Christians--intended this to be a "Christian nation." (There is the gnat in the ointment of the Establishment Clause in the Constitution--"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion"--but that tends to get conveniently overlooked, as though if "separation of church and state" itself doesn't appear, then anything with regards to government sanction of religion is void.)

But these are the kinds of boneheaded arguments that distract from real progress on real issues over here.

they don't want to alienate the religious side of politics.Sounds familiar. By some estimates, evangelicals constitute 33% of the U.S., which is itself a really

[with_rainfall]

Legality aside, it just blows my mind that anyone would want government based on religion. Even different denominations of Christians can't agree on the correct interpretation of the Bible, so it seems pretty cocksure to assume that one's own religion will be the engine of the law.

Yes, this. Religion is a shifting kraken of a thing, with so much cultural baggage (to mix my metaphors) attached to it that it can't be impartial in governing, or act in the best interests of the people. Religious government in itself prioritises one religion over another.

[ellynn_ithilwen]

*fingers crossed for victory of reason*

[dawn_felagund]

Thanks! We're hoping ... :)

[myaru]

I hope you get a good outcome on that ballot measure. I can't tell you how infuriated I was when my state ended up banning same-sex marriage, and it doesn't even affect me personally. (That's exactly what blows my mind, too; I've yet to see what two men getting married has to do with me or my marriage, and no one has ever adequately explained why my opinion on their decision should be important.)

We tend to celebrate the anniversary of when we started dating, since our wedding was more a formality than anything

This sounds so much like me and my husband, but we tend to remember both dates so we can use them as an excuse to go out to nice restaurants!

Both of those classes sound interesting. I hope they're light enough no to cause stress.

[dawn_felagund]

I've yet to see what two men getting married has to do with me or my marriage

Yes, exactly! My sister made a really great post on Facebook; I doubt it's public, so I won't repost it here unless she says it's okay, but part of it hinged on the fact that she and her wife have been married for six years now and have managed, in that time, not to cause the marriages of any of their family, friends, or acquaintances to explode through contact with their gayness. I'm not sure what is meant by the common conservative cry to "protect marriage." From what? Wouldn't that involve outlawing divorce? (Oh but too many of them have gotten divorced so we can't have that.) I fail to see how allowing my gay friends to jointly file taxes and purchase a health insurance plan for couples undermines my and my husband's ability to do the same.

Both of those classes sound interesting. I hope they're light enough no to cause stress.I always make them a little stressful through my perfectionist tendencies! :D But reviewing the syllabi, I didn't see anything