CURRENT EVENTS & OPINIONSdigdigilSeptember 4 2005, 12:00:12 UTC
When I was a little kid I used to wish that I was American instead of Canadian. My paternal grandmother was born in the U.S.A., in Michigan. She married my grandfather because he was a newspaperman and had been working as the editor of the Detroit Free Press and living there when they met. She became a dual citizen of both the U.S. and Canada when he got a new job as editor of the Montreal Star and they moved there where my father was born. I still have a lot of relatives in the U.S., spread out all over, from Boston to Austin, Texas. I have travelled in the U.S. a lot, but I have never visited New Orleans (although my parents have). However, now I am glad to be living here. Canada is a vast, spacious country of people united in one thing. We have our differences, yes, one of the primary ones being our "Two Solitudes", (the French and the English), but it seems such a little problem now compared to the stuff going on in the great United States. The one thing that binds us Canadians is our love of one another (of people) in
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Re: CURRENT EVENTS & OPINIONSdawn_felagundSeptember 5 2005, 17:40:44 UTC
::huggles Jenni::
As always, you are there to cheer me up :)
It is just intensely frustrating because everything that I ever thought of as an "American value" suddenly seems to mean nothing: the safety of our citizens, our freedom, our equality. He'll be out in a few years, but the way things seem to be now, people will elect another selfish moron just like him. I'm surprised that they're not lobbying to have the Constitution amended to give him a life term as a dictator with full powers. /snark
I also love my country, through good times and bad. If I didn't love my country and my fellow citizens, I would sit quietly and be a good lemming, like so many others do. Or I would be one of those people who talk of running off to Canada or Europe because it's easier than speaking out and changing things here. The funny thing is that I thought the activist in me had died when I became an adult, but lo, as soon as this crap started to happen, it woke back up, screaming and kicking, and hasn't shut up since. :)
Re: CURRENT EVENTS & OPINIONSdigdigilSeptember 6 2005, 18:10:53 UTC
No, no, no, Dawn, do NOT give in to despair! Keep repeating to yourself - "He'll be out in a few years - he'll be out in a few years!" No dynasty lasts forever, and usually there is a backlash against the types of policies and stuff that a current dynasty has. (I'm sorry, I'm not very coherent because of my sinus infection. I can't think of the words I want to say.) Didn't he almost lose twice? Weren't they really close election results both times? You KNOW there are enough voters out there that want him GONE! If the Democrats can come up with a viable candidate then I'm sure they can beat the Republicans in the next election. And if not, well then, maybe the next Republican guy will be someone with some reason and sanity. Your country is a great one, for sure. If more people voted, then they'd get what they want. But voter apathy is the same everywhere. We have it here, too. It just goes to show, you get what you put in, every time!
Re: CURRENT EVENTS & OPINIONSdawn_felagundSeptember 6 2005, 18:55:52 UTC
No, no, no, Dawn, do NOT give in to despair!
I'm trying very hard not to.
I used to love to follow current events and *especially* loved political cartoons (the nastier, the better! :D) but gave it up because it was all depressing me so much. Now I remember *why.* But I think my discomfort is worth speaking out for those who can no longer speak.
Didn't he almost lose twice? Weren't they really close election results both times?
He DID lose once! He lost the popular vote in the 2000 election against Al Gore and quite likely also lost the electoral vote, but the Supreme Court was involved and they stopped the recount of the Florida votes in question. Keep in mind that George's brother is the governor of Florida, and Florida (being a lot of old, Jewish, and Hispanic people) can quite easily go to the Dems
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Six years ago, parents didn't have to tell their kids that they had to cancel their trip to Ocean City because they can't afford the gas to get down there.
I hear that your gas prices are now similar to European prices, which are about 75% tax, so I reckon someone must be making a nice profit.
Today, I graduated top of my class from a good university, and I work for wages just above the poverty level outside of my field of study. Why? Because there weren't any jobs when I graduated.
That isn't just in the USA. I'm only doing a PhD because I couldn't get a job!
Today, I dread that laws will be passed that discriminate against me because I am not a Christian
Please excuse my ignorance of religious matters, but how on earth would that be possible?
Today, I wonder: What happened to us?As my grandmother used to say: 'tis all a very strange business. The thing I really can't understand is how GWB managed to actually increase his share of the vote in your last election. I know that Tony Blair is still in power here because the
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I hear that your gas prices are now similar to European prices, which are about 75% tax, so I reckon someone must be making a nice profit.
Yup. Their profits are up in the last year and they are spending less than ever on research, while complaining that the prices are so high because of ailing technology...something just don't jive....
That isn't just in the USA. I'm only doing a PhD because I couldn't get a job!
I didn't know that! What are you studying? :D <--me being unabashedly nosy
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Theoretical Physics (chiral carbon nanotubes); it's incredibly dull and I very much doubt I'll actually get the PhD at the end of it, which probably ought to bother me more than it does. You're still pretty much guaranteed funding for postgraduate study in England in physics or chemistry if your first degree is good enough.
Fanatical religious types do get upset about the strangest things. I'd almost forgotten about the creationism debate.
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As always, you are there to cheer me up :)
It is just intensely frustrating because everything that I ever thought of as an "American value" suddenly seems to mean nothing: the safety of our citizens, our freedom, our equality. He'll be out in a few years, but the way things seem to be now, people will elect another selfish moron just like him. I'm surprised that they're not lobbying to have the Constitution amended to give him a life term as a dictator with full powers. /snark
I also love my country, through good times and bad. If I didn't love my country and my fellow citizens, I would sit quietly and be a good lemming, like so many others do. Or I would be one of those people who talk of running off to Canada or Europe because it's easier than speaking out and changing things here. The funny thing is that I thought the activist in me had died when I became an adult, but lo, as soon as this crap started to happen, it woke back up, screaming and kicking, and hasn't shut up since. :)
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I'm trying very hard not to.
I used to love to follow current events and *especially* loved political cartoons (the nastier, the better! :D) but gave it up because it was all depressing me so much. Now I remember *why.* But I think my discomfort is worth speaking out for those who can no longer speak.
Didn't he almost lose twice? Weren't they really close election results both times?
He DID lose once! He lost the popular vote in the 2000 election against Al Gore and quite likely also lost the electoral vote, but the Supreme Court was involved and they stopped the recount of the Florida votes in question. Keep in mind that George's brother is the governor of Florida, and Florida (being a lot of old, Jewish, and Hispanic people) can quite easily go to the Dems ( ... )
Reply
I hear that your gas prices are now similar to European prices, which are about 75% tax, so I reckon someone must be making a nice profit.
Today, I graduated top of my class from a good university, and I work for wages just above the poverty level outside of my field of study. Why? Because there weren't any jobs when I graduated.
That isn't just in the USA. I'm only doing a PhD because I couldn't get a job!
Today, I dread that laws will be passed that discriminate against me because I am not a Christian
Please excuse my ignorance of religious matters, but how on earth would that be possible?
Today, I wonder: What happened to us?As my grandmother used to say: 'tis all a very strange business. The thing I really can't understand is how GWB managed to actually increase his share of the vote in your last election. I know that Tony Blair is still in power here because the ( ... )
Reply
Yup. Their profits are up in the last year and they are spending less than ever on research, while complaining that the prices are so high because of ailing technology...something just don't jive....
That isn't just in the USA. I'm only doing a PhD because I couldn't get a job!
I didn't know that! What are you studying? :D <--me being unabashedly nosy ( ... )
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Fanatical religious types do get upset about the strangest things. I'd almost forgotten about the creationism debate.
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Sounds impressive! And a bit scary :)
Fanatical religious types do get upset about the strangest things. I'd almost forgotten about the creationism debate.
That debate is still, unfortunately, alive and well over here. And the president has made it abundantly clear which side he's on....
I love it when people of intelligence are elected to preside over world superpowers.
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