I’m in agony. I’m in terrible distress. Afraid to look at the news, to listen to the radio.
Wake me when the Dems retake the House. Pour me a stiff drink if they retake the Senate. Because I don’t drink, but I’d make an exception.
Here’s something really worth looking at, while we all wait.
You've stumbled across my official website and landed on the front page of my weblog.My name is Rosina Lippi. I'm a former academic and tenured university professor, writing full time since 2000. Under the pen name Sara Donati I am the author of the Wilderness series, six historical novels that follow the fortunes of a group of families living in upstate New York from about 1792-1825. A new series based on later generations of the same families was launched September 1, 2015 with The Gilded Hour. The next volume in the new series, Where the Light Enters, was released in 2019.
Please see the pinned post for an overview of what you'll find on this weblog, and what has been moved to the wiki (including the FAQ page).
Don’t get me started on Bush…and I’m Canadian! The video? yeah I get the point, but do the american people? I mean come on, what else can you do to drive the point home? It’s hardly the first, and I gotta feel for high profile creative artists out there who are taking all kinds of shit just because they point out the ovious about the Bush administration. What freedom of expression is unamerican all of a sudden? I always feel kinda silly getting worked up, cause I’m not american, probably a good thing too cause then i’d I’d be REALLY choked:D
You can open your eyes now. And smile. Webb-Allen won’t be decided without a recount, so we’ve got another week or two before there’s a final determination on the Senate, but this is a very good day, indeed. There are a lot of people here in DC who are very, very happy with the overall results.
It’s not stiff drink time yet, but you might want to hit the liquor store the next time you’re our and about…. :)
My supertitious Italian self is whispering: wow. WOW. YES!
Do you really think it will make a difference if the Dem. take over congress? I don’t.
I’ve voted in every election since I turned 21 and it gives me the right to bitch about who ever is in office. If you don’t vote you have no right.
But I’m old enough to realize that no matter who’s in office it will business as usual once all the hopla is over.
All you can hope for is that it won’t effect you personally much and that we can continue on with our dreams and lives without a lot of govermental interference. Jeanne
Jeanne: here’s what I want to start with (not ordered)
the (so-called) Patriot Act repealed
Habeas Corpus
a serious congressional hearing on where all the Iraq money is really going, and charges filed against those who have misappropriated
the armed forces properly armed and outfitted in Iraq, and all benefits restored and improved
the National Guard home, where they belong
a real timetable for getting the rest of the forces home within a year.
If I get two of these within six months (and I might) I’ll call that a start. Things do happen, on occasion. I’ve been voting a long time too, and I remember some of those things. The Civil Rights Movement, for example.
Wow, things are looking up!:D
Imagine, me, poking my nose in other countries affairs, the temerity of some people! ;)
(Understand that I speak from the only place in the US where there’s taxation without representation. None of these people are my responsibility.) This election means there is hope for some balance in government once again. The executive branch no longer has a rubber stamp legislature and will have to seek some consensus to be able to govern effectively. I have no illusions that the Dems are any better at it than the Republicans and I recognize that this is an angry and frightened electorate right now. However, it does create an opportunity for wise people to present some alternative viewpoints.
Repeal of the Patriot Act is unlikely, but it may not get much worse in the next two years. And while, like some of you, I would welcome some honest Congressional oversight into some of the more egregious actions of recent years, care must be taken to avoid witch-hunting.
Twice this morning I have said, I am so used to feeling (figuratively) suicidal the day after elections that I don’t know what to do with myself today, other than keep on pinching to make sure I am not dreaming.
I agree that this is not the end, only a beginning — but it’s a lot better than the dead end we’ve been faced with ever since January 2001.
Wolfy — Canada is not unaffected by American politics, and in any case, you’re entitled to an opinion. I certainly don’t take offense.
I agree that the most that is called for is cautious optimism that the dems with actually do something with this opportunity.
My first thought when they said on the news here(way down under) what had happened with the elections was – well Rosina will be happy.
I feel that American politics has an effect wherever you may live.
Lets hope that this result has some kind of moderating effect on your George W.
p.s. I have just realised that ironically as I typed my reponse they are playing the Dixie Chicks – “Not ready to make nice” on our local radio station – spoooooky huh
I’m With Sally – the US elections effects everyone. If the US pulls troops out of Iraq, hopefully the Howard Gov’t in Australia will too. Great video! And Donald Rumsfeld has resigned!
I imagine there are very few countries NOT effected by american politics.
I dont vote for a couple of reasons, 1 being that I just dont keep up with all of the politics enough to make an informed decision. 2 being that I dont feel it really matters who we have in office things will not be the way we want them to. You can please some of the people some of the time……..
I’m sure that everyone of us would like to see all of our military men and women home and healthy, but this just isn’t likely. My husband and his Father were both in the Marines, his Father was in Vietnam, and they would both tell you that they knew when they went in that going to war was a possiblilty and they accepted that as did all of those who are in Iraq right now. They knew what they were going into and now they are there and they are doing their best and all of the negative things that are being said about all of it cant be doing them any good.
Jessica: you know what really hurts the military? Cutting benefits. Sending them into a combat zone without all the necessary protective gear. Ordering them to violate the Geneva Convention.
Those things are far more destructive to the military than an honest discussion of the reason they were sent to Iraq in the first place.
And if you don’t vote, you don’t really get to have an opinion. That sounds harsh, I know it. But only 40 percent of this country votes and that is, in plain words, something for us all to be ashamed of.
I would be more ashamed of voting for someone or something I know nothing about, rather than not voting at all.
My Father in law once told me about coming home from Vietnam and being spit and screamed at by people who didnt agree with the war…that’s something we should all be ashamed of.
I do have an opinion and I have a right to that opinion no matter what others may think.
Rosina,
I didnt mean that it is completely right for us to be in Iraq. But think about how it would feel to be there in the military and feel like you’re not supported at all by those you believe you are fighting for at home. That’s all I was trying to say.
Maybe I will start voting….
I told myself that I was not going to join in on this discussion. After the 9/11 topic in September I decided that my views were just way too conservative for this board. But Jessica’s comments have compelled me to throw my 2 cents in.
Chin up Jessica. Rosina can be harsh but I truly believe it is the professor in her. She is compelling you to stand up and take an interest in your Country. Obviously, on some level you are interested in government or you would not have taken the time to read this thread. Just do a little research (even if it is in the printed press) and vote in 2008. Voting gives you a very satisfying feeling – at least for me it does. My Father was in Vietnam as well. He has spoken of being spit on as well. It is a shame how our servicemen were treated during that time. People just do not understand that the slogan – We support the Troops not the war is a slap in the face.
As for the election … I am glad of the turn out. Surprising? I am all for change and the best way to do that is to get rid of the old and let some new blood and thinking into DC. With that said I am still blown away that Kennedy managed to get reelected. EONUGH of him already. I hope the Dems will now stop their whining and get to work. Let’s see what they can do.
For Iraq. There is no way to put a time table on such an issue. To think there is, is being naive. For better or worse we started war and we must see it through. We cannot do what we did to the Southern Vietnamese. If we do then every serviceperson who has died in Iraq died in vain. If we pull out based on some timetable constructed in DC we will be handing a death sentence to Iraq and its people. Iran is just waiting for it to happen. Even the esteemed Senator Clinton (the apple of the Democratic Party) knows this.
Having a Military fully outfitted with the tools necessary to fight a war should be top priority. However, we must look as to why we are not fully stocked. Clinton had a hand in this. We cannot just snap our fingers to outfit our Military. It takes spending and we all know how the Dems like to cut military spending. So the blame for lack of equipment is to be shared by both sides of the isle.
The prisoners of war are just that, they are prisoners and not citizens of this Country. We do not need Habeas Corpus for them.
The Guard is doing what they are supposed to do by supporting the Regular Army. The Guard is not just a tool to help pay for College.
One last comment, Rosina I would really like to hear your thoughts on Daufur.
Linda
Linda — on many points you and I will have to agree to disagree. A couple things I will respond to:
habeas corpus is for everybody (civil rights are not dependent on citizenship), but now nobody has recourse to habeas corpus. Even citizens. You are aware, I hope, that under the legislation just passed, President Bush could decide that I am (or you are, or both our children are) a threat to the security of the nation. He can decide on whatever basis appeals to him, and without oversight. He could have one or all of us thrown into a dark hole without recourse to legal representation. That’s what the new legislation means. All that power in the hands of one person, and no oversight. The first thing the new congress needs to do is put back the separation of powers and the checks and balances that the founders worked so hard to put together.
If I had a son or a daughter in Iraq, I wouldn’t care one bit where the funding came from, and I wouldn’t believe any protests about how long it takes. Halliburton is making billions of dollars on this war, millions of dollars are unaccounted for. So I’m not swayed by any arguments I’ve heard so far. You don’t send young people to war without basic supplies. If those supplies don’t exist, you don’t send them. Period.
On the National Guard: here’s plenty for the National Guard to do right here. For example, in the Gulf States where the hurricane devastation is still widespread and the government has once again failed people who need the most help.
I agree with you that the proof is in the pudding: this democratic congress had better get its collective ass in gear, and fast.
Finally, on Darfur:
There are two issues that need to be dealt with. The humanitarian crisis, and the political one. Taking care of the political one would eventually solve the humanitarian one, but in the meantime a half million people will have been murdered or starved to death. The first priority is saving lives, and getting food and medical help to the camps. We make a monthly contribution to the World Food Program and regular contributions to Doctors without Borders. On the political side, it looks like we’ve got another Rwanda, everybody pointing at everybody else. The UN would be a good solution if certain countries (like, oh, the U.S.) would actually pay their membership costs so a multinational armed force could be sent in — properly funded and supplied. I don’t think the U.S. should go in on its own, but we absolutely should be involved, both in funding and manning a large-scale movement to stop the genocide. My 2 cents.
The US election results are followed in our media (AUST) with great interest – but since I know little about your politics I won’t say much about it. I do, however have two questions….
1. Why is it that voting is not compulsory? Considering the US has such an impact on the rest of the world I find that interesting – I mean we HAVE to vote, if you don’t you get a please explain letter and if the excuse isn’t good enough, you get a fine.
2. Why are elections held on a Tuesday? You would think more people would vote if it was on a week-end.
Just curious….
Wow, compulsory voting! What a good idea! Is there a down-side to that? Can’t think of one off the top of my head…
Cathy J,
Here is the answer to the question as to why we vote on Tuesdays. This is from the US Department of State.
For much of U.S. history, America was a predominantly agrarian society. Lawmakers considered their convenience when choosing a November date for elections – after harvest time but before winter weather made travel difficult – as the easiest month for farmers and rural workers to go to the polls.
Because many rural residents lived a significant distance from the polls, Tuesday, rather than Monday, was selected to allow those who attended Sunday church services to begin travel after worship and still reach their destinations in time to cast their votes.
As to mandatory voting … we would not be the land of the free then. We have the right to vote but we do not have to exercise it. As a side note there are some who believe that low turn out is better. This is based on the idea that only the well informed person will vote.
Rosina,
Thanks for your view on Darfur. It amazes me that we do not hear more about what is happening there. I know we should do something but what that is I am still searching for. I will say this though my faith in the UN is running LOW these days.
About Halliburton time will tell if there is something there. I fully believe in the end people get what they deserve.
On the habeas corpus issue. The Patriot Act is necessary for the times we live in. However, I agree that the checks and balances that are the back bone to our society must be preserved. We need to find a common ground between national security and civil liberties.
Well informed…ahh I see. Well if ya had to vote I think people would be inclined to make it count. I mean voting is an intergal part of maintaining a free democratic society, which seems to be threatened by this “Patriot Act” I would think voting being compulsory, would be akin, to I dunno, paying taxes. Gotta pay those. Not a freedom, it’s an obligation.
Wolfy,
Paying taxes does not take time away from our lives. It comes out of our paychecks. We pay someone else to file for us. If we are lucky we get some “found money” in way of a refund check. Voting is involved – we have to read and stay up on politics. Most people are just not interested enough to invest their free time to politics. They would rather let someone else look out for them. As far as if we HAD to vote. I still do not think people would become involved enough to make an informed decision. Studies have been done that show many people vote by name recognition. Hence the reason why people like Kennedy keep getting reelected. Term limits would help our Government out a lot.
Well I think ya gotta be a lil more optimistic about what the general public is capable of. If I didn’t know better i’d almost say I sense a bit of elitism in some of the comments…that a word?
Elitism – oh my! I am a 33 year old stay at home mom from the south. Not too much arrogance going on down here. However, before my present “job” I was a student of people.
I for one do not feel you can put too much faith in the general public. Individuals – yes, but the general public is a very different creature.
There are 14 people I stay in very close contact with. Of the 14 only 6 people voted. Of the 6, 2 called me prior to going to the polls to ask questions of certain canidates. The rest? one said he knew who was going to win (those physic ablities were not passed to me)so did not bother. One said she was too busy with work. One forgot – go figure. 4 just did not care. And one felt like she was not informed enough to vote.
Voting takes time. You have to drive to the polls. You have to stand in line – in some cases for more than an hour. If they are in a district like me some of your time will be standing outside (It was raining down here this past Tuesday.) So I say until it is easy to vote oh say able to do it from your couch with your TV remote, many of us will not vote.
Yike’s don’t I sound snarly! I sound like an ass! Apologies, jeesh not usaully so snarky, not me at all. Again, was kinda over the top there, sorry, my bad.
Wolfy — we know you well enough around here (and in a good way). Don’t worry.
Wolfy,
No need to apologize. I have enjoyed the banter. Gives me a break from baby talk. My only regret is that my husband was reading over my shoulder and now has a new word to use against me.