A Long, Hard Election

Martin · 15 years (3:34 PM · Nov 3, 2008)

Did I get you with that title?

Jokes aside, I'd like to take a timeout from my normal routine of game-oriented material to write a quick note about how important the upcoming elections are, and how I'm voting on a few key initiatives.  There are important propositions on the ballot for California, and of course, the general election for the presidency.

Yes on Prop 2 - Improved treatment of farm animals

I can't see how anyone who has seen the horrific videos that have surfaced over the last few years of sickly cows being bullied around with forklifts and birds being force fed gross amounts of food couldn't be concerned about the handling of our nation's food supply while it's still living and breathing.  Animals who are raised for human consumption deserve better, and Prop 2 is a step in the right direction for that.

No on Prop 4 - Forcing pregnant minors to wait 48 hours and obtain parental consent before having an abortion

Conservatives have been trying to slowly chip way at women's rights and women's right to health care by throwing these kinds of laws at voters, without a worry for the real people affected by them or the problems they pose.  Pregnant teenagers in troubled homes would be forced to make matters worse, and potentially violent, by being required to inform their parents about their pregnancy before having it terminated.  Prop 4 only serves to make hard times worse, and further erodes women's rights in the process.

No on Prop 8 - Altering the definition of marriage in the California state constitution

Prop 8 seeks to change the definition of marriage in the California state constitution from "two people" to "a man and a woman."  The fact that this state recognizes same-sex marriage from a legal standpoint does not weaken the religious institution of marriage.  It does not force churches to recognize or perform same-sex marriages.  And it does not mandate teaching of same-sex marriage in schools.

I'm not gay, and I have very few friends who are, but anyone can see how plainly an encroachment this proposition is on basic civil rights.  This kind of legislation is one step away from disallowing couple of different race to marry, and I am completely disgusted that this legislative trash gets put on the ballot every election.

Barack Obama for President of the United States

Over the last 8 years, the United States has been on a collision course.  Our country used to have good-standing and was seen as a pillar of strength and democracy in the world; now we are despised by many, and are viewed as the source of much of the world's strife.  Our president is not respected at home or abroad.  Our economy is in shambles.  And many of our young men and women who placed their lives and faith in our military are stuck in Iraq, fighting a war which has no conditions for victory.

The United States needs a president who brings something new to the table, and who gets there without grinding people together to create division and disunity.  We need someone who will bring our troops home safely, and without leaving Iraq in a worse condition than it was before we invaded.  We need someone who has a good plan for restoring the economy, and for the future of the nation as a whole.

We need Barack Obama.  And tomorrow I will be casting my vote for him.  I hope that you will join me, and that we might push this country back in the right direction and create history in one fell swoop.
So let's fix America!  Don't forget to get out and vote tomorrow if you haven't already!

25 Comments

  • Dmaster270 says:

    Yah Obama! In fact, I just did a presentation on Obama today in Class. Our group did a rap. And I got to be obama. :)

  • Haha, nice. Hope it went well. :)

  • Dmaster270 says:

    It better have. Oh, and nice new Avatar on Xbox live

  • Yourself says:

    California, Washington, and Oregon will win the election for him. It will come down to them.

  • Ah yes, the good ol’ west coast battleground states.

  • kc lc says:

    “Did I get you with that title?”
    — Fred

    Not really. Could you explain it in more detail? Does it have something to do with Sarah Palin’s moose rifle?

    Don’t bother. US politics is over my head anyway. I’m going back to my meal of milk-feed veal and foie gras ;-)

  • Yourself says:

    “Not really. Could you explain it in more detail? Does it have something to do with Sarah Palin

  • Oh, now I get it. I wasn’t thinking like that at all…

    I’m probably completely outnumbered here when I say that I would vote for McCain were I able to. Obviously he isn’t perfect, but on key issues to me [sanctity of marriage, abortion rights or the lack thereof] I agree with him more than I do with Obama.

    Nevertheless, Obama will probably win. I sure hope he will bring the kind of change he has led America to believe he will bring.

  • Me too!

    But I’m not sure I understand your opinion about sanctity of marriage though, Desert Dweller – states that allow gay marriage don’t force churches to participate (and thus preserving the “sanctity”). All they do is recognize it in a legal way, so that gay people receive the same benefits of marriage under the law. There’s nothing religious about it.

  • I don’t live in America myself, but here in England all they talk about now is Obama – so i don’t really know much about McCain. I’d probably vote Obama anyways.

    Haha the title made me life. If you still haven’t got it, change the l to a r in election.

  • kc lc says:

    “If you still haven

  • Dmaster270 says:

    “So it

  • A throbbing election? :D Okay, I’ll stop.

    I agree though, KC – we’ve been misguided for too long, and as cliched as it is at this point, we need real change.

  • skinnyeddy says:

    I’m in the same boat as Thomas Davidson, I live in England and all the media seems to talk about is Obama. However, from what I’ve managed to find out about Mcain (and Palin), Mcain seems as though he’ll just be the same as George Bush (correct me if i’m wrong) and Palin looks as though she’ll be a liabilty (was that video of a call between her and a comedian pretending to be French President sarkozy real? If so, she’s quite easy to fool, not good if she’s potentially going to be Vice-President).
    If I was able to vote, I’d vote Obama. America needs change and he seems like the man to do it. I’m a bit worried about what the ‘white supremists’ might do though, hopefully he won’t be another Martin Luthor king…

  • You’re pretty much right on the money, eddy. Except for the white supremacy thing – I hope you’re wrong about that. :)

  • Dmaster270 says:

    “(was that video of a call between her and a comedian pretending to be French President sarkozy real? If so, she

  • Dmaster270 says:

    OBAMA WON! YES YeS YES!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
    THE ELECTion IS OVER! OBAMA-RAMA

  • Indeed he did. Today we have a new President.

  • Dmaster270 says:

    Don’t forget that today is the day that the world doesn’t think we are the racist country we were 40 years ago.

  • Dmaster270 says:

    “I don

  • I’m not sure if they would assume we were racist, Dmaster… disappointed in our lack of progress, maybe, but not racist. When you put it like that, it makes it impossible to vote for white candidates when they run against people of other ethnicity, and that’s not right.

    But DesertDweller, that’s a weak argument as well. It’s been proven time and time again that this country still treats people of color unfairly, and though it would do us well to re-examine and review our policies towards creating a level playing field now and then, I don’t think it’s fair to say that non-whites have all the advantages.

    It might seem unfair if you look at it with no cultural or historical context in mind, but if you look deeper than the shallow surface you’ll find that being white in America is still a big advantage in many ways. Affirmative action may not be the best way to go about fixing things, but I’ve not heard any plans that are better. Eventually it will not be needed anyway, so I am neither worried nor fearful about it. And I’m a white male who grew up in a very conservative area of California’s foothills!

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