Pissfully Blissed

All right. We've had almost a week to get a grip on the last election and its impact on those of us who did not wish to see Dubya sleeping in the White House for another four years.

I have spoken to all of the people in my life whose opinions matter to me. I dearly love them all...but there are some things that bug me.

I have gotten three e-mails containing a list that Michael Moore wrote that gives folks reasons to be happy about the election. Y'all, if you need him to tell you what to do, it's no fucking wonder that we live in a country where we can't even have private telephone calls anymore. If you behave like a fucking child, expect to be treated as one. While I have enjoyed all of Moore's films, (especially Roger & Me), he's a blowhard, in the tradition of a Rush Limbaugh or a Bill O'Reilly. He just bats for "our" team. Information is spilling from every corner of our reality now. Blind faith is a choice.

Most of my friends drive SUVs or vans or trucks. I know one other person besides me who drives a plain ol' car. This reminds me of people who say, "I'm not racist, I have lots of Black friends!" If you truly do not want to have people die for your resources, stop consuming so fucking much of them you fucking hypocrites. Sometimes I wonder how many liberal people who whine and complain about us being at war actually step back and look at how their lifestyles perpetuate the need for war. Your 1, 2, or 3 person household does NOT need a big ass fucking vehicle. You need a car that big if you live on a goddamned ranch in the middle of fucking Nevada. This country is as out of hand with the fucking big ass cars as it is with religion and is just as ignorant about the negative impact that they have. If you try to rationalize it by saying that you just have too much stuff to haul around, try having less stuff dumbass.

One of the "get happy" things on the list was that George Bush can't win another term. Get with it, people. This was not a win for George Bush. This was a win for the Right. There is a frightening number of people who believe that George Bush was sent by God. Yes, they believe that he has Divine Right, similar to a King. Wait, no that's exactly like a King. There is a really great speech by a man named John Winthrop. I have a love/hate relationship with this guy. I love that he is a survivor and didn't let anyone stand in his way. I hate it that he was pretty much a cult leader and his cult was the Puritans, who were fucking scary. But they were committed and they survived one hellish fucking day after the another largely because of that commitment. Anyway, his speech, "A Modell of Christian Charity" (sic) is one of the greatest ever written. It is also creepy as fuck. The irony is that it motivated the shit out of the Puritans, made them truly believe that they too were on a mission from God and made them the most successful colony of the New World. From the beginning, our country has used religion and xenophobia to expand and conquer. Thus far, these two tools have proved successful. You want things to change? Be smart, come to grips with what you're dealing with, and start moving some dirt beneath your feet. Taking some social action six weeks before an election simply won't do. You've got quite a job ahead of you so do me a favor and read about what the Puritans had to deal with and prepare your ass for some sleepless nights.

The Right won this time because they scared people. People are afraid of terrorists, first off, but then tickle their noses with the possibility of moral degradation (which of course, is the primary rationale for being the xenophobic pricks that we are) and you've got them sneezing votes into your big, white hanky. It's that simple. It's not like the Right won't have a similar candidate touting the same bullshit that Dubya did with just as much good ol' boy appeal that he has. My instinct tells me that Cheney will not run next time, but that they will find a candidate who is just as rigid as Cheney and just as easily likeable as Dubya.

I know what makes me happy about this election without having to rely on Moore's grandstanding ass to tell me. It's that I saw people who haven't voted for years high tail it to the voting booth. I actually had to wait to vote! Outside the library, there were people holding signs, people being active, people actually taking the time out of their lives to make something good happen. Whether they were touting Kerry or Bush, I was deeply moved that they stood in the pouring rain and chilly wind just to make sure that others knew their choices and what they would mean in the long run. There were people informing others of their rights and giving out pamphlets full of information about whom to contact if their rights were violated. People had a mission! It was so cool. I wish so much that more people had this level of commitment in their lives every day.

Also, I consider that while me and most of my friends (I have conservative friends too...very opinionated and lately, I like them more than a lot of my liberal friends because at least they're honest with themselves about being greedy consumers and resource rapists) are pretty marginalized right now, the other side of the political equation would be as marginalized if Kerry had won. There would still be a huge imbalance in national satisfaction and that just isn't fair. I want, more than anything else, for things to be fair for everyone. The statement that pisses me off more than anything else is when people wave their hands and say that life isn't fair. It is a stupid cop-out used by people who do not have the character to compromise. I refuse to give up that easily. C'est la vie never did dick for me or anyone else. Let your anger and discontent motivate you. The only reason why life is not fair is because we have decided that making things fair is out of our hands when it fucking isn't. Your decisions on how to treat people are yours alone. Treat others with dignity and respect and I'll bet that life becomes a lot more fair than if you use or abuse them.

We have four years to change that. We have four years in which to educate people who fear homosexuals, who think that they are less deserving of happiness and civil rights, and who think that somehow, being gay is immoral or is a deviation in behavior and not just a difference in brain structure(which of course, it is). Four years is a damned long time. A lot can happen if people are willing to chill out a little, try to understand and empathize with these fearful folks. Since we are the minority, the ball is in our court to fight. Kick some ass and make logic work in your favor guys. And please, in the name of all that is holy (or unholy, if that's the cut of your gib) try to be honest with yourselves.

***I got an e-mail last night from someone who was angry that I criticized Mooreites without posting alternatives to his list.

Dude. Did you even read what I wrote past that sentence? My point was that you do not need either me or him or anyone to tell you what to do. Go and take some action on your own and if you do not know how, figure it out! Give yourself some credit, your DNA survived this long on this planet and that means that somewhere within you lies an amazing ability to adapt and change your environment. I can Google the word "vote" and get an assortment of websites that cover important topics that range from how to join a political organization to how I can find tentacle porn. If I can, you can. So shush and get to work.

Holy Water Enema

So George W. Bush won the election because of his high morals and let's face it, White Christian values. Eleven states voted against gay marriage. The Repubs have both the Senate and the House...

...and a dog will be the next mayor in a small town in Kentucky.

Just putting things into perspective.