Post-Election Thoughts

It took me a couple of days to gather my thoughts for this one.

This was my first election. Let me just say, there has never been a better time for a young person to get involved. That said, I feel let down by the system. I did more than just vote. I worked with (and against) the candidates in order to get the people I thought were best suited into office. I worked the polls. I showed up at 5 o'clock in the morning. When we opened at 6am, we already had a line. That line remained until 7:30 pm when everyone that was in line at the official closing time of 6pm finally got to vote. I went to the Vanderburg County Democrats "Victory" party in downtown Evansville. By the end of November 2nd, I hadn't just partaken in the process; I was part of the process.

Here in conservative, red-state Indiana I knew that only a few Democrats would win. I may be optimistic, but I know this state swings heavily towards the right. That said, I would like to extend my congratulations to a few Indiana Democrats who shined Tuesday night:

• Senator Evan Bayh
• State Representative Phil Hoy
• State Representative Trent VanHaaften
• State representative Dennis Avery

I have personally met each of them except Sen. Bayh. They are all very kind men. Both Reps. Hoy and Avery told me I could get in touch with them in a couple of years to work in the Indiana Statehouse as an intern. Yay for me, already making political connections!

With all that said, Tuesday night and into Wednesday was very disappointing. I wasn't expecting huge things. The races I had really high hopes for were a Kerry presidency, Gov. Joe Kernan to get re-elected, and for challenger Jon Jennings to defeat incumbent US Representative John Hostettler. When neither of those things happened, I was crushed. Jennings actually gave his concession speech 5 feet in front of me at the "Victory" party. That kinda sucked. He choked up at one point, and, to be honest, I almost did too. You see last week the University of Evansville College Democrats held a rally. It was an "Ass Kicking Good Time." That name was contributed by yours truly and made its way all over campus. A bunch of great candiates came out including Jennings, Avery, Hoy, and VanHaaften.

Seeing the results came in made me lose faith in the entire American public. I actrually would have traded state victories in every race for a Kerry victory. When it became apparent that that wasn't the case, I started playing the "Four years ago" game. I dare all Americans to look me in the eye (or in this case the comments below) to truthfully tell me that they are better off now than they were before Dubya took office. I don't think anyone whose name isn't Ken Lay or is working for Halliburton (or really any big business type) can make that claim. I know I'm not the only person who felt/feels this way.

Even with all the depression, I am trying to remain optimistic. Senator Kerry said it best, "Now is time for healing." As much as I am not looking forward to it, we have to deal with this administration for four more years. I say let's make the best of it. We can hold them accountable for every action they take. We have Congressional elections in just two short years. In four more years, let's vote for Hillary, Edwards, Bayh or whoever else may pop up between now and then. (On the possibility of a Bayh presidency, somebody keep reminding me, and I'll make a post on that one. I've got some ideas...)

Now is definitely not a time to roll over. We always talk about change. We embrace "good for the country" ideas. But let's face it, unless you or I are president or at the very least in Congress, ideals like that are lots of talk with no results. We need to start embracing small, local charities and things of that nature. By widely helping on the small-scale, we can make a huge difference on the large-scale. Let's stop talking and actually go do something!

Please everyone leave some sort of reply. I would love to hear everyone's ideas. We all took the last couple of days differently, and I for one would love to hear how everyone coped (or didn't cope).

I thought he was dead

That was my Dad's reaction when I told him I was going to hear former US Senator from IN, Birch Bayh, speak today in downtown Evansville.

I did go, and it was really, really cool. He was in town to promote the re-election of Govenor Joe Kernan. He did his little schpiel as did a few others like the Mayor, and city-council people.The really cool part was afterwards.

I went with my Political Science professor. He told Bayh afterwards there was a group of students. The Senator was excited and came over and told us to sit down. He ended up talking to us for about a half hour.

Sen. Bayh was very active in the civil rights movements of the 60s and 70s. He told us about him writing the ERA, reforming the Indiana public school system, and helping block the approval of two Nixon Supreme Court appointees. He also let us ask questions.

Q: Does your son (Sen. Evan Bayh) consult you for help with his re-election campaign?
A: Is he running again? (Very telling. Shows The Junior Bayh should have no worries defeating Republican challenger Marvin Scott.)

Q: Is it likely that if Bush is re-elected, he will appoint judges to overturn Roe v. Wade?
A: No, it's not likely. It's certain. If there is only one issue in this election I would say it's making sure he doesn't get the opportunity, besides being a bad President, to foul up the judiciary, which is supposed to be our last line of defense against the government.

Wow! What an indictment of this President. It's one thing when Kerry or Edwards flings harsh words like this. Or even if a partisan like myself said it, it wouldn't be so bad. But when a respected 3-term Senator and former Presidential candidate offer harsh criticisms like this, I think it is very telling. I think a man like this knows a thing or two about Washington. He was there for Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, and part of Reagan.

Anyway, y'all already knew I wasn't voting for Bush. But now I feel very good about it with a old Washington vet on my side.

More Poetry

My god, I'm turning into a poet! Molly, if I end up wearing berets and moving to France, I will see to it that your blood is spilt upon the earth! Ok, not really.

So here it goes, another attempt at poetry...

Twilight settles in after
a long day's night.
In the midst of battle,
a soldier is wounded, down.

He searches to find the one
who did him harm.
As he looks, he finds he
was hit with an empty shell.

His assailant came and left;
Finished the task.
The soldier, stunned, asks, "Why?"
Hearing no one, he looks 'round...

As the soldier rights himself,
the war keeps on.
He returns to the field.
Through faux pain, he starts to yell:

"My cup runs over, Lord! I can
not continue!"
And God replied saying,
"Child, this was just the start.

"As you continue on your quest,
your enemy will
once again confront you.
You are to learn a lesson."

The soldier remained, thinking of
what he had heard.
He reasoned, "Sleeping with
the enemy is an art."

With this wisdom he departed,
to continue
on his way. There will be
other fights that must be won.

Wow, now I've gone to metaphor. I think I've lost all normalcy that I ever held on to.

Random Poetry

I hope you guys like this. Neh, even if you don't it may be therapeutic for me, and that's what it's all about, right?

The moon is hidden
The night is dark
And all I hear is the wind

My eyes see clearly
My heart is stunned
What a strange way to begin

Growing interest
It disappears,
Vapid like your empty gaze

This is not over
I retain hope
My flame will remain ablaze

I dunno. Maybe tonight wasn't the best night. You decide...

As promised, my take on Larry Flynt:

I thought to understand his case, it was important to try to understand the man. Interestingly enough, he spent a portion of his childhood right here in Indiana. By the age of 10 or 12 he was basically on his own. He spent about 6 years in the military, including a year in the Army before they discovered he was too young (16). He then opened up several strip clubs before eventually starting Hustler.

Getting to the case, the basic question in Hustler v. Falwell was this: Are celebrities entitled to collect damages when they are made fun of.

Of course if you're even reading this post, you probably already know that the Court ruled in favor of Flynt and Hustler.

So here's my take:

By protecting a publisher's right to satire, the Court properly guaranteed 1st Amendment Freedom of Speech. While many of us may be offended by parodies of the nature of that found in a porno magazine, those parodies certainly have the right to exist. The idea that a celebrity has equal rights to protection from slander is also somewhat, for lack of a better expression, fucked up. Celebrities by their nature have to understand that they have given up their rights to "normal" life. They live under public scrutiny, and nothing is going to change that. Besides without publicly scrutinized celebrities, who would we have to make parodies of anyway?

Maybe you were looking for something more indepth, but I finished that paper like five weeks ago, and now I'm struggling to remember some of it. Sadly, I don't care enough to go back and look up what I wrote.

That's my take on the King of Porn's most important legal battle.

What the hell, I'll be a little political.

Watched the President's State of the Union address tonight. Interesting, to say the least. Overall, I thought it to be bland and mostly inoffensive. As expected there were ups and downs. I will touch on a few of each.

We'll go negative 1st, saving the "best" for last. Dubya called for renewal of both his taxcuts and the Patriot act. While I may not be a pro economist, I'm pretty sure his cuts are going only to him, and those like him (greedy, rich bastards). At the same time, I'm not sure how you can give taxcuts to a lower class that receives most, if not all, of their tax money back when tax checks come out each year. On this, I need to become more learned. The Patriot Act, however, I am more sure on. I will applaud 43 on his intentions. While some may disagree, I don't believe he's an evil man aiming to strip American's of their Constitutional rights. At the same time, it's time to realize that, as my father once told me, "Good intentions pave the road to Hell." (Thanks, Dad) It's time to, if not completely reject then majorly re-haul, the Patriot Act. No doubt we need to protect our homeland and keep a lookout for terrorists, but we can't do that at the expense of our own personal freedoms. One other thing I am severely conflicted on is this "sanctity of marriage" business. Being raised in a Christian household, I am still ingrained that homosexuality is morally wrong, though I really am trying to keep an open mind. That said I can understand the stance of man & woman, man & woman, man & woman. At the same time, however, I see no reason from a legal perspective for us, the heterosexual majority, to condemn those different from us. I learned in my basic government class that our government works on a "majority rules, minority rights" basis. Of all I learned, this is perhaps what stuck with me the most.

Not withstanding my last 298 words, I was, on the whole, pleased with this speech. I think a reformed prisoner relief system would be beneficial not only to those it helps directly, but also to the economy as a whole as it would open up an entire new sector of workers for employers, giving opportunity to those who need it most. This move would get good face, therefore encouraging consumers to consume in said company, spurring the economy as a whole. I especially liked Bush's proposed expansion of federal Pell grants, as this would apply to me. The idea of rewarding students for their academic success and not only their determined "need" may truly encourage young people to strive for achievement.

I know there was more. There are ideas Bush through out that sound good. I require more background info 1st. Specifically on immigration, healthcare, monies for faith-based organizations, I would like more info.

This was a long post. And, to be honest, it would have been longer if I would not have waited for so long to start my post after the speech. If you read this far, you get a gold star.

If only I could make myself write like this for that English paper due on Thursday.