Hokay, Yanquis.
In a few hours the sun will be coming up on the US of A.
Get your asses out there and vote.
Remember: any person who does not exercise their right to vote does not deserve to live in a democracy.
Do the right thing as you see fit.
Whatever happens, at least the USA will once again have a President capable of correctly pronouncing his own middle initial.
There's bugger all I can do to influence things from over on this side of the pond, so while you Colonials decide how you're going to fuck up the world for the next four years I'll just dance to old jazz records …
41 comments:
That's exactly what I tell fellow Pinoys, too! Don't complain about graft and corruption in the Philippines if you haven't exercised your right of suffrage to elect the local and national leaders. I am looking forward to the 2010 elections in the Philippines myself. As for the US, I really pray that Obama wins - for so many reasons. The thought of another 8 years (coz they do really serve 2 terms, come on) of Republican government is so scary, to say the least.
"any person who does not exercise their right to vote does not deserve to live in a democracy"
I disagree with you entirely on that point, Dive.
We should all have the right to vote but we should also have the right to abstain.
I was rather hoping for a black, gay, Islamic woman President but I suppose he'll have to do in the meantime.
We shall see what the rest of the day brings.
Shazza is doing a live blog all day which I'll join when I get home. That should be fun.
See you tomorrow lunchtime.
Rose: Of course you can abstain but with Independent, Green, socialist and many other candidates to vote for there is really no reason to if you disagree with the main parties.
After all, the small parties (look at the influence of the Greens in Europe over the past couple of decades - my local city council is Green and I love 'em) can and do influence governments.
Abstention is a right but it is a pretty futile act. If nothing else (at least in this country) one should vote against the neo-nazi BNP.
Non Sequitur has a good cartoon today. Just a sign that says: "No grousing without voting".
Abstain if you wish, but you lose the right to moan about whatever government gets in.
Thanks, Dive, for reminding me of all those happy hours spent cruising the Buffyverse. Sigh...
It does tend to take over one's life, Lucio … you start with the complete boxed set of DVDs and end up sitting in front of your Dingoes Ate My Baby wall poster in your String Cheese Incident teeshirt hunting for easter eggs with your slo-mo.
I so desperately need a life.
Ah, but you're assuming we are going to ... oops, you almost made me say the F word. Maybe we won't "mess" up the world this time around.
I love the song, regardless of this stinking election.
Robyn, I'm only going on past form.
I love that old standard.
Chet Baker couldn't sing to save his life and he was pretty far from being a great trumpeter but that album (My Funny Valentine) will always be a classic rainy afternoon regular on my turntable.
Let's Get Lost …
Dive
He he!? Isn' a "lapsus"in one of
your above comment?
My entire life is one big lapsus, Anonymous.
I live in typo hell.
Thanks for the nice tune; perfect while making my lunch. I'll vote after work, alongside all the students at UC Berkeley. It's ironic that I'm very mad that a church closed down, as it was the polling place on my block. Now I have to schlep across the campus and stand in line with what I'm sure will be thousands. I have my iPod Touch in my purse though, and can watch "Singing in the Rain" while I wait.
Ah, the perils of Godless Heathendom, Katie. If you choose to live in such a den of iniquity and sin then it's little wonder the Lord has taken away your polling station.
Hee hee hee.
Enjoy queueing with all those spotty first-time voters. At least you'll have Gene Kelly to cheer you up.
Dive
Not at all.
Your life is excellent.
(maybe words as life and wife aren't closed!Remember my funny
story 2 or 3 weeks ago!)
Dive,
Yes in the UK you have plenty of choice but not so in many other "democratic" countries. In fact I would say that part of what democracy is all about is the individual having the right to not vote.
Losing the right to moan...ah, that is something else. I guess that doesn't apply to me. I rarely moan.
I decided how I was going to "fuck up the world for the next four years" this morning before work! One of the beauties of living in a small city: no long voting lines.
Katie: while I wasn't Singing in the Rain, I did vote in the rain!
I was in line before dawn.
Had a little trouble at the polling place. This has happened in the past, so this year, I came prepared. I have the personal line for the director of the board of elections in my cell phone.
When the old lady at the polling station tried to give me grief about my prior name change, I offered to call the director for her.
Suddenly, there was no problem at all.
(Don't fuck with me on election day, people.)
Anonymous: Thank you for saying so but my life is so far from excellent it makes me scream. Hey ho.
Rose: Women don't moan; they simply state the obvious; we men are simply too ignorant to recognise it. Hee hee.
Cali: Hoorah! Well done!
T: That is awesome! You rule.
Beautiful music, Dive, I love it. I've just heard on Sky News that the queues are so ridiculously long to vote and organisation is so bad of them, that many have simply turned away. So it's not necessarily the people's arses that are at fault there!
It's a great old smoochie song, isn't it Lynn?
I know the queues are horrendous and that - shamefully - some employers are not paying their workers for the time they spend standing in them waiting to vote, but I am heartened by the high turnout.
Whatever the result, people are exercising their democratic right … which makes a nice change from last time.
Yes but of little use if they can't put the x in the spot. Stupid organisation of these very important things makes me furious.
Yes smoochie oh yes,,, I could smooch to this quite happily. It's forget-it-all music.
As long as they are standing in the queue when the polling stations close tonight they retain their right to vote and the pollsters will just have to wait up until all the folk they turned away earlier have made their choice.
It's a crap piece of organisation but it's better then nothing.
If you want to dance round the room forgetting things, pop on to Amazon and look for the album; it's Chet Baker's "My Funny Valentine" and it's chock full of smoochie, late-night classics.
Rose - botton up your blouse you're causing me to be too distracted to comment on topic here.
Geez!!!
Hee hee hee, Rich!
"Yes but of little use if they can't put the x in the spot. Stupid organisation of these very important things makes me furious" Well said, Lynn!
Thank you, From Cali. The reality is, Dive, they won't wait all that time.
I don't read you every day dive, but I should. Your 'regime change' yesterday was so disturbingly close to my own feelings...
Hurray.
Yuk.
dive, I linked my blogpost today to yours of yesterday. I think you summed it all up very well.
Dive: LOL!
As Katie knows, my more recent obsession has been Deadwood - which, at a mere three seasons, I've been able to get through twice. . . . Okay, three times.
Lucio I wondered where you've been, and now I know -- Deadwood! Let me take a moment to ignore the election and imagine that I'm Alma in the scene where the plaster is falling from the ceiling at the beginning of season two. Whew; I don't know if I'll be able to think straight now! Dive, you absolutely MUST rent Deadwood. I'll say no more, but you'll thank me.
Dive you'll find it even more amusing to learn that I don't physically live in Godless Heathendom, I actually live on what's called "Holy Hill" surrounded by seminaries and religious schools! And I live in an apartment building that was originally built for nuns. Too funny.
I was pleased that I didn't need Gene Kelly to get me through my long line to vote; there was no line! there were, however, huge lines outside the local Starbucks and Ben & Jerry's near the University, where free coffee and ice cream were being offered. I decided to skip those lines, and just come home and drink red wine. Here's hoping for happy new tonight or early tomorrow!!
Did you see that, Dive?
OHIO!
That's my Each One Reach One campaign at work.
he did it!!!!!!!!!!!!
President Barack Obama!
xoxox
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!
Katie: Actually, I've been getting out of the "house" a lot more over the past fortnight, catching up with long lost friends - and making a few new ones, too.
I've also been a tad unwell, meaning that while I've been perfectly able (and happy) to lurk around the margins of my favorite blogs, I've not been in the right frame of mind to contribute.
On top of that, setting up ISFK chewed up great chunks of my "free" time and energy.
Finally, am I to understand that you were picturing yourself in the tight and lusty embrace of Seth Bullock? I thought it was Al you had the hots for. You hussy! (LOL)
Gosh, what a busy night you have all had.
I've been in bed, listening to it on the radio. I find it's best not to blog when I'm euphoric; the results are invariably embarrassing.
Hokay. Here goes:
Cali and Lynn: Thankfully those fears proved ungrounded. Whew!
Nathalie: I am so thankful and honoured that you linked to me. I love your post. It encapsulated all I wanted to say in one simple, stunning image.
Lucio: You've lost me with Deadwood I'm afraid. There are probably a lot of shows I would love but I really don't have the time or the inclination to watch TV any more.
Neetzy: Yay for you! You did what your conscience decided was right and helped give us all some hope for the future.
I don't think he'll fuck up but I do think he has the hardest task of any US President since FDR.
Let's hope he is up to it.
Last night the USA shifted radically back from the extreme right toward the centre and that can only be a good thing.
Katie: I might look it up at Christmas if I remember, so at least I'll have some idea of what you and Lucio are talking about.
You really live on "Holy Hill"?
Holy crap! That is hilarious!
Your hope for a happy tomorrow has come about.
You played your part in making the whole world smile.
T: I saw that! I whooped it up and spilled wine all over my duvet and I don't care. The swing states swung! Yeehaa!
Well done!
Savaanah: At last a bit of sanity and hope, eh? I take it your packing will seem a lot easier this morning.
Huge hugs from across the pond.
xoxox
Sassy: I wondered if you'd pop in. Great to see you and well done for bringing about a happier world.
Lucio: I do hope you're feeling perkier now. As for Deadwood, I'll probably check it out during the Christmas break as there's never anything worth watching on TV so that's when I get to veg out on the sofa and catch up on DVDs.
Dive: Thanks. I do seem to be on the improve.
Excellent news, Lucio.
Lucio sorry to hear you've been feeling unwell. Sounds like you're improving some though, which is good. You sure have a lot going on too! I'm thrilled by ISFK, but I don't want your health to suffer because of it. In re Deadwood: even though I might have the hots for Al, in a twisted sort of way, Bullock is my man. I also let my eye wander to Sol on occasion, as well as Silas and even Doc. I guess I should just change my name to Trixie!
Dive you really want to know what we're talking about, so put Deadwood on your list to watch over the holidays. You will be shocked and amazed by this show; of that I'm certain!
And now you really must visit CA so you can say you've been to Holy Hill!
I shall do my best to fulfill both those wishes, Katie.
"Remember: any person who does not exercise their right to vote does not deserve to live in a democracy."
I agree dive, 100%
And yet you choose to live in Australia, where the don't give a flying fuck about politics, democracy or anything else that doesn't involve beer and dicking around.
Hee hee.
Dive: My insomnia was sapping me of my stamina and disrupting my mood, making it difficult for me to get through the various tasks I have to perform on a daily basis - some of which require me to sit at this laptop for hours at a stretch without losing my mental focus or finesse. But I am beginning to bring the situation under control by gradually resetting the times I go to/get out of bed. I'm also trying to squeeze in a few more zees between said times. And, so far, it's working!
"And yet you choose to live in Australia, where the don't give a flying fuck about politics, democracy or anything else that doesn't involve beer and dicking around."
Mmmm. I know you couldn't possibly be referring to me (and are, indeed, joking), but....On the other hand, there a few of us who fit your description to a tee.
Katie: Thanks, Katie. I do have a lot on my plate at the moment, but it's all pretty yummy, so I'm gobbling it down before it goes cold. Also, if anything, side projects like ISKF, while they do take time to set up, are not all that much of a hassle to maintain - and are even a sign that I am in good form!
PS I was hoping you'd put the Doc on your list.
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