The Blogosphere from my view.
Feb. 24th, 2008 03:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
urbpan. Apparently Ralph Nader is running for president again. Why? I can't imagine. Speaking as someone who voted for a third party in 2000 (not Green), for the greens in state elections in 2002, and then for the Dems in 2004, and is still a registered member of the Green/Rainbow party, I have to say: just ignore him and he'll go away. We know now that there is a real difference between the Dems and the Repubs, and that voting for a third party in November does nothing but aid your enemy, unless you have the orbital mind control lasers under your command.
I actually said to people, "Hey, man, if everyone who could vote, but didn't, voted Green, we'd win!" Which is true, but so what? The people who won't vote won't ever vote so (pardon my rating) fuck 'em. The people you have to win over are these mystifying people in "the middle" who don't see much difference between Clinton and McCain. YES, Nader's positions on the environment are better than Obama's, but it doesn't matter since NADER CAN'T POSSIBLY WIN. Which, as a Green, I regret. So I will vote for the Democrat, since s/he (whoever it is) will be better than the Republicans, who have almost given up any pretense of what they stand for, and are simply writing laws to give their friends (who happen to own corporations) a whole lot of money for nothing. Up to and including WAGING WAR, then PRIVATIZING WAR, then using TRILLIONS of taxpayers dollars to fund two wars, filling the pockets of people who own stock in war companies.
It sounds so silly, doesn't it? War companies! ha ha!
Any way, if Nader would like to have a voice, let's let him speak. He's a bright guy with good ideas. Maybe he could be President Obama's Secretary of Labor or something. If you see his name on the ballot, however, don't fill it in, or pull the lever, or touch the screen, or scratch your nose or whatever your state considers voting.
2. Deep breath.
3. Where was I? Oh, okay. I really like my friend![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
g_weir's writing. If you think the Black Sabbath song "Iron Man" needed a full short story treatment, or that there was a better way to approach Knight Rider, then you should read his stuff.
4. I was listening to my backlog of Savage Love podcasts when Dan allofasudden said: "I'm gonna leave the office today after we finish recording this podcast and go burn down a church." To clarify a bit, he was saying it in response to a caller who said that her husband wanted to have her exorcised because she was having second thoughts about her life with his particular brand of conservative Christianity. He added "Run! A man who believes his wife is possessed by demons is a man that you can't trust won't attempt to save the soul by destroying the body." Given recent events in Kenya, where unfavorable election results produced the burning of a church and the 300+ bodies inside, I can't echo Mr. Savage's initial sentiments. But listening to the podcast reminded me that, as tolerant as I believe we all should be, my tolerance of someone's beliefs should end at the point where those beliefs cause me bodily harm.
5. Some of you are enjoying springlike weather, which, due to the caprices of geography, may actually be a prelude to spring. God damn you all to hell, until such time as I can join you.
I actually said to people, "Hey, man, if everyone who could vote, but didn't, voted Green, we'd win!" Which is true, but so what? The people who won't vote won't ever vote so (pardon my rating) fuck 'em. The people you have to win over are these mystifying people in "the middle" who don't see much difference between Clinton and McCain. YES, Nader's positions on the environment are better than Obama's, but it doesn't matter since NADER CAN'T POSSIBLY WIN. Which, as a Green, I regret. So I will vote for the Democrat, since s/he (whoever it is) will be better than the Republicans, who have almost given up any pretense of what they stand for, and are simply writing laws to give their friends (who happen to own corporations) a whole lot of money for nothing. Up to and including WAGING WAR, then PRIVATIZING WAR, then using TRILLIONS of taxpayers dollars to fund two wars, filling the pockets of people who own stock in war companies.
It sounds so silly, doesn't it? War companies! ha ha!
Any way, if Nader would like to have a voice, let's let him speak. He's a bright guy with good ideas. Maybe he could be President Obama's Secretary of Labor or something. If you see his name on the ballot, however, don't fill it in, or pull the lever, or touch the screen, or scratch your nose or whatever your state considers voting.
2. Deep breath.
3. Where was I? Oh, okay. I really like my friend
g_weir's writing. If you think the Black Sabbath song "Iron Man" needed a full short story treatment, or that there was a better way to approach Knight Rider, then you should read his stuff.4. I was listening to my backlog of Savage Love podcasts when Dan allofasudden said: "I'm gonna leave the office today after we finish recording this podcast and go burn down a church." To clarify a bit, he was saying it in response to a caller who said that her husband wanted to have her exorcised because she was having second thoughts about her life with his particular brand of conservative Christianity. He added "Run! A man who believes his wife is possessed by demons is a man that you can't trust won't attempt to save the soul by destroying the body." Given recent events in Kenya, where unfavorable election results produced the burning of a church and the 300+ bodies inside, I can't echo Mr. Savage's initial sentiments. But listening to the podcast reminded me that, as tolerant as I believe we all should be, my tolerance of someone's beliefs should end at the point where those beliefs cause me bodily harm.
5. Some of you are enjoying springlike weather, which, due to the caprices of geography, may actually be a prelude to spring. God damn you all to hell, until such time as I can join you.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-02-24 09:35 pm (UTC)Industry was closely regulated with quotas and requirements, to shift the economy towards a war production base. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany#Third_Reich_.281933-1945.29)
I hate to do it, in a way. Dragging out the ol' comparison chestnut, but when the shoe fits...
Some of you are enjoying springlike weather... - That would NOT be us here in San Francisco. It's been cold, rainy, and last night gusts of wind up to 60MPH. The house sort of swayed a bit all night. The rain has largely abated at this point and now it's just windy and chilly. Not New England "chilly" but SF chilly. Still, I'm sitting on the couch in short sleeves and the heat isn't on and I'm completely comfortable.
Still, some of the trees DO think it's spring.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-24 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-24 11:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-25 02:36 am (UTC)- The Dems could have supported and worked for instant runoff voting which dramatically changes the effect of third parties on elections and politics.
- They could have avoided gratuitously angering Green voters through such cheap tricks as redistricting Maine's one Green state legislator.
- They could have adopted some Green policies, much as European major parties do when pressed by from the left or right.
- They could have stopped being so consistently indistinguishable from the Republicans.
- Obama could have said he would add one or more Greens to his cabinet just as promised he might with one or more right wingers.
None of this happened.