An open letter to George W. Bush

So it appears the American people are stuck with another four years of your "leadership". This isn't a letter of congratulations, bucko. In case some 7 year old wasn't available to read the numbers to you, your victory wasn't decisive - the only reason you get to be President for the next four years is because John Kerry is not willing allow the further polarization of the nation. That's an example you should follow.

You and your cronies have implied that to disagree with your point of view makes a person unpatriotic. Guess what? About half the voting public disagreed with you and your policies and your administration yesterday. The only reason you're not joining the 5.4% of the nation on the unemployment line is because the Electoral College system does not reflect the true will of the voting public. (Oh, I'm not counted in those unemployment figures, even though I look daily and have sent out enough resumes to wallpaper a small suburb, because my last job was through a contract agency. Technically, the government still considers me "employed" even though I've not had an assignment in 9 months.)

Now, how do you intend to deal with those of us that you've pretty much flat out accused of being unAmerican because we didn't like the message you put forth? Maybe not you personally, but you're such a strong believer in taking responsibility for those that act with your authority - like Dick Cheney, Condalizza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, John Ashcroft... it used to be that the most American thing you could do was have a difference of opinion with the ruling administration. Hell, that's what Americans pointed to first thing as to what made being American so great and so cool - you could not only disagree with the government, you could do so openly and vocally and not have to worry about government retribution. Now we have "The Patriot Act" - which was written and passed in an atmosphere of fear and makes every vocal citizen a suspect.

While we're at it - how about Iraq and Abu Ghraib? You weren't willing to go to Viet Nam so you started one of your own? That may not have been your intention, but that's what you've got. "Insurgents" is this war's term for "Viet Cong". You should have stuck to one task, and that was going after bin Laden. Saddam wasn't going anywhere. The bullshit intelligence that your boys cooked up could have been sat on until the mountains surrounding Tora Bora were reduced to landscaping pebbles. You screwed up, you jumped the gun and now you've turned what had been the greatest nation in the world into a laughingstock. You went on and on about how Saddam tortured and killed prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison, and what happened there under our watch? Prisoners were humiliated, tortured and at least one died. Over 1,100 American and an estimated that 100,000 Iraqi lives have been lost, because of what? Let's see... no weapons of mass destruction, no connection to Al Qaida... must have been because Saddam threatened your daddy. So, all those people died because of your ego? If that's the case, you should be Saddam's co-defendant.

George, you say that God talks to you. Y'know if you admit to that at the Denton County MHMR, they'll medicate you with anti-psychotics. It's one of the symptoms of schitzo-affective disorder. It might help. There's no shame in admtting you need help, man. It's the first step to recovery. You may just need less stress in your life. How about handing over that stress inducing job to John Kerry and heading back to the ranch?

The deed is done

Denton county does things differently from Dallas county apparently. Very low tech, very laid back. Had the option to vote a straight party ticket and be done in 10 seconds, but I've never been one to take the easy way out.

Something I found disturbing though, as a card carrying liberal - which is more commonly known as a registered Democrat. For many offices, there was no Democratic candidate on the ballot. Now, faced with a choice like that, I did what any proper, I've-had-enough-of-Republicans-for-one-life voter would do: I voted Libertarian!

So, I have firmly cemented my right to bitch about politics on a local and national level for the next four years. Get a move on and vote or don't bitch.

Do you know what day it is?

If you didn't get out and take advantage of early voting, then you best get out and get to the polls.

You have a duty to make your voice heard in the halls of power, even if it's simply a vote against the status quo. It's a sacred gift preserved for us by those that have fought and died in countless conflicts, on these and foreign shores. The least we can do is get off our asses and step into the voting booth. I'm about to shower and dress and head out the door to the precinct.

This is the very first piece I ever learned to memorize and recite back, to the amazement and amusement of my grandparents and their friends. I thought I'd share it here, perhaps to amuse and because it seems appropriate today. It's author, Vaughn Meader, died October 29th. I learned this from from my crib and was 2 when I began performing it. It's from Mr. Meader's 1962 Grammy winning Album of the Year "The First Family":

"Today is Election Day. Go to the polls and vote! Vote for the Kennedy of your choice, but vote!"

Identity Theft

Not the kind where someone steals your social security, drivers' license or insurance policy numbers and ruins your credit - anyone trying that with my credit gets what they deserve. I'm talking about that question that inevitably pops up in any sort of social situation, a question I come to dread when I meet people in game chat rooms or even in online role playing games and the characters get dropped in order to meet the "real people"...

"So, what do you do?"

Now, generally the unspoken part is "for a living". This is what tends to put me in a bit of a quandry. Do I state the field that I'm seeking employment in? Do I list what I do in order to pay for my cigarettes and medicine? Do I give my volunteer staffing position with a player run gaming shard as a profession in some situations, just to confuse? "Well, George Bush is engaging in nation building. I decided to go one better. I'm part of a world building team." Hey, it sounds good and could shut up anyone not into computer games.

It's amazing how much of our personal identity is tied to arbitrary labels. I'm a computer technician, a divorcee, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a gamer... bipolar with depressive presentation. That bipolar label has added a few new labels - the hermit down the hall, the crazy lady, Joe's unstable girlfriend, just to name a few that I've heard.

Why can't I just be Marie?