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Wedding, Etc.
July 13, 2004
Ok, Ok, YEESH! So, there was this wedding a few weeks ago where a certain somebody got married and I'm being harrased to put up my pictures. Well, there you go, then. They're up.Don't you people know I'm busy? I mean, I do have a life, you know? And a job. And an incredibly cute baby! Which reminds me - I wanna say congratulations to the Summitt's, who are now expecting another Jr. blogger-to-be. That is so completely awesome! You guys will certainly rock as parents.
Otherwise, life is kinda kicking my ass right now. Work is sort of hectic at times. Ellie is a ball full of energy, draining what little I have left when I get home from work. And Jovi's passing was, while somewhat expected, a depressing loss that seemed to happen all too suddenly. She was only four years old, folks. Four. Years. Old. Cancer is such a bitch.
On a brighter note, I'm glad that Kerry chose Edwards as his running mate. I really do believe that that was the only winning ticket for the Dems. And yes, I am one of those guys you read about that is so determined to vote Bush and his bullshit administration out of office that I'd vote for just about any Democrat right now.
Say what you will about voting this way, but the past four years have been giant steps backwards to me, and I'll do just about whatever is necessary to stop the hemorrhaging that is going on in this country in regards to foreign policy and American Civil Liberties.
I've ordered my bumper sticker and made my donation. Hopefully, in four years I'll be able to get back on the horse and vote my conscience. But this time, I'll take the low road if I have to, so long as I get to my destination in November.
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This is my weblog - a place for me to write about whatever interests me. The topic is a wildcard, but is likely to be about UI Design, Usability, Web Standards, Photography, Music, Politics, etc. Every once in a while even a little politics. Expect anything.
You can also try to push Kerry toward more progressive policies.
at this point, i'd even vote for a huffman.
Agreed, JimA. I certainly don't mean to imply that I've become complacent, politically, just focused on what I think needs to be done in November as the first step in the right direction.
Kerry is far from my ideal candidate, for sure, and I will be sure to keep the pressure on him and his administration to not become stagnant, which could be an easy thing for a progressive to do in these times.
Um, you do live in Indiana, right? You know Bush has Indiana locked up, right? So why throw your vote away on a candidate who can't win?
While it's hard to imagine anyone worse than Bush, I've heard tell that Kerry might even keep us in Iraq longer. But nevermind that, because my point is that your vote won't benefit Kerry in our winner-take-all electoral college system.
So you might as well throw your vote to someone you actually believe in, if such a candidate is on the ballot in Indiana, of which I am somewhat doubtful.
Good point, B.
That very same logic would say that I shouldn't vote at all, since my vote "doesn't matter" or is a "throw-away".
Bush beat Gore by only 340,000 Indiana votes (1,245,836 votes to 901,980 - Source). That's 41% Gore to 57% Bush - that's not a landslide, in my opinion. If people start understanding that its closer than just a Republican landslide in Indiana, then we have a chance to change future votes.
There is a perpetuated mantra that Indiana only votes Republican. I believe that that myth can be changed. For twelve years Indiana has had Democrats in the Governor's mansion. How do you explain that? I think it has something to do with how people perceive their chances to win. If voters feel like they cannot win, if they feel that their vote in the National election is a "waste", as you say it is, then maybe they aren't voting. Perhaps this is keeping many thousands of democratic voters away.
Personally, I choose to put my vote toward closing the gap on the Republicans. Change is inevitable. The Republicans will not rule Indiana forever. Besides, there are no other candidates on the Indiana ticket that I would rather vote for.
i understand Jimmah's point completely, but from my perspective, we should champion Kerry (John suqared) at every opportunity. The stakes are higher than they've been in 200 years, and if the right gets another term, they'll decimate the Constitution with radical right wing policy and lock in power for decades.
in all seriousness, i believe millions of lives are at stake.
170,000 person vote swing in a state with over 6 million people is not a lock.
okay... maybe that was a bit dramatic, but i'm just sick about state of affairs.
Good points also. I don't think that B's argument translates into not voting at all. I think that voting your conscience in a "locked" state does do some good. I also think you make a good point about the possibilities inherent in voting for Kerry. The problem for me really is that I don't want to vote for Kerry or Edwards. They're less bad than Bush, yes, but they're still in favor of a lot of things that I see as problems. Kerry has endorsed several Bush intiatives, for example. Anyhoo, we each have to decide, and I appreciate the perspectives.
Thanks for sharing the great pictures - I really enjoyed talking to you and Sarah at the wedding :)
Well, JimA, I would disagree that B's statement doesn't equate to not voting at all.
Um, you do live in Indiana, right? You know Bush has Indiana locked up, right? So why throw your vote away on a candidate who can't win?
If a candidate has a state "locked up" and voting for someone who can't win is as good as "throw(ing) your vote away", then unless I vote for Bush (the only candidate who CAN win), my vote has been thrown away. To me, not voting is equivalent to throwing your vote away, therefore, it is the exact equivalent logic.
Now, I do agree with you that there may be objectives other than winning, but that's not what B said.
However, B does go on to promote voting my conscious, but only under the belief that I cannot win. I argue that it is possible to win if more people who are apt to vote for the Democratic candidate, but who haven't lately (for instance, I voted for Nader in 1996 and 2000), ignore the myth that Democrats can't win and came out to the polls. Of course, I may just be living in a fantasy land.
Again, I respect people choosing what they are most comfortable with and doing it. I can live with myself holding my nose and voting for John, but I understand that others cannot or that some may have objectives other than winning the electoral votes in Indiana for their candidate (as I did in 1996 and 2000).
In the end, I certainly understand where all of you are coming from and I appreciate you taking the time and speaking your mind.
It's just that I was really hoping for the raw files on a CD, but if that's too much trouble, I'll settle for the 60K versions. Thanks, Corncob.
Oh, and cassettes rule!
What happened to my license plate?
I deleted your plate number to protect your privacy, assuming that people could look up sensitive BMV info if they had that - or worse I suppose.
And you're going to get your damn CD, just be patient with me.
That was very thoughtful. Seriously.
Sorry, I was only hoping to share a little commiserative (?) snideness. The Democrats told us four years ago that if we voted for Nader we were "throwing away" our vote. I meant to reference that in what I hoped was an ironic way, but ended up obtuse.
Here's a new idea I just read about: The Lizard Strategy. "Elect the Flake, Evict the Snake." (This slogan might make more sense if you lived in Louisiana in 1991.)
I assume that neither Cobb nor Nader are on the ballot in Indiana this year?
I don't think they're on the ballot, B. I think I interpreted the "throwing your vote away" comment closer to the way you intended than Cornholio did, but that's semiotics for ya. Intriguing thesis on the Dems possible Indiana victory strategy, Cornjob. I'll have to mull that one over a bit.
That's just fine, B. I'm not all that used to your "online" voice yet, so allow me some time to get used to it and, hopefully, I'll catch those lil' doggies when you throw them out.
By the way, welcome, B. It's nice to have you participating in this forum. And I especially like all of your work on Rox.com. As a New Media man, I find your work there to be a wonderfully exhaustive example on how the Web is/has been changing media. I'm working my way through "Fat" right now and I plan to get caught up on all the episodes I never saw on BCAT back when I lived in B-town.
moveable type 3.0 rocks. but sadly, it is not compatible with mt-blacklist, and i'm getting about 100 spam comments per day. it does, however, support type key, which i will be implementing. but type key requires registration.
Yes, Jib, both are reasons why I will not be upgrading to 3.0 and are also reasons that I am working with someone right now to develop my own CMS.
Yes, you read that right, my own CMS. More news in a few months on that.