I'm going to catch shit for this

It's over. The election thing. That guy won. I can't believe it. My friend said, "Heather, I had no idea you were such an outraged liberal!" (Note: this was taken out of context and not meant in a derogatory way, more like "I didn't realize you liked mashed potatoes.") I admitted I didn't know it either until this election rolled around and I gave some good hard thought to how much we had been lied to by our President and just didn't like the way that tasted.

My friend had some good points that I would like to share. My friend said that we liberals have become a little arrogant in our views, because we get so high-minded when it comes to people who don't agree with our views -- the Bushies. The fact is, my friend points out, over half the country CLEARLY does agree with this. We can call them brain-washed, but they're saying the same things about us. What we are dealing with, my friend and I both agree, is a radical example of human nature at its finest. That is to say that human beings have an inate inabilility to recognize other viewpoints as being as equally valid as their own, for the most part. I completely agree with this. My point is that I am arrogant in my beliefs because I truly truly cannot understand why anyone would want to continue the presidency of someone who has willingly sent so many of our young people to die. Doesn't seem to have a good plan for making that stop. Someone who shows little to no interest in figuring out a way to fix the problem of the vast amount of uninsured people in this country. Is pretty much against separating church and state. And on and on and on.

My friend pointed out this election was about foreign policy and my friend's belief is that the reason why Bush made it and Kerry didn't is because Bush is willing to put on the tough face and kick the shit out of anyone who raises an eyebrow at us instead of sitting down and trying to talk about it diplomatically. You know what. I think this is a good point and I agree that this was a resounding reason why he was re-elected. Bush is able to be the big tough mean guy that's going to "keep us safe." The problem is that he has a little something to do (in not just my opinion) with why we aren't quite so safe. Compound THAT with the fact that he and his homies seem to feed the fear of the American public and I just get outraged again.

But, honestly. I hate to be defeatist, but what can I do? I voted. I voiced my opinion. Could I have done more? Probably. Did I? No. There is just no point spending four years in a state of moral outrage and pissiness and so forth. It's done. He's still running the show. All we can do is hope (and pray, for those of us who do that) that he doesn't continue to fuck up the country. That he sees the division as a real reason to make some changes. No, I don't believe that is going to happen -- but I can still hope it, can't I? It's done.

Another friend says My Country -- Right or Wrong and that wrong is the answer. I don't agree. We still live in country that allows us to choose who is going to run it. We still live in a country that allows us to be pissed off AND LOUDLY about who is running it. We still live in country that is pretty safe (and I DO believe this, even after 9/11 and everything after). No one is going to come to my house and shoot me in the head for choosing Kerry over Bush. We have freedom. We do. We can say that Bush is stripping it as much as he can, but we've still got a fuck ton more than a lot of other sorry bastards do. So, it's my country and we may be wrong but I still love it and I still believe we can make it through this.

But, I guess I'm just an eternal optimist. HA.