I am voting today.
I will be heading to the polls and exercising my right, as an American, to help choose the next President of the United States.
My candidate may not win. But you know what? That’s okay, because I relish the fact that we live in a country in which we the people elect our leader. If my candidate wins. Whooo hooo! If he doesn’t, there is always next time, you know?
So, for those of you who claim on your blogs that if your candidate does not win you are going to take an overdose of pain medication (how asinine and I swear this crap is out there, and I know that they are kidding, but still), please get a grip on reality and see a psychiatrist. Or if you you are going to move away if your candidate loses, well, that is your right!!! God bless America!!! Because you are living in America, you CAN freely leave, so I say go for it! Exercise your right to freely cross the borders and fly wherever you want! Many people in other countries are oppressed and cannot do this, so cherish and appreciate that freedom. Oh, and be sure to come back…..you will be welcome again.
In fact, I think you should go to someplace like Tunisia or Morocco, Africa. In Tunisia and Morocco you can’t be a Christian….or Jewish…or Buddist….or Hindu. You can only be Muslim, and that is enforced brutally. It is a place that jails it’s tourists if they pray to Jesus. Just ask my brother. He has spent several nights in a Moroccan prison for simply being a Christian. Amnesty International got him out. I also know what it is like to receive an overseas call from him in Tunisia, years later, saying “I am being persecuted, and am in hiding in Tunis. If you don’t hear from me again by noon tomorrow then it means I am dead, so call the American Embassy in Tunis and tell them what is happening”.
Or how about heading on over to Kenya, where you will be hacked to death with machetes if you happen to have voted for the man that won? Or gunned down in the streets if you protest the election.
When you throw a hissy fit because your candidate loses, you look like a spoiled 2 year old and it is embarrassing. So grow up and be an adult this election. Use your manners folks and quit slinging mud and ignorance from both sides. I am not a racist for voting for McCain, and someone is not a terrorist for voting Obama. You know what I consider racist? I consider it racist when someone calls me a “stupid, white neo-con” for my support of McCain/Palin. Those who know me, know this is not true. Let me tell you a little secret……I did not sit in a church listening to my pastor preach racist rants from the pulpit for 20 years. If my pastor ever spoke angry and terrible things about any people, I would get up and walk out the very first time and never go back again. Period. It is that simple.
I am voting the way I am because I do not support abortion, raising taxes, “redistribution of the wealth” (how can you give a tax refund to someone that didn’t pay taxes to begin with??), socialism, campaign fraud (ACORN) and spending millions, upon millions, upon millions on a campaign that pledges to help the poor but is wallowing in hypocrisy. If helping the poor were that important to Mr. Obama, the money would have been spent helping those rendered homeless by Ike in Galveston, Louisianna and Haiti……not on the around the clock “Obama Channel” on satellite.
I could care the less what color the candidates skin is. That should never be a reason to vote a man into the office of President. EVER. Yes, how flippin’ cool would that be for us to have a black President FINALLY!! But, the color of a man (or womans) skin is NOT a reason to elect a person President. You should make the choice based on who you think is most qualified for the job and I think that is Senator John McCain.
We are so damned blessed to have the rights and privileges that we are granted as members of this amazing country. You live in one of the greatest nations ever founded. You live in a country in which you can chose how and where you worship. Food is readily available to you. Clean water flows from your faucets. The poor receive help from government run programs and many, many of our citizens freely give to those in need.
We are black, we are white, we are yellow, and we are lucky to be members of such a diverse nation. My grandparents and great-grandparents came here by boat from Italy and Denmark seeking prosperity and freedom. They found it, and I praise this great nation.
I encourage you today to get out and exercise your rights as an American citizen. Whether you support Obama or McCain, please vote. It is your right and a privilege. Do not take it for granted.
I am not.
Who are we?
The 3rd Coast
It got my heart pumping faster today when i saw Palin on the ballot. I’ve never been happier to vote!
I just felt that I needed to comment to say it does a disservice to claim that Obama is for “socialism, campaign fraud (ACORN) and spending millions, upon millions, upon millions on a campaign that pledges to help the poor but is wallowing in hypocrisy.” Of course Senator Obama and Senator Biden are not socialists or for campaign fraud. If you believe in your candidate, there are real truthful reasons to vote for him like being anti-abortion and all. But it is unfair to tag the other candidate with blatant false accusations. I can tell you do not like it when people tag you falsely as a racist simply because you do not believe in the Democratic ticket. Conversely, those of us who believe strongly in Obama/Biden are not socialists nor do we support voter fraud and neither does our candidate. As far as spending millions of dollars… The candidates both raise as much money as they can because they believe that they need to be elected in order to do the things that matter to them, and they hope to do for the people who voted for them. Unfortunately in this country, those who raise the most money, tend to be able to get their message out best. If they win, they believe they will be able to help the people who need it. It does not mean they are hypocrites. McCain and his wife are multi-millionaire, and they still raise money. Does that make them hypocrites for not spending all of their money helping people? Do they really need to own 7 houses even if they can afford it? Was it hypocritical for Sarah Palin to allow herself to be clad in $150,000 worth of clothing and $33,000 worth of hair and make-up for the past 2 months while she claimed to be an “Average Hockey Mom” even if it were not her own money — it was money that was raised by the campaign – perhaps that is even worse? Regardless of these issues, I think the policy differences between the candidates are clear enough. Also Obama will raise taxes for people like me, but as far as I can tell from your blog, your taxes will go down. Most people’s taxes will go down under his plan. He is for fair taxation, not reducing taxes for the wealthy. Now you might be against that, and I understand that, but Obama is not raising taxes for 90% of the American people. He is just trying to make it more fair. Fairness is not socialism. My husband is a proud capitalist, but he also does not believe in being selfish either and our taxes help our society which we believe in too. We love American just as you do and we are not socialists! Neither is the candidate whom we believe in nor is my brother-in-law who is a Democratic Congressman. We just believe in different ways to help America perhaps than you do. That is ok. I just do not think it is right to call people socialists or frauds. I hope you do not mind that I am expressing a difference of opinion here. Because it is a comment on your blog, I am trying to be respectful since of course it is your blog. On my blog, I do rant a lot about what I find infuriating about the other candidate and his/her tactics. Of course my readers can disagree with me and they do. I like your writing a lot and appreciate your different perspective, but I just felt that I had to ask you to consider what you are saying about the opposite candidates.
Amy, I really appreciate your comment.
I do believe that what Obama is talking about is very much like socialism.
Re-distribution of the wealth is very socialistic. Like you said, America
is about captialism, and equal opportunity and Mr. Obama is living proof
that it works. I mean, doesn’t he claim to have been raised in a
economically challenged home, yet he attended an ivy league school and is
now running for President of the United States? That is America, and what
he is proposing is not what our founding fathers intended.
Friday the story broke about Obama’s aunt who lives in a Boston slum. I
mean, he preaches for us to be our brothers keeper, but he doesn’t even
insure the prosperity and well being of his own family?
That to me is hypocrisy.
I do question Mr. Obamas role in ACORN, just as Nixon was questioned in
Watergate, Reagan in the Iran Contra Affair etc. etc. I question his
associations with his radical pastor and Bill Ayers…..I question those 2
issues alot. I mean, what reason did he have sitting in that church for 20
years listening to racist rants like that if he didn’t agree with the man?
If he is appauled, as he said he was, why didn’t he leave? I question why
he campaigned for Odinga in Africa who is obviously very radical and
dangerous. I question much about Mr. Obama, and that is my right as a
voter. It most certainly comes into my choice as to whether or not I would
vote for him. To say that I can’t question these issues and allow them to
influence my vote would be like burying my head in the sand, and that is not
likely to happen.
You said: “Also Obama will raise taxes for people like me, but as far as I
can tell from your blog, your taxes will go down.”
What makes you think that?
You said: “Now you might be against that, and I understand that, but Obama
is not raising taxes for 90% of the American people. He is just trying to
make it more fair. Fairness is not socialism.”
Fairness is eveyone paying the same tax rate. Why should one person pay a
higher tax rate than another? My husband and I give a large percentage of
our money to charity, and that is our choice. It should not be forced upon
us by big government. I live in America, not Cuba or China.
Thank you so much for your comment. It is welcome and I appreciate a
different point of view. We will just agree to disagree and cancel each
others vote out. ;*)
Oh, and thought I would add the definition of socialism from Wikipedia: “Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital and creates an unequal society. All socialists advocate the creation of an egalitarian society, in which wealth and power are distributed more evenly, although there is considerable disagreement among socialists over how, and to what extent this could be achieved.[1]”
Jody
Just for the record, there ARE other countries out there, beyond America, who offer freedom to their citizens. Both the freedom to vote, and all other freedoms which America offers. As someone who has dual citizenship (US and UK), as well as membership in the EU … just thought I’d mention – America is no longer the only free country in the world.
So, if people want to leave, they don’t have to go to Morocco (although it’s a great vacation spot) … they can go to western Europe (the Netherlands offers more individual freedom than America does, for instance) or Australia or Fiji or any of the islands off the coast of Asia.
Just saying.
I’m voting as well. But, am also one of the Americans who plans to eventually leave this country for less intrusive places in terms of personal choice/individual freedom.
I am just curious to ask what personal choices/freedoms you are being denied in America?
And yes, Morocco is a great vacation spot….but i know what it is like to live there. Being on vacation is one hell of alot different than living there. My brother did for several years and it was rough….try spending 4 nights in a prison there with rats crawling over you and the sound of your fellow Moroccans being beat to hell down the hall for praying to someone other than Mohammad.
I think it would be FABULOUS to live in Australi or Fiji. I am drooling. I want to go there by boat and my oldest son wants to live in Australia and study reptiles. But my number one place that I want to sail to and possible eek out a life in is San Blas islands…..heavenly.
Yes, there are other places in the world that are free……I am just proud to be an American and what our history stands for. There are parts of it that I am not proud of, but in general I think we have a great nation.
Woo hoo! Couldn’t agree more…this is awesome!!
Go VOTE, Absolutely!!!
even if I am for the other guy…
You said it all. My husband and I have already sent in our absentee ballots!
Amen, Jodi…….well said, thank you.
This is an amazing video — I am so glad you posted it. I need to go vote tomorrow before the lines get so bad. GO McCAIN!! Vote to end abortion!!!! and by the way, Joe Biden is NO CATHOLIC! Thank you very much.
You GO GIRL!! You must have been reading my mind. I agree with Jamie…. VOTE JODY!!!
We might be on opposing tickets, but my friend, I couldn’t have said it better myself!!! I will never forget the images of the Iraqi women, in their burkahs, with blue ink on their fingers. That was proof that they had voted, and they had never been afforded that right before. God bless the USA and the freedom it affords us!!
I couldn’t agree with you more if I wrote this post myself.
What she said…. seriously!
Rock your Vote Jody!