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vote fuckas.

my polling place is at the elementary school by my apartment. it was total chaos. and i've never used such strange, archaic voting machines. they are like machines out of a 'myst' game. pull this giant red lever. twist these little knobbies. pull the giant lever again. and the thing is the size of a refrigerator. are there gnomes in there? there were a lot of parents who had brought their kids with them into the booths, which was cool to see - you know, 'c'mon junior, daddy's going to show you the importance and meaning of democracy.' and junior's all like 'what cool little knobbies.' it was strangely moving, though. glad to be part of the kerry landslide in new york state, and hopefully part of the decisive victory electoral-vote.com is predicting.

got a comment today about kerry's mary cheney mention in the last debate:

Joe--It wasn't that Kerry was saying Mary Cheney is a lesbian. Yes,we've all known that for forever. What WAS offensive was Kerry speaking FOR Miss Cheney. "If Mary Cheney were here tonight she would say.." HOW does he know what she'd say? It was sort of a weird non sequiter as well. The moderator didn't bring up Mary Cheney. In the other scenario,VP Cheney was there,a direct question was raised and John Edwards said some nice things about how much the Cheneys loved their daughter and basically that it was not something he wanted to make political hay over. WHICH was very cool of him. Kerry just was...condescending in a bizarre way. As if ONLY he could understand what views M.C. held or should hold. Hope that helps you understand the way 'we' saw this particular exchange.

interesting. whoever you are, thanks for this - it's an almost gay-friendly look at the exchange, but i wonder, who are 'you,' and do you believe that homosexuality is a choice? kerry's exact quote was 'We're all God's children, Bob. And I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as.'

this to me is like saying of a black person 'i think if you were to talk to a black person they would say that yes, they are black.' end of issue.

please write back - because my very deep feeling is that you would only find this phrase presupposing or offensive if you believe that homosexuality is an affliction to be overcome, or a choice. am i right? prove me wrong.

also, it was not a non-sequitur. mary cheney's position in her father's campaign, in addition to her long term, committed partnership reveal a deep-rooted hypocrisy in the administration's views. how could kerry not bring it up?

the red flag for me is when you say 'views.' if you think that a person identifying as gay would have differing 'views' about choosing to be gay, then you're on the other side of the fence. i can't even really debate you on it. if you know many gay people, if you've really talked to gay people about their experience in the world, i think you would find (heh, i'm practically using kerry's phrase here) that what kerry said is absolutely true. we're being who we were born as. if you don't see it that way, then yes, you'd be offended, and i'm sorry for that. and to you i say - talk to more gay people, the ones in your office, the ones in your family, the ones you like and respect but have never really broached the subject with - and ask them if it's a choice.

what this section of the debate said very clearly to me was that kerry acknowledges the gay experience better than any presidental candidate in history. clinton half heartedly tried to get rid of 'don't ask don't tell' and was loosely pro-gay, but was never asked point blank (at least in a debate), the basic question - do you think it's a choice? i actually sat there in a sort of shock as kerry spoke of it so specifically. i got a little teary in fact, softie that i am. and maybe i got teary in the same way that pro-lifers get when bush talks about abortion and stem cell research.

you may never believe or understand that being gay is my identity. just as i may never believe or understand how one person can hold capital punishment to be ok, while in the same breath deeply mourn the loss of embrios. we really are a divided nation on so many fronts.

it's gonna be a fun night.

i remember when i was a kid, on election days in colorado - it was the year dukakis lost. my dad and i watched the tv all night as the map turned red red red. actually it turned grey grey grey because of our black and white tv. and my dad kept saying 'there's hope in new york because of the time difference. they're two hours ahead of us, the polls haven't closed yet and they're all gonna vote after work.' sadly it didn't turn out that way. wait. that's totally wrong. the polls in new york would close before the ones in colorado. was he talking about california? in any case, it's exciting this year, to be on the other end of the country, after all the polls have closed and watch the chaos ensue. or not. here's hoping colorado goes blue. or um, light grey for those on black and white sets. here's hoping propsition 36 passes even it means losing electoral votes to bush. here's hoping that the litany of amendments to limit the rights of gay people are not passed - if only to save everyone the fortune in legal fees the country will have to spend while inevitably overturning them in the courts.


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