Voting Informed

So, my friends are fairly evenly split between D's and R's, those who will actually pay attention when I share some relevant political tidbit with them and those who 'respect me' but will not listen or read because they feel very strongly about their person, party & cause(s). I get it; fear is a curious thing. Hell, truth is a curious thing. We live in a society wherein if you repeat some random statement, "fact" or idea enough times, people stop questioning it. The Obama campaign has sort of gotten to a point where, remembering my visit to the Holocaust Museum and my history lessons re: WWII & the Holocaust, I sort of feel like it's Germany again in the 1930s only it's not. It's the US in 2008. Think about it. You can dig up, elude to and flat out state almost anything negative about McCain and/or Palin and/or Republicans and the media is on it like homeless people on bread scraps (don't even THINK about chastising me for saying that!). I have discovered that the mere suggestion of any negativity of any kind the references Obama gets you damned, label some not very pretty things and giving that "you, in the corner! NOW!" look.

So, I was having a discussion with someone close to me with whom I have major differences of opinion regarding politics. This person feels I am a naive idiot, that 'years of devastating Republican rule have ruined my life' [because President Bush forced me to work in real estate, etc]and that things will be hugely improved under Obama. UH, yeah, riiiigggghhhhttt. So, I say, 'so I know you hate Bush and McCain because he is Bush, which makes me question your contact prescription because it's obviously not improving your sight, but did you go to Obama's website and actually read his positions on the issues? Did you go to McCain's website and read his positions on the issues or are you just so hateful and misguided that you can't even be bothered to read?'

He looked at me and blathered on about how terrible Bush is and so on and so forth. It is the standard counter-argument of not just him but many people who are Obama backers. I said,"I am, in fact, a Republican but I am also a student of political science, it's what my degree's in. It's what I spent hundreds of hours on and so I know that 'because' is not an answer, you should never follow unquestioningly any path be it religious, political or 'because your mom and dad/whoever is so so too should you be'. I took the time to read Obama's entire agenda/platform as well as McCain's."

He of course was shocked by this. Why I have no idea. I surmise it is because he and many like him have latched on to Obama and the media lovefest with unquestioning fervor.

I believe strongly in the process of democracy, know that many people hate facts, get very angry when the truth outs and it is not convenient for them, and also know that it's not enough to say 'I voted.' The new standard must be 'I voted informed.'

If you haven't yet voted, go read up on both candidates. Please take the time to read either their entire platform or, if you're pressed for time, the information on the subjects/causes nearest your heart. Even if you're die-hard one way or the other, for democracy's sake, go to www.McCain.com or www.BarackObama.com and just read. Then vote according to whose closest to what you envision your life and your country's path being. You might surprise yourself...oh, and remember, it's between you and your higher being, if you believe in one.

This is really that important.