badgerblog - vote. just vote.
[Recent Entries][Archive][Friends][User Info]
|
09:34 pm
[Link] |
vote. just vote.
#################################
vote. just vote.
Early voting was insanely heavy in NC this year, not to mention elsewhere
http://elections.gmu.edu/early_vote_2008.html
I will borrow ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) rdansky's words:
I would encourage everyone reading this LJ who's registered to vote to do so, regardless of your political leanings or whether or not they agree with mine. The genius of our system is that it is a participatory democracy, and the more people who are involved in it, the better and more accurate tool of governance it is.
I add, from another source,
Walter H. Judd, a medical doctor and missionary who spent 20 years in Congress following WWII, once remarked: "People often say that, in a [free country], decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote -- a very different thing."
I have never even had so much as to step around someone in order to go vote. Never been blocked, never been barred, never been harassed or threatened or worse. I like it that way.
"Now, there's this about cynicism, sergeant. It's the universe's most supine moral position. Real comfortable. If nothing can be done, then you're not some kind of shit for not doing it, and you can lie there and stink to yourself in perfect peace."
"The Borders of Infinity", Lois McMaster Bujold
If you're unhappy there's only two realistic choices in an election and you don't like either of them, pick the one you like least and vote for the other one. If you don't want to vote because no one exactly and precisely represents all of your interests, I understand and sympathize: I don't think I have ever seen a candidate for public office that I completely agreed with their stand on every issue relevant to the office they were running for. But "making the perfect the enemy of the good" is not a viable option for me, and if you can vote and do not bother then I, at least, do not care about your opinion.
#################################
Local information and useful links for tomorrow:
NC - Polls open at 6:30am and close at 7:30pm.
Polling Place Locator
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/PrecinctFinder.aspx
Sample Ballots Visible Here:
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/VoterLookup.aspx?Feature=voterinfo
Wake County
http://www.wakegov.com/elections/2008generalschedule.htm
Durham County
http://www.co.durham.nc.us/departments/elec/Polling_Locations.html
Orange County
http://www.co.orange.nc.us/elect/precincts.asp
Laughing Squid feed for the election online
http://laughingsquid.com/united-states-election-day-2008-online/
A Twitter-powered "Citizen-Driven US Election Monitoring System"
http://infosthetics.com/archives/2008/11/citizen-driven_us_election_monitoring_system.html
A timetable for armchair election watchers, all given in Eastern Standard Time
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081103/ap_on_el_pr/watching_the_returns
##############################################
Now then, for the specific recommendations. I will continue to borrow others' words
* Vint Cerf endorses Barack Obama (youtube video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O60x75K9Fgw
* William Gibson endorses Obama:
http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/blog/2008_11_01_archive.asp
* John Scalzi's excellently-written post for supporting Obama
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/11/02/just-to-make-things-official-about-this-election/
* tyrsalvia contributes the Discordian and freak recommendation for Obama:
http://tyrsalvia.livejournal.com/869018.html
* Andrew Sullivan endorsement of Obama
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/barack-obama-fo.html
A Twitter-powered "Citizen-Driven US Election Monitoring System"
http://infosthetics.com/archives/2008/11/citizen-driven_us_election_monitoring_system.html
* Coilhouse has a rare political post:
http://coilhouse.net/2008/10/03/resistance-is-not-futile-please-register-and-vote/
* For some humor, seen in several places but most recently from overclokd,
http://somehedgehog.livejournal.com/245807.html
########################################
Other political links:
* Seen on William Gibson's blog, two minutes of brilliant memetic hijacking in the "Wassup 2008?" video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq8Uc5BFogE
Halfway through this two-minute promo ad I though this was going to be despairing but it pulls itself around. Storytellers, there's not a wasted second of screen time, camera shot, or line of dialogue in this.
* If you want to get rid of your political campaign mail, send it to UNC. No, this isn't a joke.
http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/a_way_to_recycle_campaign_mail
* Battlestar Galactica new season opening, 2008 campaign reshoot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVTfzThBDaE
* My friend Bryan has been collecting several pieces of "Presidential gothic" over at Infocult, the latest one including a hilariously unfortunate McCain pic and an immensely creepy photoshopped Obama in the tradition of _They Live_.
(I will assume everyone saw the _They Live_ photoshop of Sarah Palin from a couple of weeks back, but link to it in case.
http://theweaselking.livejournal.com/3096056.html
* The Modern Whig Party: umm, really?
http://modernwhig.org/
* In an election year where the Prohibition Party has a candidate running for office, I suppose revived Whigs aren't that odd.
http://www.prohibition.org/
* (I plan to mock the Prohibition Party on December 5th to mark the 125th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. Wine is a mocker after all.)
http://www.repealday.org/
http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2006/repeal-day-is-december-5th/ )
Current Music: Dexter
Tags: local, politics
|
|
| |
Apparently being a citizen of a foreign country means I can't vote. :p
| | From: | badger |
|---|
| Date: | November 4th, 2008 03:36 am (UTC) |
|---|
| | | (Link) |
|
Fair's fair: I can't file an absentee ballot for Australia. Oh, and your review of Conrad Williams' _The Unblemished_ convinced me to order a copy this evening. As if I *needed* more books in the to-read stacks. (That's not the point, of course.)
The difference being the US is far more likely to affect the situation in Australia than the other way around, heh.
Yay! I can't say I'm any sort of expert on horror, but that book is well awesome. I hope it's to your tastes!
My to-be-read pile isn't a pile, so much as whole shelves. I like having a huge selection of books to choose from, so I can pick on mood, rather than what's available.
voted last week. and took my sister, who established residency one day before the deadline. yay for one-stop no-excuse voting!
| | From: | badger |
|---|
| Date: | November 4th, 2008 06:46 pm (UTC) |
|---|
| | | (Link) |
|
yay for one-stop no-excuse voting!
Yay indeed. And yay for your sister too! |
|
