Unamerican

It's election day and I'm invoking my constitutional right to abstain from voting.

I'm unamerican.

According to some at least. Mostly by people who don't want to see this election stolen by the Republican party again. But, before I'm crucified, I've got a couple reasons for this choice.

One: I don't like either opponent.

HOW CAN YOU NOT LIKE OBAMA? HE'S A BASTION OF HOPE!!!

Six months ago (maybe less) I would have agreed with you. But, when he voted in favor of warrantless wiretapping, he lost my support and became just another easy-talkin' politician.

To me, personal freedoms are the things that make America great. These freedoms include being able to talk to whomever I want without the fear of Uncle Sam listening in on me. Whether it's to prevent a supposed terrorist threat or not. (If it weren't for America's terrible terrible terrible foreign policies, we wouldn't have a terrorist threat.)

I don't want to see America follow the same path Great Britain has started down recently of having everything under closed circuit surveillance and absurd assumed police jurisdiction (when people start being hassled for taking pictures of and video taping buildings, something's gone horribly wrong.) Not to sound like a Big Brother, 1984 nut... But sounds sounds a lot like Big Brother.

As such, I can't support a candidate who supports these actions.

McCain/Palin is just a joke. Most of the joke is by fault of Palin, but that falls on who she represents. And he represents a continuation of failed policies and lies.

Two: Here in Dothan,Alabama, Houston County, my vote won't matter.

Yes, yes, I know. The 2000 election was decided by 537 votes (and a little creative counting by the GOP).

But, some rough numbers:

"According to unofficial vote totals for 2004, Bush received 26,868 votes and John Kerry received 9,141 votes.

In the November 2000 election, Houston County strongly supported Bush. Countywide, 22,150 people voted for Bush and 9,412 voted for Gore. Nader received 257 votes."
-http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/politicalInfo.php?locIndex=11901

That's not 537. That's 17727 more votes for Bush in 2004. An increase of almost five thousand votes from the 2000 election. We had already seen how much Bush could screw up in four years and the voters here were more eager to reelect him than to elect him.

I have no doubt that it will be closer this year. There is a marginal black population, but the majority of the voters here are still white middle class Christians.

This county has also voted for Republican congressional candidates since the seventies. All seats.

Not to mention it's Alabama. There will be a few counties that Obama will win, but not anywhere near enough to win the state.

I have friends in Austin who reply with, "Well I'm in Texas! I'm still voting!"

And more power to you. But, I don't work that way. I don't get satisfaction from doing something just to do it. With the exception of my emotions, I completely rationalize everything.

Three: I don't support our current election system.

Electoral votes are absurd. Plain and simple. When the popular vote matters, I'll care a great deal more.

The electoral votes are meant to protect the smaller states. So states like California and New York don't control the White House because they have superior populations. So you've got people in New York who's vote don't count nearly as much as someone's in West Virgina.

That's hardly fair either.

I understand the concern, but it just doesn't work. It doesn't benefit people like me who live in a town where he's one of the only people who shares his views.

I feel that by participating in a system I don't agree with, all I'm doing is prolonging the institution.

Four: Cos fuck you.

It's my choice whether I vote or not. Don't guilt me for making a decision.



In summation: I think Obama is the better choice. But it still doesn't matter. He speaks of change and hope, and for our sake I really really really hope he's able to deliver. We're in it in bad way right now and I don't think one man is going to be able to change that.

The economy's in shambles, there's a god forsaken war going on, our educational system is a joke, we're still the most hateful and ignorant people on the planet, and we can't learn from our mistakes.

Obama may be a politician we all like, but he's still a politician. Very few politicians in this country have ever had the public as their focus. Call me a cynic, but I don't think it will change.

I HOPE it does.

I HOPE he proves me wrong.

It may be that I made up these reasons because I'm too lazy or apathetic to vote. I don't rule out that possibility. So, take these reasons at face value, they may not mean anything.

But, whether they came about before or after I decided not to vote is irrelevant. I believe them now and I'm standing by my decision.

I have a choice too, even if it's different from yours and doesn't support your revolution.

I'm just as American as you.

Just a different kind of American.