Have you Voted?

I just cast my ballot about a half hour ago. There's a good feeling that comes over you when you finish your ballot. A sense of belonging. I AM AN AMERICAN! You know, that kind of feeling. I'm sure that everyone feels that way when they cast their ballot for whoever they voted for. It's a matter of civic pride, ya know? Like the way you feel when you finally get your driver's license or you take your first legal sip of beer. It's a release from the pre-election anxiety.

For right now, I feel pretty good. The world is at peace for the moment. As much as I'd like this moment to last forever, I know it's fleeting and the chaos is about to ensue. We can only hope that it comes out the other side clean as a whistle inside and out. Courts have allowed the Republicans to have poll watchers in OH, PA, and FL. I understand why they might feel this way. After all, their golem, George Bush, is going into this contest with less than a 50% approval rating. This has spelled doom for the incumbant (Republican or Democrat) in the past, and it's a trend I, for one, hope remains standing after tonight.

Somehow, even though I hope it ends tonight, I don't think it will. I'm sure the trial lawyers and activist judges will be out in full force to make sure things go for the right, but they haven't counted on us, the voters, to show up in record numbers to kick this fool out of office once and for all.

The turnout isn't the only thing that makes this election unique. It's a virtual dead-heat according to the polls, UN poll inspectors are out in force to insure people are able to vote, the Republicans might have people at the polls to keep us from casting our ballot, but there are Democrats there to make sure we are able to get in. To be honest, I had no problem with voting here in TX. I just showed up with my voter registration card, they found my name on the voter rolls, I signed my name, went into the booth, used the electronic voting machine (not a touchscreen, but no paper trail either), came out of the booth and proceeded to my office from where I type this messege to you now.

It feels good...man does it ever, and as such I'm making sure to ask everyone I see if they have voted yet. If they say, "yes", then I tell them, "thank you!" If they say, "No", then I say, "Well get out there and vote!" At this point, I know I'm in TX, and voting for president here doesn't really matter that much because Bush has it sewn up here, but there are many other reasons to get out there. We need to get out and say that we're not going to be held to the evil mandate of facism anymore. We won't allow our friends to be slaughtered for some rich man's gain. We won't allow them to trash our air and water. We won't allow them to take our jobs. We won't allow them to tell us what we can do with our bodies or tell us who we can and can't marry. We won't allow them to sneak away with our hard earned tax dollars while they take bigger and bigger cuts out for themselves.

We won't allow it, because we have voted! Have you?