(no subject)

Right, I had a good long rant about democracy, and about how it was terribly important to vote, and baout how heartening to see that, for once, Americans seemed to give a rats ass about the democracy that they enforce upon the rest of the world. That's it summed up, really. I also want it to be known that there are two votes between them right now. Come on, Ohio. If it takes two weeks to count it, it takes two weeks to count it. It's the President. Bollocks to the tyranny of convenience. Bollocks to negative "Oh no, it's definitely going to be Bush!" Shut the fuck up. It's not over until the stupid man gets thrown out of office.

So nyeh, etc.

Didn't watch it last night - accidentally fell asleep. Oops! Even forgot to set my alarm so it was shipperkitten telling me that Bush had Florida that woke me up. Despite waking up an hour earlier than usual due to this alarm, I still got to the bus stop late. How the fuck did I manage that?

Language down the swanny. Apologies. Too nervous.

Haven't really done much today. Enlgihs so far - it's cancelled tomorrow, as is history, so basically I have one lesson tomorrow that's the second period and over lunch I have the end of Requim For A Dream which we're started this lunchtime. Eh. Typical. I'll do the immense amount of reading that needs doing instead, as well as the homework. And I'll finish off the UCAS stuff - I need to pay for it, dammit!

I now have to tear myself away from BBC News Online. It's going to be tricky...

~Hathy_Col~

(no subject)

Well, it's all over.

After sitting there glued to News Online, I went to media. I then proceeded to wibble at Greg. Media finished. I bought a panini (paninieh!) and met Liz for Film Club goodness. Requiem For A Dream is about drugs and is what I imagine taking a trip must be like. Went to politics. We sat there sheepishly for about twenty minutes, what with most of the class being on LMAT, before we also clicked onto BBC News Online. We are, actually, doing American politics. Which is quite interesting, although you know what? Don't jump all over me, but tactically... Washington really was a bit of an insurgence member himself. Historically speaking, of course.

Please don't hurt me. Please.

Anyway. Came home to discover on Newsround, weirdly, that Kerry had conceded. Well, fair enough. That's that, and as he said, even if all the extra ballots came in for him he still wouldn't win Ohio. Now, apart from the fact that it's a fucked up system, we cannot deny that yes, Bush has won.

I will take this moment to respect the opinions of those on my flist who voted for him. No doubt you have your reasons, and I respect those reasons. Personally? I think that Bush has the intelligence of a spanner. But I didn't vote - because, duh - and as such I fully appreciate that no, I cannot fairly judge the average American voter because I am not one. Bush is the president. I will continue to say that Bush has the intelligence of the spanner. I will say that I find it scary that the Republicans are in power more or less overall now. (Thatcherism, I tell you!) I disagree with the idea of voting on the basis of morals. I think that voting to continue a bloody war against people who are innocent - and with soliders who are innocent - if morally wrong. I think that discriminating against any type of people is wrong on so many levels that it makes me feel all dirty inside. I think that the idea of discriminating - openly - against gay people is quite simply not going to work. I think that 50% of a nation having no adequate health care is despicable. (Hell, I'm just a socialist at heart.) I think that people are given very little financial leeway to go to college is also wrong. Bush has a cause and a reason and he genuinely believes he's bettering the world. So have a lot of successful people I've agreed with - Clement Attlee springs to mind. On a similiar note, so did Lenin. I think that George Bush being President - and Republicans having too much power and steamrolling the Democrats - is something that will make the crushing poverty in America worse. It'll make a tense international situation worse. I think - genuinely - it's going to make a really big change, and one day historians will be debating this election, this period in time, this shift in the viewpoints of politicians worldwide.

That's not how everyone thinks, though. Now is it how everyone thinks who voted for Bush. But that's how people voted, that's their democratic rights, and it's a bloody good thing that people voted either way.

And, for the first and last time, a Shrub quote:

"Today I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I need your support, and I will work hard to earn it."

If he means listening to everyone - not just the yesmen, the Republicans and his Church members, I mean his country, what happened to respecting the rights of the minority? - then I hope that he says is true. And he means it. And I really do hope that Americans don't give up hope, but they join pressure groups, they irritate Bush, they get their opinions heard. This election should have rattled Bush. Maybe he'll listen. I hope he does.

Thank you. I will now worry about politics at home again.

I have tomorrow off! Let's be self-centered again, as I'm sure you're all sick of the political stuff now. I will sleep tomorrow. Hurrah.

~Hathy_Col~