I'm currently reading "The Prince" by Machiavelli. I'm beginning to understand that in the world of realpolitik, Bush is as much of a piker as he is in the world of real politics.
I'm planning on taking a third stab at "A Distant Mirror," by Tuchman because even though it's a bit of a slog for me, I find myself referring to things I've read in that book every few months.
This defeat was not entirely unexpected by me. What did surprise me was my feeling of absolute despair and humiliation. The Senate races were the real kick in the teeth.
What to do next is the real question, I suppose. My wife and I are moving to Japan. Japan is hardly the bastion of liberalism that I wish America could be, but at least their problems are their problems. I need to get away from this.
My grandparents left Germany one year before WWII broke out. As far as I can tell, nobody ever chastised them for not sticking it out and working for change in the Fatherland. When I look at their emmigration, the words that come to mind are "Good move."
As bad as I feel, I do not actually believe the US is anywhere near Germany in the 40s, that would be ridiculous. Still, our political culture has me despondent. I don't want to write books for these people! I don't want to participate, I don't want to be here for more of this. It's been excrutiating to watch the parade of injustices over the past four years and then see the perpetrators receive the ultimate prize for their malfeasance. Blech.
That said, I can't imagine I won't come back. I need a breather, a few years off from this. I hope. My desire to leave is not an adolescent "I'll show you!" It's a desire to move myself and my family to a less hostile culture. My wife is Japanese, so that's where we'll go. If Peter Jackson decides to shoot the Silmarillion, then I'll move to New Zealand and be an Elf or something.
Ironically, the one thing that cheers me up is that as I read most of the comments I keep saying to you all, "I like you people, don't give up. Things can get better. Bush really cocked things up and he's in a hell of a mess. There will be a reckoning!"
So, for now, I'll get ready to move to Japan, and I'll listen to my own pep talks. Advice is so much easier to give than to follow.
Could it be that Soros profited by selling narcotics to Rush Limbaugh? I'm just asking.
Patrick, in that picture, are you firing an M-1911A1?
I voted for Nader and was a poll watcher during the last elections. I actually stopped the election officials from erasing 20% of the votes, virtually all of the green party votes for my district. They had reported 103 votes for Nader as 3 votes. There were 500 votes on the machine.
My reasons were that Gore was too conservative for me to endorse with a vote. This time I gave money to Kerry. I'll vote for Kerry, even though I live in New York and he's sure to win. My vote for Nader didn't take any votes from the Dems, I've voted Green since I was 18.
But, now I'm convinced that Bush must be stopped and so I support Kerry. I don't hate Nader. I do hate the fact that the Democrats have become so conservative, but I understand that they've done so because my country has moved so far to the right that the opposition party has to become right-lite, just to capture some of Bush's moderates.
In the past four years I feel like my country has vanished and it's heartbreaking.
I was thinking more on this weird rejiggering of conservatism. Since conservatives now spout on about liberating oppressed people and accuse liberals of coddling dictators, I've taken to calling them "Bleeding heart conservatives," or should that be 'bleating heart conservatives?"
for my real email address, put sbosker in place of the first flojin.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2004 | 6 |
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