Monday, November 7, 2016

Against the Fall of Night

We’re one day out from the election.

One day from finding out what our future will look like.

Supposedly this is the most important election of our time – though I suspect that might be overly optimistic, but it’ll take the rest of our time, however long we have, to be certain.

You’re expecting some big, long winded, in depth, final push from me, aren’t you?

 

I don’t have one.

 

If you don’t know who the candidates are by now, if you’re unaware of current events or the challenges before us, then I can’t help you. It’s too damned late.

Stay home.

Don’t vote.

That way you can lay blame with a clear conscience and complain bitterly no matter how it shakes out, secure in your moral high ground and safe in your ambivalent disdain. 

But…

If you’ve been paying attention these last few month, these last eight years, these last four decades, then you know what’s at stake here. You know what you have to do and you know why. You don’t need me to tell you.

So do it.

Get to the polls, Citizen. Do your duty to yourself, to your nation, to the future.

And when you’ve done your duty as citizens of the Republic, do your duty as Americans.

Help those who need it, don’t allow them to be disenfranchised. Stand steadfast before the hateful mob and guarantee the rights of your fellows – no matter what political party they belong to or what candidate they’re voting for.

For without you, liberty dies.

 

Good luck, America

129 comments:

  1. Last election I missed was 1968 and I would have had to go AWOL to register, not a good idea.

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  2. Clear. Simple. Direct. And someone is bound to be offended.

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  3. The ever popular Pontius Pilate option: Washing your hands of any consequences.

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    1. You're calling me Pontius Pilate?

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    2. Succinct as always Jim. Thank you.

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    3. Now that's just amusing stuff right there. New around here Marty?

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    4. You're missing half your sentence there; it's never clear when you respond with just a fragment.

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    5. I hope Marty just has a hard time with words, y'know, using them together to express oneself. Because it is clear Mr. Wright is not giving the big kiss off, but is instead genuinely concerned for us all. It is clear that he has worked hard this year and saying good luck because we are going to need luck and a lot more hard work when this is over. It is clear we are just catching our breath as we start a new chapter. Breathe deep folks, cause we got a big long hill to climb still and we need to lean on each other to get to the top, not climb and scramble over those who find the journey harder than others.

      Good luck, Americans.

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    6. For what it is worth, I read the comment as referring to the non-voters mentioned in the post as Pontius Pilate.

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    7. That's what I got from Marty's comment as well.

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    8. Me too Andy...but maybe we're just ever the optimists in this fucked up crazy world. lol

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    9. Andy, I did too. I think he was agreeing that we can't just wash our hands on this one.

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    10. I think Marty was saying that a lot of people want the PP option, and would/will use it if the could/can..

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    11. Marty is welcome to clarify his/her comment.

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    12. Exactly. I'm from a place where someone old enough to speak their own words, is old enough to support their own words.

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    13. I think Pontius had qualified as a pilot at about the time I went through Flying Training.

      Prior to that I believe he was a Navigator.

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    14. From the deafening silence that now ensues, it appears Marty may have been a troll.

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  4. Replies
    1. Literally. All of my overseas friends are stressing about this election as much as any American I know. All of them are hoping and praying that Trump loses.

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    2. The world is caught in the headlights, wondering how parts of the US have lost their collective minds.

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    3. You are quite correct. I'm a friend (FB Kelley Johnston) and I live overseas. We are definitely stressing over this. When (as J.K.Rowling observed) a man like Trump has the possibility of being handed the nuclear codes, it affects all of us. Trump is not merely a Deplorable among Deplorables, he's roundly despised among us Down Under.

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    4. Here in Grenada, they too are all watching and praying Trump is beaten. I'm flying back stateside, into the storm on the 8th.

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    5. My friends and customers overseas too have been quite vocal about their fear of Trump and what he'd do to the world. ALL of them are rooting for Clinton.

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    6. Commenting as a Brit who loves America, will somebody please tell me when it's safe to come out from behind the sofa!

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  5. Sumi here. Posted this as my status yesterday on FB. Thought you might appreciate it. And thank you, again and yet again, for what you do and what you stand for (and how both those things intertwine).
    _______
    Indivisible. With liberty and justice for all.

    We are still struggling towards that. And at this moment that struggle requires the uplifted voice of every person who has ever helped someone different instead of blaming or ignoring them. Every person who has ever chosen kindness in the face of anger. Every person who has ever chosen the right path over the comfortable one.

    Every person who has ever chosen the best in themselves over the worst.

    Our more perfect union requires a full-throated roar of declaration: That America, born of great ideas and greater hope, will not stumble and fall to small and fearful voices. That our greatness is wide and deep enough for us to work for the freedom and promise of every human being, without fear of our differences.

    That these truths are self-evident.

    This moment decides for all of us. And this moment requires your voice. Your will. Your determination.

    VOTE.

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    Replies
    1. Nicely stated, Sumi.

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    2. Very well said, Sumi!
      -Sheilagh Morlan

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  6. As usual, very well said. I already voted. (For her!)

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  7. Against the Fall of Night. One of my favorite sc-fi titles a long time ago. But I digress. Yes, what else can be said at this point? If you want a better country,

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  8. Thanks for your rational thoughts the past few days.

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  9. Amen!

    Hillary 2016!

    Progress. Never backwards.

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  10. I can not WAIT to vote tomorrow! I will be there bright and early!

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  11. I have volunteered to be a poll worker (there's a payment but it doesn't compensate much for a 15 hour day) to help people exercise their right to vote, no matter who they vote for.
    This is my first time, and what I learned is that the people at the Registrar of Voters are hard working and dedicated public servants. Anyone who is concerned about election fraud has very little to worry about. Attempts keep people from getting to cast their votes, on the other hand....

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  12. My only disagreement with you here is that people who choose not to vote (IMHO) don't get to bitch later, but maybe that's just me. If they can't make a decision as to which candidate is best, can't put their decision in the voting box, they have not earned the right to complain.
    I for one am a nervous wreck, since Michigan somehow got back into play. Today in my office, my insane Libertarian coworker/friend high fived me and announced that I am the one he has designated to Officially cancel out his presidential vote. He found this hilarious.

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    1. Well, while I agree with you in spirit, Constitutionally those people do get to bitch just as loudly as the rest of us.

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    2. The operative word in that last paragraph is "he".

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    3. As to your libertarian co-worker, democracy is a group effort not a mano a mano fist fight. There are more of you than there are of him.

      If your vote is part of many, then his vote cancels out nothing.

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    4. That vote cancelling joke is hurtful. My mother-in-law actually said that to me when Bush ran for office the second time. You know, one of those elections like this one where you wonder how there could be so many stupid people in your own country! I wanted to cry. Truth was though, she had voted early, so my election day vote cancelled HERS.

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    5. While we still have our constitution, they have the right to bitch. However, I'm clear that they can't bitch to me because I don't want to hear it and I will exercise my right to call a Dumbass a Dumbass and tell them to STFU about it.

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    6. I have heard every excuse. I don't register because I don't want to be picked for jury duty, my vote doesn't count, so why bother? I can't spare the time. I don't like either candidate so I'm not voting ad nauseam.
      A few weeks later these same people, are posting political Mime's all over FB or I get them in my twitter feed complaining about how fucked the sys is. How we will now be faced with 4-8 yrs of ungodly hell, no matter which candidate won.
      I agree Jim, Constitutionally they have a right to bitch, It's guaranteed in the 1st Amendment, but really, their complaints don't count. Nothing they say makes any difference to me. Like Christians voting for Trump, they have voluntarily waved their right to claim any credibility as patriots. These same people, and I know them, they are neighbors and co-workers, drive around with "Support Our Troops" bumper stickers on their vehicles, flags waving from antennas. It takes all I have not to get in their grill and ask "how do you support our troops"? By refusing to participate in the Democratic Process that is the bedrock foundation of our Democratic Republic and is in essence the very "Freedom" that we are so often told our Troops are sent to fight and die for?
      Yes sir, they may have the Right to bitch as provided them in the 1st Amendment, but their words are as hollow as their actions and while I would stand and fight for their right to do so, I have to ask, would they do the same for me?

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    7. Okay, I'll amend that a bit, of course they have the right to complain, just not to me. I consider it really annoying to have people who could not be bothered to vote coming back and complaining about the results to me. Voting is part of a citizen's responsibility as well as right. Their words aftr the fact are empty and meaningless.

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    8. Generally speaking, insane Libertarian is is redundant. Though they are often amusing.
      Or would be if they so fucking, serious.

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  13. ...voted early with mail ballot...any who don't vote should have their ashes used to extend the cat litter by their children/grandchildren.

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  14. I agree.
    As an individual who hasn't had a TV or cable service for almost the entirety of the Obama administration, I am still keenly aware of the candidates, their campaigns, and this horrible vivisection of what should be a civil process.
    We won't be healing from this anytime soon.
    Dr David Brin was correct when he called it the latest iteration of the Civil War...

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    Replies
    1. And some folks still haven't gotten over that one. We must try to heal though or we will die from our self inflicted wounds. I will try my best to reach out and help.

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    2. "Dr David Brin was correct when he called it the latest iteration of the Civil War" Indeed. The Confederates have never given up the fight to demolish the United States of America.

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  15. I have voted. I have done my civic duty. And come Wednesday morning, I will continue to do my duty. I have always been an active participant in the voting process, but if this election has taught me anything, it's taught me that I must also be an active participant in what goes on after the vote is done and the dust has settled. By the looks of it, no matter who wins, we have quite the job ahead of us. Yes, the election will be over, but that just means the real work begins.

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  16. "For without you, liberty dies."
    I never thought in my lifetime I would be voting to keep liberty alive. But here we are.
    How did "we the people" become the country that would consider for President, someone with no experience, credibility, or clear message of freedom? Someone who is proven to be full of lies and conspiracy theories, and claiming to be a patriot? Someone who can stand in front of the world and declare he knows more about ISIS the the Generals in the US Military? How did half of American voters come to actually believe a narcissistic demagogue would solve a list of non-existing problems?

    Go figure. If we do save liberty, we still have a lot of clean up work to do.
    I'm in.


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    1. How did we get here? It's not difficult to figure out.

      If government doesn't function (and we have had a Congress now for quite some time with a majority determined to stop our government from functioning) then the rise of a potential 'strongman' bully candidate from some quarter is just about inevitable. So in short, Gridlock is what has delivered us to this sorry juncture. More than anything else. So FFS vote against anyone who promises more gridlock. Because more gridlock means more Trumpeting, except next time the beast will come slouching wearing a younger, smarter, less rupulsive, less obviously courrupted disguise.

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    2. Yup to that, anonymous. We have to keep our ears and eyes open even more now and keep our voices tuned, ready to sing when the time comes. First things first. See y'all at the polls.

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    3. You always were, it just was less obvious.

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  17. Short, sweet and to the point ! As always your ability to articulate so perfectly my every thought,amazes me !

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  18. Best wishes to your Mom for sacrificing her time as a poll worker tomorrow. Thanks to both of you for your efforts in this crazy election cycle. Michigan appreciates you both.

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  19. Well said. I'LL be sharing this one.

    Also, final paragraph, "...don't allow them *to* be disenfranchised."

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  20. Already voted in Washington State. Two votes for Hillary! ✅✅

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  21. Already voted in Washington State. Two votes for Hillary! ✅✅

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  22. All who claim to "support our troops" best be voting if you really do. They do their duty, you do yours.

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  23. Really did make me choke up. Thanks for putting it plain and simple and bringing us back to what we are supposed to be, as Americans. Wishing us all luck!

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  24. Stay safe, Mr Wright. I really enjoy your posts and they have given a much-needed balance to the "news" coverage we get over here (much of it linked to our own steaming pile of excrement, Farage, and his cosying up to the Orange Fart). Also, the comments of your minions are usually as much of a joy to read! Please follow your own rules should any argy-bargy happen at your local polling station - I can't wait for your next post!
    Best wishes,
    Sian Kinrade.

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  25. We will be voting (solid blue ballot, we need the Senate, too!), and for the first time, we've also been donating and I've been GOTV phone-banking. If nothing else, this year's insanity will get us, and I'm hoping many more people around the country, involved in local, state, and federal government more than once a year...or even every 4 years :-/

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  26. I'll take that as an order, Chief!

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  27. Last final words: Obama did it.

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  28. Thanks, Jim, I promise to be at the polls early tomorrow.

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  29. People are talking, here and elsewhere, as though the Presidential race is all that matters. Even if you can't come to a decision in that one, vote for senators, representatives, judges, ballot questions. Vote in the local and state races. These people have as much of an effect on your future as Hillary, Donald, Jill or Gary can. So get up off your list of excuses and go VOTE!

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  30. Ambivalent distain, love it. One tool to determine mental illness.People are standing in very long lines to vote. One way or another they want to be counted.

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  31. Voted about 2 weeks ago, here in NC, for Hillary. Voted straight blue to do my part to fire Burr and McCrory, too.

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  32. Assuming a Clinton victory (and I already voted for her), I worry most about what the disloyal opposition will be like for the next 4/8/300 years. No matter the result, Trump has given legitimacy to the hatred, bigotry and belligerence (sp?) of his supporters. We haven't nearly heard the last of "lock her up." There will be more useless, expensive investigations, calls for and attempts at impeachment, more hatred and conspiracy lunacy spewed out by the ever more vocal fringe. I worry that violence will go beyond words, and intolerance and hatred will become a more prominent replacement for disagreement. How will the country ever deal with the rise in incoherent fear and all its consequences?

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    1. Christian KosanovichNovember 7, 2016 at 4:34 PM

      In a similar vein this is what I posted on FB yesterday:

      "No one thinks them self the villain."

      I do not know who said that but I'm trying to keep it in mind these days. If you are supporting Donald Trump please keep the following in mind;
      1) he is supported by racists (KKK)
      2) he is supported by fascists and Anti-Semitics (alt.right and Neo Nazis.(yes I know slightly redundant.)

      I could continue on in this vein and other people have done so much more eloquently than me but I hope I have made my point about the proven qualities of some of the people who support Donald Trump. While you yourself should not hold any of those views, when you support Donald Trump you are agreeing with those people. You cannot rationalize that away. Please think about that.

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  33. Citizen is unfortunately a concept that is rapidly disappearing. In its place is 'Human Resource'.

    We need to remember we are citizens first and producing-consuming economic entities last. But citizen requires thought, courage and responsibility. None of these are concepts popular with humanity.

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  34. Voted a month ago by absentee ballot. Tomorrow night is gonna be interesting!

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  35. Thank you Jim, as always well said.

    To others, if they are a citizen, refused to vote and afterwards want to bitch then they are welcome to bitch to me. I believe it is their right to abstain and I will listen and perhaps I will learn how to reach them now and in the future. Perhaps, if I truly listen and hear them out they may feel engaged. They might join the discusion, they might listen and learn. It is a lot to hope for but if I shut them out I contribute nothing to that possibility. I also don't have to respect them but I believe in their right to speak. If I wish to preserve that right for myself I must defend the same right for them.

    As for the people saying "My vote cancels yours", I love it. My words to them: Let me be the one to stand the gap, for when you and I have both fallen see all those who stand behind me? Are you familiar with the Russians breakout of Leningrad? A line of Russian soldiers each given ten bullets, the one in front given a rifle. As each man down the line fell the one behind him picked up the rifle and continued the charge firing as many of his ten bullets as he could. A test of courage I hope I'm never put to.

    I agree with Jim and more. Good luck to all of us and a bounty of strength, courage and wisdom for I believe in the days ahead we will need all we can get.

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  36. Love this. The last portion brought me close to tears because it is so true. I voted a couple of weeks ago. As one of my friends, who was also there that day, said: "At our age voting early is prudent. Even if we drop dead between now and the election our vote will still count." :)

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  37. You've said so much with so few words. Thank you for another great post.

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  38. Unfortunately, here in SE PA there have been too many shenanigans going on. We've had a beautiful autumn ruined by the muck and morass of political dreck. The outright lies and distortions of the ads are enough to make one sick. Oh sure, "Both sides do it!"...probably. But the "Citizens United" decision MUST be over turned IMO. Yes, I'm a little biased, but it seems that the rethugs are worse with their lies. Ok, no more digression. I"ve voted and can only hope that we will be spared from the orange anus. Good luck to all of us. Thanks Chief Jim for the words of wisdom.

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  39. I am very glad to have already voted last week. (Oregon has mail in voting -- its great!) I find I am still trying to do my part within my abilities and means, as you have done with this post, Jim -- thank you! Right now, I hope to encourage others to vote, primarily. I;ll be very glad when this election is over, for good or ill -- it is taking an enormous amount of my time and energy.

    But increasingly I am turning my attention to the fact that no matter how this election turns out, we have a real mess to clean up. Trump and his ilk sure aren't going to clean up their mess. Very few if any of the remains of the Republican Party are going to clean up this mess. (Perhaps a few will join in that effort -- my hope would be that they would move on from the imploded remains of the GOP to build a new party that will be far more concerned about working together with their fellow citizens for the greater good of the country and all its citizens, its land, and its inhabitants, as a citizen of the world community. Hey, I can dream.)

    But really, it is up to us to clean up this mess, even if it was primarily made by someone else. Might as well get to it. I feel like somebody's mom -- thoroughly annoyed, but determined.

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  40. Now is absolutely the time to stand up and be counted. This is how we get the best we can do for government and not voting is simply not an option. Us sane folks need to band together and help bring this country back to sanity so something like Trump can't happen again.

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  41. Voted. Voted blue. Voted to remove the misogynist US Rep - Republican of course - who voted over and over to follow the tea party line. He also voted to privatize public lands, interesting concept in a state full of National parks, wilderness areas, etc. Voted for our Dem. Senator, not the guy who has been endorsed by Ted Cruz. Voted for my kids' and my grandkids' future. I still can't believe how close this country is to losing our whole democratic experiment. November 8 isn't the end of this fight. It's the beginning of a brand new struggle.

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  42. I voted early last week. I have to say, I look forward to seeing your posts come across my feed.

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  43. Earworm: Nearer, My God, To Thee.

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  44. We bring 13 "blue" votes tomorrow.
    My opinion, for what it's worth, is that we are in the midst of a societal/cultural sea change. Historically, this brings with it a type of chaos. Humans seem to dislike major changes, unsettling and dislocating their perceptions of how things should be. Not understanding the past leads to repeating it, we all know that. Homo Sapiens Sapiens will have to learn, relearn, learn anew until we evolve as a species and as individuals.
    IOW: folks are skeert shitless and angry and, lacking other means of figuring things out, they follow their usual track which is the easy, low road.
    Mr. Wright, thanks. You are appreciated more than I can say.

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  45. "Banana" Republic? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_republic

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  46. I voted 2 days after early voting opened here in GA.

    Since I'm posting here, you can likely guess which way my vote went.

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  47. I will vote tomorrow. I always vote. I have voted in every election since I was old enough to vote. And I'm sick to death of holding my nose and voting for the lesser evil.

    Whoever wins, we, the people, lose.

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  48. Thanks Jim. I know what to do and first thing in the morning it will be done.

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  49. This is the 11th time I've voted in a presidential election since I turned 21 in 1976 - the same year my boyfriend's dad urged me to register as a Republian since the Democrats were the N****R party. I'd like to say we've made a bit of progress in 40 years but I'd be wrong.

    JZinFL

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  50. I'll be at the local polling station bright and early in the morning with my mom. Despite her fairly advanced dementia and difficulty standing for any period of time, she knows a woman has a real shot at the presidency and I will do whatever I can to get her to the booth. She can't remember my name half the time, but she knows she's voting for "that woman"! Me too.

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  51. Good luck everyone, we have our fingers crossed for you from as far away as New Zealand.
    Jim Wright, you are both staunch and true, I salute you.
    Hannah Lore

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  52. Good luck all!!
    I have been watching with nervousness as to how it will all turn out.
    No matter who wins the votes tomorrow you guys have a lot of work cut out for you......sewing it back together.....

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  53. I've been paying a lot of attention to this election, and I plan to stay far away from the polls tomorrow....

    Because I already mailed in my ballot, exercising my franchise like a responsible citizen.

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  54. Good luck America, from England! We all have our fingers crossed ...

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  55. When I went to my polling place this morning and voted, I met an eighteen-year-old gentleman. It was his first election and his first time as a poll worker. He was so excited about the process, about the experience, and he truly believes our system will work. He gave me hope when so many of my peers are agonizing about the what-ifs.

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  56. Jim, thank you for your service and your insightful essays. Like many of your other readers, you say what we're thinking and cannot put into such eloquent words.

    So today we elect either the first woman president or a deranged ego driven asshole. The world is watching to see which one we will choose.

    Stay safe at the polls.

    CS in Fla.

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  57. I'm agonizing over results, and hope my Ohio isn't the state that Orange Julius Caesar turns on.

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  58. Well, the election results are pouring in, and it looks close. Which just proves that, for too many voters, innuendo and allegations repeated often enough somehow get equated with real evidence. The smear campaigns against Hillary, never proven by real evidence, somehow equal the real evidence against Donald, proven by his own mouth. Scary times, no matter who wins tonight.

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  59. This election has me seriously scared and I live in Australia, an ocean away.

    The consequences here are global and at least decades long.

    I hope people have chosen wisely.

    I'm watching the coverage on Aussie TV and online now and just feeling sick.

    Oh Americans, please no, what have you done?

    Really hope Hillary Clinton and reason still somehow manages to prevail.

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  60. Amazing!
    The assclown who ran as the "economy" candidate has DOW futures down 3.5% and he isn't even president (we hope)

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  61. On Facebook, you spoke of pragmatism. It is very laudable. Some of us though are the most vulnerable people in this country. We are the elderly and persons with disabilities. I suppose the best we can hope for is that he'll just ignore us. The worst we can hope for is that we will be targeted. "First they came for the..." Bonhoeffer said it best. I am terrified.

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  62. Apparently, we have no future. Welcome to the third world.

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  63. My best friend said it best. "We will get through this." We are people who voted for Mrs Clinton because we believe in taking care of one another, and not in throwing whole groups of people gleefully under the bus. We now have the responsibility to put our manpower where our mouth is.

    We have to stick together. To be good to one another. To stand up when there is someone being attacked, belittled, disenfranchized. We need to be there to comfort one another, too. There is no point in supporting Clinton to protect the vulnerable if, when we no longer have Clinton, we do not protect them just the same.

    Hold together. Hold to your ideals. Hold on.

    E

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  64. Where do we go from here? Scary thought.

    CS in Fla.

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  65. I don't like the outcome, it almost guarantees that things will get worse before they get better. It's not the end of the world, but it does mean that we as citizens will need to work harder to keep the country running because we can't count on the new regime to do its part.

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  66. I don't like President elect Trump. I think he's a con man and the things he said during the run up to the election disgust me. However, whether I like it or not, Donald Trump was elected by our electoral process.
    With that said, as far as I'm concerned the slate is wiped clean. The office of the President of the United States comes with a great deal of respect, and now it's up to President elect Trump to either gain the respect that comes with the office or lose it. The world is watching Mr. Trump, don't let us down.

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  67. Replies
    1. But we don't.
      Instead the Bernie or bust crowd help elect trump by not turning out.

      Delete
    2. No, you have it backwards.

      It was Bill C. that encouraged Trump to run.

      HRC's plants in the DNC who encouraged the media to promote Trump.

      And if they really thought that Trump was a danger to the Republic, why did they sabotage the candidate who polled best against Trump?

      Unless they were putting their own interests ahead of the nation's. (Of course they were.)

      And finally, they continued to smear Sander's supporters, even after they'd stolen the primary. Was that supposed to enhance turnout?
      ~

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  68. I came here hoping to read some positive thoughts to help with my fear, anxiety and dread of the future. Guess there are a lot of folks like my husband and I. Living a tough life, hoping hubby's disability and SS won't be taken away. Realizing we are living in a fascist Country is not something I ever thought I'd live to see in America. The best I can say is that I hope the people who voted for Trump Suffer as much or more than all of us who knew better.

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  69. I feel that the least I can do is be the burr under Trump/GOP's saddle, that pebble in their shoe, the thorn in their collective fingers. They obstructed Obama every chance they got. I think we should make an endless nuisance of ourselves whenever they try to do something negative.
    M.from MD

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  70. My Schadenfreude is off the charts! Wow, it's an amazing high!

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  71. Dear America, please could you stop calling your head bully the leader of the free world. Thank you.

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  72. Schadenfreude: feeling happy that somebody else is in pain. Use this definition to help you figure out why AbbeyKnight is chuckling or is feeling high.

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  73. " Stand steadfast before the hateful mob and guarantee the rights of your fellows – no matter what political party they belong to or what candidate they’re voting for

    Interesting disclaimer at the end considering that the mob is always made up of liberals burning down the town over some perceived slight. Your readers wont be standing before the mob, they are the mob.
    At least you will have plenty of material for the next 4 years.

    Sincerely
    Anon E Moose

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  74. I voted for someone accused of being corrupt, but not proven corrupt. I voted for someone who has done things for our people, our country. I voted for someone educated, informed and engaged. I voted for science and using science to help guide important decisions.

    I also voted against someone.

    I voted against someone based on his own words and his own actions -- not rumors, or smears, or exaggerations.

    I voted against vulgarity, misogyny, scapegoating of immigrants, minorities, Muslims, Hispanics.

    I voted against denial of science.

    I voted against bullying and the ridicule of persons with physical handicap.

    I voted against a person who sees everyone else as an opportunity to be exploited, a person who has no record of doing anything for anyone but himself.

    My countrymen voted for fear and blame and revenge and anger.

    I went to Oktoberfest in Munich. The first day, I had a great time. Drinking with my best friend and girlfriend, with other friends, enjoying music, goodwill and cheer.

    The second day, I visited Dachau.

    That night, drinking at Oktoberfest, I felt very isolated, as though I was surrounded by aliens of another world. I was reminded that where I saw banners and streamers of blue and white lozenges, there were once banners and streamers in blood red, with a white circle and a stark black totem.

    Today, I feel as though my fellow Americans made a conscious, informed decision to vote for all the things I voted against.

    If this is Christian, Patriotic America, it is nothing like the Christianity and Patriotism I was taught and believe.

    Today, a friend of color told me that a coworker made a point of insulting her -- after years of being friendly. My friend married a US Marine and is in America under a work permit, not a US citizen. She is the mother of an American daughter.

    She was asked if she voted, and she simply said "no."

    She was then coldly asked,
    "Then what are you doing here?"

    Indeed.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Excellent, concise, on-target analysis. Thank you very much for this clarity.

    ReplyDelete

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