In general I agree with the message on this morning's Daily KOS, from which the above quote is lifted. As with the author, I hasten to add that that's not a statement tied to the challenge to votes in Ohio, though I, too, believe that making a stand to count the votes is an important one, particularly considering a need to evaluate what went into all of the reports of provisional ballots yesterday. It's important that no ballot cast in good faith be ignored.
Beyond all that, though, the call to focus on what drove us from the start is an important one:
"Why were we in this fight in the first place? Because terrible leaders are doing terrible things to our country and calling this wonderful. Because radical reactionaries are trying to impose their imperialist schemes on whoever they wish and calling this just. Because amoral oligarchs are determined to enhance their slice of the economic pie and calling this the natural order. Because flag-wrapped ideologues want to chop up civil liberties and call this security. Because myopians are in charge of America’s future."
As someone with a family here, including two sons whose futures threatened by the actions of this administration, I cannot simply give up. Eventually enough people will wake up and make a difference. Contemplating how bad things will have to become is a terrifying prospect, but we cannot be cowed by that terror. Those of us who are parents can work to be sure that our children don't confuse patriotism and service with bending to the will of a corrupt, dishonest, incompetent administration. To serve one's country remains an honorable thing, but if that nation is ruled by people who have little to no real regard for that service, who throw away the lives of its young men and women, then that is not the time to choose military service and become part of the greater problem. To hand our sons and daughters over to become statistics and folded flags, and to have their blood retroactively consecrate obscene actions directed by chickenhawks such as Bush and Cheney, would be insane.
For now, we're set to deal with the consequences of voters who listened to and believed the lies of this administration, its lackeys and allies, largely because they were bombarded with the same talking points of fear again and again. Red is green. Up is down. Hear it enough times and it takes on the air of common truth. Our battle to educate people is an uphill one, because the lies being used to brainwash so much of the public are simple and direct, and the truth about issues and the world is seldom so pithy.
The people whose vote pivoted on a single issue - be that the bizarre notion that Bush policies will make the nation safer, or reproductive rights, gay marriage, or some other ultimately faith-based issue - may be truly worthy of scorn and derision, but scorn and derision help no one. We must resist, we must educate, and we must lead others to the truth. We cannot give up.
"Dropping the other shoe" Update: (Blogger's been a bear to cut through, so it's taken a while to get this in place) By now you've heard that John Kerry has conceded the race, so that particular battle is officially over. Ours has to continue.
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