Well...yesterday certainly was a very depressing day for many of us...actually for close to half the country, although listening to Bush, you'd think that we didn't exist. He seems to feel that the whole country is totally behind him, and he has received affirmation, a mandate now, as he says, for all that has gone on in the last four years.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I slipped back and forth yesterday from feeling very depressed to absolute rage, and everyone I talked to was feeling the same way. I was told by others who had run into people in the various towns on the Island, that there was a general glumness everywhere, and a real fear, and dread at what this administration has in store for us in the next four years. I heard that chocolate and cigarettes were big sellers, and no one felt like talking much, so stunned was everyone at this unexpected election result.
It had looked like Kerry was actually going to win, after exit polls, and the evening results started pouring in. Of course, anything could happen, but it was looking that way. That was not just hopeful thinking on the part of Kerry supporters. Apparently, even the White House that evening was starting to worry that the huge voter turnout was a sign that Kerry was going to get in, and again, the exit polls were indicating as much. That kind of huge voter turnout, in the past, usually has favored a Democratic candidate.
When Kerry took Pennsylvannia, it seemed almost written in stone, but then we had the delays and problems in Ohio, although it was still looking good for Kerry. Even though I usually stay up for these things, being a late night person, I found I was unusually exhausted by the tension of the last couple of weeks, and the worry about what was going to happen, and so instead, went to bed. I was unable to sleep, so after a couple of hours of restlessness, got back up, turned on the TV to check what had happened. Nothing had changed much, so I went back to bed for another fitful period of sleep. Later, when they said that Ohio had finally turned in Bush's favor, I almost couldn't believe it. Somehow it didn't make sense. The exit polls had indicated otherwise, and in other places those polls hadn’t been off that much from the final results, but there in Ohio, they were more than a little off. Does this not worry people? Does no one question this?
There is a feeling that something has gone wrong somewhere, as far as election results. Something doesn't seem quite right. I am not just saying that because I was on the losing side, but because I do believe this administration might use ANY means to get another four years. They have been lying to us about just about everything, so nothing would surprise me, and I am not alone in those feelings. They lied about WMD in Iraq, in order to pull us into an unprovoked war, which has caused the unnecessary death of thousands on both sides. They have lied to the American people about what they knew, and then had to back pedal when it became obvious to all that they had lied. This administration wants to do what they want to do, and they don't want any of us to question their motives. Do they remember what country this is? This is the United States of America, and we don't tolerate that kind of thing in those who have been put in place to govern.. or at least we shouldn't tolerate it....or overlook it...or become complacent about it.
I have absolutely no trust in Bush or this administration. I believe they feel they have a mandate now to do whatever the hell they want, and if that means trample over the citizenry...for their own good, of course they would say...in the name of protection from terrorists, then they will....and God help you, if you don’t agree. They say they want to reach out to the half of the nation who didn't vote for them, and have them join with them to make the nation stronger, and united. What they mean is, join with us...but just remember one thing...we are doing it our way, and our way only...there will be no compromises. There will be no working out some kind of across the aisle kind of deal. You are either with us, or you are against us, and if you are against us, we will make your life a living hell.
Many of us in this country...remember... almost HALF...felt that with Kerry as President, we could at least try to work toward a better solution for ending this ill begotten war, and at the same time have a better chance of restoring our reputation internationally, after the disastrous last four years. It wasn't going to be easy, no one would deny that....too much damage had been done, but at least it would be a start back to the right path for this country. Bush and his cadre of neo-con manipulators have done this country great harm. In the past, our country had always tried to stand for what is right and good in the world, to defend that, to stand up against and aid those who are oppressed. Because of the tremendous power we wield in the world we have an absolute duty to always take the high road, to set an example for others, but in four years that has all been turned around, so now we look like self centered imperialists out to control everything we can get our hands on, trampling over anyone in our way, and I believe with another four years of this, that approach to international relations will actually put us in far, far more danger than we are already in. I dread to think what the next four years will bring. A huge portion of this country is very worried about this, despite what the election results, and the media might mislead you to think.
Last night, while browsing around some of the political blogs, on one of the forums the subject of the Diebold voting machines, which were used in Ohio, was brought up, and how, apparently( and I don't know this for sure)the software on those machines can be easily hacked into, that the software is not password protected at all, and if someone were so inclined, they could hack it easily to skew the results. This person suggested that if there were any possibility of that, then that might explain the unusual difference between exit poll results as compared to the final outcome in some areas, in particular, those in Ohio. According to their research, in other areas using paper type ballots, the exit polls and final results didn't vary that much, but where these Diebold machines were used, there was quite a variation. If true, it does make one wonder.
Could this possibly be true...that the very machines holding Presidential election results would not be heavily, and securely password protected.....that someone could easily exploit this gaping hole in security on something so important? Those who are discussing this possibility, claim that you wouldn't have to be a super hacker to get into these machines, that even someone with just some basic knowledge of software could do it. If this is true, on one hand I am stunned, and on the other, I guess it wouldn’t surprise me that much after the last four years.
I am not an alarmist by nature. I like to have all the facts, and provable ones at that, before jumping to any wild conclusions, especially in an area of such national importance, but it does seem that this should be looked into carefully, and thoroughly...and quickly. I think there should be no delay in having an independent, trustworthy(and there is the problem) organization investigate this matter. If there is any question, even in the slightest, that results might have been manipulated, then we need to clear that up right away.
Too much is at stake.
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