measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So are you really patriotic, or is it just a show? For my fellow Americans�you realize that today is Election Day. Which means that everyone aged 18 and over should have gone or be at the polls RIGHT NOW. Now before I get off on a rant here� No, fuck it. I�m going to rant. Since September 11th, there�s been this big hoopla about national pride and unity. We�re proud to be Americans, right? Because we�re a free country where we don�t throw our women in burqa�s and force them to stay at home and deny their right to education. We allow our citizens to vote, and they aren�t forced to vote for any candidate. We have the freedom of speech, and supposedly a freedom of religion, and all that jazz. Since September 11th, it�s been the �in thing� to be patriotic. Stand up and show how proud you are as an American. Hang a flag from your house, your car antenna, whatever. Go to rallies, sing �God Bless America,� and refuse to back down from the fear that is being caused by anthrax and the threat of smallpox. So why the FUCK was I the only damn Bostonian at the polls at 6:30 this evening?!? Being patriotic doesn�t mean that when it�s cool, you just wear red, white, and blue and sing �This Land is My Land.� Being patriotic means that you take advantage of the liberties and freedoms that are given to you, and that you perform your civic duty. And yes, folks. VOTING is one of those duties. It�s not a freedom. It�s a responsibility. You want to be proud of being an American? Go vote. Speak your mind at the polls, and add your voice to our country�s governmental system. One of the reasons our country was founded was because the colonists were angry about taxation without representation. We fought to have rights as citizens of a country. But now, even a year after the whole Bush-Gore debacle, people aren�t exercising that responsibility to vote. To show TRUE patriotism. Meaningful patriotism. Perhaps I feel so strongly about this because I was one year shy of being allowed to vote in 1992. When a man I didn't like as President (*cough* George Bush) was running against someone who seemed a bit more neutral (Clinton). Eight years later, the son of said unliked-President... the son being someone I despised even more, became President. But not because I didn't try to keep him out of there. As soon as I moved to Boston for college, I registered. I didn't register with a party. I just registered as an independent. Flags and such are great. But they�re symbols. Show your patriotism through action. There are people in the world who die every day in civil wars for our privilege. Just remember those women in Afghanistan, and how limited their freedoms are. Be thankful and active with yours. < 6:04 p.m. - 6 November 2001 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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