Flowers On My Mind

Today is one of those rare days in New Orleans when I actually envy the mail carriers. It is a cool, breezy and lovely fall afternoon.

I do not envy them in mid-August when every crack and crevice pours sweat the moment you walk outside. Ah! The pleasures of life in a sub-tropical climate.

I am not given to conspiracy theories but I have been wondering since Tuesday night why the exit polls showing Kerry in the lead early in the day were so wrong. Seems I am not the only one wondering about this...

"...all the exit polls showed Kerry winning, and the exit polls asked people who they actually voted for. But strangely, the 'official' count appears to have been boosted in favor of Bush."

"...a mysterious "5% advantage" goes to Bush only in those states using electronic voting machines."

"Another burning question is surfacing: if this was such a record turnaround, with long lines all over the country, where did all the votes go? Because the vote totals don't show much of a difference from the 2000 election. It's as if a few million votes just vanished..."

http://www.newstarget.com/002076.html

Now that I am over my shock and sadness, I want to think clearly about the results of this election. In the wake of 09/11, many people are clinging even more intensely to the traditional notions of family, morality and religion as a way to soothe and center themselves in these scary times. In addition to the specter of terrorism, people in our nation are fearful of the rapid pace of technological and social change they see around them whether they live in big cities or rural areas. People are yearning for a simpler time. And George Bush and the Republicans have made things very simple for voters because they successfully exploited the notion of us versus them.

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Below is an example of the hate George Bush’s re-election has strengthened. It makes me sad and scared. This e-mail was sent to Andrew Sullivan, a well-known gay conservative commentator: “I wonder if you noticed that yesterday all eleven states that considered the question of gay marriage voted to ban it. ALL ELEVEN. I think this sends a very clear message -- true Americans do not like your kind of homosexual deviants in our country, and we will not tolerate your radical pro-gay agenda trying to force our children to adopt your homosexual lifestyle. You should be EXTREMELY GRATEFUL that we even let you write a very public and influential blog, instead of suppressing your treasonous views (as I would prefer). But I'm sure someone like yourself would consider me just an ‘extremist’ that you don't need to worry about. Well you are wrong -- I'm not just an extremist, I am a real American, and you should be worried because eleven states yesterday proved that there are millions more just like me who will not let you impose your radical agenda on our country.”

http://www.andrewsullivan.com/

I hope that anyone who voted for George Bush reads this with an open mind. I hope everyone who reads this will buy or borrow a copy of “Escape From Freedom” by Erich Fromm.

Adam Felber's concession speech. While John Kerry's concession speech was truly gracious and heartfelt, I wonder if he wanted to make a speech like this one.

"There are some who would say that I sound bitter, that now is the time for healing, to bring the nation together. Let me tell you a little story. Last night, I watched the returns come in with some friends... As the night progressed, people began to talk half-seriously about secession, a red state / blue state split. The reasoning was this: We in blue states produce the vast majority of the wealth in this country and pay the most taxes, and you in the red states receive the majority of the money from those taxes while complaining about 'em. We in the blue states are the only ones who've been attacked by foreign terrorists, yet you in the red states are gung ho to fight a war in our name. We in the blue states produce the entertainment that you consume so greedily each day, while you in the red states show open disdain for us and our values. Blue state civilians are the actual victims and targets of the war on terror, while red state civilians are the ones standing behind us and yelling "Oh, yeah!? Bring it on!"