why vote?

the lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
the long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
moans round with many voices. come, my friends,
'tis not too late to seek a newer world.
— alfred tennyson

at the supermarket yesterday, i encountered another reason for you to vote. the checker's son was being deployed to iraq sooner than she thought. she said that the "powers that be" had asked for volunteers to go early, but that no one volunteered. that is: no one volunteered. our service people do not want to go to iraq. so they did what any military power would do. the selected their volunteers. now she's not sure she will be able to see her son before he goes. for 18 months. how did she end our conversation? she said the war just didn't make sense.

i'd say "get out the vote," but that phrase really bugs me. "get out and vote." "get out. vote." "get out, vote." those are phrases i can get behind. anyway, please vote today. and even if you're not registered, some states (idaho, maine, minnesota, new hampshire, wisconsin and wyoming) allow you to register and vote today. in these states, "the average turnout rates..are 63 percent, which is as much as 10 percentage points higher than the national average."¹ all states should be so lucky.

some of my favorite votey links:

• the truth about george.
• the white house.
• now pac endorsements.
• smart voter.
• move on.
• the bush (environmental) record.

¹ stringer, scott. "election day voter registration." http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/feature-commentary/20040301/202/894. march 1, 2004. (accessed november 2, 2004).