The Erin Hart Show - Listener Forum

Erin
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Today, December 12th is the seventh anniversary of the travesty that started it all. Here is the blurb from Google's version of Today in History:

[b]"US Supreme Court Decides Bush v. Gore (2000)
The Supreme Court's decision in this case ended Florida's statewide ballot recount and allowed Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to certify George W. Bush as the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes. These votes gave Bush a majority of the Electoral College with 271 votes and enabled him to win the US Presidency. Though Gore received 543,816 more votes than Bush, his defeat in the Electoral College lost him the presidency. The court cited what reason for stopping the recount?"[/b]

Ironically, that decision turned on Equal Protection Under the Law--yet disenfranchised more than a half a million citizens and all of the voters of Florida who cast their ballots and deserved a proper recount. We all, whether the Republicans realize or not, merited a valid affirmation of our most sacred right.

That Supreme Court decision ripped open the illusion that the Court is for ALL the people. And as we have watched the illegitimate Bush administration foul the pristine Justice Department which now engages in political "hackery", makes excuses for TORTURE, bastardizes the civil rights division, and allows the principle of "habeas corpus" to become an excuse to imprison in perpetuity.

The United States of America no longer holds the same moral high ground, the war in Iraq was built on lies and distortions that continue to this day. The CIA believes it can flout the law and destroy tapes that it has been ordered to preserve. Our government is mired in secrecy and chicanery. Our democratic republic is bereft of dignity as the Democrats who hold such a slim minority in the Senate, struggle against the tidal wave of propaganda hurled by the Republicans who cling to the distortions of a man who allowed himself to cheat to get into office.

The two men whose fates were decided that day are decidedly different. George W. Bush still salts his appearances with the same ugly teasing, the empty rhetoric and meaningless platitudes he uttered at the start of his presidency. Any promise he showed in the wake of the 911 attacks has been thoroughly and completely shattered in the wash of the lies, illegality and pathetic incompetence of his administration.

Meanwhile, Albert Gore retreated from the field to gather his strength, emerging with an abundance of dignity as a fierce Iraq war critic, an Academy Award winning director, the winner, with the United Nations, of a Nobel Peace Prize for his lifetime of work to call attention to global warming and climatic calamity.

We have seen our countrymen and women abandoned on the rooftops of New Orleans, we have lost close to 3,000 of our best in the military in an illegal war in Iraq that may be the biggest strategic mistake made by the U.S. in history. As we bicker over immigration, our people lose health insurance, pensions and the worker's rights that could help shore up the worried and endangered middle class.

Afghanistan needs help, Osama Bin Laden is still at large and our economy is hungover after the binge of sub-prime mortgage lending. So many scandals remain unnumbered here; it is depressing to count them.

Count we must. Remember we must. Vote we must.

Why bother to vote? Particularly when Karl Rovian tactics cost us Ohio in 2004?

Because we must. We must ensure that the next Supreme Court nominees treat ALL the people of the United States equally and as if we matter. Because we must ensure that our voices against the war, environmental disaster, economic rape, war profiteering, and neglect BE HEARD.

The system needs reform and we need numbers to enact those changes. So register, pay attention even when it's boring and depressing, sad, unnerving and scary, and VOTE VOTE VOTE.

And never ever let anyone ever tell you to "Get Over It".


Posted Dec 12, 2007, 5:44 pm

AlexMatthews
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I'd agree with most of the points in your article, however I think holding this attitude becomes less productive every day and should officially end on January 20th 2009(assuming no other evil disasters). End of year 07 provides a good point to reflect on this so that this time next year the focus can be on looking forward to whoever replaces Bush.

After that day, the issues mentioned become relevant in a historical context but not issues that the current president is involved in and bringing this issues up over and over (specifically the electoral issues) just serves to create a divide among people when the goal should be working together more to reach a better future.

Perhaps a more positive spin, Instead of "Never get over it", how about "Never let it happen again". IE, get out all of your supports. Make sure that your ballot counts. If you use a punch ballot, make sure that it's clean. If you use electronic machines, make sure they have a paper trail. If you want your candidate to win, make sure so many people vote for him that 100K of votes for that person could get lost and they would still win.


Posted Dec 18, 2007, 9:37 am	Last edited Dec 18, 2007, 9:38 am by AlexMatthews

Erin
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Good point, Alex. Let's vote is the main thing. More when I fill in for Jay on Jan 1, let's ring in the New Year with much political passion!


Posted Dec 26, 2007, 4:58 pm