ahh... monday morning

i hear birds chirping. i don't know whether that's good or not considering this is february- but hey we'll go with it. the sun is shining and the snow looking old and tired. perhaps spring is around the corner. i can't wait to get the composter set up :) hee. my buddy dan'l is a lawn freak- i love making compost. everything in the house that gets thrown away- i debate whether it can go in the composter. most things i buy can. exciting times.

national geographic february is a great read fyi. the whole magazine is a good read. usually i skim a couple of the articles but this time i think i read the whole thing. check it out. i updated links on delicious this weekend- i was a reading fool!

i suppose i should clarify my point about obama- who identifies as christian for all of those fox news fundies who teach school- clinton, and nader. i have been fairly harsh these days. i am not a hearty endorser of obama. i still think dennis k. would have been the best candidate for the job. as it stands right now- i think obama is the best out of what we have left. clinton's politics and voting record has turned me off. i don't care how smart you are or how effective you would be at the job- if you are hob nobbing with big money and having prayer breakfasts with neo cons- i am not going to vote for you. yes, yes, obama has ties to corporate money. which brings me to my next point- the american election machine.

it's broken folks. we all know that. it's all we can do to get our votes to count this year. nader running as a third party does nothing- absolutely nothing. he won't even get on the ballot in many states. i researched how hard it is- and there was an article in counterpunch by a naderite describing the process. his energies would be better spent in being a watchdog for the election process. until and unless we overhaul our election process- there will never be a third party or a fourth party or anything resembling. that's reality. we can dream big and vote our consciences- that's your right. it won't change a damned thing. and no, i am not a hearty supporter of the democratic party- but it's what i have to work with at this time.

the energies spent yelling at each other about who's a better primary candidate is stupid. the energies wasted campaigning for your candidate for president is short sighted. we have to take a look at the bigger picture. yes, vote for president but don't forget to vote for congress in your district- and do a good job for good candidates. folks, congress is the only branch of government directly elected by the people. we have seen what a mess we have because of our broken election system- we have to take charge and direct our energies towards our elected representatives. make appointments to see them when they are home- if possible- write, call and email. squeaky wheels get grease. if you are a member of one of the two big political parties- contact them. they want your money. you tell them what you want done with it. i have taken to writing on the envelopes- no impeachment- no money.

better yet- leave the parties in droves and become independent. then-- rattle the cage for election reform. volunteer at the local board of elections. it's our fault the system is broken. we got complacent and too trusting. what do teachers do with kids who cut up during class- they put them up front so they can be watched (hypothetically and nostalgically). that's what we have to do until and unless our elected folks prove themselves.

so- voting for nader in my opinion is stupid. it adds nothing to any discussion and most americans won't even know he is running. if ron paul can be marginalized and dennis k. can be marginalized- nader won't even be a blip on the radar. many dems won't vote for nader because they are bitter and angry at him. so- why he is running is a mystery.