I just don't get it. Am I out of touch with the rest of America? How could the US put Bush back in for 4 more years? How could the majority of the country be in favor of consersative social values and unecessary wars? I'm sick and tired of being associated with a country that doesn't align with my thinking. While travelling, I'm tired of explaining that I don't agree with nearly every action our republican government takes. I'm tired of seeing environmental protection dissappear.

Are these the types of Wal-Mart buying consuming Americans that are left in this rural areas of this country? Who are Americans - do they like wars and big military cause they like kicking ass? Do they like having Christianity shoved down their throat and the throats of their children by the highest governmental officials? Are they afraid of peace? Afraid of change?

I think it is sad.

I got an email this morning from a friend in Norway that was empty except for a link to a site for getting visas to live/work in his country. It is tempting... The blurring of the line separating church and state really scares me. The separation of church and state is one of the principles built into our government that helps us be united and strong. Bush will probably appoint several supreme court justices. Their approval will be easier than ever since the Congress is even more heavily Republican now. For those of us who aren't evangelical, and consider religion and spirituality a private matter like Kerry does, these justices will produce many years of aggravating rulings. Roe v. Wade could be at risk, etc. What will be scary is if the democrats make adjustments to try and win and incorporate evangelical Christian "values" and neo conservative foreign policy into their party. Like the Republicans, Democrats will be trying to tell people how to live their personal lives. They'll be for spreading democracy throughout the world at gunpoint. The democrats have given up on gun control, the death penalty, etc. How will they become distinguishable from the Republicans if they lose every last liberal ideal? They won't, and democracy will be dead. I'm trying not to get too depressed about this election. The good news is that our community, Travis County, is pretty friendly to our viewpoint. 56% voted for Kerry here.

Oh well, I guess I didn't explain why Bush won the popular vote. Here comes the really jaded analysis:
1. People are dumb and therefore had a closer psychological link to the president who is also dumb. I mean, don't say he's not dumb. Looks dumb. Talks dumb. *IS* dumb. Just like the multi-billion dollar pro-wrestling industry.
2. Latino votes for Bush grew big time because of the evangelical Christianity of Bush.
3. Uneducated people are afraid because they don't understand terrorism and Bush exploited that fear effectively by bringing up 9/11 all the time and claiming we would be all be killed if Kerry were elected. New Yorkers were the ones attacked and killed in the 9/11 attacks, and therefore would have the best excuse for being afraid, but who did they vote for? Kerry. Because they have educations. Lot of them have degrees. Who gave Bush big landslides? All those states that rank low on education scales and voted 90% to prevent gays and lesbians from having civil unions. All those red rural states? Uneducated fools that couldn't even follow Kerry's eloquent talk about his faith.
4. Money. Bush gave like $1000 to every voter in 2001 with his tax break and people liked that. Like dogs given scraps or junkies given a free fix. Ironically massive #s of people who make minimum wage and could have benefited from Kerry, who said in the debates that he would raise the minimum wage a buck or so, voted for Bush because they are uneducated and therefore followed analysis points numbers 1 and 3 above.