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Aug./Sept.'04 Articles:
The SHAC 7 & Democracy
Editorial: Kerry: The Only Option
Notes from the Cultural Wasteland
The Muddlemarch: 1
The Muddlemarch: 2
Conflict in Space?
Moore Truthful Lies
Remembering Ronnie
Quickies
(music reviews)

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Kerry: The Only Option

I might get a little pissed off during this editorial. This topic is of the utmost importance to me. I'm sure that's the case with many of you reading. But for those of you who haven't already decided that you need to cast a vote to get Bush out of office, it's time to pay attention.

I don't care what state you're in, swing or otherwise. It doesn't matter to me if it has "always" voted for a Democratic president or if it's a Republican stronghold. Please make sure you vote–and that means making sure you're registered in time to make your mark on this country's history.

I also don't care if you think I'm selling out the progressive movement that has been fighting to give third parties a chance to compete. I agree that it would be nice to have a different system where a Green party or Natural Law party candidate actually had a shot. But it's going to take more than pulling 5% in the election for it to be significant, no matter what Nader may think. Our whole system needs an overhaul, but it's not going to happen before November 2nd.

I understand the commitment many make when voting to "speak with your heart." But this election is different than others–in my lifetime I have never seen a president as destructive as George Bush and you owe it to yourself, and generations to come, to make the wise choice necessary to get him out of office.

Hang on, though, before you pounce on me. I'm not a third-party defeatist and I certainly don't think Kerry is a perfect candidate (not by a long shot–for one thing, I'm vegan and he's a hunter). At the same time, George W. Bush has done more damage to this country in his short four years than I can bear to stand. I fear the results another four Bush years could produce. Hopefully, in the future, the viability of a third-party candidate will become more realistic.

I could go on and on about the shortcomings of Dubya. He's lied; he's misrepresented the American people with an oil war; he's stood by as American soldiers continue to murder innocent people; he's allowed corporations to rape the working class; he's pushed environmental policy to the side and turned back the clock on conservation, air quality and water quality.

But why tell you things you already know? I'm not here to convince you Bush is an evil man. If you don't know this, I'm not sure what I can tell you at this point to help open your eyes.

However, there are plenty of you, I figure, who are still considering a third-party candidate or (gasp) might not vote at all. The latter I despise, as voting is a right we must act upon or continue putting ourselves at risk to be completely ignored. The former I already addressed.

And ignore the media polls. Do not let them influence your decision to vote. I don't care if your state's latest poll shows Kerry will win in a landslide or that Bush has the election locked up. Don't believe it. Remember when that media said Gore won Florida in 2000?

This is a time to truly stand united as people who want to see a change in leadership at the top, who realize that Kerry is the only realistic option and who know that, in this case, voting for the lesser of two evils is like choosing between the school bully and Beelzebub. I'd prefer to have my lunch money taken every now and then rather than being cast into the fiery pits of hell.

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