Headline Read: People Leaving United States due to Election.

I haven't noticed any effect... things seem pretty much as they did a week ago - less the political ads.

It doesn't feel like the country is anymore divided than it has always been.

What I do find pathetic is the past two presidential elections, I spent my time thinking "which idiot do i vote for". And both times I didn't make a decision until I was in the booth. And even after I wasn't sure if it was the right decision.

But good or bad - it doesn't matter anyway. We the people do not vote for a president.

Those who are frustrated with the direction of the country are not idiots, nor are they morons. There are obviously people on this board who don't have any idea what this election really meant. It wasn't about Kerry and Bush, it wasn't about Iraq. Most elections are determinded by policy. This election was determined by completely different things.

With the gay marriage bans passing by a 3-to-1 margin all around the country, by the exit polls showing that that "moral values" is what won the election for Bush, and by very right-wing Conservatives winning almost every close election, including a devout creationist defeating Tom Daschle in South Dakota, it says a lot about where this country is heading. Whether I like it or not, or anyone else, the truth is the truth. This country is moving towards a much more right wing, Conservative ideology that includes letting religion play a larger role in government, and "morals" to be the key to election victory.

I'm not saying this is wrong. While I do disagree with it, I utterly and completely respect our democracy, and the majority of this country spoke. All of these "morons" as you guyz put it that are talking about leaving the country aren't doing so because they are stupid. They are doing it because they, like me, see this country becoming a place they don't want to live. As I said to a friend of mine yesterday, it's not that this country is necessarily wrong, it's just that it's wrong for ME.

Most of these people won't move. Those of us on the left will heal from these wounds, and we'll fight again another day for the country that we love. It's just that it's a shock right now to see the country take such a huge jump to the right. My father broke down and cried three times the day after the election when we were talking about it. A guy I teach with broke down into tears in the teacher's lounge last week. Two good friends of our family have decided to move to Europe. A guy just committed suicide on the World Trade Center site as an act of protest.

What everyone MUST understand is that whether you were a Bush supporter or a Kerry supporter, or if you were one of those poor people who still don't understand that there were HUUUUUUUUUGE differences between them, this election showed just how different the two visions of America are right now, and just how passionate both sides feel. These wounds will heal, but it will take time.

I'll leave you with a quote from a GREAT editorial I read the other day. He says: "Why didn't I feel depressed after George Bush defeated Dukakis in 1988, or even when Bush's son defeated Gore in 2000? And why did I wake up so deeply troubled yesterday? It's because Bush won by getting the vote not from people who favor different policies than I do, they favor a whole different kind of America. We don't just disagree on what American should be doing, we disagree on what American is."

Well stated, and deeply troubling my friends, no matter what side you are on. Just be respectful of those who are hurting right now. The pain is real, and tremendously intense. I know...I've been feeling it every day for nearly a week, and I don't know when it will go away...

Sandi

Sandi, you speak of this pain. The thing I don't understand is the almost megalomaniacal egoism shown by some of those who supported Kerry. They come across as condescending, elitist snobs and then wonder why the middle class shakes their heads at them. It's this notion that those who voted for Bush were mere reactionaries who didn't think the whole thing through. Well I, for one, did think it through. I didn't like either candidate. If Kerry had anything of substance to say, I would have given him my vote. However, he pointed out problems and offered no solutions. This is not a good quality for a leader. Therefore, Bush got my vote.

A jewish friend of mine lamented last tuesday about how idiots tried to demonize Bush by comparing him to Hitler (a practice I have yet to hear any on the left condemn, btw). She had two grandfathers who died at Dachau and Auschwitz. She knew that this comparison was ludicrous. The country spoke. Those who are leaving seem to have problems understanding that they are in the minority. They are not the 'voice of america'. A question I pose is, should the shoe be on the proverbial other foot, would the left have pity on the right should they decide to leave? Would they understand that it's just people with thoughts that run contrary to the mainstream? Would they be able to abstain from calling them derogatory terms?

I don't think that those who leave are stupid. I don't think they're morons. I think they're silly. I think they're selfish. I think they're acting like children who, not getting their way, are going home. I don't understand this line of thinking. It makes little to no sense to me. Do I want them gone? No. Do I want their political ideology in place? No.

Just my thought on the whole thing.

<font color="#FF0000" size="1">[ November 09, 2004 01:10 AM: Message edited by: Cotton Candy Lover ]</font>

This made me laugh and pokes fun at both sides of the Atlantic. Do not take seriously!!! Well..

HGF

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To the citizens of the United States of America,

In the light of your failure to elect a suitable President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective today. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchial duties over all states,
commonwealths and other territories. Except Utah, which she does not fancy. Your new prime minister The Right Honourable Tony Blair, MP (for
the 97.85% of you who have until now been unaware that there is a world outside your borders) will appoint a minister for America without the
need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether any of
you noticed. To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium". Check the pronunciation guide. You will be
amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour', skipping the letter 'U' is nothing more than laziness on your part. Likewise, you
will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters. You will end your love affair with the letter 'Z' (pronounced 'zed' not
'zee') and the suffix "ize" will be replaced by the suffix "ise". You will learn that the suffix 'burgh is pronounced 'burra' e.g. Edinburgh. You are welcome to respell Pittsburgh as 'Pittsberg' if you can't cope with correct pronunciation. Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. Look up "vocabulary". Using the same twenty seven
words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. Look up
"interspersed". There will be no more 'bleeps' in the Jerry Springer show. If you're not old enough to cope with bad language then you
shouldn't have chat shows. When you learn to develop your vocabulary then you won't have to use bad language as often.

2. There is no such thing as "US English". We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take
account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of "-ize".

3. You should learn to distinguish the English and Australian accents. It really isn't that hard. English accents are not limited to Cockney,
upper-class twit or Mancunian (Daphne in Frasier). You will also have to learn how to understand regional accents - Scottish dramas such as "Taggart" will no longer be broadcast with subtitles. While we're talking about regions, you must learn that there is no such place as Devonshire in England. The name of the county is "Devon". If you persist in calling it Devonshire, all American States will become "shires" e.g. Texasshire, Floridashire, Louisianashire.

4. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as the good guys. Hollywood will be required to cast English actors to play
English characters. British sit-coms such as "Men Behaving Badly" or "Red Dwarf" will not be re-cast and watered down for a wishy-washy
American audience who can't cope with the humour of occasional political incorrectness.

5. You should relearn your original national anthem, "God Save The Queen", but only after fully carrying out task 1. We would not want you
to get confused and give up half way through.

6. You should stop playing American "football". There is only one kind of football. What you refer to as American "football" is not a very good
game. The 2.15% of you who are aware that there is a world outside your borders may have noticed that no one else plays "American" football. You
will no longer be allowed to play it, and should instead play proper football. Initially, it would be best if you played with the girls. It
is a difficult game. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American "football", but does not
involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like nancies). We are hoping to get together at least a US
rugby sevens side by 2005. You should stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the 'World Series' for a game which
is not played outside of America. Since only 2.15% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.
Instead of baseball, you will be allowed to play a girls' game called "rounders" which is baseball without fancy team strip, oversized gloves,
collector cards or hotdogs.

7. You should declare war on Quebec and France, using nuclear weapons if they give you any merde. The 97.85% of you who were not aware that there
is a world outside your borders should count yourselves lucky. The Russians have never been the bad guys. "Merde" is French for "5hit". You
will no longer be allowed to own or carry guns. You will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous in public than a
vegetable peeler. Because we don't believe you are sensible enough to handle potentially dangerous items, you will require a permit if you
wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

8. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 2th will be a new national holiday, but only in England. It will be called "Indecisive
Day".

9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we
mean. All road intersections will be replaced with roundabouts. You will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you
will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Roundabouts and metrication will help you understand
the British sense of humour.

10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips. Fries aren't even French, they are Belgian
though 97.85% of you (including the guy who discovered fries while in Europe) are not aware of a country called Belgium. Those things you
insist on calling potato chips are properly called "crisps". Real chips are thick cut and fried in animal fat. The traditional accompaniment to chips is beer which should be served warm and flat. Waitresses will be
trained to be more aggressive with customers.

11. As a sign of penance 5 grams of sea salt per cup will be added to all tea made within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, this quantity to
be doubled for tea made within the city of Boston itself.

12. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all, it is lager. From November 1st only proper British Bitter will be referred to as "beer", and European brews of known and accepted
provenance will be referred to as "Lager". The substances formerly known as "American Beer" will henceforth be referred to as "Near-Frozen Knat's
Urine", with the exception of the product of the American Budweiser company whose product will be referred to as "Weak Near-Frozen Knat's
Urine". This will allow true Budweiser (as manufactured for the last 1000 years in Pilsen, Czech Republic) to be sold without risk of
confusion.

13. From December 1st the UK will harmonise petrol (or "Gasoline" as you will be permitted to keep calling it until April 1st 2005) prices with
the former USA. The UK will harmonise its prices to those of the former USA and the Former USA will, in return, adopt UK petrol prices (roughly
$6/US gallon - get used to it).

14. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and
therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort
things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun.

15. Please tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us crazy.

Tax collectors from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all revenues due (backdated to 1776).

Thank you for your cooperation and God Bless our Queen.

LOL!!! I love it!!! Thank you HG!!! That was brilliant.

My only argument there is the World Series thingy. Even many Baseball fans don't know this one. The reason it is called the "World" Series is due to a thing that people think is new to sports. The first tournaments were sponsored by a newspaper (I am almost 100% positive is was a paper), and said paper was...THE WORLD!!! So the name "World Series" is actually a product name, not unlike calling it "The Coca-Cola Series".

I agreed about everything else though. All though in line with that baseball bit, Baseball, unlike Football, is VERY popular in other countries. Example? Just look at how few baseball players are actually from the US nowdays!

Oh, and UK beer is neither "flat" nor "warm". Maybe by most of the US standards it is, but most beers are meant to be enjoyed at approx. 45-55 degrees. Though I am sure that the comments of it being "warm and flat" is also a joke making fun of most of the US for thinking that is how they drink it.

But I have also come to learn that even ice in your "soda" is not done in the UK, is this true???

No we like ice in our soda Carl even though half the drink ends up being water. To be honest its that cold over here just now you don't need it!

Someday I'll introduce you to our national drink in Scotland - Irn Bru. Don't think you'll get that over there somehow or I'll be amazed if you do but I love it. I must have read the contents of my post a few times to and was pissing myself.

HGF

PS Don't get much baseball over here, there is a Little League around here though. Someone once gave me a White Sox baseball cap so I suppose that would be my team but hey, what do I know LOL.

Funny stuff, HG. lol

Quote:

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Originally posted by Hairglamfan:
Someday I'll introduce you to our national drink in Scotland - Irn Bru. Don't think you'll get that over there somehow or I'll be amazed if you do but I love it. I must have read the contents of my post a few times to and was pissing myself.

HGF

PS Don't get much baseball over here, there is a Little League around here though. Someone once gave me a White Sox baseball cap so I suppose that would be my team but hey, what do I know LOL.

---

<font size="4" face="Arial">What is Irn Bru? Is it a "beer"? If so, I'll keep an eye out for it. So you're in Scotland? Why did I not know that? I have some over there. Plus, a fave brew of mine comes from your land, SkullSplitter from Brewery Orkney!!! Wonderful stuff!!! Have a case in my basement!

Good on ya for having a White Sox cap!!! That's my team!!! Nive one!

Its a soft drink Carl see link:

Irn Bru

Doen't mean to say I don't like a beer though and I've never even tried that Orkney brew. Need to check it out!

It's powerful stuff! Its alcohol content is misleading. I believe it is an 8.5%, which is pretty high, but it works more like a 12% for some reason! If your Irn Bru is a soft-drink, then we surely won't have it here. I don't know how well that stuff travels, and this country doesn't like those crazy outside the US soft-drinks. Odd, isn't it? Not really.