Holy God’s teeth and blood! Despite the dire warning signs, the US managed to hold a fair and democratic election. The result was, well, illuminating. If you had any doubt that ‘Merica was a fundamentally religious state, now you can take that doubt and cast it merrily into the pit of fire.
80% of voters were church-goers. Over 20% of voters described themselves as evangelical: i.e. actively spreading the Christ virus, to go all Dawkins for a moment. The majority of these people cited faith and moral issues for their choice: i.e. NO to gay rights, NO to abortion. The key moral majority concepts in the US are the three Gs – Guns, Gays and God.
Four more years of Bush & co. is, succinctly, “a victory for the Christian fundamentalists who believe their country has been chosen by God, and that Bush is the Creator’s chosen instrument; and a victory for the neoconservatives striving to build an American imperium.” - Jackie Ashley, Guardian
I can talk about it now the pain has dulled. If you try to forget there was ever a chance for respite, it’s not so bad. I got my 25 quid for the victory but it hardly compensated. Check the nice clicky map for debrief.
In other news, hotdog-lipped Yasser Arafat – whose checkered towel entertained Spitting Image viewers of the 80s – is dead. He worked his entire life for the Palestinian cause, and once touched President Clinton with his hand. Frankly it’s astonishing he died of natural causes, after years of Hellfire-dodging.
The Israelis don’t seem quite sure whether to dance a merry jig (they were declaring him dead a week ago) or be worried about what’s next. I personally hope they can find someone else who can focus Palestinian influence in the same way as he did.
But not such a freaky-looking Riddler this time please.
12-Nov-04 at 1:39 pm | Permalink
bush > abso-fucking-lutely. I’m still in a state of disbelief. My money would have been on Kerry, despite what anyone said. It wasn’t within my realm of understanding that it would be possible for a majority of a country as large as america to be that heinously disgustingly ignorant as to the facts. I lost all faith in the human race that day.
Arafat > I saw channel 4′s epitaph of him last night. It disturbed me. Probably more so because of the graphic scenes of commandoes running around Fallujah straight afterwards. Arafat is responsible for murder on a greater scale than we can ever possibly imagine. The heroes welcome he received upon arrival in Gaza made me very uncomfortable.
freaky looking riddler > Mossop. Lol.
13-Nov-04 at 2:05 pm | Permalink
I think my flatmate voted for Bush cos when I asked her she said it was none of my business. I guess I just assumed all educated Americans would want him out. But elsewhere on campus- mass upset. This town is full of nice Americans. Did you see this website? Hope you managed to put a stop to all that spam.
20-Nov-04 at 4:16 pm | Permalink
Much as I dislike parroting, here’s a quote from my late homie MLK.
“I call on every man and woman of good will all over America today … to take a stand on this issue. Tomorrow may be too late. The book may close. Don’t let anyone make you think that God chose America as his divine messianic force, to be a sort of policeman of the whole world.
“God has a way of standing before the nations with judgement, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America ‘You are too arrogant! If you don’t change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power! And I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn’t even know my name. Be still and know that I am God.’”
- Martin Luther King, 4 April 1967
21-Nov-04 at 8:20 pm | Permalink
“America is the only nation in history which miraculously has gone directly from barbarism to degeneration without the usual interval of civilization.”
-Georges Clemenceau, one time French PM
23-Nov-04 at 9:54 am | Permalink
> Arafat is responsible for murder on a greater scale than we can ever possibly imagine
Well if we’re talking scale, I recall the Israelis vowing to kill 10 Palestinians for every Israeli death. And having a fairly decent stab at it too (something like 3:1 so far).
24-Nov-04 at 11:28 pm | Permalink
Em, well that makes him OK then (??)
25-Nov-04 at 1:21 pm | Permalink
Well, although he made some pretty serious political mistakes over the years, he alone succeeded in giving the legitimately aggrieved Palestinians an internationally heard voice.
He was the first leader of a national liberation movement to be recognised at the United Nations, for example.
With or without him, the popular revolts (intifadas) would still have happened, and given the overwhelming military power of Israel it’s likely they would have taken the same form.
Check the whole sad life story.
25-Nov-04 at 8:41 pm | Permalink
I get your point and I do sympathise with the Palestinian cause but I guess it just depends on whether you think the end justifies the means. Put it this way I wouldn’t have awarded him a Nobel peace prize in light of his past “mistakes”
Anyway, I hope you are available for drinky Saturday night? Last weekend of fun before serious end of term slog.