I don't know about you but I'm still reeling from this election. I feel like the bottom has dropped out of my life and my future in this country, not to mention the future of this country itself. I haven't felt physically able to take in the political fallout, the concession speeches, the countless programs on what went wrong. Instead, I find myself reading articles about election meltdown syndrome and escaping into literature. I can bitch and complain to my heart's content but I don't feel any better. I can farm out my services to every activist group I can get myself into but I feel pessimistic about what anyone can really do. My optimism has been squashed! This morning I read Kerry's concession speech and was struck by something he said:concession speech
"But in an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning WE ALL (caps are my emphasis) wake up as Americans. And that -- that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth.
With that gift also comes obligation. We are required now to work together for the good of our country. In the days ahead, we must find common cause. We must join in common effort without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion.
I hope President Bush will advance those values in the coming years. I pledge to do my part to try to bridge the partisan divide. I know this is a difficult time for my supporters, but I ask them, all of you, to join me in doing that."
Are we all Americans? Because we do not all hold the same rights and protections under the law. 11 states voted in favor of state constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage, and Bush has placed the US Constitutional amendment as one of his goals for his second term.
Kerry calls for unity. Bush calls for unity. But how can I unite with those who would have me work against myself, my being, my beliefs. There was a day, not too long ago, when it felt good to be an American. It felt like we were progressing as a society and there was reason for the rest of the world to look in our direction in admiration. Those days are passed.
Kerry stated that he hopes Bush will advance values of unity in the coming years but those of us who fought so ardently for change know differently. It's like we see and live in a different America. I feel misplaced. I'm angry and hurt. And, I'll be damned if I'm going to unite under this regime. If you can't show me the respect of being a fellow American, then fuck you!
