V-O-T-E

Can I tell you how much I love election time. I mean seriously. I do feel a slight shame that the US election is much more interesting than the Canadian, but really with the round-the-clock coverage of each candidate and campaigning that goes on for a year, what’s not to be entertained by? I mean the Canadian election is announced and one month later we’re voting. What fun is that? It’s not nearly enough time for me to get interesting images of Harper to make fun of (don’t know what I’m talking about? Click here: http://flaggman.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/stephen-harper-kitten.jpg).

Look at that photo and answer this: Is that a man that should be running Canada?
Multiple choice answers: A) No B) Non
C) Hell no D) All of the above

→If you chose A, B, C, or D… proceed to the voting station of your area and chose the Liberal, NDP, Green, Communist, Marijuana or Independent candidate in your riding.
→If you didn’t think any of those answers are sufficient… please be advised that voting for you will commence on October 20 and please do not attempt to cast a vote until that time.

It’s kind of sad that this election will be the first one that I haven’t voted in since I turned 18. I know, it’s just a vote, but quite honestly, I love voting. I love thinking that my vote counts for something and I have a say in democracy (lets ignore the fact that it’s very rare that who I vote for gets elected as PM, but my vote for MP usually works).

And since we’re (ok, I’m) talking about elections… a note on the US (because you know I love it).

Is anyone else tired of the America’s and how they pat themselves on the back for breaking the glass ceiling? I mean they’re just so proud that this election will see them vote in their first black president (actually he’s only half-black, but they neglect that part most of the time) or female vice-president (whom will most likely be president since ol’potato there is ready to kick it). Doesn’t the media, the politicians or anyone else see how stupid it is?

Aside from the fact that I don’t understand why this is even an issue, does the color of one’s skin or their gender really tell us about how they would act while in power? If so the white guy in power right now has pretty much screwed it up for all future white-men in power (yet another reason why not to vote in the old white guy).

My point is that the US is so proud of something they should be ashamed of. They’re trying to make it seem like they’re open to change and willing to give minorities a chance to run the country, as if they’re the first to do so. Yet it’s commonplace everywhere else.

Woman have had power before. Need I remind you of Kim Campbell? Margaret Thatcher? The president of Finland that looks like Conan O’Brien (Tarja Halonen)? Michelle Jeria (Chile), Helen Clark (New Zealand), Angela Merkel (Germany)?

As for black people, you needn’t look further than most African countries that have had a black president at some point, as have a lot of Caribbean countries (many of these countries have elected not only black men, but black women, crazy I know). And what was that guy from South Africa? Ummm.. Nelson Mandela? Yeah, him… first black president of South Africa, a country that was under apartheid long after the so-called freedom of black people in the US, he did pretty good under the pressure.

The US needs to stop acting as if they’re so liberal and open-minded for allowing these ‘minorities’ the right to the office. Congratulations for joining the rest of the world, stop acting so proud and start feeling some shame.

I’ll get off my soap box now… but like I said before, remember to get out and vote people (remember, if you’re voting conservative the day to vote is the 20th)… if any American’s are reading this, please remember to vote Obama on the 4th, do you really want a potato running your country?