Hatred v. Concern

Strangely, the day after the election is more trying than any of the previous days.

Here in the Fourth Circle of Hell, John McCain beat Barack Obama 57% to 41%. People here are truly shocked that the rest of the nation didn’t vote along with them. Asking these people what the problem is, I’ve heard that President Obama:

• “is going to turn America into a Communist country”
• “took money from a foreign dictator”
• “is a terrorist”

and my personal favorite

• “is the Antichrist”

This isn’t anything I haven’t heard before. I’d heard it all through the elections but that was always from anonymous commenters on blogs. The four phrases I list above came this morning out of the mouths of two women that I work with and like.

For me, hearing this and not judging but being mindful and compassionate is…um…difficult. It’s one thing to fear the painful death that results from drinking Coke while you eat Pop Rocks. It’s another thing altogether to honestly believe that the newly elected President is he who will come to Earth to challenge Christ and bring about the end of days.

The compassion part isn’t too hard. As I said before, these are people I like. Watching them be possessed by such an intense level of fear and ignorance is hard and I do sincerely hope that they will be free someday. Still, it’s hard to not feel frustration with someone who buys into any old piece of nonsense they receive in an email or from FOX News. It feels like the emotion that bubbles up causing you to want to slap someone who is hysterical – which is wrong, too.

But I do feel that there is great value in remaining non-judgmental about the situation. If nothing else, we can be examples. I just don’t want to be an example who allows hatred to spread because I was busy being mindful.

So what have I learned?

I always used to think that I had a pretty bad attitude. That hatred was part of my general makeup. I certainly used the word enough. I “hated” disco and brussel sprouts and reality shows and “that smell” or “that fucking guy”. Looking back now, I see that I never really hated anyone or anything. I just used the word incorrectly. Not a right view issue but a right speech issue.

Some people live to bathe in hatred. Their hatred of a person or an idea gives them a sense of purpose and “proof” that they are on the right side of things.

In the big scheme of things though, does it really matter if it’s disco or the Antichrist? View or speech? Aren’t I, via my concern rather than hatred, giving myself a sense of purpose and “proving” that I’m on the right side of things?

Act and Observe

Today is the perfect day to take action, then watch and be mindful.

Learning comes later.

An Ounce of Prevention

Breaking with format, we’re going to start today with what I’ve learned. Actually, let’s start with where I learned it.

There’s a very interesting article from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast detailing how the GOP is working to steal the upcoming election. There’s some very interesting reading there and I suggest that everyone take the time to read it.

EDIT: It would probably be easier to read it if I told you where it was. Here you go.

But did I learn that the GOP was working to steal the election. Not really. I figured as much.

Did I learn how they were working to steal the election? No, I’d heard most of this already.

What I learned and what everyone – and I mean everyone, whether you’re voting for Obama or McCain or an independent candidate – should pay attention to is how to deal with what you may believe is an attempt to make your vote not count.

From the end of the article:

“Here are some steps you should take to protect your vote. First, avoid the November 4th minefield. Voters, wherever possible, should vote early and in person. Where feasible, avoid mailing in your ballot, many are rejected for flimsy reasons, and first time voters in many states must include a photocopy of ID. However, if you have a mail-in ballot, don’t throw it away. Follow directions, use the correct postage (that’s an error that cost a hundred thousand votes last time) and, if possible, walk it in to your elections office.

At the polling station, should you find yourself one of the 2.7 million purged, or your ID rejected, then do your best to resist a “provisional” ballot–one third of which are not counted. Return with proper ID, or call 1-800-OUR VOTE for legal assistance. And never just walk away discouraged. That’s just what they want you to do.”

Seriously folks. Who you want to vote for is your own business but if there is a chance that someone is trying to kill your vote, you should do something about it. I’ve heard just as many claims from the right that the left is trying to steal the election. Whichever side you’re on, I think everyone agrees that this is one of the most important presidential elections ever. One that will play a big part in deciding the fate of our country for a long time to come.

Isn’t it better to follow the above advice than to be crying later that you got screwed?

Nope. No Buddhism today. I plan on remaining mindful of the situation and my own handling of events but this is a very important time in our lives. One in which mindfulness would only work if EVERYONE was mindful. Lacking that, it’s time for vigilance and action.

EDIT: CNN has also set up a hotline “if you have any problems or concerns about voting”. Their number is 1-877-GOCNN-08. They report:

“The hotline has received roughly 10,000 calls since it went live the middle of last week and viewers have reported a variety of problems and issues.”

YET ANOTHER EDIT: Enter these numbers on your cell phones. For those that need numbers instead of letters, here they are:

• Our Vote: 1-800-687-8683
• CNN Vote Hotline: 1-877-462-6608
  

How Equipped Are we?

Last year I posted here about a person that was running for Mayor. I mentioned that he was “ill-equipped”. I was worried that he might actually win.

In that post, I mentioned a televised debate that illustrated just how ill-equipped this person was. I’ll give you a specific that I hadn’t mentioned in that post.

In the debate, his opponent asked him (and I’m paraphrasing here) how he planned to support the “Open Door Law”. Our future Mayor replied that his door would always be open.

His opponent said that it sounded like he didn’t know what the “Open Door Law” was and proceeded to explain that, among other things, the “Open Door Law” (IC 5-14-1.5) required that “the official action of public agencies be conducted and taken openly, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute, in order that the people may be fully informed”. The future Mayor replied to that explanation by saying (and I’m quoting, not paraphrasing this time), “well, my door will always be open.”

There were other such instances that occurred through the course of this debate, indicating that the candidate was indeed “ill-equipped”. He won the election. By a landslide.

Fast forward to last week.

Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was interviewed by ABC’s Charles Gibson. Among other questions, Gibson asked Governor Palin about the “Bush Doctrine”. Here is the pertinent section of the unedited transcript (according to right-wing columnist Mark Levin).

GIBSON: Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?

PALIN: In what respect, Charlie?

GIBSON: The Bush — well, what do you — what do you interpret it to be?

PALIN: His world view.

GIBSON: No, the Bush doctrine, enunciated September 2002, before the Iraq war.

PALIN: I believe that what President Bush has attempted to do is rid this world of Islamic extremism, terrorists who are hell bent on destroying our nation. There have been blunders along the way, though. There have been mistakes made. And with new leadership, and that’s the beauty of American elections, of course, and democracy, is with new leadership comes opportunity to do things better.

GIBSON: The Bush doctrine, as I understand it, is that we have the right of anticipatory self-defense, that we have the right to a preemptive strike against any other country that we think is going to attack us. Do you agree with that?

PALIN: I agree that a president’s job, when they swear in their oath to uphold our Constitution, their top priority is to defend the United States of America.
I know that John McCain will do that and I, as his vice president, families we are blessed with that vote of the American people and are elected to serve and are sworn in on January 20, that will be our top priority is to defend the American people.

GIBSON: Do we have a right to anticipatory self-defense? Do we have a right to make a preemptive strike again another country if we feel that country might strike us?

PALIN: Charlie, if there is legitimate and enough intelligence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country. In fact, the president has the obligation, the duty to defend.

So, OK. She has (by now, I’m sure it’s “had”) no clue what the “Bush Doctrine” is. As I said, this was just one of the many quotable items from this interview. You can read them all at Mr. Levin’s site. The point is, Sarah Palin is ill-equipped to be Vice President. Considering John McCain’s age and short temper, we better hope that VP is as high as she gets.

But just like the reaction of most people my town toward our future Mayor, people are downright giddy over the prospect of having someone who they think isn’t tainted by politics in office.

Now, I think that Sarah Palin is a disgrace to her current position, let alone the one she wants to hold. The people who are just dying to elect her, however, are an even bigger disgrace. To sell one’s own country down the river so that you can say you voted for a “maverick”, especially one who is nothing of the sort, should cause one to hang their head in shame.

In my mind, there is no question of how ill-equipped Sarah Palin is for the Vice President position. The only question is, how well-equipped is the United States’ voting populace? Unfortunately, by the time we have an answer to that, it may well be too late.

So what have I learned?

Well, after the 2000 Presidential election, I learned that if the election isn’t won by a large majority, the electoral college will be the ones to sell us down the river.

After last year’s Mayoral election,  I learned that far too many people prefer to vote for people who make them feel like they’re doing something special, rather than who is best.

Prior to the upcoming election, sadly, I’ve learned nothing.

I mean, sure, I could say that, in the big scheme of things, this election is just a blip in our history but I just don’t buy that. As much as George Bush has done to run this country into the ground, the last thing we need is a President and Vice President who will continue his policies.

Sometimes, even the Buddha’s teachings don’t help us. Generally because we’re ill-equipped to apply them.