Salamander
Fire Walking

I'm tired of staying apolitical. It's the day before the election. I have, to date, made sparing political comments to any diaries, and no public comments at all in close to two months. I have kept my fingers still when people tried to convince me that the war in Iraq is just, and that the people of Iraq consider us liberators and desire our continued presence. I willed myself to stay quiet when people have tried to convince me that this is a "war on terrorism", when Iraq has never attacked the continental US, and Osama Bin Laden continues to run free, and a multitude of other countries who sponsor terrorism continue to do business with the United States. I've bit my lips till they bled when I was accused of not supporting our troops because I don't support their commander-in-chief (who sends them into war conditions without proper armament, protective apparel, nor even basics like socks or sunscreen). I have even managed to (mostly) keep my opinions to myself regarding a woman's right to choose, the sanctity of a union regardless of who loves whom, and the importance of stem cell research (which, in the future, has a real chance of providing people like me with our own new livers).

Do I think Kerry is the best of all possible candidates? No. He's got a few misguided ideas regarding integrated livestock ownership, and he is going to have to seriously rethink his ideas on social medicine if it's to really work. But he's sure as hell a better choice than the man who has abrogated our personal freedoms by pushing for the continuation of the Patriot Act, which permits the government to have warrant-free access our personal records by simply claiming someone has terrorist connections. Kerry is far and away superior to the man who went in search of weapons of mass destruction, only to have the only weapons of mass destruction known to be in Iraqi hands stolen from us under his watch. Kerry represents my ideals and morals more than Bush.

Tomorrow I go to the polls and cast my vote into the maelstrom. My vote, my voice, my future, will then hang in the balance. I can only hope that the American people rise above the mud and the emotions when they cast their vote tomorrow.

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This was in my inbin this morning. I wish it had been sent out sooner.

Dear Friends,

We the undersigned singers/songwriters/strummers and dreamers believe that the upcoming presidential election will have an impact on our country and the world community for many decades to come. We believe that in order to reach the positive goals of peace and unity, George Bush must go. To this end, we support JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT. We urge you to join us and do the following in order to ensure that Kerry wins back the White House in 2004:

1. Vote for John Kerry

2. Contact your local Democratic Party and offer transportation assistance getting Democrats to the polls.

3. If you are voting in a swing state, vote for John Kerry. Ralph Nader is not an option in a race this close. Winner takes all in American elections. This means that if Ralph Nader gets 3% of the vote, he doesn't get 3% of the voice. The president gets 100% of the voice (and cabinet
selections).

If you are planning to vote for Ralph Nader, you can sign up at VotePair.org where people in non-swing states agree to vote for Nader In exchange for Kerry votes in swing states. It's legal, and VotePair's Founder (and Dar Williams' friend), Jamie Raskin, says that Ralph Nader has endorsed it this time around.

4. Don't give up on trying to bring one more vote to the Democratic Party.
Talk it up!

Thank you for being part of our community. We look forward to working with you for a better tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Patty Larkin and Dar Williams
Merrie Amsterburg
Anonymous
Karla Bonoff
Jonatha Brooke
The Burns Sisters
Catie Curtis
Peter Gallway
John Gorka
Tracy Grammer
Pat Humphries & Sandy O
Janis Ian
Lucy Kaplansky
Christine Lavin
Peter Mulvey
Holly Near
Carrie Newcomer
Nerissa & Katryna Nields
Tom Rush
Chris Smither
Marc Schulman
Ben Wittman