Rock the vote

I am going to miss the vice presidential debate tonight because of taiko practice. Although I'm sure it would be relatively amusing, I figure it's better to be hitting drums than to be hitting my head against the wall. There's a part of me that wants to see if Palin is truly as clueless and incompetent as I think she is. (Why do candidates go to such lengths to be the "average American," by the way? Personally, I want someone much smarter than that.) Her appeal is purely superficial, though, as far as I can tell. ("The president needs someone that is good at marketing," after all...someone actually told me that the other day, among other idiotic things. I just kept my mouth shut the whole time because I can't begin to debate someone with "points" like that.) Surely there must be something there that I am missing, right? Now, I have no doubt that she will put on a good performance and be prepared to attack (core values of the McCain campaign), but will she actually bring anything to the table? As much as people like to think VP does not make a difference, I think it's important to realize that this woman is a heartbeat away from the presidency--literally, because McCain is not exactly the picture of health. If you still don't know much about her, I urge you to do some research. It's frightening.

Voter registration ends October 8 in Missouri. It takes hardly any time, and unless you are in a coma or legally brain dead, you have no excuse to not even register. If you decide later not to vote, for whatever reason, fine. I won't really understand it, but I can at least respect it. Not even registering just blows my mind, though. I honestly think that it spits in the faces of our ancestors that fought for that right and people all over the world who would give anything for that opportunity. Our ancestors did not fight for our right to not give a shit, frankly, and indifference just accentuates how much we take for granted as Americans. The system might have some problems (electoral votes are outdated, for one), but opting out won't correct anything, anyway. You might not agree with every decision a candidate has ever made or might ever make, but if you don't pick a representative, someone else will just do it for you. You have one chance every 4 years, and that's all you can do. We are potentially on the brink of another depression, global warming is looming, oil companies are holding us hostage, we are still fighting a war...I can think of plenty of reasons why it's especially important to vote right now. The stakes are far too high to choose apathy.

http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF00A143B3001700993A6A/