My Election Day Experience

So, I voted today. No lines, no waiting, no problems, it all went smooth. But then, I am registered in a relatively wealthy area. I felt no rush while casting my vote for the office of the President of the United States. I did not relish in the fact that I was being asked to choose from a group of people who do not know me, have not lived my life, yet who feel they have the knowledge and wisdom to dictate to me how I should live it. I was much more interested in the more local issues...state (FL) constitutional amendments, local officials, etc. The two that most appealed to me were No. 1 - "to delete provisions authorizing the Legislature to regulate or prohibit the ownership, inheritance, disposition, and possession of real property by aliens ineligible for citizenship," and No. 2 - to define marriage as one male and one female, and to invalidate any other unions. I voted yes on 1, and no on 2.

The United States' illegal immigration problem is not the fault of the immigrants, it is the fault of U.S. corporate interests and government actions. Our country fucked up Mexico's economy, and workers crossed the border looking for the land of opportunity advertised on our Statue of Liberty. I wish the reality weren't so disappointing. Neither of the two major candidates will repeal NAFTA, the cause of Mexico's ailing economy, as well as the true cause of the loss of manufacturing jobs here in the U.S. Immigrants didn't come to the U.S. and steal your job, your corporation didn't give a shit about you, and moved your job to somewhere where the workers could be exploited more- with death squads, union busting, sweatshops, etc.- namely, Mexico. Don't blame immigrants for the economy's problems...if you read into history, you'd know that immigrants have always helped the economy, and that claims of immigrants being a drain on social services are wildly exaggerated and told in absence of the information to the contrary- how much they contribute to the economy- which far outweighs what is spent on them. Illegal immigrants can't even get social services many times, because they have no social security number, and no legal identity in the U.S. They also DO pay taxes, because everybody pays sales tax, which disproportionately affects the poor. They also pay taxes on their property, if they own any. Keep in mind, they essentially have no say in what happens, so even though they are being taxed, they have no representation. Also keep in mind that 1/3 of the United States was stolen from Mexico in war, and that millions of people have been wrongly deported because they had dark skin and spoke Spanish.

The government should have nothing to do with marriage, but if special priveleges are given to married couples, then this should extend to all married couples. It should be regardless of whether the couple is blessed by a religious institution or not, they are heterosexual or not, or anything else. If a couple wants to be married, and they are both consenting and of age, benefits should be extended to them that any other union gets. The government should be playing moral police and limiting the rights of those considered different. However, there is another issue involved in this, as well. Why doesn't every American just have healthcare? Why doesn't every American have the insurance they need to live a long and healthy life? People should have to get married to get the same benefits, those should be given regardless of marital status, or any other identifier. There is no justification for why healthcare in this country should continue to be driven by profits instead of better health.

Keep in mind that no matter who you vote for, you're voting for someone to rule over you. I'm not saying don't vote...I'm saying don't end it there. Voting is a great way to participate in the political process, and voting on amendments such as these is very important. However, we must not forget that by voting officials into office, we give our power away, with only a slight say in what general direction the government may go, and only within a certain range of difference. Think about this: what if everyone wrote in themselves for President? What would the government do? Would they leave the decision to the Supreme Court? Congress? Or would they respect our decision and split power among all? I think if we did that, we'd see the true face of the so-called American democracy, and we'd know the truth about what they think about the voters they claim to know and love while they campaign to steal your power and win the offices that tell you what you can and cannot do, with little or no oversight upon them. Dissent is seen as treason, criminal, and punishable. That means if you disagree with whoever is in power, you will face state violence. What better definition of fascism is there? How much will we take? What has to happen for the American people to say, "Enough is enough!"? I guess we'll find out...

Police Intimidation and Bullying

I've been reading a lot of articles that deserve some more mention. Not only is police brutality the classic oppressive instrument of the state, it is a fundamental look into how government agencies are set up to run. Take these news clips:
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"Outside the debate, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War led a demonstration at the Hofstra University gates. At least fifteen people were arrested–including five IVAW members. Emily Forman of I-Witness Video captured footage of police on horseback attacking the crowd. Police horses trampled at least one veteran, Nick Morgan, who lay on the ground nearly unconscious in a pool of blood. Morgan served in Iraq for about a year. His condition is unknown."
Taken from DemocracyNow! Thursday October 16th, 2008
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"In Maryland, new details have been released on the state police spying on peace groups and anti-death penalty activists. In July, Maryland was forced to admit its agents infiltrated meetings and events of the Baltimore Pledge of Resistance and the Baltimore Coalition Against the Death Penalty. On Tuesday, Maryland’s top police chief admitted fifty-three nonviolent activists, as well as several protest groups, were classified as terrorists and entered onto a federal database that tracks terrorism suspects. Activists are now being invited to review their files before they are deleted."
Taken from DemocracyNow! Wednesday October 8th, 2008
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Today in one of my classes, there was an interesting question posed. "Think of how different your life would be, if at all, if you never had to fear violence of any kind?" This kind of police action is state violence directly against the people of this nation. Police all across the country have committed acts of violence and oppression against the working, working poor, and working/studying/activist youth of this country. Take a glimpse into what happened outside the last presidential debate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmQESpuiurI


This disrespect goes to our veterans...now think of what you may have experienced. Being pushed around, humiliated and taunted in the squad car, at the office, in the cell, chained up inside a courtroom with a leash around your neck. At other protests, tactics continue to include shooting rubber bullets and gasses into the crowds of men, women, and children. Since when was protesting illegal? This is direct state intervention and violence against what is arguably the most basic duty of people in a free society...demanding democracy in their streets. Demanding an end to an illegal war and occupation, which has devastated the people, enflamed a civil war, and condemned the region to billions of years of radiation from exploded depleted uranium shell casings. Oil supplies are not a good reason to invade a country...though, the members of the White House may not agree with me. You may have heard of Project for a New American Century...well, this is where you can find the neo-cons' logic and reasoning, as well as a hint that they might have let a certain disaster happen to get us behind some not-so-popular initiatives. I believe the quote from one of their publications read that they would need a "Pearl Harbor-like event" to get the people behind these plans. Lots of exploding, fire, massive destruction, many questions as to why it happened in the first place...if there's one disaster after Pearl Harbor that fits all these criteria, it's 9-11.

Let me plainly state the obvious: The members of our government have used the pretext of a threat of terrorism to concentrate power into the hands of fewer and fewer people with less and less oversight. This is especially alarming considering the fact that U.S. troops are now being stationed for operations right here on U.S. soil. That's right:

"In a barely noticed development, a US Army unit is now training for domestic operations under the control of US Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command. An initial news report in the Army Times newspaper last month noted that in addition to emergency response the force “may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control.” The military has since claimed the force will not be used for civil unrest, but questions remain."
Taken from DemocracyNow! Monday, October 13th, 2008

Martial law is coming soon, and the police are the test run. The Army is next.

Fight the power. Hit the streets. Show your numbers. Resist, refuse.

Welcome.

Well, I decided I'd give this blogging thing a try...I'll be putting different news stories, ramblings, anecdotes, and whatever else comes to mind. A little about me: I'm currently working on a bachelor's degree in sociology, I'm very happily engaged, and I believe that power and domination are the only and ultimate sins. Yes, I'm an anarchist. No, that doesn't mean chaos and blowing shit up. But, I'll be able to explain my views further at another time...for now, I'm going to set this thing up and start thinking about my first official blog post. Until then, peace.

-=Sick_of_Slavery=-