January 07, 2005
A late election musing
I'm still processing The results of November 3rd. (The day John Kerry conceded.)
My first response (which I acted upon) was to leave the country (if only for two days). I also espoused a game plan to likely leave the country eventually and obtain citizenship in another country.
After my initial fit of anger I'm still not sure about this idea. Citizenship is a strange social institution. The closet thing I know to compare it to is marriage. (Not the pussy ass edition practiced by so many hetro-attracted people where if you decided to split you can get it done with at most two years in court. (My parent's divorce proceedings lasted a bit over two years.)) To renounce your US citizenship you have to obtain citizenship in another country at the same time. This is as if to get divorced you'd have to get remarried at the same time the divorce became final.
At the moment my country and I are having a bit of a rocky relationship, but I'm not sure its time for a divorce -- I want to try to work it out.
In related news I have to say I'm proud of John Kerry. Yes, I know he didn't win. But, I read this excerpt from the November 15th issue of time in The December 21, 2004 Advocate.
Looking for a way to pick up swing voters in the red states [in the weeks before the election] former president Bill Clinton, in a phone call with Kerry, urged the senator to back local bans on gay marriage. Kerry respectfully listened, then told his aids, "I'm not going to ever do that."
I'm proud to have supported the presidential candidate that didn't compromise his values to get elected. If you're not going to follow your values you have nothing.