[NEohioPAL]Lights out

[RFWB2000 at aol.com]

Hi all;

I just wanted to send a quick reply to your posting, as someone who shares your confusion and dismay about the events of the last few days.

I've felt like one of your "walking dead" lately. I gave an INORDINATE amount of time in the last few months as a volunteer for several different aspects of the Kerry campaign, as well as a handful of similarly affiliated organizations. I was knocking on doors in the wee hours of election morning. I also mounted a campaign against issue 1. To see ALL of that hard work defeated was a HUGE blow, and I shed more than a few tears over it.

But to be VERY honest, I stopped crying when I realized that my tears were VALIDATING the attrocious outcomes of the last few days. I refuse to give this horrid, oppressive regime my tears. I refuse to give them my sorrows. I refuse to give them LEGITIMACY and VALIDATION, and I refuse to stop fighting for what is right. And MANY people out there are coming to the same realization, as they shake off their own mourning for what seems like the death of liberty to many, many people.

The light hasn't gone out - not completely. It may have dimmed quite briefly, but it's not out. In fact, I have a hunch that the light will be burning brighter than before and with new resolve. We now know that we have to FIGHT for the issues we believe in, we can't simply rely on them to be granted to us by default. We KNOW that. And the battle lines are drawn more clearly than ever. We KNOW our enemy, and the devil you know beats the heck out of the devil you don't.

Please keep the faith. Know that there are many, many people who share your beliefs and dismay. But we're going to keep working to make it right...for EVERYONE. Take care.

Regards,
Ryan Bergeron


>From Leigh Angela" <lovetolaugh at earthlink.net  Sat Nov  6 07:50:22 2004
From: Leigh Angela" <lovetolaugh at earthlink.net (Leigh Angela)
Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 02:50:22 -0500
Subject: [NEohioPAL]Did college kids vote?
References: <20041106060226.24CC561F79 at mailman.siteprotect.com>
Message-ID: <014701c4c3d5$45a61860$dba5e504 at LeighAtHome>

Nina wrote:

>>As the college
>>kids, who largely didn't bother to vote (17% - an
>>improvement, but not much of one) wait til you
>>graduate
>>and try to get jobs in Bush's economy. I say to them,
>>"Good luck, and thanks for NOTHING."

I will say that I bet there were PLENTY who showed up at the rally to see 
Kerry so they could see The Boss, and then didn't bother to vote or maybe 
even voted for Bush. (It must be hard for those Born In The USA republican 
fans of Bruce's.)

However, I must also say that I saw one number that said that there were 4.6 
MILLION MORE VOTERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-29 THAN IN 2000. Sounds like a 
pretty good improvement to me. Unfortunately only 54% of them voted for 
Kerry. I shudder to think how many of the other 46% were afraid to look into 
any opinion other than their parents.'

I moved to Ohio 7 years ago from Chicago and I like it here, dammit. But I 
really don't know if I can live in a state with such a terrible law. Never 
in my wildest dreams could I imagine the issue would actually be PASSED.  I 
laughed out loud inside my voting booth when I read it!  Gays have been who 
they are for decades...for centuries...forEVER, and the world hasn't gone up 
in flames yet!  One friend of mine argued the other side by telling me "But 
then kids will SEE it."  Yeah, AND?  Kids see all kinds of sex on tv, then 
they forget about it, then they run out and play "Kiss the Girls" or "Show 
me yours I'll show you mine," and they are all just fine, not having sex 
with each other, not turning out any different than the generations of kids 
who played the same games before them, except what, maybe more accepting of 
others???  I kissed many of my girlfriends when I was a child, and I turned 
out hetero. And I didn't kiss them because I saw two girls kiss on tv 
(because I never did). I kissed them because I loved them...like a 
sister...because they were my "B.F.F."  Kids can handle it. It's the adults 
who obviously can't.

I for one would be thrilled if we all grew up seeing EVERYONE kissing and 
holding hands and being together and marrying, and then maybe every male in 
America wouldn't giggle like a 5 year old every time he sees two women kiss, 
and groan like his favorite team lost the Superbowl whenever he sees two men 
do the same. I'd say "Grow Up," but obviously age has nothing to do with it.

Leigh Peterson