Election Journal Entries

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• Australia is in the grip of election fever so.... *Vote for me!!*
  by Paul Louis Villani

  Good morning to all the wonderful Bubblers in the world! / I have a request… / An image...

  Good morning to all the wonderful Bubblers in the world! / I have a request… / An image of mine is a finalist in an online art competition and I need your votes please!! / Please click on the picture below to go to the polling booth ahem voting page!! Thanks so very much everyone! / Lots of love and massive bear hugs!!! / / / / ...oh and I’ll be in Sydney tomorrow at Global Gallery between 2pm and 5pm hope to meet some NSW bubblers!! That would be cool!!

• COME ON!!!! KEVIN IN 07
  by kathleen

  PETER GARRETT FOR PM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO FAR SO GOOD… BLOODY DICKSON CONTENTIOUS… FEDERAL ELECTION IN AUSTRALIA TO…

  PETER GARRETT FOR PM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO FAR SO GOOD… BLOODY DICKSON CONTENTIOUS… FEDERAL ELECTION IN AUSTRALIA TODAY… BRING ON KYOTO! / BRING OUR ARMY HOME!

• Federal election sales campaign
  by Darren Stones

  Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, has announced the Federal Election will be held on Saturday 24 November 2007. Terrific – I’m …

  Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, has announced the Federal Election will be held on Saturday 24 November 2007. Terrific – I’m bubbling with enthusiasm and can’t wait to join the queue of friendly locals at the local primary school, and have those how-to-vote cards delicately shoved in my face. Protecting our shores From a totally selfish viewpoint, I was hoping Mr Howard would avoid calling the election for that day due to it being MY special day of the year. On this occasion, why did Mr Howard forget to consult me about the perfect day for him to seek a fifth term? I’m baffled. A lady happily paying her 10% Goods and Services Tax Mr Howard cleverly avoided having the election on Australian Football League Grand Final day, Bathurst 1000 motor race weekend, and of course the self-appointed four-day weekend when the Melbourne Cup is conducted. Typical Aussies engrossed by the political coverage So, it seems I’m destined for a rivetting evening on 24 November in front of the TV watching the tears flow and corks popping. Can’t wait to see the predictable political coverage on the various networks, too. Yes, I’m getting excited as you can tell. We’re all laughing in a psychedelic manner The upshot of this is the rare opportunity for you to share my pain and cheer me up. Buy yourself a lovely piece of Australia and consider the good you’re doing. If you buy up big, I’ll probably head to a pub and celebrate the political winners and help drown the sorrows of the political losers. More beer please Please note: This is an apolitical journal entry, so best wishes to all candidates who see a decent superannuation package in their sights. Click here to cast your vote before the polling booth closes God help us

• here's the thing....
  by shawhouse

  A short true story with two pictures…. My wife, Diana, ran for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee. Some titl…

  A short true story with two pictures…. My wife, Diana, ran for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee. Some title. I don’t know what they do. Diana will let me know as soon as she finds out. The elections were yesterday and Diana’s name was actually on the ballot (!), along with a slate of judges and a regressive initiative or two…. / . / . / . / . / ...but who’s bragging? Problem is, I forgot to vote in the morning, traffic was terrible (I know – in LA?), the polls were closing, the sun was setting, I was flooring the Prius and it occurred to me that, win or lose, providing tangible evidence that I did indeed exercise my civic duty was probably a swell idea, or – mothers, cover your children’s eyes – shawhouse would be in the shithouse… and for good reason…so I did…. / . / . / . / . / . / . She Won! The End shawhouse

• Roughly Speaking 12
  by RoughDiamond

  Yesterday (Saturday Nov 24) was my first day out alone as official photographer for the Herald in my town. I covered the Election – vo…

  Yesterday (Saturday Nov 24) was my first day out alone as official photographer for the Herald in my town. I covered the Election – voting that is, the cricket, pennent bowls, tennis and cricket. The voting wasn’t too easy as the official in charge person wasn’t too happy about me photographing in there. I did get a couple of good shots in though and I think D.Boss will be happy with that. The rest were easy enough, the cricket the most exciting being out there in the middle of the pitch with all these cute guys dressed in white and a heavy red ball whizzing past my head every few minutes! Got a great shot of “Bums on Seats” at the bowls .. couldn’t help myself. All in all it went fine. I’ll be going into the office to check out the pix later on. That’s all :) x

• I am so confused tell me who I should vote for (and why) for US president in 08
  by Ruben Flanagan aka (Flan)

  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGG I am so confused ….he did this… he did that ….she beleaves in this…. ...he would do that…....sho…

  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGG I am so confused ….he did this… he did that ….she beleaves in this…. ...he would do that…....should I vote for a woman….should I vote for a man…..should I vote for a white man ….should I vote for a black man….,,should I vote for him because of his religion…..should I vote for him because he smoke pot in his early years but didnt enhale…...........should I vote for him because he likes green eggs and ham…...tell me on who, who.

• Why few African leaders criticize Robert Mugabe
  by Daniel Rarela

  Why few African leaders criticize Mugabe I found this rathe…

  Why few African leaders criticize Mugabe I found this rather interesting… particularly on how it relates to us here in the States. Your thoughts?

• All That Glitters is Not Disco
  by John Douglas

  In my eternal search for pain and grief I decide how to vote in the coming Australian federal election. I was discoing in Lismore on…

  In my eternal search for pain and grief I decide how to vote in the coming Australian federal election. I was discoing in Lismore on my annual Big City Night Out, shooting pool instead of pills, contemplating those I’d dumped from my Christmas card list since they became sober. As always, after downing a keg of booze with nary a care for the long wait till next cheque, my thoughts turn to the pert fact that this is a federal election year. The Link / It’s self-evident a party’s policy whims -State or Federal – affect the quality of life for an artist. Federally, we’re talking Arts Council funding, arts funding and employment opportunities to name a few. / In my quest for pain I reluctantly set aside the timeless, unanswerable questions such as: / ‘Is a politician by definition capable of honesty?’ or ‘Should you regard an election promise as a core promise or simply farting?’; ‘Is that really human hair, Julie Bishop?’. Instead I cut to the chase and asked Australia’s Federal Labor and Coalition parties what they will do to improve the quality of life for artists, i.e. Me, Me, Me. I immediately discard Joe Hockey from my email enquiries list. I’m sure the cuddly Shrek stunt double would have plenty to tell me about the amazing employment opportunities for artists if his team is re-elected, but I want answers, not spin and chips. I think the term ‘Workchoices’ sticks like a bone in the throat of most people. Predictably the Coalition is pleased with their employment record. Hubris is easy when you fudge figures so even one hour a week in any job now counts as employed. And as for increases in funding for art-related jobs? Incentive for artists to join in gainful, meaningful employment, which utilizes their skills? Increases in arts grants? Nada. Zilch. Zero. There are over 45,000 professional artists in Australia, more than twice as many as 20 years ago, with that figure increasing another 2-3% each year. / Most Aussie artists can’t make a living from their profession. 50% of all artists earn under $7,300 per annum from their art, so they work two to three jobs—their art, a related arts job such as teaching, and non-arts jobs such as telemarketing or whoring (only a trained eye can tell the difference). Even then, many artists earn less than $30,000 from all jobs. Putting this in a wider context, the average artist income from all sources is about the same as a pre-Workchoices casual factory worker. There are many artists who earn significantly less than this. More than one in three artists earn less than the poverty line. How low can you limbo? Do the maths on the gushingly wonderful employment figures hurled at us and see if the current numbers still look good. Both parties agree in principle into ‘looking into’ revitalising arts resources but those who monitor these things tell me implementation of any alleged improvements will take years- will I be alive, I wonder? Will creeping mould keep my cadaver creating art? Will my cellulite finally improve? Meanwhile, back on earth, increasing numbers of frustrated creatives smile like waiters. You can keep the tip. Lobby by Email / So armed with my short list of portfolios I hit the e-mail. It says a lot about this country that we have a Ministry for Arts and Sport – a clear indication of just how valued artistry and imagination are in a our wide, brown bland. Lo and behold it’s perfectly clear – and cunningly, here is the real difference between the two camps. To my pointed questions the ALP promptly replied with polite, lengthy, and vague policy-speak. The Coalition on the other hand – rather tardily – replied with polite, short, vague policy-speak. So here’s my decision. Though neither side has quite an elephant stamp gold star rating when it comes to future incentives to the arts, I’ll go with the side that least inclines to bellicose squandering of our taxes. Maybe, just maybe, some of the money saved will funnel into turning culcha into culture.

• OBAMA '08
  by Nolan Nitschke

  I had the rare pleasure of seeing Barack Obama speak live yesterday at my school Boise State University. I had to completely give up on p…

  I had the rare pleasure of seeing Barack Obama speak live yesterday at my school Boise State University. I had to completely give up on politics about 8 years ago for my own health. The more i leaned the more i was driving myself to an early grave. But I was really impressed by Obama and inspired. He actually gave me a glimpse of hope for this corrupt, maniacle government. Some of the changes hes wishes to instill if he becomes president are: 1. Universal Free Healthcare for all Americans by the end of his first term / 2. $4000 college credit for students wishing to seek higher educations / 3. Get our troops out of Iraq and get the real enemy, Bin Laden / 4. Completely take lobbiest and PACS out of the whitehouse and stop letting them set political agendas / 5. Bring Amercan starndards of education back to the forefront / 6. Bring America to the forefront of preservation and protection of our earth This is not saying that he couldnt be totally blowing smoke up our bum bums, like so many politicians have done before. But the thing about Obama is he really sounds like hes speaking from the heart. His whole campaign is based on CHANGE. He wants to completely change the way this country works and re-instill a sense a pride in our country which the Bush Administration so easily destroyed. It seems that no one wants things to continue as there are, and we all are so despritly calling for change. So now i may enter back into the world of politics. I just might have to get passed my moral and pholisophical reasons of completely withdrawing from politics, to vote and support this empassioned individual in the hope that their is still the chance that we can change this country back for the good. I highly recommend that you go and find some of his speeches on youtube.com or elsewhere and listen to what he has to say. OBAMA ‘08!!! www.barackobama.com

• Beautifull Belgium monthly avatar change
  by theBFG

  : / Since so …

  : / Since so many wonderfull works have been submitted the Beautifull belgium group in the past few weeks, it´s really a bit of a shame not to let some of them get the limelight for a while. Because of this, i chose to let the group avatar change every month and each time replace it with a shot that that little extra something. The first time i chose this new avatar myself (a wonderfully composed and lit photograph of a lacemaker), but it would be nice if the process would become more interactive. As i think this group is too new (and therefor still too small and inactive) to host a full competition with voting and whatnot, i´ll limit things this time to letting you pick out a work you really like and posting it on the Beautiful Belgium forum named “Monthly Avatar Change”. Just post a thumb or a link or just copypaste the webadress of the photograph, / and i’ll choose the winning avatar from the lot. With luck we will be bustling enough to have a nice little election next month.

• Event Photographer
  by Brittany Kinney

  Hey everyone! / Tonight, my little brother’s school is holding it’s winter concert. And guess what?? / They chose me to be the event photo…

  Hey everyone! / Tonight, my little brother’s school is holding it’s winter concert. And guess what?? / They chose me to be the event photographer!! =D So hopefully, I’ll have some pretty decent pictures to show y’all. YAY! =] Cross your fingers for some goooooood pictures! / -Brittany

• Farewell43.com and My Message to the Pres.
  by bchrisdesigns

  I just received news that my submission to the Farewell 43 Project was accepted! Now, all I can hope for is…

  I just received news that my submission to the Farewell 43 Project was accepted! Now, all I can hope for is that it will not only be published on the web, but in the book itself! I posted my 200-word message on Red Bubble, which you can see by clicking here. You can also see it online here. And, also on my blog here. (I believe in the power of three!) It took me a long time to write it and say what I needed to say. My fingers are still weak and my arms are still shaking because of how angry I was when I typed it. It was great therapy! I think this is a wonderful project and that everyone should participate! It does not matter whether you love him or hate him or are American or not…there is a place for everyone to leave a message! Check out my brief tutorial here, for more information. They are also accepting image submissions as well! Cheers! ~ b.chris Links: I Bleieve… [posted on Farewell43.com] / My Message to Dub-Ya [on Red Bubble] / My message to Dub-Ya [Blog Post] / How To Let Dub-Ya Know What You Really Think of Him! [Hub Pages Tutorial] / Farewell43.com

• RACE for the WHITE House
  by Gregory John O'Flaherty

  RACE for the WHITE House 26th June 2008 / I have just watched a segment on Australian ABC televisions’ Lateline program, on…

  RACE for the WHITE House 26th June 2008 / I have just watched a segment on Australian ABC televisions’ Lateline program, on the upcoming Presidential elections in the USA. It focused on West Virginia, as a democrat president has not been elected in the last 80 years that has not won in West Virginia. People who supported Hillary Clinton in the run off with Barack Obama were saying that they would only vote for Obama if Clinton was his running mate. Others said they would have voted Democrat, are now going to vote Republican. Their reason for this was purely a matter of RACE, not policy. In Australia, it is compulsory to vote; in the USA it is not. If race is the driving motivation to vote, and not the policies of the parties, what does this say about democracy in the USA ? What does this say about racism and tolerance ? I have never understood the USAs’ Presidential system, that gives one person power over the rest of the Government. I hate to think that it will be the votes of racists that will decide the outcome. Do not be apathetic, get out and vote. Old Arabic saying :- “ See the words that are said, not the person saying them.” END RACISM

• Fuck Hillary Clinton Supporters
  by Jeff Ryan

  Ok a pervious journal entry I posted may have come off a bit harsh and hateful. First I would like to say I do NOT support violence again…

  Ok a pervious journal entry I posted may have come off a bit harsh and hateful. First I would like to say I do NOT support violence against women. I support violence against the elderly, they are old, cranky and always complaining about something. (Just Kidding, I love old people) I didn’t mean for my remarks to be taken seriously. Frankly, I didnt think anyone would read this, seeing as how in under an hour that journal entry recieved more views than any of my artwork that has been posted for about a month now. With that being said I stand by my statement regarding Hillary Clinton supporters who are starting these little internet groups and banding together against Barack Obama. I mean Im mad that Ron Paul didnt win the Republican Nomination but you dont see me protesting. It just seems that every other day I see a new Clinton group spokes person on Fox News bitching about how jaded she is by the democratic party and how Obama is an inexperienced antichrist left wing liberal loony. Im sick of seeing these ugly old white bitches complaining, these ladies look like they havn’t had an orgasm since Regan took office. Heres a politician who has policies that actually make sense and here you guys go screwing things up for him which in the end is going to hand the election over to John McCain. Why do we need another Republican in office? Why do we need four more years of a conservative right wing politician? Hasn’t George Bush proven that the only thing a republican president is good for is inspiring hilarious cartoons on Comedy Central? I think there are more similarities between Hillary Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s policies than Clinton and McCain’s. Im sick of retarded people protesting shit because they have nothing better to do with their time, go iron a shirt, smoke some pot, and loosen your bra straps a couple notches.

• Forget Kevin 07
  by rabble

  Kevin07 is fairly bland. / Come to rabble and get / some political satire into the campaign. / Art & Politics usually don’t mix / but that …

  Kevin07 is fairly bland. / Come to rabble and get / some political satire into the campaign. / Art & Politics usually don’t mix / but that all changes during an election. / Wear some satire this election. / New designs continually being added.

• In Response to Scott Denny
  by Lauren Thomson

  Thankyou for your prayer for Kenya. The photo I just submitted to this group “siblings sharing” are just three of the people that I am w…

  Thankyou for your prayer for Kenya. The photo I just submitted to this group “siblings sharing” are just three of the people that I am worried about at the moment. I worked in Kisumu for a while at an Orphanage. It was my second visit to Kenya and it was a peaceful and beautiful country, even concidering its hardships of poverty. Since the elections, Kisumu is one of the hardest hit towns as the opposition contender is from a tribe located from this area of Kenya. I have tried to contact all my local friends from the area and have not heard from them. This off course has me worried as there is nothing I can do from Australia. I didn’t receive emails over christmas or any answers to my texts. I hope any pray with you for the safety and peace of such a beautiful country and its people. As for my friends and the children from the orphange I hope all is well with them and wish I could be there to help.

• Election time..
  by rabble

  Mr Speaker / I advocate fiscal responsibility and an end to pork barreling, / to stay as long as my party wants me and at the end of the …

  Mr Speaker / I advocate fiscal responsibility and an end to pork barreling, / to stay as long as my party wants me and at the end of the / day serve the party in whatever capacity they desire. / Any recalcitrant’s will soon come to understand there is a / new force in Australian politics, a new beginning… / Vote 1 Rabble at the upcoming election / and bring back the political slogan as T. / Lots more political Tees over the coming weeks. / I am here for the long haul / Thank you Mr Speaker

• Thoughts & Politics
  by MattTucker7

  There are many (myself included) who in the past, or perhaps presently feel that politics don’t effect them, that no matter who’s in the …

  There are many (myself included) who in the past, or perhaps presently feel that politics don’t effect them, that no matter who’s in the House in the coming years, their day-to-day lives will remain the same, and they’ll live them that way. But I’ve come to realize that this has the same detrimental effects of those of us who wish to give our lives to humanitarian work and snub our noses at the wealthy and those who seemingly work and/or live for money. We need all people to make this world go ‘round, and money is unfortunately a necessity to some extent in this world. Those people making the money can allow us to have the funding to do world missions and to start foundations keep non-profits running. They’re influential, as is the money they posses, and they allow us to be influential as well. The situation with politics is very similar I’ve come to realize. Those people have so much power and control over the issues in this country, and can really hold sway over one outcome or another. And these ‘outcomes,’ for many could be the difference between a healthy life and an unhealthy live. Or simply life or death. We must learn to educate ourselves in politics, particularly when it comes to the coming elections. It does make a difference who ends up in that office, and we do have a say. The past few elections had so few from our generation that the outcome was really decided by a relatively small number. This brings me to the series of thoughts I’ve been having today. There are many Christians who cannot understand, let alone support a Democratic candidate, let alone why other Christians may. But since when was God a Republican or a Democrat? In my opinion the informed position would be one closer to center anyhow, but that is neither here nor there. There are also many Christians (and I used to be one of them) who vote solely based on the abortion issue. Saying that voting for anyone other than the candidate with the strongest stance against abortion is murder. The problem is that abortions will continue whether they are legal or not, and if it is not, they will be in much more dangerous and unsanitary ways. Beyond that, who says that abortion is the only issue involving ‘murder,’ and potential loss of beautiful life or otherwise? There are many who cannot afford healthcare and who are thrust into a pit of debt by their medical bills, or the many others who simply don’t get treatment – some who don’t even try. And what of creating an environment that will last us as long as possible for future generations? And many other countless issues involving human life and its quality. Here is another thought: just because someone is a more ‘outspoken’ Christian, doesn’t necessarily mean they are truly a Christian, or that they will truly do God’s will. There are many who call themselves Christian. In closing my thoughts I would like to you leave you with one last thought: Jesus was a man of the people. The poor, the down-trodden, and the meek. He hung around with prostitutes, robbers, the lowest of the low in his society, and by inviting them to dinner he was making a great and quite blunt political statement. So who are we going to sit down to dinner with? Who will we invite to our tables in the upcoming elections and on after? Will it be all the children of God, which would be every last member or humanity the world over, yes, even the “illegals,” even the homeless that we dare not look at, speak about, or recognize? Or will it be “our people,” “our own kind,” as many say? Mike Huckabee, as much as I enjoy some of his videos and appearances on the Colbert Report, states on his website under the Immigration policy that: “I will take our country back for those who belong here. No open borders, no amnesty, no sanctuary, no false Social Security numbers, no driver’s licenses for illegals.” While I see where he is coming from, who are we to say who belongs here and who doesn’t? We shouldn’t forget that we too were all immigrants at one point or another. Should we keep people from having a better life? Should we bar people from sanctuary when it may save the very gift of their lives we say we try to uphold? I realize that we need to be aware of immigration, and I too disagree with members of other countries coming here who do not integrate into our society. That is why I prefer a stance closer to Obama’s who claims he will remove incentives to enter illegally, yet will support “a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.” Remember in parting from this message, this ‘note,’ of mine that I do not wish to put down one candidate and uphold another, to push my views on you, or to give the impression that I have all of the knowledge when it comes to politics, the candidates, and Christianity. Truly I say to you that I am far from it! I just wished to exteriorize and to share my thoughts and feelings with you, and maybe it will allow for some chat, some discussions, and for each of us to reflect and think about things in new and different ways. To challenge our previous thoughts and to really come to a realization of what and who we wish to stand behind. Thanks for reading my note, and take care ☺

• Johnny says....
  by rabble

  I will be wearing my black T with the saying / “I’ll stay as long as my party wants me” with great glee / as Johnny has again trotted out t…

  I will be wearing my black T with the saying / “I’ll stay as long as my party wants me” with great glee / as Johnny has again trotted out this tired old line last / night on Lateline. Get your favourite election cliche on a / Tshirt and have some fun this election!

• Today....
  by jules / Missy frost

  Ok today was hospital treatment day so not much got done. . / We are slowly getting a collection of art t-shirts together. / Missy Ballons…

  Ok today was hospital treatment day so not much got done. . / We are slowly getting a collection of art t-shirts together. / Missy Ballons CLICK HERE Brightness and light from darkness with Missys Inspired CLICK HERE TO SEES And of course the all new,,,,a Really Nearly naked Tshirt u cant miss this one click here CLICK HERE / Nice ;) And if your really bored of the election well join my new campaign :) / CLICK HERE / Tell us about you and where u are… Talk in the forum and vote on what you think of your local politician ;) go go go… The shop seems to be going slooowwwwwwwwww today… But feel free to go buy something , just buy anything lol CLICKHERE Owwww and leave a comment it makes this worth while… :> Hello is there anybody there? Where u from? Who are you, what work have you got on here… Are you actually going to buy something? Or are u poor like us lol (—-CLICK HERE TO GET VIZUNS TOOLBAR-—-)

• How Many Bridges
  by Gary Walker

  When I first thought about writing this piece it was going to be called something along the lines of “whose democracy at what cost” and w…

  When I first thought about writing this piece it was going to be called something along the lines of “whose democracy at what cost” and was going to be, in essence, a bit of anti-war monologue. War’s wrong and all of that. Well war’s wrong and all of that and if I was going to write in those simple terms I might just have well made this the shortest of pieces and put “wars wrong and all of that” italicised in bold and underlined. We were driving to Boston and I got to thinking of some of the conversations that I’d had recently, both here and at home and way back when all of this started when my Dad and I used to rant down the phone at each other about how we were all being sold a pup on this one. It’s all too simple an analysis and doesn’t really strike to the heart of the issue, as I see it now at least. Feel free to read no more, I don’t claim to be a great political thinker and while I do believe we were sold a pup and I can’t believe that between us (USA/UK) we went on to buy the whole litter when we re-elected the two leaders who span us into this mess, I don’t think that it’s for me to discuss the rights and wrongs of this particular war. There’s already plenty of people out there who are willing to do that. I sincerely believe that as we are in it, we have to carry on and make sure we leave the Iraqi nation with some future. I don’t know how that can be achieved and I have no intention on putting forward ideas. I think that needs to be left to the social scientists of this world. We live in democratic nations, at least they are some form of democracy, the steady erosion of our social freedoms, everyday constitutional rights of every day Americans and draconian measures taken in the UK in the name of our supposed democracy are topics best left from this piece, so for the moment I will continue to suppose we live in free and democratic nations. I think it would have been a far more interesting experiment in spreading freedom and democracy, as my friend here suggested, if we had chosen to drop American fridges, the size of my kitchen, and laden with food to try and convince the Iraqi nation to shuffle off old Saddam than to simply drop bombs and stroll around with our machine guns – don‘t forget the reason we are rebuilding infrastructure now is because we destroyed it in our pursuit of Saddam. “Blimey”, the average Iraqi family might be saying as those fridges floated down under great white parachutes, “bloody good this democracy idea isn’t it“. Imagine how quickly the conflict in Northern Ireland may have ended if the paramilitary organisations on either side had chosen to spend all the money they raised on taking handouts around to the needy and underprivileged of Ulster instead of blowing each other up and if our government back then had chosen to do the same. You can picture the little old ladies and the hungry children, hold on, maybe a reformed and peaceful Ireland’s a good idea if that’s what it will do for me. Isn’t it more constructive to spread our message through hope, than through violence. Is that a Utopian view? Perhaps. But as I live in a rich democratic and free nation then I do have the right to hope that at some stage such an option may have been considered? Don’t I? The Cost I tried to do a little basic research when I was thinking about this and I found it very difficult to find hard and fast figures for the cost of this war, Operation Iraqi Freedom. So if these figures don’t bear scrutiny then I’m sorry, they’re what I could find from seemingly legitimate sources. The sums are huge; US$ 458 billions / UK£ 7.44 billions / US population 301,000,000 citizens / UK population 61,000,000 citizens So that’s basically $1300/£650 for every man, woman and child in our two great countries, so I suppose over a four year period (we invaded in March 2003) perhaps that’s not that much money per head in the name of maintaining our freedom and democracy. As that’s how it’s been sold to us I’ll toe that line for now. So that’s the cost is it. I think not. Kyle / Kyle C Gilbert was an American soldier, a PFC, 82nd Airborne . Kyle had grown up a resident of Brattleboro, near to where I’m taking my vacation. He was a bright determined young soldier. He died on 6th August 2003 when the vehicle he and his comrades were patrolling in was ambushed. A sniper shot one of his unit members who fell from the Humvee, Kyle and his sergeant left the vehicle to recover their injured colleague and they were shot also, all three died from their wounds. In Brattleboro there is a simple but moving memorial to him next to the bridge, renamed in his honour, that takes Main Street over the Whetstone Brook. It bears an inscription, some of the last words his mother heard him speak in the last conversation he had with her just days before he died. “Just don’t forget me.” Simon, Simon, Russell, Paul, Ben, Tom / It was 24th June 2003 British Para’s had come under attack and had taken necessary action. As soon as they had gone an angry mob rounded on the local police station where the 6 Royal Military Police or Redcaps were training new Iraqi police officers. After a 3 hour siege and after showing great bravery in a desperate fire fight all 6 were dead. They were; Cpl Simon Miller / 21, from Tyne and Wear / Sgt Simon Hamilton-Jewell / 41, of Chessington, Surrey / Cpl Russell Aston / 30, of Swadlincote, Derbyshire / Cpl Paul Long / 24, from Colchester / L/Cpl Benjamin McGowan Hyde / 23, of Northallerton, North Yorkshire / L/Cpl Tom Keys / 20, of Bala, North Wales Colchester, the garrison town near to where I call home, felt the loss deeply as the men had been there at Goojerat Barracks. Some of the men were on their last day of duty in Iraq. Three of the men were fathers. The Iraqi population numbers some, 27.5 million, there are no official figures which definitively confirm the number of Iraqi lives lost during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but they are assumed to be at least 75,000 and some sources claim this figure could be as high as 400,000. All of those that have died from whatever country were somebody’s son or daughter, brother or sister, Mum or Dad. That’s the tragedy of this war and the true cost is counted in lost futures, wasted lives, heartbreak and tragedy. We should all be ashamed of ourselves. In the UK at the last general election it is estimated that some 41% of the nation failed to vote, in the US some 50% failed to vote according to the Stanford Review, 62 million voted for President Bush (63 million votes were cast in American Idol phone ins). So in two great democratic nations who both value freedom, the right to free speech and the right of self determination massive numbers sat at home, in front of the Simpsons, Friends, baseball and the premiership. Our rich comfortable lives leading to a political apathy where few believe that they can make a difference or perhaps more worryingly that nothing really needs to change. Those boys and girls, sons and daughters of our two great nations went to war because our countries, rightly or wrongly, called upon them to serve. In your name, in my name, in the name of the democracy and the protection of the freedom – that’s why they went, knowing that they may be killed and that they may have to kill. While they went and died, we sat at home, enjoying our Ben and Jerry’s our Yorkshire puddings and our gravy, taking our home comforts for granted. In the UK you would barely know there was a war at all. Newsflashes on the TV tell us there is one, soundbites and the occasional gruesome pictures, but as quickly as it is presented we all disappear back into our DVD players while our children play Xbox. It’s much the same here. I think our dead boys and girls deserve more from us than that. We have a democracy and we should all take more responsibility in acting upon it. We should all take a little time to look at what our leaders are offering us, examine what they present to us as their solutions for the future, to find out how they intend to bring our boys and girls back to us. If they don’t represent us any longer then we should be letting them know. Not by sitting at home on next election day, but by going to the ballot boxes and casting our votes, putting a mark against what we believe in. If you’re like me, and I know many of you are, then you’ll argue; “What’s the point eh? They all talk crap, they’re just all varying shades of grey rehashing the same old rubbish, they don’t represent me, there’s no one for me to vote for“. Well then you need to let them know, don’t sit at home sipping on a glass of cheap Chardonnay, complaining about the state we’re in. Take some action and it only takes a little effort. We live in a democracy, exercise your rights, if you sit at home, it means nothing, your vote isn’t counted. Do what I’m going to do at the next election if they fail to convince me and imagine the message that it would send if you did the same. Let them know they don’t represent you. I will spoil my paper and here’s why. In the UK, at least , I don’t know about the US, spoilt papers are counted and the numbers announced as the constituency calls its results. Imagine the uproar in the now Prime Ministers constituency, if the 41% of non-voters became ballot spoilers. The results read out in the early hours as the count closes; “Here’s the results for the constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, / / Gordon Brown, Labour – 24,278 / Alan Bath, SNP – 6,062 / Alex Cole-Hamilton, Lib Dem -5,450 / etc. etc. / Ballot Papers spoilt – 29,000” Yes, that’s right, Gordon Brown had an 18,000 majority in his constituency in 2004, but 29,000 people didn’t even vote. Where’s your mandate for power now chaps, how can you claim to represent the British public when this many people have voted to abstain. Honour those poor dead and injured boys and girls, their Mums and Dads, their sons and daughters, the sacrifice they made in the name of your freedom, your democracy. Since I started to put this piece together I’ve been told about a Royal British Legion campaign “Honour The Covenant” the goal of which is persuade government to do the right thing by those injured in service and the families of the fallen. Please take a moment to look at their website on the following address http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/index.cfm?asset_id=516704 It is a very simple process to add your name to a petition it will take only a few moments. Place a yellow ribbon on your social networking sites, on the bumper of your car or in your window, demonstrate some loyalty to those who serve when called and take some time to care about your democracy in this troubled world where you do enjoy a freedom which many are prepared to die for. Question those in power. Love and peace. Gary Walker first published on Facebook 20th October 2007