Disaster

It happened. My worst fear was realized and George W. Bush was re-elected. But as if that wasn't bad enough, Republicans also kept the majority in the House and the Senate. And the icing on the cake? Eleven states approved constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. ELEVEN.

I am an underrepresented minority. This is terrifying to me because Bush is so obviously the worst president we have had in the history of this country. It is so incredibly clear to me that Bush is evil, that he does not have the country's best interest at heart, that he is using his power to better himself, not his country. And yet, millions more Americans voted for him than they did for John Kerry.

The pollsters say it all comes down to moral values... which is really a secret code for "conservative Christian values." Bush may not read the newspapers, he may have lied to the nation and world about the reasons for going into Iraq, he may have supported acts with misleading names like the "Clear Skies Initiative" and "No Child Left Behind" which actually increase pollution and leave children WAY behind, he may make decisions based on the voices in his head that he believes are coming from god, but it doesn't matter to the majority of Americans. They don't care that he gives tax breaks to the very very rich and is in bed with big business (Halliburton anyone?). They don’t care that he has driven our nation into deep deep debt. All they cared about when they stepped inside those voting booths yesterday was that Bush shared their "values" (actually beliefs that limit the freedom of others...e.g. abortion is bad, gays are bad). Oh, and Bush says God a lot and, if you believe him, then you know that God chose him to be president.

"Of course, well, if GOD says so..."

Needless to say, this is not the most stellar of birthdays... but it's also not the worst. Life will go on. Four years will pass. I hope that some of those Supreme Court justices will hang on for another four years. I hope that the erosion of our civil liberties will cease. I know it's a cliché, but I am considering moving away from here...maybe not permanently, but just until things start to turn around. Although, if all the people who think like me leave, we'll be essentially surrendering our country to those red people in the red states.

I don't have all the answers, but I feel like my balloon has been deflated and like there's a rain cloud hovering overhead.