Sucking at my civic duty

[kitchen_kink]

I was almost sure that one of these times, I'd registered to vote in Cambridge, where I now live. There are always people about at tables and so on and one of these times I was sure I had talked to one of them and filled out some paperwork! Sure of it, I tell you!

Apparently not. Yesterday I called and found out I'm not registered in Cambridge.

In Somerville, where I stopped living in '04, I'm listed as an inactive voter. I could go to the polls, they told me, sign an affidavit under the penalty of perjury stating that I moved less than six months ago, and vote in Somerville.

Somehow that doesn't seem like it would be the right thing to do.

So instead I'll sit here and beat myself up about what a bad citizen I am.

Bad citizen. Bad.

Comments

[wurmwyd.livejournal.com]

Hi there!

Holy crap, now I don't feel so bad that we didn't register in Brick, NJ in enough time for ME to vote tonight!

GAH! and the two of us are like, the most liberal liberals I know!! :(

Let's hope Mass and NJ are still Blue enough to compensate for our shitty voting. :(

[imvfd.livejournal.com]

Well, it would be a lot more problematic if not for the fact that half of the slots on the ballot here in Somerville were uncontested positions.

The thing that boggles the mind is that you have managed to be friends with cos for some time now and yet aren't registered properly.

In closing, I tip my hat to you for being a better overall citizen than me, since something as simple as perjury would have been unlikely dissuade me from voting... which would have retroactively revoke my Citizenship Merit badge.

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

In case it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one (and at least you didn't have cameras filming your mistake).

[imvfd.livejournal.com]

MA definitely very very Blue [see my other comment]. NJ? Who knows. Place has gone even more weird recently it seems.

Part of me is trying to resist a liberal pissing contest but dude! I'm, like, even more way liberal n' shit than you all... maybe even put together... or just have delusions of liberal grandeur.

[zarex.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I'll just vote twice.

[wurmwyd.livejournal.com]

Hi there!

I am a staunch liberal in exactly the same way that I am irresistable to women. Sure, it's possible that I am much less irresistable to women than I usually think I am, but you really have to argue, badger, interrogate, and conjole me with questions to get me to admit that likely possibility.

But since you asked so nicely, here's where I'm not totally 100% liberal:
-- Although I don't like guns, I think it should be possible for honest, law-abiding, uncrazy people to eventually get their hands on them. I would personally feel comfortable in a world without guns, and most of the people who really like guns make me nervous. (mostly because: hey, they really like guns) But I think that there are some people that genuinely need to protect themselves against bigger and nastier people. And honestly, I don't want people using the same logic to take away my swords.
-- I do think that the mythical creature known as a "Welfare Mom" exists. I know that the Republicans would have you believe that the ghettos are just chock-full of lazy good-for-nothing, fat Black women who just want to smoke crack, watch Judge Judy and pop out screaming kids every nine months. This is, of course, a load of bullshit. But I do believe that there are people out there who do want to cheat the welfare system, and that it is in our best interests to make sure that welfare is closely monitored to make sure that it's going out to the right people.
-- I believe in survival of the fittest. That means I get to eat filet mignon because it tastes good, and I get to wear my black leather duster because I look damn sexy in it. I believe that we should watch out for the environment before we all drown in an Al-Gorvian-nightmare, but that we don't need to go too crazy with our environmental consciousness. I'm okay with fur coats and milk-fed veal.
-- I believe that abortion should be legal, but that it shouldn't be used as a form of birth control. I also think that we should stop calling it "pro-choice". Conservatives don't think of it as a "choice", they think of it as "baby-killing". So saying that they're taking your "choice" away from you sounds to them like a homicidal sociopath complaining that the fascist justice system won't let him exercise his free choice to murder high school cheerleaders. Otherwise, I believe that abortion should be legal, safe, and rare.

I think that's about it. If you want to fight me on any of these and force me to see the error of my ways, I'm okay with it. I am always open to opinions and experiences. :D

[doeeyedbunny.livejournal.com]

I'm a bad citizen too. I forgot to get an absentee ballot, which I had to do before October 31st.

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

Awwwww, MAN! You mean I have to stop killing high school cheerleaders?

Fuck, man. What good is democracy anyway?

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

Dude, ya know I love ya...but I doubt your vote would represent me. :)

the icon...

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

what about an absentee BOOTY!?

[dietrich.livejournal.com]

Also, and I may be hypocritical here because I do eat beef and wear leather, but with different justifications: you might want to go try and fight a cow and then rethink "survival of the fittest."

Democracy?

[technomaget.livejournal.com]

Not that this has anything to do with your post, but what we have here is not a democracy. A democracy is where the people participate in the decisions the country makes. Here, we elect little dictators who make the decisions for us who have a short life-span and then replace them with other dictators who we may or may not like. The Greeks invented democracy and they wouldn't have a clue as to what system we have here.

Oh-HO, you dare to reply to me during a slow day at the Reference Desk?!!?

[wurmwyd.livejournal.com]

Hi there!

Did you ever see a comic-book geek pissing contest? NOT A PRETTY SIGHT. This is when two geeks get together and argue which comic character could beat up which other comic book character. It's a meaningless argument, because literally you could have Spider-Man's Aunt May single handedly take out a rampaging Hulk if the writers had a good enough reason for it. But comic book geeks will still imaginatively put Wolverine up against the Punisher, Silver Surfer against Lobo, and Martian Manhunter against Magneto.

But the interesting thing happens when Batman fans start arguing in favor of their favorite Caped Crusader. Although Batman is generally assumed to be at the peak of human physical condition, and master of an obscene number of fighting styles, he really doesn't have any powers of which to speak of. So although he could unquestionably beat up any other normal humans, there's really no reason that he should be able to fight characters like Green Lantern, Solomon Grundy, and Superman. But this never stopped your average comic book geek from arguing that Batman could stop any superhero he wants to ...

If (and this is an important "if") he had enough time to prepare.

Somehow any Batman Vs. _______ argument always includes: "If he had time to prepare ...". Which is, in itself a very comic-book-nerdy thing to say. It's never: "Under the right conditions", or even: "If the writers were smoking crack". It's always: "If he had time to prepare".

Batman is a master tactician. He knows his enemies, and knows how to exploit their weaknesses. If Superman decided to fly up to the Moon's orbital range, then dive down into Gotham City at 75% the speed of light, leaving a 19 mile-wide crater centered upon stately Wayne Manor, Batman wouldn't stand a chance. But if Batman had time to prepare, then he makes sure that he sets up surface-to-air missles activated by the use of x-rays, an armored land vehicle packing at least an 8 inch gun on its turret, high-decibel sonic wave projector, acid, a suit of armor capable of delivering an electrical discharge that could light up Vegas, and lastly, an accomplice that can put a kryptonite arrow right into Supes' personal space. The Last Son of Krypton doesn't stand a chance.


So ... um, YES. I could single handedly beat up a cow. If I had time to prepare

[zarex.livejournal.com]

Haha, well, I'm sure we agreed on Question #1 at least. :)