... with only about 6 weeks before the general US election, it seems the right time to remind all US citizens in our tribe to PLEASE remember how important it is to vote this november!!

whether you consider yourself socialist, communist, capitalist, or simply a human being, we all benefit from the original philosophy of what the US stood for. I don't know anyone who would say they're down with what the US has become - but on Tribe, and in our own communities of freaks and creative souls, we still have the rights to bitch about it. Yet those rights are disappearing before our eyes, because we are all so disgusted with what is going on that we've checked out from our society.

We now live in an authoritarian oligarchy, run by corporations and their CEOs who are desperately trying to suck whatever they can out of our country before absconding with millions of our dollars and all of our dreams. Over the last weekend, NYC lost a huge piece of its economy :: like it or not, we are the financial beating heart of the universe - - and with Lehman Brothers in bankruptcy, and Merrill Lynch now being absorbed by Bank of America just one week after the govt. takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - - i don't think it's an exaggeration to say that our city is about to experience an incredible plunge into further desperation.

This is not just about money. I'm not begging you to vote so that you can secure your right to remain part of an imperialist capitalist structure that oppresses any nation that dares fight back. I'm asking you to move beyond a simplistic reaction to the decline of the financial industry and realise that as our economy falls, all liberal values will fall with it. The bigger effects of this economic downturn will be felt all thru our societal spheres.

This is what the Bush era was all about : inspiring FEAR nationwide, and then using that fear as a cloak to allow powerful people to hoard even more power and money, and use it to advance their own selfish ends without thinking about the future of our world, or even their own families' survival within it. That kind of selfishness has reigned supreme for almost a decade, and has led to some weird version of our society where the Christian Right has decided IT, and ONLY it, is "AMERICA." The republican party isn't even based on finance anymore; it's based on creationism, and something they call "pro-life" - i.e., support the gun-driven massacre of kids in poverty while denying all women the right to choose whether or not to have a baby (and denying them state benefits when you force them to give birth).

During the Bush era, support for the arts and for social justice has dissipated beyond belief..... but just WAIT to see what happens once these current economic disasters settle in.

I'm making the assumption that if you're a US citizen and you're here on Tribe, you probably don't support the John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket. That doesn't necessarily mean you are down with Obama/Biden completely, but I'm begging all of you to see past 'making a statement' by not voting, or by voting for Nader, or writing in Hillary's name..... Our country and our world is in terrible crisis, and if John McCain is elected to the Presidency of the United States, the little corners of goodness left in our nation will be squeezed into nothingness.

Sarah Palin mocks the US Constitution (she doesn't even believe prisoners should be read their Miranda rights), and John McCain is a power-hungry, militaristic, hypocritical human being. Obama may not be the messiah, but we can at least count on him having a soul lurking somewhere deep down inside of him. So, while I never stumped for a politician in my life, I am begging anyone who cares about free speech, or the right to choose your own way of life, or the freedom to exist as a creative creature (even within a capitalist society) to please get out and support the democratic ticket in November.

You can register to vote until October 3rd - please go to your state's website and make the move now to be part of the process this Fall.....! I guess this is a blog, not really a tribe post - but forgive the preaching and please try to understand why I need to scream this soliloquy to everyone i care about......