triggerhappymedia

This is the invitation from Presidential Inaugural Committee.

In the same envelope, an opportunity to buy a $150 woven blanket with the Inaugural Seal.

___________________
Trigger: 5 days to go

Thanks to the urgent action I took to save some frequent flier miles, I’m back on my weekly dose of New York Magazine- this time delivered to me in the comfort of my own home. Hallelujah.

It took about six weeks, but the first issue’s arrival was marked by a happy dance that would fall in the lowbrow + despicable quadrant of an Approval Matrix.

_______________________
Trigger: New York Mag

Yesterday was incredible!!

I was on call for Video the Vote, but the day was quiet until 6:15pm when a dispatcher contacted me. It turns out it was a false alarm, or so the poll workers said. But that story is to come- my computer just crashed when I finished uploading the footage so it will have to wait until tomorrow. But actually voting ran very smoothly in this state.

I’m exhausted, but excited and so relieved. I feel proud of my country for the first time in such a long time. Not just about the Obama win, but seeing people out yesterday and really caring about what they were doing. I don’t think I’d ever seen that. I remember a couple years ago a friend from Europe asked if the US would ever have anything but a white male president, and I said probably not in my lifetime.

I am so happy that I was wrong.*

*I’ll save my rant on all those fucked up bans on gay marriage that passed. Maybe 30 years from now homophobes will get over themselves, too.

Long lines.

Broken computers.

Discrimination.

Corruption.

Video the Vote is looking for people to be citizen journalists on election day. This is a great chance to protect the democratic process by gathering evidence of unfair practices and fraud.

Volunteers will capture footage and interviews at polling stations where voters have not been able to cast their ballots. If you have a video camera and web access, you can get involved.

Sign up at www.videothevote.org

Rock the Vote wants you to remind your friends to get out there and get heard on November 4th.

They recommend sending an e-card. An e-card? I haven’t sent one of those in ages. That’s why I didn’t expect them to suggest this:

and

Some other timely advice:

____________________
Trigger: someecards

“A green soldier fears everything. When he is transported to the front, he thinks death is watching him on every side. Every shot is aimed at him. He doesn’t know how to judge the range or direction of fire, so he shoots anywhere, as long as he can shoot a lot without stopping.

He is not hurting the enemy, he is killing his own terror. He is stifling the dread that paralyzes a man and prevents him from thinking. Or rather, the dread doesn’t let him think about what is happening around him, about how to win the battle that his unit is engaged in, because at that moment he has a more important battle to win: he must win the war with his own fear.”

Although this passage was written about the brutal Angolan Civil War (1975-2002), i couldn’t help but think of Iraq. I am perplexed by the way John McCain talks about winning the war, or worse yet Sarah Palin equating withdrawal with waving a “white flag of surrender”. Reaching what ultimate goal would make America the winner? And who will lose?

To me this sounds like children chanting on a playground driven by an egomaniacal need to save face. The Vietnam War ended up in the wrong column- and there alone it shall stay!

___________________________________________
Trigger: Another Day of Life by Ryszard Kapuściński

What a strange question. It’s not asking if I will be voting for John Edwards, but if I think enough other people will be to win him the election.

This poll, worded differently, could produce interesting results- say, to test what kind of incentives could increase voter turnout. In 2004, 72% were registered and 64% of the voting-age population voted in the presidential election. For the lazy, complacent, or fed up non-voter, money could be the ultimate motivator. The chance to win a prize could drive more people to participate.

The idea certainly appeals to me. A $500 Visa gift card would look lovely on my huge Visa bill.
_______________________________
Trigger: spam
Site: Voter Turnout figures