For all you Blue States

Found this on the internet (thanks to Lisa, and to Amy who shared it with her) and, well, it speaks to me. . . .

I've Got the Blues and Love'n It

By Ray Di Fazio

After stumbling through a few days of post-election disbelief, disappointment and denial, I now find myself feeling strangely liberated.

I've come to realize I've been worrying unnecessarily about a lot of people--e.g., young draft age folks, people in poverty, soldiers in Iraq, women at risk for unwanted pregnancy, people without health insurance, etc. -- who do not give a damn about themselves or others like them. As long as they can keep gay people from marrying, they're apparently content to live in ignorance, ambiguity and squalor, and have their children come home from Iraq without arms and legs.

When an anti-gay marriage amendment (which included removal of all civil union protections and legal rights for children of gay parents) can pass in Georgia by 79%, I can now stop worrying about helping people in that state. Clearly, the people in the "red" states have decided that poverty, war, illiteracy, job loss, no health insurance and reduced civil rights are less important than keeping Adam and Steve (or is it Steven?) from living next door.

Alabama defeated a proposition to eliminate Jim Crow era segregation language from its Constitution! That means the folks in Alabama are still undecided if African Americans are actually people!

When I learned that 99% of soldiers serving in Iraq voted for Bush again, I realized I can stop worrying about them or trying to bring them home. They are doing what they want to be doing and they voted accordingly.

If younger voters couldn't put aside their Playstations long enough to actually vote, then their choice will have consequences. If they face a draft (which is probably imminent), well, they can blame themselves.

In fact, all of these groups will have to face the consequences of their choice to support George W. Bush. Thankfully, I can breathe a sigh of relief. They will get exactly what they wanted.

I think us "blue" voters should stop trying to reason with the unreasonable and encourage like minded blue people to leave those red states. Let's invite them to California or to the rest of the blue states. Let them bring their creativity, economic clout, compassion, charity, tolerance, ideas, belief in science, etc. to states which think rationally and leave the rest of the freaks to fend for themselves.

What? Your trailer park in south Florida got swept away by a tornado and you need food, clothing and donations? Sorry. Don't look at me. Ask the red neck next door to put down his six pack and get you a money order and bail you out.

We are often discouraged because we continue to look to these people to have a light bulb moment -- but let's face it: it's not going to happen. There will be no epiphany. They will not realize their own hypocrisy. They will never realize that democracy applies to everyone. They will never understand that poverty and ignorance damages a society beyond belief. They will never acknowledge that a personal belief in God is just that, a personal belief, not a legislative one. They will never acknowledge that a single mom choosing between paying the electric bill and providing medical care for her child is not a moral failing on her part, but on society's.

There's an expression that says you should never wrestle with a pig, because the pig likes it and you just end up getting dirty. Sounds a little crazy, right? I've never felt more free.

Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid.