The Big Day

I voted this morning. It is the first time I have ever voted almost straight Democrat. Most importantly, I placed my vote for Barack Obama, the first politician to ever inspire me. As I try to make it through the day without gluing myself to the hundred channels of election coverage I find myself both worried and hopeful at once.

As I stood in a record line this morning filled with young first time voters in a precinct that usually looks like a sparsely populated retirement home I felt a glimmer of hope. By the discussions going on in line there were at least eight Obama voters in a row in front of me and two more in back meaning in a district filled with McCain signs there were at least 11 people in a row casting a vote for change. It felt good to be a in a little flotilla of blue in a sea of red state voters.

As the final days of the campaign wound down I stopped focusing as much on the dirty lies of the McCain supporters and looked at the other issues around the country. Two popped immediately into view.

First, the dirty ad campaign of Elizabeth Dole claiming that Kay Hagan was supported by the Godless Americans and implying that she made promises to that group were as vile as all of the racist things said about Barack Obama. What offended me more though was that Kay Hagan not only defended her faith and denied the lies that she had made promises to the Godless Americans but in doing so implied that Godless Americans are an Anti-American group to be feared. I am a Godless American you intolerant hate mongering bigots. The time is coming when Americans will see the lies about us for what they are and equate them with the stories Nazis told about the Jews. The smartest among us are Atheists. Does being smart make you a bad American?

Speaking of hate mongering, I have something to say about Proposition 8 in California. I think any California resident reading this should call their local civil rights attorney and start a class action lawsuit to strip any religion that has contributed to this hate filled campaign of its precious tax exempt status. That's right Mormons, I am looking squarely at you. You still believe that in the Celestial Kingdom all righteous men will have more than one wife and have only suspended polygamy here due to bigamy laws. Don't believe me? The manifesto of 1890 only repeals the practice, not the doctrine. You of all people should be ones to talk about a "1 man, 1 woman" definition of marriage. Most of all, Mormon interference in this election by supporting Prop 8 from both wallet and pulpit stands in direct violation of federal tax codes governing church tax exempt status. Catholics and Baptists, you are in the same boat. All of your hate mongering money machines need to be taxed and taxed now. Religion is a multi-billion dollar industry. When your pulpit and coffers are used to support legislation of any kind you should be subjected to the same taxes as the rest of us. When you worship in private and keep it private, I have no problem. When you play in the public sphere, you must also pay in the public sphere. Until you open your pockets and pony up taxes like everyone else, your mouths need to stay the fuck shut.