86 thoughts on “Top Ten”

1. Allow me to remind the readers that the reason for sufferage is the fact that all citizens are effected by the decisions of government, so they should have some say in who is running the government. It’s not about the average person’s superintellegence and impecable judgement. They don’t need perfect judgement to deserve a voice in their government, they only need to be a citizen who is effected by that government.
   That is accountability.
   Secondly, refusal to vote is a legitimate form of protest (which i have exercised many times). When voting, I am making my official endoresement of a candidate for office. It would be irresponsible of me to vote for someone who will not properly represent me. Refusal to vote is the most basic form of protest, and it DOES NOT remove a person’s right to a political opinion.
   In the largest sense, I agree with JSC on that point.
   Cynicism can be healthy in moderation, but when carried to extremes it becomes just another prejudice that clouds the mind.

2. RE: not voting as a form of protest…
   The problem with not voting as a form of protest is that no one realizes you’re protesting anything, which makes it difficult to get your message heard.
   IMO, if you really disagree with the candidates then write someone else in, whether your ballot ‘allows’ the option or not. Then you are filing an official protest against the lack of candidates. I voted for my neighbor for something last year because I didn’t like either of the candidates.
   And people actually do get elected by write-in occasionally. My brother-in-law was elected mayor that way (much to his surprise).

3. I have to agree with JSc; enlightened dictatorship would seem to be a more efficient form of governance than the one we currently have. HOWEVER at least we have a balance of power (albeit an enlarged, fiscally based oligarchy) with this system that would not be secure in the other. Remember Cromwell…
   As for voting: I don’t know that it is so effective a way of exerting one’s “freedom of choice.” The only truly effective one would seem to be to get involved in the political system, slowly letting go of one’s black and white mentality, embracing the political grey areas to cull votes, and eventually ending up as genuine and trustworthy as the candidates we’ve already got… hmm.. Oops? Guess I’m back to the enlightened dictator idea… Which actually isn’t any less a pipe dream than a modern-day great-choice politician… /blithering idiot mode

4. Pumpkin king sed “Refusal to vote is the most basic form of protest, and it DOES NOT remove a person’s right to a political opinion.”
   Of course, everyone is entitled to their OPINION. But, not voting removes your right to complain about the job they are doing. If you didn’t vote or voice your opinion in the election, you have no one to blame but yourself.

5. Just Like Gary Condit Blues
   “Just Like Tom Thumb Blues” Originally by Bob Dylan
   “Just Like Gary Condit Blues” Parody by Maria Weir Werth
   If your girlfriend’s lost in the woods, and it’s summertime too
   And she’s been missing for weeks and your phony smile won’t pull you through
   Don’t put on any airs when you’re walking down that D.C. avenue
   They’ve got that hungry press and they’re really gonna make a mess out of you!
   If you see Anne Marie, please tell her thanks a lot.
   She blabbed to Larry King about those ties, under your bed, all in a knot
   And you don’t have the guts to talk to the press or take a real lie detector test
   And your best friend, Dan Rather, don’t wanna talk about your mess.
   Up on Capitol Hill, you think it’s business is as usual with power and fame
   You can pick one or the other because they’re just part of your psychopathic game
   And if you’re looking to get re-elected, you better go back to from where you came
   Because the cops still need you to say what you know and take some blame.
   Now some politicians, they just stand around a boast
   How they manipulate the media, including the Washington Post
   And picking up interns who just arrived here from the coast
   Who look so fine and first but leave looking just like a ghost.
   You started out with interns but soon hit the harder stuff
   You thought they’d all stand behind you, when the game got rough
   But the joke is on you, because there is nobody even left here to bluff
   Go on back to Modesto, we do believe we have had enough!

6. No candidate is going to represent 100% of your interests. Only I can really do that and chances are that I’m not running. This is why it’s important to be informed and choose an option that can at least represent most or some of what you want.
   So the way I see it, if you refuse to vote as a protest, you actually run the risk of making it easier for someone you really didn’t want in the first place to win. From a sheer mathematic perspective, less total votes means you need less votes to win the majority. At the very least, (and it’s a lame excuse for voting, I know), I’d want to at least make it harder for someone else to win.

7. Condit made a mistake. A big one. Whether it was what he did, how he handled it or just plain getting caught, it was a big one. For his family, wife and two kids, I was hoping that he wasn’t going to run. But he did and 38% doesn’t surprise me at all. Condit had a huge following in Modesto and the surrounding areas. “Condit Country” was very loyal to him because of the type of politician that he was. He was reachable. His office had an open door policy, no appointments needed. He was even listed in the local telephone book.
   Now, extra-marital affairs and adultery are not forbidden in his political contract. However, the american people tend to want moral individuals in office. We want our lives to be in the hands of just and sound people. If that were true we wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the thousands of corporations that control our lives through greed and indifference. A plethora of companies that utilize slave labor (The GAP) and don’t pay living wages to their workers. We turn our eyes for fashion…but for some reason can’t fathom why people would choose to turn their eyes to one man’s mistake in return for his accomplishments.
   I am neither condoning Gary Condit, nor his obvious involvement in the disappearance of Chandra Levy. However, i think it is a far less crime to vote for someone for their laurels, giving a little faith, then to turn a blind eye for something as superficial as fashion and style.

8. I am fairly local to this issue (I’m in Alameda in case anyone is geographically aware) and the local news has just been ridiculous. Thankfully he lost. But on the early local news yesterday they ran an interview with him and a bunch of reporters where he asked them to “let me redeam myself”. WHAT!? Is he trying to admit guilt? He tried to cover it up by saying he was talking about his political career that “you guys have ruined”. HAAHAHAAHAAHAHAHA! Adultery and murder have nothing to do with it of course.

9. Con-dit wait honey, my intern needs me at the office.
   Gary “Con.ditty” Combs.
   Gary Condick.
   Dit Gary Con Us?
   Condit for President.

10. In order of relevance:
    Re: Cromwell–he wasn’t an enlightened dictator, he was one of your typical, run-of-the-mill sort (else he wouldn’t have attempted to install his son as his successor, unless his son was quite seriously the best person for the job).
    If you want to see cases of properly applied enlightened dictatorship, do some reading about Frederick the Great, Louis XIV, Catherine the Great, and Metternicht (sometimes spelled “Metternich”).
    Re: flaws in not voting as a form of protest
    I evidently didn’t make my position completely clear in my previous post. When I say that you should not vote for candidates you cannot believe in or trust, I am not suggesting that you “not vote” in the traditional sense. I am not advocating refusal to vote as a form of protest against the corruption of the system, the flaws within the government itself, etc. (although those are all perfectly reasonable choices despite questions regarding their effectiveness to make a statement).
    If you find that none of the candidates represent your views or that none of them will represent your views in the government, use that neat little write-in line to vote for “none of the above,” or write in the person who you think *would* properly represent your views or do a good job in whatever position you’re voting for.
    Re: Voting as a right vs. a privelege.
    “Rights” are those things that cannot be taken away. “Priveleges” are those things which, even if universal, can still be taken away. As such, there is no “right to life,” as anything ranging from old age to a drunk driver to OJ Simpson can take life away. Similarly, there is no “right” to liberty, property, or most of the commonly-imagined “rights.” The ability to vote, most certainly, can be taken away by anything ranging from a missed airplane to a felony conviction (in some states) to being murdered. As such, being able to vote is not a “right” in the true sense of the word.
    On a short tangent, the only true right is the pursuit of happiness. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get it, but you can try as long as you live, and noone can stop you from trying to be happy.
    /tangent.

11. Ah Gary Condit… the next generation of “I am not a crook”! Well, after several months and a television interview, all we really know now is he loves his wife very much and they’ve been married for blah blah blah. Man, I will have to copy this top 10 list and post it in the office. Thanks for the daily dose of political stupidity!

12. You know they said if he wins the case won’t go away. The case shouldn’t go away. After all has happened people still vote for him I don’t get it.

13. They never found her did they? I was wondering why it was so quiet. Hoping that everyone would forget huh?

14. By calling it a privlege though, it sounds like it’s something you earn for good behavior. It’s not. Voting is a right bestowed upon us by our forefathers. You can lose your rights – rights aren’t necessarily something that can NEVER be taken away. It’s something that’s given to you because of who you are or where you live or meeting certain qualifications (i.e. age) or just because. And there can be restrictions on those rights (i.e. Losing the right to vote if you are a convicted felon). It’s your right to vote. And it’s your right not to vote.
    to quote JSc: “If you find that none of the candidates represent your views or that none of them will represent your views in the government, use that neat little write-in line to vote for “none of the above,” or write in the person who you think *would* properly represent your views or do a good job in whatever position you’re voting for.”
    AMEN
    to quote again: “On a short tangent, the only true right is the pursuit of happiness. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get it, but you can try as long as you live, and noone can stop you from trying to be happy.”
    AMEN again.

15. If anyone is interested in my opinion about the whole voting thing check out my blog at: http://jamesmartin.blogspot.com

16. Hey jbay,
    I hope you know I am just giving you some good ol’ fashioned sh*t. Seriously though, I was totally flipping out when that happened. I was hitting Alt+F4 like a madman. You little so and so! ;o)

17. Re: Cromwell
    Unless I’m misremembering my British history (which is admittedly QUITE possible), Cromwell’s initial aim was that the dictatorship be bestowed upon the most qualified person after him and in perpetuum. HOWEVER it was not until the twilight of his life when he decided that he’d rather have his progeny gain the benefit of power than his people retain the benefit of the fittest leader. Point I’m trying to make is that once you instill power in a single person, it’s much more difficult to ensure that it gets passed on properly. Hence the benefit of a balance of power. Or a guillotine.

18. WILarious!
    “WILarious” and “WILarity” are Copyright

19. I’m comment number 69!!! Woo-hoo!!

20. I would think that the legitimacy of your opinion in terms of whether or not you voted, IE “If you don’t vote, don’t bitch/whine/moan,” is rooted in your reason for not voting. If you didn’t vote because you’re just a lazy son-of-a-bitch, then I don’t want to hear your whining. But if the reason you didn’t vote is that you don’t believe that any of the candidates represent you accurately enough, or that none of them have the integrity to at least honestly represent what THEY believe( which, in my book, is actually MORE important than whether or not they agree/disagree with everything the way I do), and that THEREFORE, none have earned your vote, then you have every right to abstain and still voice any opinion you want. I personally, haven’t voted since Oregon went mail-only, because I don’t like it- I don’t mind allowing other people to do so, because to some people it’s a convience, and it increases voter participation, but to require it is quite onerous in my book. Also, voting is a Right, NOT a Duty or a Privilege. A Right is something which you can choose to exercise or to not exercise, IE, the “Right to Remain Silent.” A Duty is something you are OBLIGATED to do under threat of consequence, IE, registering for the Selective Service when you turn 18 if you’re a male American. A Privilege is something granted to you by someone else, which can be withdrawn at their choosing, IE, sex, which can be taken away by your partner/spouse/significant other if they are unhappy with you, or driving your parents car, which they can refuse to you if you misbehave. Frankly, whether or not someone has voted is the stupidest reason I can think of for ignoring what they have to say. The only reason I’ll ignore what someone has to say is if it’s obviously stupid and ignorant, and that goes even for people who’s ideals I may agree with.
    *RANT OVER*

21. Dake sed: “But if the reason you didn’t vote is that you don’t believe that any of the candidates represent you accurately enough, or that none of them have the integrity to at least honestly represent what THEY believe( which, in my book, is actually MORE important than whether or not they agree/disagree with everything the way I do), and that THEREFORE, none have earned your vote, then you have every right to abstain and still voice any opinion you want. ”
    While you are totally entitled to your opinion (after all, it is your RIGHT), I am going to disagree with you. Abstaining does nothing. If you don’t like the candidates presented to you, as many of us have said WRITE SOMEONE IN! If you don’t get off your lazy butt, for any reason, and get to the polls, keep yer trap shut.
    You not voting because you don’t like how it’s done does NOT allow you, IMO, to bitch about your elected officials. Or, if you don’t like any of the candidates, so you decide to stay home on election day, you don’t get to bitch about what they’re doing either. I don’t care if you vote for Marvin the Martian. You cast a vote, THEN you can bitch.

22. jbay is the crpxyr thl.

23. Sorry, but I just think writing someone in is going to be either A: rude and presumptious, because if they were interested in holding the office, they’d be a candidate; or B: childish and immature, because you are voting for a non-existant person/character. I think that choosing the “lesser of two evils” is frankly speaking, a DUMB idea.
    Now, I can understand writing in if someone is a candidate who, for whatever reason, isn’t listed on the ballot. I mean, that’s just common sense. But just choosing someone who isn’t a candidate and saying, “I think they should be mayor/senator/whatever-” isn’t that a just little bit inconsiderate?

24. Actually, rights can be taken away with due process. Voting is a right, not a privilege.
    Refusal to vote is indeed a form of protest, though, admittedly, not the most effective one. A write-in vote would definately be more effective. If you don’t like the direction of the government there are forms of protest to which you can resort, instead of blowing up buildings or rioting in the streets. It begins with the lowest form, a refusal to participate. Further steps can be taken, such as the write-in vote, letter campaigns to politicians, protest marches, AND… if all else fails, you can even run for office yourself. If all of those fail, maybe you should reconsider how much support you actually have for your ideas.
    Of course no candidate is going to represent you 100%, but that doesn’t mean he or she can’t represent you well enough to earn your endorsement. If i had to choose between a racist and a crook, neither would come anywhere close to representing me.
    The right to express a political opinion isn’t contingent on anything. Just because you “don’t want to hear it” from someone for whatever reason doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be both said and heard. I’m against the silencing of ideas from any quarter for any reason.

25. no. if you’re going to vote for a real person you know, then ask them. the point of writing in a candidate is it is a form of “protest”. You’re saying that you think Donald Duck would be better than Candidate X or Candidate Y would be. At least your voicing your opinion. Write yourself in. Do you really think that that many people are going to vote for you? Or for Marvin the Martian? Or for your neighbor? Geez and if for some reason they do, then that should really say something to the candidates. Writing in a cartoon character or your neighbor is better than not voting at all. To you it may not seem like it will make a difference, but it really does. You know you voted your conscience and you can feel free to bitch about how the “Dubbya” (or any other elected official) is doing. You can say, “At least I didn’t vote for him. I voted for Donald Duck.” (the key words here are I VOTED).
    No vote, no bitch. Easy as that. No matter what your reasons for not voting are.

26. Or in the words of that hit Wham tune,
    “If you’re gonna do it, do it right babe do it with me.”

27. Re: Priveleges vs. Rights:
    It appears that those rotten wankers at Brittanica disagree with me re: the distinction between rights and priveleges. Bastards.
    I of course still maintain that I am correct in the distinction, ala “god given rights,” “the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” etc.
    Stupid Brits, can’t even get a simple definition correct….
    Etc.

28. So what would happen if eventually it comes out that Condit really had nothing to do with Levys disappearence?
    It pisses me off that you people can trash a person just because you don’t like him. What if the person being suspected a crime like this was someone you looked up to or respected? Would you like reading top ten lists or song parodies about them?
    For all the talk about equality and respect for everyone, there sure doesn’t seem to be a lot of it for people who aren’t well-liked.

29. Dave sed: “It pisses me off that you people can trash a person just because you don’t like him. What if the person being suspected a crime like this was someone you looked up to or respected? Would you like reading top ten lists or song parodies about them? ”
    I don’t rip on him because I think he had something to do with her disappearance. I’m not sure if he did or not. I rip on him because HE HAD AN AFFAIR WITH HER and was such a wiener about it to the press and everyone lese. I rip on him because he is a philandering schmuck. I rip on him because he had the balls to run again, even when he knew he lacked his party’s support and the support of his constituents (well, 62% of them). The man is a louse. He cheated on his wife with an intern (someone who is there to LEARN and he took advantage of that) and then lied about it (boy, sounds like Clinton, don’t it?). THAT’S why I rip on him. He’s not a good person or a decent person and deserves every amount of shit people give him.
    If it was someone I respected? Well, if someone I respected found themselves in this situation, I don’t know if I could respect them anymore. Kinda hard to admire and respect someone who is a lying cheater, now isn’t it?

30. Dave,
    The reason nobody likes Condit (except for the 37% of the morons who voted for him which blows my mind) is because he is not only an adulterer, but a liar. He ABSOLUTELY REFUSED to participate or cooperate with the investigation until it was too late. Call me old fashioned, but marriage vows (and the oath he took when he was elected) still mean something to me and anyone who totally disregards those vows deserves none of my respect or my vote. I guess, though, if we as a country can forgive Clinton for getting a blow job in the oval office and then lying about it not only to the people who elected him, his family and an official hearing, well then, look out for Tyson in 2004. Same diff.

31. Not every ballot has the option to write in a name.
    Anyone who chooses not to vote because they don’t believe the hype is making a choice therefore a valid option. Not bothering to do anything is wasting the space.

32. there should be a write in on every ballot. talk to your registrar of voters about that.

33. *slaps forehead*
    I’m in the UK

34. Condit IS a philandering schmuck, but it seemed to me that most of the “ripping” that was going on was somehow implying that he was responsible for Levy’s disappearence.
    From what I can gather from the news reports, and his unwillingness to help in the investigation at the outset, that he might in fact have something to do with it, but that’s my opinion, and an uninformed one at best.
    Although it seems to me that it would be a pretty stupid career move to have someone you were having an affair with offed, when marital infidelity is unfortunately not viewed as such a bad thing anymore. I mean, Clinton was pretty much off the hook within a year of everything coming to light.
    It actually bugs me more that people are tried and convicted (and then tasteless jokes are told) in the public eye before even enough evidence is there to indict the person.

35. They found Chandra Levy in the Rubble! Should he be worried?

36. I live in Orange County and suprise suprise, I am a liberal Demorcrat! But on that note I think Gary Condit is seriously scary. I happen to like Gray Davis and Bill Simon is a wanna be nazi. He sucks!!!!

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