I really have no idea how interesting (or horrendously boring) the sudden proliferation of posts falling into my ‘politics’ category is, but in all honesty, it’s been all sorts of fascinating for me when I stop to step back for a moment and look at myself.
Until recently, I’ve never been overly politically minded, or even very politically conscious. I knew my general outlook leaned toward the liberal side of things, of course, and I’d occasionally make random grumbling noises when I saw or heard about something that I found excessively stupid or aggravating, but that was generally about the extent of it. For all too much of my life, I lived in something of a bubble of my own creation — I had my world, and my friends, and most things outside of that bubble just didn’t get much thought.
It was during the 2000 Gore/Bush presidential race that this started to change for me. I’d given up watching television quite a long time ago (roughly 1990 or so, I think), but I went ahead and got a cable subscription at that point so that I could actually pay attention to the debates. While Gore wasn’t nearly as impressive as I hoped, even then Bush worried me, and I wanted to see if the impressions I’d picked up until that point bore out. Unfortunately, they did — Gore still didn’t impress me as much as I hoped, but Bush worried me more and more every time he opened his mouth.
Watching the rest of the race was an exercise in both fascination and frustration, and by the end when the popularly elected candidate lost due to the ridiculous intricacies of the electoral college system, I more or less threw up my hands in frustration and tuned out again. The cable subscription was turned off, and I went back into my bubble — not quite as much, though. Too much was happening for me to be able to justify tuning out as much as I used to.
Then came 9/11, and suddenly it was impossible for me not to pay attention anymore. There were times when I wanted to tune out, of course, and some of my friends did just that, but I couldn’t do that anymore. Things have gotten too big, too important, not to have some idea of what’s happening.
Suddenly, I’m reading political websites on a regular basis. I’m paying attention to news from all over the world. More than just reading and ranting about things, I’m taking the time to participate when I can by going to rallys around town. I’m looking into the various candidates for the 2004 election cycle, and may have found one worth supporting in more than a “yeah, he seems interesting” lackadaisacal sort of way.
It took me nearly thirty years to get here, but I’m here now. None to sure where the road I’ve stumbled upon is going to lead, but — as frustrating and frightening as it is at times — really enjoying the new scenery, so to speak.
There’s a whole world out there that I’m a part of, and it’s obviously time for me to start acting like I’m a part of it.
I hope this doesn’t bore you all too much in the meantime. I promise to still make my usual inane posts from time to time in the midst of all this. 
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You know, that’s actually kind of the same story for me - except I wasn’t paying attention so much to the debates as I should have. I know I remember thinking McCain was a better Republican candidate than Bush - that Bush emptied the Republican election coffers far before the race was in its final months, and that this meant BAD NEWS for an American Economy under a possible president dubya.
But I really started paying attention when the election went like it did. Then I relapsed into the ‘I’m a student, busy busy, in my own little glass cage on the University hill,” paying attention here and there to our policies (like backing out of the Kyoto Treaty) - until 9-11, when I started worrying that middle easterners would be herded into dentention camps like the Japanese were in WWII. At that time, it was the first thing I thought of because I was working on a project on that very subject at work. It still doesn’t seem so far away.
If there is anything Bush did for me, he made me more aware of the rest of the world. He made me acutely aware of the injustices our country has done on others (this knowledge base is growing all the time, unfortunately…).
And as for Howard Dean - I’m glad he’s got the balls to say what he says. Granted, he doesn’t have the problems many of the other candidates do - All candidates currently in the Senate are probably keeping their mouths closed so they can continue wrangling their deals on budget issues. One word out of them sounding like Dean would make it difficult indeed to do business. Isn’t that awful? Still, Governor Dean doesn’t risk much with his views, but it’s better that he says it. Another thing to remember - Senators Kerry, Edwards, and Lieberman all voted in the Iraq Use of Force Resolution, which wouldn’t have passed without Democratic support. Thanks Tom Tomorrow!
Boring ? This is LIFE and life is anythingbut boring. Welcome to the world Wudi, Welcome to the world. I’ve been waiting. I watch, I listen and I VOTE and I’ll point that out to any jackass running for any office anywhere. If someone is running for office and goes door to door and knocks on my door, I invite them in. You should see the look on their faces when I pull out a tape recorder and inform them ” This is ON the record ” 3/4 of them run for the door… Chicken shits. Any fool can walk door to door and say anything they want, But if they say it ON record their stuck, and they know it. Bush saddens me ! Our poor country is out of control. As my Korean friend used to say ” A little revolution every 200 years is a good thing” I’m begining to see what he was talking about.