Such anger...I love it. And yes, definitely worth waiting for, this comic pretty much sums up what population of americans with souls are feeling in the days following another well-spent election. Not to mention this Falluja bullsh*t. Speaking specifically of the comic, issues asside, the dialogue is great. I love it when ****y gets really pissed off, great comics always result. Great work man. May God have mercy on us all.

All right, Lichkeeg you 're probably going to hate me for saying this, but since you decided not to vote you also forgo your right to complain about what the elected officials do.

I was born in a country, and know people from nations, where the right to vote was either suspended or unexistant.  It took courageous people to gain that right for others, and yes, I agree that one vote will not make much of a difference, but when you have a few thousand people who think the same, it might just have been enough to tip the scales.

I don't mean to rant, but it's obvious to me that when you are born and raised in a country where you have some basic rights, then you take those rights for granted and don't fully appreciate them. Most people also forget that with those rights comes responsabilities, and guys like Bush count on that kind of blasé attitude to wield power.

I've heard the "my vote won't change anything so why bother" argument more times than I care to remember, and most of the time it's these same people who complain the more about what their government does. These people also are convinced that "since they didn't vote for the offending official, then they share no responsibility" - wrong, acting by omission is taking a political stand, want it or not.  You can't claim that, since you didn't vote for Bush, you have nothing to do with what is going on, because you didn't vote against him either.

And yes, once again, one vote is like a drop in the ocean, but enough drops together can be a powerful force. Last federal election over here I voted against the favorite in my circonscription, and of course the candidate I rooted for wasn't elected.  Was my vote lost then? No, and that is because the one who got elected had to take into consideration that she, and her political agenda, weren't as popular as she thought, that there were a significative amount of voters who disagreed with her views, and thus she is a lot less loud and confident than she was before.

I don't remember who said this, but this quote illustrates well my point of view, I'll leave you with it:

"Democracy and freedom of speech are the only things that wear off when not used."

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Beauty In Diversity

Vick, I respect your opinion, but I'm afraid I have to disagree strongly. If other people vote in dishonest and incomptent politicians, then they carry the burden of responsibility. They voted that person in, and in effect, are responsible for what they have done.

George Carlin, a favorite comedian of mine said "I, on the other hand, who did not vote, who didn't even leave the house on election day... Have every right to complain about the mess you created that I had nothing to do with."

This is why I don't claim responsibility for either one of them. Kerry, as much of a democrat as he may be, isn't much different. He was just another corporate suit with a different face. Since I believe American's politicians have been bought and sold and have also bought and sold our futures short long ago to make a bit more money for themselves, making a choice for either is essentially throwing a vote away. And what if my favorite third party candidate actually got elected? Do you honestly think someone like Nader would even make a year in office without being shot? Democracy doesn't work in an utterly corrupt system like ours.

You are right to a degree though Vick, however, my beliefs stem from the fact that this system of ours isn't honest. In retrospect, I kind of wish I had voted for Nader. It would've at least absolved me a bit more, if not had supported someone who wasn't bought by big business. Next time I'll vote Nader and print t-shirts that say "Hey, don't blame me. I voted for Nader, asshole."

Edit: Vick, I'm sure that in Canada the system works very well. If I lived in a country where politicians weren't so corrupt and consumed by greed, I would be so much more inclined to vote than I am now. A lot of people say the US is the best place to live, but I dispute that. I think Canada is perhaps the best place in the world to live. You can't beat living in a system that takes care of its own like Canada does, and it's for that reason that some day I'll live there. When I move up there, you and I will have to get a drink and hang out.

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- Idiot Farm Comics
- http://www.idiotfarm.net

I'd have to agree with Lichkeeg a bit on this one. I did vote, but it wouldn't have mattered if I didn't. Bush and Kerry are both morons and one of them would have won. And it does seem like I'm taking it for granted. But I don't see the right to vote being taken away at any point.

Honestly, I don't think much of this country. I don't like the fact that we're always fighting with someone. It's like we're trying to take over the world. We're trying to Americanize everything.

-Em

I guess Lichkeg and I share different points of view due to have lived in different cultures.  My point was that a vote is pretty much your sole way of sending a message to politicians, and is thus not to be discarded lightly. My comments were just my reaction to the general disinterest of the population regarding the politics of their country.  Such attitudes are a politician's dream, for then they can pretty much do what they want with little worry about consequences.  A politician cares for one thing and one thing only, to get votes.  That is why most of them will make the unpopular choices at the beginning of their mandates, and then lay out the charm at the end, in the hopes of blinding as many electors as possible to their true agendas.

Lichkeeg has a solid argument when it comes to poor choices Americans are faced with, on that point I can't do otherwise but agree. Canada is a little different because of the way the election process works. We don't have to contend with a College Of Electors, which was in fact a compromise between those who wanted officials to be elected by an elite, and those who argued that all citizens should do the selection. Furthermore, the American elective systme is set in such a way that you need money to reach as much people as possible, thus wealthy people have an advantage over the regular Joe. And we all know that where money is involved, dishonesty is not far behind

Make no mistakes, politicians here are as bad as in the USA - well, not really, Bush is hard to beat in that field.  Our federal prime Minister, the honorable (?) Paul Martin is right now trying desperately to explain why he wasn't responsible for abuses that happened in his own misnistery.  He claims loud and clear that he wasn't aware of anything disputable happening - in other words he hopes all Canadians are too stupid to see what happened. So yes, Lichkeeg, you are right about choices, it's pretyty much a "damned if I do, damned if I don't" situation.

And I'll hold you to that drink, Lichkeeg.  The first round is on me

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Beauty In Diversity