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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 7,014,952 |
Question of the Week: 12 - 10/23/2000 Pagan Choice for the y2k US Election This week's Pagan Perspective question is a redux of one that we asked about at the beginning of August... And we apologize in advance to our non-United States readers that we have again brought up an issue that is rather exclusive to just one country, but feel free to comment on the shenanigans of the American political system as you see it.) Which political platform or candidate are you leaning towards? Have you made up your mind or changed your mind? Will you vote and who-if you don't mind telling the world-are you planning to vote for? Why have you made this particular choice? |
| Reponses: There are 129 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| If Gore Doesn't Win We Are All In Serious Trouble. Ok, I... | Oct 27th. at 11:11:01 am EDT |
| xkalaber (Machias, Maine US) | Age: 41 - Email |
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If Gore doesn't win we are all in serious trouble. OK, I have been reading these articles daily and as much as I wish there was a third candidate to vote for....there isn't.. This election is about two and only two candidates, Gore and Bush. By not voting for Gore is another vote for Bush, and if Bush wins the election our religious freedom and rights are seriously threatened. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Right now a 15 year old girl in Oklahoma (see wren's nest for the news story) has been accused of casting a spell on her teacher and making him ill. She is being humiliated by her peers and the school suspended her. The ACLU of Oklahoma is taking up her rights and they are preparing to go to court and I hope that girl, her father, and the ACLU go after that school for no less than six figures. Someone forgot to tell those school officials that it's the year 2000 and to join the 21st century like the rest of us. Have I got your attention yet? How's this, right now that child's religious freedom is protected by the 1st Amendment. BUT, what do you think is going to happen to her rights, as well as ours, if Bush, who openly stated that WICCA IS NOT A RELIGION and he plans on BANNING IT FROM MILITARY BASES gets into office? Do we really want a religious bigot in the White House? This election is getting serious and we are running out of time. Nov. 7 is just around the corner. This election has gone from abortion, health, social security, and defense issues to an election that will determine our religious freedom and rights (or the lack there of) for the next 4 years. I wish there was a candidate that stood a solid chance of winning that supported religious freedom, personal rights, etc., for that matter I wish a Witch was a presidental candidate, the problem is there are only two candidates and that's what we are stuck with. So there you have it. It's the year 2000, a child is accused of hexing her teacher and has to go court to defend herself, a presidential candidate (Bush) doesn't believe Wicca or any other Pagan religion is a religion, and we don't have a third candidate to vote for that we would all like to see win. Please note that this is just my opinion, I am in no way telling you what you have to do, it's just that after reading Bush's comments about Wicca and now after reading about a child having to go to court to protect her reputation and rights I really got ticked off and started to seriously wonder where this country is heading. May the Goddess&God protect and watch over us all in these turbulent times. Blessed Be... |
| I'm Choosing Al Gore. Not Because Of All The Stuff In His... | Oct 27th. at 11:23:50 am EDT |
| Beth (Silicon Valley, California US) | Age: 49 - Email |
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I'm choosing Al Gore. Not because of all the stuff in his campaign but because he's been doing the things that are important. The smoke-and-mirrors campaign noises don't cause me to lose sight of the fact that he *knows* and has said so in print (his book) that a carbon tax is the only way we're going to begin to reflect the *true* costs, social as well as cash, of fossil fuel energy sources. It's not popular, you won't hear about it in the campaign, but Al Gore *gets* it; "it's the environment, stupid." Bush's spin-doctors are hammering home a lie -- that Gore is in favor of "big government" in hopes that we'll all forget facts: the first thing Al Gore did during his first term as VP was to examine the U.S. federal bureaucracy for where to cut. I'm quite sure he knows what didn't get cut for one reason or another. Al Gore is smart enough to know that the ozone hole is a huge warning sign. He's informed enough to know that our health care system costs more and provides less than any other industrial nation, per capita. And he's politically savvy enough to campaign on the necssarily dumbed-down content that's all the average media maven with a microphone will record. I've been waiting for my chance to vote for Al Gore for president since 1992, and I haven't changed my mind. I don't think he's gone the route of Redford's old flick "The Candidate"...I think he's biding his time to make his mark. Unfortunately, sometimes one must "make haste slowly" in politics. Also, frankly, I watched what happened to this country under Reagan & Bush. Remove all tax incentives for non-fossil-fuel energy sources in the name of "tax simplification". Cut funding for mental health programs (Reagan did it in CA first, so I got to watch it happen for 16 years!). Multiply the costs to students in public colleges by a factor of 5. Increase logging access in the tiny expanses of the United States' few remaining untouched native forests. Run stranglehold budget crunches on national infrastructure such as the air traffic control system (it was archaic when Reagan was re-elected, and has gone on running on CP/M because MS-DOS was not acceptably reliable when it came to people's lives). I don't think we can afford any more of that sort of mismanagement. The Republican noise-makers like to point out all that the Clinton administrations haven't accomplished. Nowhere do I see them taking responsibility for their stone-wall approach to any meaningful health care reform! I think they'll hope we're all forgetful as well as stupid. "Nothing's forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten." |
| Stop Repeat Offenders, Don't Re-elect Them." That Is One Of The Bumper... | Oct 27th. at 12:59:18 pm EDT |
| Silver MayKitten (Springfield, Missouri US) | Age: 55 - Email |
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"Stop Repeat Offenders, Don't Re-Elect Them." That is one of the bumper stickers on my car. I really don't see much of a difference between the candidates except that: Buchannan, will probably start WWIII betweenus and Mexico. Nadar will big government us to death. Harry Browne is a starry eyed idealist without too much experiance in dealing with two faced burrocraps and congressmen. He will be crushed by the weight of the reality of government life. George Bush; Remember Wicca is not a real religion? He wouldn't believe my sister got crushed by that house if he saw it happen! That leaves Gore the bore who gets my vote, not because I think he's better but because he is the lesser of all the evils. Sorta makes you believe in Saten. |
| I'm Voting For Al Gore, For Endless Reasons Most Of Which Don't... | Oct 27th. at 1:35:38 pm EDT |
| Eli (Fort Lauderdale, Florida US) | Age: 18 |
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I'm voting for Al Gore, for endless reasons most of which don't relate at all to paganism or even to myself. I am a man, but the most important issue in the whole election, for me, is the protection of Roe vs. Wade, which is one or two votes from being overturned with possibly up to three or four Supreme Court nominations up for grabs in this election. But as a pagan, my largest reason for disliking George W.-not that I don't already have an abundance of reasons-is because I know he and his conservative buddies would give unfair benefits and authority to Christian churches, schools, hospitals, and charities. And I think we all know what happens when you give the church too much political authority. |
| Since The Beginning Of The Campaign Trail I Thought I Would Be... | Oct 27th. at 3:47:53 pm EDT |
| Aislynn Denny (Greensboro, North Carolina US) | Age: 24 - Email |
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Since the beginning of the campaign trail I thought I would be voting for Al Gore. His comitment to the environment has always made me respect him. Yet, I am also a supporter of the military. When I found that his idea of Military Spending was to send our troops into more international situations and NOT work to upgrade our domestic military bases I began to reconsider. I've been going over this issue in my mind for weeks now, Bush says he wants to upgrade our bases including family housing and support buildings, but Bush also ignores the fact that witchcraft is actually a religion. That makes me nervous. All in all, after a lot of research I've found that while I do not agree with Gore's idea of military spending, I agree with his stand on most all other issues. When it's time to vote, my vote will go to Al Gore. |
| Gop Group To Air Pro-nader Tv Ads By Laura Meckler, Associated Press... | Oct 27th. at 4:42:03 pm EDT |
| Andraste (New York, New York US) | Age: 35 |
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GOP Group To Air Pro-Nader TV Ads By LAURA MECKLER, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Hoping to boost Ralph Nader (news - web sites) in states where he is threatening to hurt Al Gore (news - web sites), a Republican group is launching TV ads featuring Nader attacking the vice president. The ads by the Republican Leadership Council will begin airing Monday in Wisconsin, Oregon and Washington, all states that are part of Gore's base and where Nader is polling well. The group plans to spend more than $100, 000 at first and hopes to raise more over the weekend. While the ads boost Nader, they are a clear attempt to help Bush. Gore's supporters fear that Nader, who is more liberal than either Bush or Gore, will throw the election to the Texas governor if voters who might otherwise vote for Gore vote for Nader instead. In a tight national race, one or two states could make the difference in who is elected president. Someone was saying that a vote for Nader isn't a vote for Bush ? |
| Personally, I Feel That We Need A Balance In Our Government. Without... | Oct 27th. at 6:02:05 pm EDT |
| Donna F Hitchcock (middleburg, Florida US) | Age: 45 - Email |
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Personally, I feel that we need a balance in our government. Without a balance we may as well have a dictatorship. With one parties point of view. |
| After Reading The Other Perspectives, Ti Saddens Me To Understand That People... | Oct 27th. at 8:46:29 pm EDT |
| Sandra Rowland (Virginia Beach, Virginia US) | Age: 19 - Email |
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After reading the other perspectives, ti saddens me to understand that people are basing their votes on a question that the magazine asked the canidates to be truthful about. Thay asked for George Bush's opinion and they got it. So he hates pagans and wiccians. So what? He can't revoke the military base policy on religion. First the supreme court has to revoke it as a valid religion and they won by a strong margin when it did go before the courts last time. Will he make it easier on christian schools, hospitals and other christians organizations? Probably, but when was the last time you heard of a pagan school hospital or organization? Do you really think they'd stop one if it did come along? Maybe it would be harder but not impossible. Let these people do good things by educating children, saving lives and all this other stuff. If they want to do it in the name of christianity, fine. You don't have to contribute or participate. This isn't a rally for Bush. I just wish they had other reasons (as in several) to vote for their choice in candiate. |
| Harry Browne Is My Candidate Of Choice... | Oct 27th. at 9:04:38 pm EDT |
| Jennifer (Atlanta, Georgia US) | Age: 29 - Email |
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Harry Browne is my candidate of choice. |
| Gore. I Actually "had The Chance" To Interview Him At Length When... | Oct 27th. at 10:49:06 pm EDT |
| Z.Darcnuss (Boston, Massachusetts US) | Age: 28 |
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Gore. I actually "had the chance" to interview him at length when I was in high school. (Well before he was transplanted from the deep south to D.C.). After that interview, I never thought I'd ever even consider him as a political candidate, but the fact is, to me he has become the lesser of two evils. I find Bush's comments about Witches, Pagans and Wiccans, demoralizing and deliberately inflammatory. Gore's stand point isn't much better, his "freedom of religion doesn't have to mean freedom from religion" speech left a lot to desired, I thought. I am a strict separation of church & state kind of girl. Whether it is Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Samhain, I don't believe anyone should be made to participate in a spiritual event they don't believe in. |
| Bush Is Only Posturing When He Says He's A Christian. He Does... | Oct 27th. at 11:14:48 pm EDT |
| Linda (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma US) | Age: 46 |
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Bush is only posturing when he says he's a Christian. He does it for votes. In the New Testatment, Jesus clearly says that the way you treat prisoners and the ill is they way you treat Jesus himself. So far Bush has executed more than 145 prisoners, more than any governor. The Republican governor in Illinois has susupended executions since findings have shown that one-third of all people on death row in his state may be innocent. After her execution, Bush made fun of Carla Fae Tucker, pursing his lips like a little girl and whining in a fake female voice, "Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me." No real Christian would kill then make fun of the killing. Unfortunately, Gore supports the death penalty also. Nadar is the only candidate that I know of that wants to suspend the death penalty. Nadar is the candidate I'm leaning toward, but I'd sure hate to see Bush win. |
| A Witch Friend Of Mine Who Lives In Tennessee Sent The Following... | Oct 28th. at 6:30:29 am EDT |
| Raven (Johannesburg, South Africa) | Age: 52 - Email |
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A Witch friend of mine who lives in Tennessee sent the following excerpt to me via email. I, Raven, am a US Citizen currently residing in the Gauteng Province (between Pretoria and Johannesburg)of the Republic of South Africa. I am voting by absentee ballot for Gore. She wrote: >If that doesn't give you pause, maybe you should consider his {Bush's} >promise > to do for the United States what he has done for Texas. - > > -Dead last in state government spending per capita; > -49th in state appropriations for the arts; > -46th in maximum monthly welfare payments for needy families, > regardless of size; > -45th in percent of population graduating from high school; > -9th in percent of children living in poverty; > -5th in toxic chemicals released into the air; > -2nd in prisoner incarceration rate. |
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