Five Years Later
UPDATED: Keith makes Newsweek.
Five years ago it was Primary Election Day in Minneapolis, an exciting day for me. We were on the brink of electing a new mayor, an upstart, a reformer; and having just come out of employment at city hall, I knew that it was high time. We were on the brink of major changes at city hall as well (you can change city hall!), and I woke up on that day brimming with optimism.
Now it is five years later, and it’s so difficult even to remember my life before I knew about September 11, 2001. Of course I remember events from before that time; but I cannot seem to grasp what it was like to be unaware of what I know now, how I felt. And again, tomorrow is Primary Election Day.
Keith Ellison is an African-American and a Muslim. He is also the best candidate, in my opinion, to represent the 5th District. He’s against the war, discrimination against women, discrimination against immigrants, discrimination against gay/lesbian/transgender people. I know him and trust him. Atheists, out of necessity, vote for theists all the time, but Keith is someone unique.
He has also been shamefully slimed by the other, apparently jealous Democratic candidates (and by Republicans such as Katherine Kersten), who were shocked that they did not receive the DFL nomination and will not abide by the party’s decision. (Keith has parking tickets! He went to the Million Man March! The idea! Well, I seem to remember the mainstream media and Republicans like Katherine Kersten blessing the Million Man March when it happened.) “See you in November!” shrieked Erlandson as he stomped out of the CFL Convention. Classy, that.
I count some of these candidates as friends. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (to which I wish we did not subscribe, but my boyfriend still reads it) came out against Keith in its endorsement. All I can say is that I’m extremely disappointed with everyone’s behavior recently, except Keith Ellison’s, despite the parking tickets.
(No, I never got any parking tickets myself, or speeding tickets, or anything. I was a good but nervous driver who was terrified every second of hitting someone’s kid or pet. Small wonder that I gave it up. I didn't enjoy it at all.)
If Ellison does not win the primary, I still intend to vote for him in the election. If Ellison loses that, then I will accept the winner graciously and work with that person. But I do urge people to vote for Keith. He will not disappoint them.
Tomorrow, the people will decide. It is the people that I trust to make these decisions, just as it was the people on September 11, 2001 who governed ourselves effectively and courageously. No matter what, I look around and I’m just astonished at the collection of imaginative, humorous, brave individuals who make up our electorate, regardless of how they vote.
It’s five years since September 11, 2001. Courage!
Five years ago it was Primary Election Day in Minneapolis, an exciting day for me. We were on the brink of electing a new mayor, an upstart, a reformer; and having just come out of employment at city hall, I knew that it was high time. We were on the brink of major changes at city hall as well (you can change city hall!), and I woke up on that day brimming with optimism.
Now it is five years later, and it’s so difficult even to remember my life before I knew about September 11, 2001. Of course I remember events from before that time; but I cannot seem to grasp what it was like to be unaware of what I know now, how I felt. And again, tomorrow is Primary Election Day.
Keith Ellison is an African-American and a Muslim. He is also the best candidate, in my opinion, to represent the 5th District. He’s against the war, discrimination against women, discrimination against immigrants, discrimination against gay/lesbian/transgender people. I know him and trust him. Atheists, out of necessity, vote for theists all the time, but Keith is someone unique.
He has also been shamefully slimed by the other, apparently jealous Democratic candidates (and by Republicans such as Katherine Kersten), who were shocked that they did not receive the DFL nomination and will not abide by the party’s decision. (Keith has parking tickets! He went to the Million Man March! The idea! Well, I seem to remember the mainstream media and Republicans like Katherine Kersten blessing the Million Man March when it happened.) “See you in November!” shrieked Erlandson as he stomped out of the CFL Convention. Classy, that.
I count some of these candidates as friends. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (to which I wish we did not subscribe, but my boyfriend still reads it) came out against Keith in its endorsement. All I can say is that I’m extremely disappointed with everyone’s behavior recently, except Keith Ellison’s, despite the parking tickets.
(No, I never got any parking tickets myself, or speeding tickets, or anything. I was a good but nervous driver who was terrified every second of hitting someone’s kid or pet. Small wonder that I gave it up. I didn't enjoy it at all.)
If Ellison does not win the primary, I still intend to vote for him in the election. If Ellison loses that, then I will accept the winner graciously and work with that person. But I do urge people to vote for Keith. He will not disappoint them.
Tomorrow, the people will decide. It is the people that I trust to make these decisions, just as it was the people on September 11, 2001 who governed ourselves effectively and courageously. No matter what, I look around and I’m just astonished at the collection of imaginative, humorous, brave individuals who make up our electorate, regardless of how they vote.
It’s five years since September 11, 2001. Courage!
posted by Kristine | Monday, September 11, 2006
10 Comments:
Hi, just stumbled across your blog. I really like it, but I have to highlight all the text to be able to read it because the background is so dark.
Just thought it might help if I let you know.
Good luck, then, to Mr. Ellison. He sounds like a decent man (no, not parking tickets!) and we need for more people in the world to share his views against discrimination of all types.
I was home watching TV on the morning of Sept 11, having just arrived home from San Antonio where I was working over the weekend (9/11 was on a Tue, I beleive). Travel was much easier then - and I still travel pretty regularly in my current job - and I recall seeing how the airports went from being pretty much no-hassle to seeing a bunch of nervous 19 year olds with M-16s standing in the terminals to old ladies and kidergardeners getting pulled out for "additional screening". Mostly, every measure, I feel, has been an overreaction and often don't even address the issue that spurred them. For example, Richard Reid, Shoe Bomber Guy, prompted TSA to ask us to remove our shoes for X-ray examination even though plastic explosives don't even show up on an X-ray image. Plus, you can no longer carry lighters on the plane even though Reid was trying to light improvised footwear with matches. Go figure. Nonetheless, it has become the Grassy Knoll for our generation. We'll never forget wehere we were or what we were doing when we found out. (My mother [Note: she's born again] called me sometime that morning to say that times like this remind us to tell our loved ones that we love them, to which I agreed wholly, but then she pretty much ruined it for me when she said, "And you know that this is the work of the devil, don't you?" to which I replied, "Mom - they think that god told them to do this. Ultimately, it's been as much a "my go can beat up you god" conflict in the eyes of far too many Americans for my liking ever since.)
And, for the record, I can read your text but that may vary on a monitor-to-monitor basis.
beleive = believe
and wehere = where.
*sigh* Poor spelling, grammar, typos - not my best work. A thousand pardons.
Preview, preview, preview...
Wow. Thanks, Julia. If I must I will change my background color, if I can figure it out. Anybody else have a problem?
PiGuy, I think it’s time for the Big Green Marker! ;-) Just kidding. You don’t have to correct yourself. I know what you mean.
Yeah - because a red marker might cause me to have self-esteem issues.
Kristine,
So how did Mr. Ellison do?
We can see your text just fine from here, for what it's worth.
On another note, be careful with the Big Green Marker. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the awesome, thrumming, vibrating, undulating, ...um where was I? Oh yeah, the power. The power of the Big Green Marker can be rather ogasmic, don't lose your head.
...too often.
...in public. You can get arrested for that in most states.
Kisses,
Bo'fus.
PiGuy,
Don't fret over Red. It's the color of passion.
Personally, I'd rather see red than gray, or medium blue or something.
Red is about Love, Vehemence, Sex, Ire, Desperation, Intimacy, Kissing, Hate, Vice, and best of all, Hot Wild Sex.
Funny that the color red conjours up thoughts of emotion from extreme opposite ends of the spectrum, isn't it? Maybe red is the color of being alive. Of feeling, of existing.
I wouldn't live without red.
Kisses,
JanieBelle
It's 8 p.m. here and polls just closed; no results yet for Mr. Ellison.
I'll post it as soon as I know! (Wish I could do it in big green letters, but maybe not...)
Well, we're certainly happy to share the secrets of the universe and The Big Green (or Red) Marker.
Crap, forgot about that whole "the earth is round, it goes around in circles, it spins, timezones, blah blah blah," thing. There's so much to keep track of, you know? I've got a bikini wax appointment tomorrow!
It's just a matter of priorities.
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