Don't Vote

[Mark]

I'm an election boycott advocate. I'd been advocating that people stop voting, and finally decided that's what I do, so I had some cheap business cards printed up and that's what they say, "Election Boycott Advocate."

I don't get much of an opportunity to do much advocating, but I do try.

There are many reasons I believe that people shouldn't vote, but the most important one is that if you don't like what your government is doing, I don't think you should authorize them to keep doing it. If you oppose something, I don't think you should support it or legitimize it, and voting is what legitimizes a government--that's why they hold elections.

I know that most people who oppose racism wouldn't join or pay dues to the KKK or WAR or discriminate against ethnic groups or make racist jokes. I think that most people who oppose sexism wouldn't.....okay, I'm not supposed to go there. But most of the people I know who claim to be opposed to what our government is doing, keep right on voting to legitimize the government--voting to authorize it to keep right on doing the stuff they oppose.

Now the reason I don't get to do much advocacy is because most websites and activist groups have some sort of political party affiliation. Since they are or would like to be part of the system, they don't want anyone suggesting that people not support the system.

The most common question I get is, "What then?" People ask me what would happen if they didn't vote, what, if anything, not voting would accomplish, if I have a better system, etc. I don't have the answers. What would happen is probably nothing. Except that each individual who doesn't vote, has the personal satisfaction of knowing that whatever our government does, be it torture, wars of aggression, or rounding us all up and putting us in FEMA camps, we didn't vote to authorize them to do it, and we didn't recognize their legitimacy or help them claim legitimacy by voting in their elections.

Is there more that can be done? Sure. People can hand out leaflets, blog, protest, or whatever they think might help. But if you're going to oppose or protest something, it might be a good idea not to vote for it. So how can I understand the activists who oppose our government but continue to vote to delegate their authority and power to it? All I can think is that they don't REALLY oppose our government, they like it, like what it is doing, will continue to vote to legitimize it and to delegate their power and authority to it, but they like to gripe and show off how politically correct they are by parroting anti-government rhetoric they don't really mean.

[Mark]

Thanks, Curt, I stand corrected. Germany was smart to stay out of Iraq, but foolish to send troops to Afghanistan. There have always been a lot of opportunists in the Greens.

That's a very artistically arranged shot with the Octoberfest picture superimposed.

I hope Die Linke does well in the election and that Germany gets its troops out of Afghanistan.

[curt]

I forgot about the yellow flag in the wind, the FDP. Those were the real winners yesterday. Die Linke won almost as big but not quite as big as I had expected. Some interesting comments coming in from the MSM;

Business Week; "Die Linke, or the Left Party, scored 11.9% of the vote, overtaking the Greens, with 10.7%, as the fourth most popular political force in German politics."

The Nation (Pakistan): "Die Linke in Germany was far more principled, in a country where 80 percent are not in favour, albeit ignored by mainstream politicians. ..."

Guardian, UK: "Die Linke party wins German votes by standing out from crowd"

...."The German involvement in the killing of civilians in early September confirmed that after eight years in Afghanistan and unconditional support for Nato's pattern of military escalation, we are gaining speed on the slippery slope to full, US-style war instead of achieving progress in peaceful reconstruction. Germany arrived on the bloody battle ground at the most inappropriate time for the ruling coalition with the election around the corner. Our government's haphazard excuse for an Afghanistan strategy is now in ruins.

It's time we opened our eyes. The Left party (Die Linke), along with the peace movement – and in agreement with the majority of the German public, which opposes the Afghanistan engagement – now wants an earnest debate on Afghanistan in the aftermath of the elections. Eight years of war and violations of human rights are enough. The deadlock of insurgency and counter-insurgency has to be broken. The international community has to accept that peace and reconstruction can't be forced at gunpoint. First and foremost, Afghanistan needs a peace and reconciliation process. This has to be complemented by intensified co-operation between the neighbouring countries. Afghanistan needs renewed international efforts for economic and social reconstruction through civilian capabilities. In this context, Nato withdrawal isn't one of the goals to be achieved along the way but a precondition. Therefore, the new chancellor would be well advised to set the course for the immediate return of the Bundeswehr from Afghanistan."

The new Chancellor is still the old but the old will not hold up well under the new opposition.


Die Linke are now the 4th strongest party with over 10%. Neither of the traditional two parties can now govern without a coalition partner. The political playing field has been completely rearranged, the SPD will be forced to work at regaining political grounds lost to Die Linke and those grounds are social. Like a magnet, Die Linke will pull them all a bit to the left, and that's exactly what we want to happen. -curt

[Mark]

I don't think Merkel is going to withdraw German troops from Afghanistan. And I certainly don't want to see any truth and reconciliation process where war criminals are pardoned so that they can commit more war crimes later on. I think the best outcome would be for as many war criminals as possible to die in Afghanistan. Foreign troops have no reason to be there and Germany should never have collaborated in a war of aggression.

I hope Die Linke emphasizes that half of the U.S. contribution to global warming comes from our military activities. That could pull those who actually care about the environment away from the Greens to Die Linke--if there are any Greens who actually care about the environment and it isn't just a party of political opportunists.