I’m feeling all of this, too. Between the election and this next Supreme Court cycle I’m not feeling optimistic about the state of our democracy. We have a particularly contentious gubernatorial race here in Oregon that is keeping me up at night. I have luckily had some good convos with canvassers and know many good peeps going out to canvass and hope that’s the norm here and one glimmer of hope locally. But I do hear you completely
I’m an American citizen (dual citizenship) living in Canada. I’ve been an absentee voter for almost 15 years. This year was the first year I had to reapply for absentee voter status in Montana. Since I moved to Canada with my parents in 1964 I had no Drivers Licence or SSN. A bit of an issue originally but it turned out fine. So I sent in my absentee ballot request over 2 weeks ago but I can see on the voter registration page I’m still listed as “non absentee. “ I emailed the elections person and she sent me a link that doesn’t exist and when I seemed to find the page when I sent my info I got a server error.
Sorry this is so long and whiny ☹️ but it has made me so discouraged. I’ll keep at it though it’s really important to me as a woman to vote.
Oct 18, 2022·edited Oct 18, 2022Liked by Garrett Bucks
I was so angry and disappointed when Al Gore gave up. I heard him described recently as a "true gentleman" for conceding. Ridiculous. He won and he should have fought for the presidency.
Well you’re not alone. We need to hold each other up, come what may. Because caring for other people is not profitable, not done so that we can curate and share, but because we are human. Until I die, I will do what I can to take care of others in need. Maybe voting won’t make a difference but I’ll try. Maybe donating won’t make a difference or liking a post or subscribing to a substack or knocking on doors (without adequate training) or standing in the cold with an initiative petition, whatever, but I’m NOT going to let these people who are convinced that it’s individualism or super capitalism or hating others to disrupt what my heart tells me is true. We love each other as best we can for as long as we can. We do the best we know how and learn from others along the way. We try. We get discouraged, but we keep believing in caring. Because we have heart and caring for others in our DNA. Your work is important and worth it. I know the personal cost you and your family bear. I don’t know if it will make a difference in the end. But this is WHO WE ARE.
I'm with you, Garrett. I don't think this will be the election that breaks me (how many times can one break?) but I have been to a few fundraisers this year (the first ones I've ever been to) and the whole messaging and seemingly necessary persona projections and wide-eyed energy and MONEY is just ... ugh. What other choice do we have? But ugh.
Thank you for writing this! I was on a call for an awesome book club yesterday where we get to talk with men on death row in North Carolina who wrote a book (look up crimson letters if you're interested!) and on the call were a bunch of retired women from North Carolina who were all talking about all the awesome phonebanking and canvassing they're doing and I felt so guilty that I haven't done that much this year electorally but also it does feel so fake and helpless and sad. I will at some point end my pity party and help but the corporate consultants of it all are depressing.
So, Garrett, how about trying to figure out how to create the community organization to plan how to get ourselves to understand how to create the plan to take care of each other? Do we start with values for today? Practicalities?
Oct 19, 2022·edited Oct 19, 2022Liked by Garrett Bucks
I'm certainly annoyed and disheartened at the way American politics has boiled down to money, hyperbole, and gossipy alarmist ads. But I dread the end of the integrity of our election process. The sheer number of election deniers at all levels on the ballot, the number of Americans who actually believe the 2020 presidential election was rigged, and the distinct possibility that, in 2024, the politicians will choose their voters rather than the voters choosing our leaders. That will be the death of our American democratic experiment.
Ok, that album was great and a few years back I had to buy my second copy because the first, which I bought in 2004 back in Ohio, was lost somewhere in a series of moves. I bought it again because I wanted to hear the Ben Kweller song on there, and maybe the Nada Surf one?
And… it is *exhausting* to always get the message about the upcoming ‘Most Important Election of My Lifetime’, or terrifying email headlines/texts. I’m trying to shut those out and hand write colorful letters to voters instead.
It might have been before my time that you had a Game of Pricks cover as a Song of the Week but I still want to know which one it was! This is my favourite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w47Spz3ybmc
I’m feeling all of this, too. Between the election and this next Supreme Court cycle I’m not feeling optimistic about the state of our democracy. We have a particularly contentious gubernatorial race here in Oregon that is keeping me up at night. I have luckily had some good convos with canvassers and know many good peeps going out to canvass and hope that’s the norm here and one glimmer of hope locally. But I do hear you completely
I’m an American citizen (dual citizenship) living in Canada. I’ve been an absentee voter for almost 15 years. This year was the first year I had to reapply for absentee voter status in Montana. Since I moved to Canada with my parents in 1964 I had no Drivers Licence or SSN. A bit of an issue originally but it turned out fine. So I sent in my absentee ballot request over 2 weeks ago but I can see on the voter registration page I’m still listed as “non absentee. “ I emailed the elections person and she sent me a link that doesn’t exist and when I seemed to find the page when I sent my info I got a server error.
Sorry this is so long and whiny ☹️ but it has made me so discouraged. I’ll keep at it though it’s really important to me as a woman to vote.
I was so angry and disappointed when Al Gore gave up. I heard him described recently as a "true gentleman" for conceding. Ridiculous. He won and he should have fought for the presidency.
Well you’re not alone. We need to hold each other up, come what may. Because caring for other people is not profitable, not done so that we can curate and share, but because we are human. Until I die, I will do what I can to take care of others in need. Maybe voting won’t make a difference but I’ll try. Maybe donating won’t make a difference or liking a post or subscribing to a substack or knocking on doors (without adequate training) or standing in the cold with an initiative petition, whatever, but I’m NOT going to let these people who are convinced that it’s individualism or super capitalism or hating others to disrupt what my heart tells me is true. We love each other as best we can for as long as we can. We do the best we know how and learn from others along the way. We try. We get discouraged, but we keep believing in caring. Because we have heart and caring for others in our DNA. Your work is important and worth it. I know the personal cost you and your family bear. I don’t know if it will make a difference in the end. But this is WHO WE ARE.
I'm with you, Garrett. I don't think this will be the election that breaks me (how many times can one break?) but I have been to a few fundraisers this year (the first ones I've ever been to) and the whole messaging and seemingly necessary persona projections and wide-eyed energy and MONEY is just ... ugh. What other choice do we have? But ugh.
Thank you for writing this! I was on a call for an awesome book club yesterday where we get to talk with men on death row in North Carolina who wrote a book (look up crimson letters if you're interested!) and on the call were a bunch of retired women from North Carolina who were all talking about all the awesome phonebanking and canvassing they're doing and I felt so guilty that I haven't done that much this year electorally but also it does feel so fake and helpless and sad. I will at some point end my pity party and help but the corporate consultants of it all are depressing.
So, Garrett, how about trying to figure out how to create the community organization to plan how to get ourselves to understand how to create the plan to take care of each other? Do we start with values for today? Practicalities?
I'm certainly annoyed and disheartened at the way American politics has boiled down to money, hyperbole, and gossipy alarmist ads. But I dread the end of the integrity of our election process. The sheer number of election deniers at all levels on the ballot, the number of Americans who actually believe the 2020 presidential election was rigged, and the distinct possibility that, in 2024, the politicians will choose their voters rather than the voters choosing our leaders. That will be the death of our American democratic experiment.
Ok, that album was great and a few years back I had to buy my second copy because the first, which I bought in 2004 back in Ohio, was lost somewhere in a series of moves. I bought it again because I wanted to hear the Ben Kweller song on there, and maybe the Nada Surf one?
And… it is *exhausting* to always get the message about the upcoming ‘Most Important Election of My Lifetime’, or terrifying email headlines/texts. I’m trying to shut those out and hand write colorful letters to voters instead.
It might have been before my time that you had a Game of Pricks cover as a Song of the Week but I still want to know which one it was! This is my favourite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w47Spz3ybmc