An election-day message from David Byrne
David Byrne just sent me (and, okay, thousands and thousands of other people) this message, which I thought I’d share.
Pardon the bulk mailing. I Can’t Vote. I am an immigrant with a Green Card and, therefore, I am not eligible to vote in a federal election. FYI – I can get drafted (luckily, Daniel Berrigan burned my draft board’s records) and I pay taxes, yet I cannot vote for President. On Election Day, I see my neighbors heading to the nearby elementary school to cast their ballots. The voting booth joint is a great leveler; the whole neighborhood – rich, poor, old, young, decrepit and spunky – they all turn out in one day.
But most of you can vote. What can I say? The Republicans have made us less safe than before 9/11, bankrupted this economy, started an illegal war they can’t – and don’t intend to – finish, removed what sympathy (after 9/11) and respect the world had for the US, and have robbed US citizens of many of their basic rights. Global warming? What’s that? Science and education? Investment in our future? No, thanks – we’ll stick with a good ‘ole hockey mom. Ignorant, and fucking proud of it, as is always the case.
Although it looks like a shoo-in, it ain’t over ’til Florida. And there are plenty of racists in this country who will vote against their own best interests. So please, get to your local elementary school, post office, town hall, or whatever, and cast your vote and make this a country we can all be proud of. We can get out of this mess, and life can be better than it is.
David Byrne
NYC
November 4th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Thanks for posting this.
I too hope as many people as possible vote today.
I respect Mr. Byrne’s passion about U.S. politics, but I’d respect him a lot more if he became an American citizen like any other eligible immigrant, including several of my close friends.
In my view, if you don’t vote when you have the chance (which includes Mr. Byrne, who chooses not to earn that qualification) you lose your right to complain about politics, politicians, laws, public policy and foreign policy.