2004-11-03 - 8:51 a.m.

grim but determined

It's a dark morning for a day with blue skies. 120,000,000 citizens turned out ot vote. Bush leads in Ohio by 136,000 votes, there are as many as 250,000 provisional ballots that remain to be counted, Bush is declaring that he has a mandate, and Kerry is refusing to back down. The youth came out to vote, and they voted Republican. Republicans will have full control of the House and the Senate come January. I am very depressed for what this means in this country, and in this world.

It feels grim. My mother was in tears last night. She put her GIS expertise to full use as a volunteer for ACT, creating 600 maps of voter registration across Missouri. She donated weeks of her time, manned phone banks, she drove people to the polls. And she sounded deflated and helpless.

I talked with Kay on the phone last night, and we share the sense of helplessness. I cannot understand how the majority of this country could back this horrid president. He is viewed as strong on the war on terror? Interesting. The war on terror began in this city under his presidency, and yet this city voted overwhelming AGAINST him. NYC remains unconvinced. And if he goes back to the White House, I will feel more unsafe than ever.

The USA has become a third-world country. The divide between upper and lower classes continues to grow. People I know are forced to choose between rent and health insurance. There is something very very wrong with this picture, without even considering the world beyond our borders.

There has to be something we can do. This election pushes me further to the left; the grass roots are growing deeper.