[Blake]

Originally Posted by Gawen

Well ya see. It's statements like this...coupled with statements like this:

...make no sense to me. Just because one guy is less bad than the other, why vote? It's the principal of it. Less bad does not always mean better...which makes this statement truein a way:

You vote for the least bad alternative (Kerry) because his winning has real-world benefits for many people, sometimes the difference between life and death. If you don't vote, you're sacrificing real-world pragmatism for an incoherent principle. In this case, less bad does mean better.

You didn't say that you didn't support a constitution, Gawen, but that's what granting supreme power to the people within a democracy means. A constitution limits the people's supreme power, avoiding "tyranny of the majority."

Originally Posted by Bree

This is exactly where I'm coming from. Same shit, different flavours.

Then you're uninformed. Not only do they taste different, but Kerry is clearly useful fertilizer-shit, whereas Bush is toxic waste. Do almost any amount of decent reading on almost any issue, and this will become clear.

The Democratic candidate has already made it clear that he does not support gay marriage. Even if Kerry/Edwards did support it, it is highly unlikely that the US would ever adopt such a law - I just don't think that it will happen, and probably won't happen during my lifetime. I've come to grips with it. The government won't recognise my marriage, but I can still love Jek. To me, we are married whether the government, my family, or anyone else says otherwise.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Kerry does support civil unions, which are marriages by a different name. His stated opposition to gay marriage as such is political posturing.

I'm shocked by your pessimism. States such as Vermont have already legislated civil unions, and Massachusetts has gay marriage and probably will retain it (I don't think much of the chances of the legislature AND the electorate amending one of the most progressive state constitutions in the U.S. against it). The federal Defense Of Marriage Act cannot sustain a challenge based on the Constitution's "full faith and credit" clause requiring states to recognize each others' official acts. Gay marriage nationwide is probably just a matter of time, quite possibly within your lifetime. Your personal belief in your marriage to Jek is charming, but meaningless legally: you have no spousal benefits, no power of healthcare attorney, no inheritance rights.

A vote for Kerry is a vote in your self-interest, and you won't do it. It would be amazing if it weren't so common.