"The eyes of the future are watching us and they are praying that we learn to see beyond our own time . . . They are kneeling with clasped hands, that we might act with restraint, leaving room for the life that is destined to come." -- Terry Tempest Williams

It has been a long and terrible time. The time has come for us shake our complacency, our apathy, because we were doing well, even when our neighbors were not. Sit on our hands while the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and grow in number. We have health care, so why worry about others. Time to claim our country from those who only look out for themselves and their cronies. No matter who wins, our electorate has to stand up and demand change. EZ EV

I so agree Ariel Ky, so so agree !!! And what a beautiful, beautiful article, Mr. William Rivers Pitt, so, so, so, thank you.

And yet the opposition, the Democratic Party has done very little in the past eight years to investigate, expose, and take to court those who perpetrated the blatant stealing of not one but two elections. I don't know about you, but I've been begging them, the DNC, Party leaders, anyone, to take on that issue with everything it had. I offered to contribute money to that effort. Not a single response. Even by email which costs so little to use. Our leaders seem not to have cared one way or the other whether we have a semblance of democracy, since people seem to fall for the loudest, most lying voice anyway. Now we have another demagogue, the likes of which hasn't been seen in this country since Huey Long of Louisiana (where the egregious Landrieu now "serves"). Of course the election is being stolen. Of course.

The unpopularity of Bush has nothing to do with his internal policies which were good. Americans witnessed an economic boom for over six years of his presidency. But his lies about WMD in Iraq were never forgotten. He helped get us into a war without meaning. It has cost the taxpayers over a trillion dollars with no end in sight and finally broke our economy. Americans are peace loving people and hate war. That unpopular war is the reason for the low approval rating of Bush. It makes good political sense for McCain to try to distance himself from an unpopular president. He does not want to appear as a war candidate that will repeat the same mistakes. But the voters know he is an old warhorse who comes from a long line of military men. A vote for McCain is a vote for the war policies of Bush. Obama is a peace candidate. He is a patriotic American that understands that our nation has to be strengthened internally. That is why he will cut the taxes of 95 percent of Americans, rebuild the economy and not waste one cent on a meaningless war. Americans understand his message and that is why he will win by a landslide.

We are, finally, awakening! Recognizing that we have never really been as wonderful as we have let ourselves believe is the first step toward beginning to apologize to the world we have so taken advantage of for our own selfish gain. We, the people of this nation, must be willing to make amends for those we have allowed to desecrate our standards. Most likely, we must be willing to sacrifice the little things on which we have focused and that have kept us in denial of the truth of our government's lack of integrity, which becomes our own lack of integrity. "Courage is the price that life exacts for granting Peace, and the soul who knows it not knows no release from little things.". . . Amelia Earhart

In Portland, we are meeting to brainstorm how we will help our neighbors through this. There are efforts to make energy-conservation accessible to those who need it most (Community Energy Project can be Googled). There are efforts to make graywater use legal (ReCode). Under the radar, we will help each other. Conversations are starting table to table at coffee shops and restaurants. I am pleased with my town that the only gated community I know of is Dignity Village, which has totally happening, radically designed low-income housing. The guys living there would maybe be overcome by tourists if they didn't have a gate. If they steal this election, they will go the way of Marie Antoinette or in the end get locked for life in one of the prisons they formerly filled with persons who were isolated. I am happy to be involved with City Repair and many other groups. A recent Halloween fund-raiser probably had 1,800 people come. The Portland Fruit Tree Project, DePave, ReCode, City Repair all rent space in a centrally located building where Whole Foods drops off close-dated really good food once or twice per week. Together, change is happening. We are stronger for having faced the beast that has disgraced what the US used to stand for. Around the world, they know our government has descended to the level many foreign citizens are used to with their governments. They feel for ordinary people here and have great hope the ordinary people will be able to overcome a level of corruption which has become s0 damaging to the whole planet. Earth has her ways of helping good stewards. I have great hope for new ways.

Oh please -- give the corny rhetoric and purple prose a break, Bill! The meaning of this election is that the Rulers of the Empire are changing the Proconsul from One Who Is Hated to One Who Is Not Yet Hated by the majority of "citizens." The RepubliCON and DemocRAT organization will win, no matter who is elected. Cindy Sheehan says it all in her commentary against the DemocRAT Pelosi, but the owners of the media are giving her no play. Life will go on. Wars will continue. Theft will continue. Until the people of America wake up and reject the Duopoly, they will remain little other than wage slaves. Enjoy your Tuesday.

I hope the newly invigorated left is now aware that ALL elections from now on will be equally time consuming and important. Fibber McCain & Mooselini will probably loose tomorrow, but don't think for a minute that the vested interests who diverted over a trillion dollars of our tax money to setting up a permanent military base and colony in Iraq, and who have been itching for "patriot" act type affronts to our civil rights since the 60s will just disappear. They'll just hide under a rock until the day after innauguration. The propaganda machine was in full force and working on all gears LONG BEFORE Newt's contract ON America or Jr.'s stolen election and rule by divine right. We aren't even close to dismantling the propaganda machine. Just remember, that while Obama represents an innevitable future of Americans finally trying to undo jr.s legacy, the right is very well armed. Despite their rhetoric about "loving" "their" country, they have no love for the constitution on which OUR country is based, American democracy, or the other 2/3 of us who actually live in America. What is it that they get all teary eyed about when the flag is raised? Let's face it. It's NOT America. It's a vicarious thrill and WORSHIP OF THE MILITARY, not to mention the most important element, a dream of a more authoritarian future. This battle won't end in the lifetimes of any living person. This is why people are supporting realists with the sophistication and media savy to not only WIN an election, but also a few battles for the left after the election is won. People have become tired of so called "idealists" who'd rather say "I told you so" from the outside than actually help dig us out of this mess. There are Democrats who are much more liberal than either McKinney OR Nadder. Kuccinich is one of them and he actually ran for president in this election. If he'd been picked by the primary process he would have proven his ability to win and to lead to a majority on the left. McKinney & Nadder would still be running against him with full support from the republican party. To borrow one of the biggest buzzwords of 2008: Obama has been "vetted". I think Obama has proven to the majority of the left that he's ready to lead because of the way he handled his campaign for the past 2 years. NOBODY on the left will EVER convince the right that they are ready to lead. That's not reality any more than just appealing to 5% of the electorate is. I just hope everyone is ready to STAY INVOLVED FROM NOW ON. That would REALLY get under Bill "Oh Really's" skin. Sorry this post has been all over this place, but I don't think this is a single-issue election. The reasons we need to get the repugs out of office are too numerous to mention.

Justice will be served.

May God and the voters save the Republic!

voting for nader got us into this mess in florida in 2000 obama is a good man as was al gore vote for whoever you want but there is a very clear difference between obama and mccain

My fear in the twilight of this historic election is that we will have upheaval no matter what happens and what the results are. Notice I didn't say no matter "who wins". There remains in this country those archaic morons that think race undermines ability to lead. The other outcome will also result in an uprising by those who feel in their hearts (already broken hearts) that this election was stolen too. So either way, I predict we are in for it. Frankly, I think we have plenty of evidence that shows that voting and the other processes of our "democratic country" don't mean a thing. Those who think our democratic system is still in place and working had better wake up. It isn't and it doesn't.

William Rivers Pitt always writes with such clarity and power, expressing views that many of us feel but have difficulty articulating. His words so aptly describe how many of us have viewed the madness of the past 8 years. As of Nov. 5th we have "thrown off the yoke of the oppressor" of liberty, justice and decency.