I'm not sure if this is a new topic exactly. Certainly if I combed this site (just found it) I would find posts from other citizens living elsewhere temporarily (from all parts of the world). I wonder if their experiences are similar to mine.
Firstly it can be very unnerving when I encounter American citizens who are residents. The Americans I meet who are not currently living at home are ALWAYS very enlightened, informed and articulate. BUT so often I encounter "the others". These people really scare me! They say things like "Iran needs to be taught a lesson" (that individual was from California). Just last week a met a woman from South Carolina who said "when you're the super-power you are entitled and obligated to inflict it upon others". But this was a corker...I met a man from Texas in Germany a few months ago who still insisted that they found WMD in Iraq! And if that wasn't bad enough he claimed that Bush was a war hero and earned the same number of medals Kerry was awarded! WHAT THE?! Now, I doubt that was even on Fox Spews!
But even worse than the American freaks I meet are the citizens from the countries I travel in. What they now have to say is a very sad indictment.
Actually, I have the opportunity to travel extensively so this isn't just a small sampling. It is very disturbing to have witnessed the complete loss of respect for Americans worldwide. Previous to the fraudulent, illegitimate criminal administrations theft of the election from Al Gore (which all the world knows happened- they watched it "right there on the TeeVee" as Randi Rhodes would so comically say) people would ALWAYS say to me that while they mistrusted and disliked our government they actually felt great respect for the American people. Charitably and with respect, they were prepared to make the distinction. This sentiment is now almost completely gone.
We are regarded with the same disdain they feel towards or corrupt politicians. We are seen as stupid, clueless, lazy, fat, selfish, greedy, self centered, compassionless, empty, vapid, inarticulate, shallow, materialistic, unsophisticated, illiterate, culture-less, violent, angry unconscious fools. And there's more!
I am consistently asked: "if America sees itself as the keeper of the worlds "moral authority" why we have no morals ourselves?"
They see us as a dangerous people because we are willfully ignorant and spineless. We let the court steal a critical election while we stood back and did nothing. We are no longer due their respect because we had/have no fight in us. Furthermore, I am told that if we cared so little about ourselves then why should they care about us now. And the fact of the matter is they don't.
Americans (thanks to people like that Dorado (sp?) idiot) are the pariahs of the planet. We-the-people are the enemy now too, not just our lawless government.
The many people I encounter often emphasize that this deterioration would not have occurred if Al Gore had been allowed to hold the seat of office he so clearly won. So many people in Europe and Asia were able to see past the media manipulated version of Al Gore and knew, even back then, what a visionary he is. Sure, he's not necessarily the panacea for all the worlds ills- he's a politician and with that always comes a certain degree of untrustworthiness (I'm sure there's a better choice of word there) simply because in a TRUE democracy we are supposed to question OUR government.
But Cheney and his pet House Plant (and co.) are not OUR government. Not only did we NOT elect them they are blatantly criminal!. They are understood the world over to be international criminals, war criminals. They are referred to as thieves. And you know this is meant on so many different levels. The have no principals, no fundamental honesty, no moral fabric (no cloths!). And we are now guilty by association.
They have had it with us. Our time is almost up. But note I did say "almost". Believe it or not we do have one last chance to prove to the world that we deserve their compassion. WE HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT IN 08!
That means we have to have a CLEAN ELECTION. We have to nominate candidates with at least a skerrick of foresight and vision. And then we have to elect the right people. If we don't make this happen they will think that we deserve everything that will inevitably befall us.
The US is so good at imposing sanctions but residents of the US had better hold on to their hats (it might be the last one you'll own).
Think about this: aside from weapons and drugs we basically don't manufacture anything any longer! THINK ABOUT THAT! The world could deliver a punishment to us which we just might actually deserve.
We greedily and thoughtlessly produce most of the waste that is causing polar bears to perish and island nations to drown (while at the same time obliterating our wolf population ect). We are global bandits. But some of us still refuse to even acknowledge Global Warming! Imagine how that makes us look in the eyes of the world!
To counter-act that shameful image at least we have Al Gore!
WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR WAYS and we need a president who is not owned by the corporations and lobbyists (Hilary!) or one who is rattling sabers at another oil-rich nation (Obama!). I have an inherent distrust of all politicians but, at least for the moment, Al Gore isn't one and he's not acting like one. He's acting like a leader. Face it. We haven't had one of those in a very long time!
Gore/Kucinich 08! WE HAVE TO BE SEEN AS AT LEAST TRYING!

Yep, AT LEAST WE HAVE AL GORE!

RUN AL, RUN!

"That means we have to have a CLEAN ELECTION"


If you want a clean election, demand paper ballots, at least the optical scan kind.

Now, that's not a protection- they're counted by computers. But, they can be recounted or audited, if you can get states to do that. Every election should be audited- maybe 5 to 10 percent of the ballots.

In spite of the rhetoric against hand counting, it can be done and done well. You won't find many election officials who support hand counting. Our ballots are complex with too many races. But that doesn't mean hand counting can't be done- it just means that final results won't happen in less than an hour.


If you haven't become familiar with your states election laws, time to do so. You might be amazed at what is allowed and what is not done.

Then volunteer to help with the elections. Give them no room to say they just don't have enough personnel or money.

Our elections are currently "outsourced" to companies via the machines that count the votes and have been for a long time.

Re: clean election/ paper ballots ect...so many of us voting from over seas are pretty sure our absentee ballots aren't counted. The organization Democrats Abroad tries to assure us but they way "things are" how easy it would be for them to just "go missing" or "get delayed" in the post?
I think (yes push for paper and smash the machines) but the only way to win is to deluge the polls. Absolutely every one who can vote needs to bloody well DO IT. They won't be able to steal it again if they're drowning in opposition!
J
Just a minor detail but it would be great if people would make a clearer distinction between "voter fraud" (which is basically a myth created by the right wing spinners) and election theft. So often I hear people refer to the former when they mean the latter. It's just a bit of a worry because they're helping to confuse the issue and the neo-con's thrive on confusion.