Quilt Project - Outrage and Hope

[desdemona]

A friend sent me a message asking to solicit as much support for this project as possible. If anyone is interested in the details of the project, see below.


Quilt Project

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

So, let me get this straight. These folks blame Bush and his administration for the problems of the country/world? I don't buy it for a moment. While I agree that the administration hasn't done nearly enough to aid in solving some of these issues, they were there long before and will remain long after his term. The quilt itself is a good idea. But, instead of pointing the finger at the gov't, we should be looking inside...where most of these problems get their start. Just my two cents.

Ann

 

[TKpervert]

I'm with Ann on this one.

 

[desdemona]

Sorry, Ann, that wasn't my take on this at all. The original person who sent it to me was more generic in his description, and that's the view I take. Just voicing frustrations and disappointments with policies from a government that I don't feel I elected in 2000. I'll be happy to remove the piece or only include the link to it if it's offensive. But I just don't find any positive news about this administration. But I'm a freaking liberal...so what do I know? Positive things are going on in the world and in this country. I wouldn't credit them to Bush or to Clinton or to God Almighty, but the people who take the time and effort to care. I don't know what inspired this particular project - but if I lost a son or daughter to this military catastophe that we're currently pursuing, I'd certainly be blaming the current administration - not for the problems of the world, but for my personal loss. JMO.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

LOL No offense was taken Deb. Just making an observation. This is the part with which I had issue...

We decided to use the American tradition of the signature or message quilt to chronicle the many daily outrageous policies and actions of the present United States government that erode and offend our ideals of democracy, integrity, fairness, justice, international cooperation, and environmental reverence and protection. Daily there is so much challenge to our credulity, so much alarming news, that senses and memory are overwhelmed. The quilt will serve as an archive, encompassing the years of the Bush II administration, documenting and imprinting realities in order to secure our own memory of these times and also to ensure that the next generation will know our outrage.

The basic idea is a good one. And, there ARE things for which I hold this administration responsible...even though I happen to have voted for it. But, the overall tone of the post seemed to blame it for every evil in the world today. (OK, so not every. That was an illustration of what I saw them doing.) The quilt itself is a great idea. But, I think I'd rather see it either limitted to what the administration IS responsible for (since that seems to be their goal) or else have it cover world woes in general and not point fingers.

Ann...who HATES politics

 

[desdemona]

Ann...who HATES politics

I second that. It's actually a forbidden topic in my family. I think the last thing my brother said to me was that I had been so corrupted by my liberal arts education that I needed to be deprogrammed...

What I actually find interesting about the quilt idea is the part that involves hope...because without that, there's no reason to get up in the morning.

I do hope that the upcoming election will not turn into another debaucle like that of 2000. I do wish our antiquated voting techniques would be brought up to the 21st century. And I would have liked to have seen some legislative genius poke holes at the archaic electoral college that we hold so dear. But alas, I'm afraid I'm doomed to be disappointed yet again. But there's always hope 🙂

 

[Deleted member 2452]

Sorry, Ann, that wasn't my take on this at all. The original person who sent it to me was more generic in his description, and that's the view I take. Just voicing frustrations and disappointments with policies from a government that I don't feel I elected in 2000. I'll be happy to remove the piece or only include the link to it if it's offensive. But I just don't find any positive news about this administration. But I'm a freaking liberal...so what do I know? Positive things are going on in the world and in this country. I wouldn't credit them to Bush or to Clinton or to God Almighty, but the people who take the time and effort to care. I don't know what inspired this particular project - but if I lost a son or daughter to this military catastophe that we're currently pursuing, I'd certainly be blaming the current administration - not for the problems of the world, but for my personal loss. JMO.

i didn't feel that i elected the clinton administrations in 1992, and 1996, but what the hell, enough people did then, and in 2000. deal with it!
can i put in a square decrying teddy kennedy getting away with murder back in 1969?

steve

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

What I actually find interesting about the quilt idea is the part that involves hope...because without that, there's no reason to get up in the morning.

Gotta agree with you on that one! Hope is what keeps a lot of people going. I'd love to see a quilt just expressing our hopes for the country and world...no complaints. In my view, dwelling on the negatives is the enemy of hope. We waste too much time on that when it could be spent on other things. SEE the negatives around us, yes. But, doing something about them besides complaining is the only thing that will bring change.

Ann

 

[sceej56]

One of the funniest/scariest things I've seen recently was near the end of this post when the author (to paraphrase) refers people who are "outraged" about the Bush administration, but cannot remember specifically what they are "outraged" about, to certain liberal web sites so they can find specific incidents to be "outraged" about. I mean, think about it! They are soliciting little muslin patches expressing what they characterize as outrage from people who don't know what they are outraged about? When I see this sort of idiocy I breathe a sigh of relief that the overwhelming majority of these morons don't exercise their right to vote because they are too lazy, jaded and/or stupid to register.

 

[desdemona]

I'm neither too stupid nor too lazy or jaded. I voted and my voice didn't count in the last election. I'm actually tempted to do a square just on voting reform 😡

But seriously......if one has so many to choose from or one isn't creative when it comes to writing...what's wrong with giving a few suggestions? Lord knows politicians pull it all the time when deciding which policies and platforms to run on....

Ok, I'm going to try to stay away from the purely political debate. I actually would like to reinforce the positive...Hope is a good thing that we all should embrace. I hope this country manages to pull out of Iraq without losing too many lives...I hope the economy recovers and that the unemployement rate diminishes. But mostly, I hope that peace and love will replace terror and violence.

 

[Deleted member 2452]

I'm neither too stupid nor too lazy or jaded. I voted and my voice didn't count in the last election. I'm actually tempted to do a square just on voting reform :mad


why wouldn't your vote/voice have counted last election? unless you received notice that your balot was not done correctly, and was there for discounted/discarded.
steve

 

[sceej56]

Desdemona, sorry - did not mean to make it personal.

I stand by my comments about people who need to be told why they are outraged but did not mean you personally - your post makes it cleared that you are informed on the issues and I respect people's right to have divergent political views.

Not looking to pick another fight but how do you figure your vote did not count - I'm presuming you voted in Ohio, not Florida? If you're complaint is that the current president was elected without getting a majority of the popular vote; the fact is the last three presidential elections have resulted in a president being elected without a popular majority. Most people (right or left) are only outraged when it's their guy who isn't elected.

 

[desdemona]

Well, IMO...when the vote is so close and the only state that is recounted is a state where one of the candidate's has a relative in a powerful political position in that state....there's something very wrong with the system. I know my vote was "counted" in the sense that it was included for the Ohio vote. I just think the election process was a major fiasco that year. I don't know of many other such recounts scee...but if you know of any, please enlighten me. I've only voted in one presidential election, and I'm really not looking forward to wasting my time in 2004 if it's going to be a repeat.

 

[sceej56]

I suspect your not going to be happy to hear this but in the elevtion of 1960 (one of the closest of all times), many Republicans urged Richard Nixon to demand recounts in (if memory serves) Illinois (where the Democratic Cook County machine had been counting votes from persons long dead) and in West Virginia (where there was Teamsters goon squad interfence with people trying to vote). The much villified/lampooned Nixon refused to do so, saying it could "tear the country apart" at a critical time (given the Cold War) - a sentiment clearly not shared by Gore/Lieberman. Notwithstanding Nixon's later deserved disgrace, nothing wrong with recognizing statesmanship, no matter what side of the political aisle your on.

 

[desdemona]

I agree. Accepting defeat with grace isn't easy, and we didn't see an example of that in the last election either. And I didn't take your comments personally. It just irritates me that in this day of technology, we still rely on punching out little boxes to decide who will be the leader of our country. Makes me wish I lived in one of the few states that does electronic balloting. Maybe I'll have to seek a vet license out west. Thanks for supplying the info - Nixon was a little before my time 🙂

 

[Deleted member 2452]

technology is easier to tamper with.

electronic voting is much easier to taper with.
the only way to insure no cheating is to go back to a paper ballot, where you make a big X next to the name of your choice.
kennedy was indeed elceted through fraud. it happened right here in cook county illinois. to the tune of 1,000,000 votes. i know about it, bacease my mother was the secretary of a party big shot, and over heard all of it! she voted for kennedy (taken in by the looks) so she didn't report it. and that was on the old style "lever" machines. all you had to do was open the back and turn the counter wheels! not too hard, huh?
actually bush picked up another 1,000 votes on the recount in fla. and cound have asked for a recount in at least 3 other states, where voter fraud was found happening.
steve

 

[desdemona]

How foolish of me.....I forgot, honesty and politics don't mix. Thanks for reminding me Steve. Case closed. Peace.