Democracy for the Disinterested

Well, Bovine America did manage to roll itself into the voting booth yesterday with predictable results. As of 3a.m. central time the results are still not finalized but be it today or a week from today, Bush has been re-elected. Ideally democracy would be an everyday lifestyle, not just voting but learning, thinking, holding people accountable. Instead we turn out on November 2nd to vote and then immediately run back to our televisions sets, collapsing into a numb stare, passive spectators for the rest of the year. America: the One-Day Democracy. Essentially what was affirmed yesterday was not any particular candidate, but a principle, perhaps the most cherished principle we currently hold in this country. It's an ideal that Bush embodies perfectly: our actions have absolutely no consequences. We are "free" people in this country, meaning we feel free to consume, to attack, to strike out impulsively in a thousand ramdom ways as the consequences vanish into the spectacle. That is what we've voted for: to stagger distracted, blind and sated and fat.
Final news updates: 11 states have voted to ban gay marriage. Republicans have gained seats in the house and senate. We are receiving word that in the bible belt of the south Arkansas is the gaudy, over-sized buckle. And finally: the television will not be revolutionized. Thanks.