Zuckervati Soapbox – with scrubbing bubbles

Those (if any) who read my journal will know without a doubt that I am a liberal. It’s fairly easy to see that I’ve got my nose into ‘Merican politics, sure, but you don’t often see me talking at all about Canada, unless it’s really big. I’ve been trying to change that in recent months, since we live in such interesting times. Normally I leave Clvrmnky to pick up the slack there. He’s quite helpful in tracking down issues about copyright, music sharing, and electronic privacy rights. Very helpful to the cause.
Again, though, I’m pretty much a liberal guy. I’m pro-gay rights, pro-choice, anti-war, pro-peacekeeping, etc. I’m a humanist (and a misanthrope, if you can believe it), but I hold respect for everyone’s faith, so long as they don’t stick it in my face or force it into public schools. I don’t like guns, don’t like violence, or drugs on the street, but I’m for the decriminalization of marijuana, I like my privacy, and I think that if you keep it in your house, it’s fine by me. I like my freedom of speech, and like to act like I’m protected by the First Amendment, though I’m smart enough to know that under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (section 1), I don’t have that kind of freedom enjoyed in the U.S.
In short, I’m the typical contradictory Canadian stereotype as viewed by the U.S. and other countries. I’m a liberal. Not Liberal, per se, but lowercase liberal. Not libertarian either, mind you, though I certainly have leanings there. I am, on the surface at least, an NDP supporter — I put up signs in my front yard for my local NDP guy; I receive emails from Jack Layton, etc. However, I do this safely with the knowledge that I am in a strong Liberal riding. I know my vote won’t normally make a difference, since the Liberal candidate is safe for re-election every year that I’ve voted in this riding. I vote NDP to prove a point — to take away votes from an otherwise secure candidate.
But I may vote strategically this year. I shudder to think of what Harper might do to Canada — what the Conservative party would do for human rights, for the arts, and for the common person. I hear about card-carrying PC members voting Liberal because they are afraid of the Reform Alliance (remember C.R.A.P.?) leader. What worries me is that I hear many more Liberals who want to vote Conservative this year. There are rumours of a *majority* Conservative government. Does anyone understand what that means?
Me, I’m a big fan of Layton. He’s a great guy — drinks coffee at Timmies like everyone else, works hard to keep everyone in check, and tries to bring government to the common man and woman. I think he does good work, and I think he held the PM by the balls in the last government. But that’s just it … he was doing so well. Why did he initiate the motion to bring the government down? Why would he risk a Conservative majority, and undo everything he passionately fights for? Layton’s a fool to throw away power like that. That’s not what I’ve been voting for in the NDP.
Maybe I just don’t like change. Maybe I don’t want my PM to say “God bless Canada” after every speech. Maybe everyone else wants that. Bring us closer to the U.S. and give in to their every whim, including a missile defense system?
Maybe we can do a Conservative minority this time. Fine by me. Let’s see what they can do that’s any different from the Liberals this past year. We’ll see what they can do while their balls are in the firm grip of the NDP or the Bloc. Only maybe that’s not going to happen. That’s not very reassuring.
I can’t say how I’m going to vote on Monday. I won’t know until I’m there behind the little cardboard screen. I probably won’t vote for the Communist candidate, but I might vote for the Green Party. It’s doubtful that I would vote for the X-tian Coalition — not even if I were an X-tian. And I’m certainly not going to vote Conservative. First of all, I know nothing about my candidate — he didn’t even send me a flyer. He’s a nobody. And he represents Harper, who represents C.R.A.P. No offense to you Conservatives out there, but your leader sucks. Get another one.
I may vote for the NDP, but I am so pissed off at Layton right now. He stuck me in a January election, destabilized a perfectly fine government that was showing results because of his own work, he agreed with Harper that the constitution was OK as it was — that the Notwithstanding Clause didn’t need removing, and he may have contributed to the formation of a Conservative majority government. Tell you what, Jack, I’ll vote for you after we see if the last statement is true. Honestly, you’ve got my vote back if the Conservatives don’t form a majority. But if they do, I’ll hold you responsible, K?