My Vote Counted and other Election Debris.

Today I called the number.  I got the feeling that they don’t get many calls like mine, following up on an affidavit ballot.  But, after briefly describing my voting experience to the nice lady at the Chancery Clerk’s office, I now know that my vote was added to the tally.

As I’ve written before, occasionally media debris gets piled up in my brain–those random thoughts and observations that need an outlet before the maid service comes in.  Hence, the random Election Debris: 

1.  ABC news sported 50 states in 50 days during the primary season, an impressive endeavor.  I saw one woman and daughter from somewhere in the east (maybe West Virginia, I wasn’t paying attention).  They said their key issues for the election were “choice” and “equal pay for equal work.”  I’m wondering when we got to the place in our society when one word– “choice” –could immediately be understood my men, women and children alike to mean there’s no law that would prevent me from choosing to abort my unborn child.  Is that progress?

2.  ”I’m pro-life and pro-gun.” — from U.S. Senate candidate’s ad.  Life and gun.  Strange bedfellows.  But, there’s the Republican Party for you.

3.  Seeing the electoral map in all it’s red and blue glory a full (count them) six weeks before the election.  There’s something troubling about that.

4.  And, the Contrived-Programming-While-Trying-Our-Hardest-to-Look-Natural Award goes to… CNN! For the program (which I only caught a few minutes of) featuring a discussion of politics and the economy held at Delmonico’s in NYC around a poker table (3-sided, mind you. must leave room for the cameras).  Men and women with poker chips and high ball barware — what, no cigars?  Not politically correct, I guess.

5.  Roger Wicker & Ronnie Musgrove Senatorial ads ad nauseum.  Where’s the Pepto when you need it.

6.  General amazement at what makes it above the cable/digital fold:  Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter segues to Barak Obama’s terrorist neighbor segues to John McCain’s campaign suspension segues to Joe the Plumber’s tax returns segues to Mickey Mouse registers to vote

7.  Sometime during October, I sensed a strange absence.  Where is Joe Biden?  His name wasn’t even on the Obama ads.

8.  And, the You-May-Think-It’s-About-News-But-It’s-Really-All-About-Me-and-My-Profession Award goes to… A string of top news topics: Tina Fey.  Katie Couric’s interview questions.  ”What [insert candidate name here] needs to do is - ahem - as if [insert candidate name here] watches this program - chuckle chuckle.”  CNN facts across the bottom of the screen — thank you CNN, especially for letting me know the accomplishments of your reporters.

9.  What’s up with the trend showing the tv screens within tv screens?  Flipping your laptop around so the tv cameras can see it?  Tellistrating on the electoral maps?

10.  Bites:  Spread the wealth around.  You betcha.  I am not George Bush.

11.  The View.  There’s Joy sounding cantankerous and all Democratic.  There’s Elisabeth being the token Republican with a “yeah, but” when she could get a word in — although I appreciate that she brought notes on her research a couple of times.  There’s Barbara sounding like the voice of journalistic legitimacy, although didn’t that train leave the station when “daytime talk show host” was added to her resume right after “interviewed Fidel Castro.”  Then, there’s Sherrie–not sure for the longest where she stood, but saw her try to get loud on Elisabeth about McCain divorcing his first wife. I’m sensing some relationship/single motherhood issues from a couple of other comments on non-election segments.  And, then there’s Whoopie trying to appear fair while acknowledging her Democrat allegiance, refereeing the others, making a joke, declaring her friendship with John McCain and the Clintons (there’s a dinner party) and getting to commercial break so everyone gets their paycheck.  Ugh.

12.  Fox News website breaking news — “President-Elect Obama to Step Down From Senate” — duh!

This is EyeJunkie, and I approved this list.

Did My Vote Count?

I cast my vote yesterday at Fire Station No. 3.  Election officials had raised the garage doors to a beautiful Mississippi day, and it made for a nice open-air exercising of my “right” as an American citizen.  It took me about 45 minutes, including the drive across town from work–and that was a long time for my neck of the woods.  I went during the lunch hour expecting some sort of a line, but there were only two people in front of me at the M-Z table.  Yes, I live in a precinct requiring only two alphabetical tables.  The reason it took me so long was that my name was not on the registered voter list.  

I’ve voted in this location before, but only by affidavit.  I had also failed to return the change of registration form I got in the mail after the last election, so the absence of my name was only a minor surprise.  The ladies checked my street name to make sure I was at the right polling station, and then called over an apparently more authoritative poll worker to find out what to do.  He decided to call the Chancery Clerk’s office to determine how best to afford me my one vote.  The Clerk confirmed that another affidavit ballot would be the answer, and I was ushered to a table for further instructions.  The table happened to be in full sun, and I was somewhat blinded by the ballot.  But, having come this far, I was eager to let my voice be heard.  After a brief disappointment that I would not get to use the new electronic voting machines (yes, further evidence of my rural setting), I grabbed my nubby Ebony pencil, ready to avail myself of my enfranchisement.  

Another poll worker showed me the parts of the ballot envelope to complete with my personal information and after a few “hey theres,” “hellos,” and “I’m retired nows” in response to passing voters, he demonstrated how to fold the ballot so that the poll worker initials were in the right spot.  Interesting that no one requested to see any identification, but I suppose Starkville, Mississippi is not a hot bed for over-zealous ACORN voter registration volunteers.  The poll worker signed his name below mine on the completed ballot envelope and gave me a sheet of paper explaining affidavit ballots.  He pointed out the telephone number that I could call “not less than 10 days from this date” to find out (in his words) if my vote counts.  Hmmm.

After a few more reiterations of how to insert my folded ballot (apparently the location of the initials is crucial), I was left to my own voting devices.  When I had finished blackening circles for president, a senator, a representative, a few judges and a hospital bond issue, I inserted my ballot appropriately into the envelope and called over the poll worker.  He again reminded me of the phone number determining if my vote would count and directed me to the ballot box.  It was not the rough wooden ones I’d used in previous years, but a nice, blue canvas one with a seamed slit in the top.  I dropped the envelope in, said my thank yous, and voting was complete.

After what seems like years of campaign coverage, the election is over.  Regardless of which camp you favored, we now know the next president of the United States (and not just because CNN said so.)  Barak Obama has already been declared the 44th president, and I’m still left to wonder (and wait ten days to discover): did my vote count?  

This election was different, somehow.  News reports and candidate speeches indicate that there was a healthy voter turn-out, particularly among younger voters who haven’t been as engaged in the process in previous years.  The sheer months of constant news coverage has given the impression of greater interest this time around.  We’ve been trained by the last two presidential elections to monitor electoral votes, and cable news has been sporting the maps for weeks now.  I noticed that even in my small town precinct there was fallout from voter fraud concerns.  My polling station offered a tabletop display of voting “rules”, the reasons voter identification might be required and the appropriate documents or cards that might qualify.  I haven’t noticed that before.  There was also a huge stop sign printed with a warning that state law prohibits campaigning of any kind within 150 feet of the polling station.  That’s always been the case, but given the overload of media coverage, ad spots and road signs we’ve seen for almost two years now, that 150-foot campaigning-free zone around Fire Station No. 3 was a welcomed relief.

Still,  I’m left to wonder:  did my vote count?  A winner has been announced in most races.  Mississippi belonged to John McCain for the night, and not by a close margin.  News anchors had all but declared Obama the next president before the polls had even closed in California.  The final word on whether my ballot was thrown out will not be determined for 10 more days.   So, did my vote count?  Was it worth the time if my state’s six electoral votes are only a drop in the margin of victory bucket?  Was my trip to Fire Station No. 3 important even it had little to no effect on the election’s outcome?  

The answer:  Yes.  My vote does count.  It may not be the one vote that moves the ticker to 50.1%, but it counts.  Even ten days later, it counts.  It counts when it motivates me to form an opinion.  It counts when it makes me consider how government will effect my life.  It counts when it engages me in debate over where our country is and where it’s going–even when I’m only debating the tv screen.  It counts when it entwines me in an historic moment–for African Americans, women and elder statesmen, nay, for all Americans.  It counts when it attaches responsibility to my citizenship.  It counts when it inspires me to write a post.  

In our great country, voting is a “right” of birth and the completion of a few forms.  In a generation when we, as United States citizens, have become numbed by our own entitlement to speak and be heard, my vote still counts.  It counts because it can impose a term limit that dictators around this world dread and war against.  It counts because it celebrates a “right” that many of the poorest, sickest, most uneducated and displaced citizens in this world would consider a “privilege.”

I’m marking my calendar for Friday, November 14th.  I’m calling the number.  I’m going to find out if my ballot was accepted.  Because my vote is my privilege.  And, it counts.

Blog Noshin’

Serendipity!  I was checking my email this morning and found a message from WordPress Dude.  Actually, it was from my handy-dandy WordPress application.  I like to envision that there is a tiny little WordPress man in there firing off meaningful communication about my posts.  In my mind, he’s sort of a kind but straight-shooting newspaper man version of Kermit THE Frog + Mark Twain + James Qwilleran from the “Cat Who” series, but my inner geek reminds me he’s just an auto-responder.  Back to the story.  

There was an alert for a ping back from Blog Nosh magazine.  Hmmm.  My interest was piqued. BlogNosh.com is an online magazine highlighting blog posts from here, there and everywhere.  I’ve enjoyed reading it, and the designer in me likes how they’ve carried the whole noshin’ concept throughout.  An added bonus is that the site is edited by real people–other bloggers who also scour their in-boxes and the internet for “delicious” content.  I’ve submitted a couple of posts to various channel editors over the last few months.

So, I was checking my email this morning.  Low and behold, WordPress Dude delivers the announcement that BlogNosh.com is linking to me.  Ding.  Has an article been published?

Yes!  My article about Darfur and the Beijing Olympics has been posted front and center.  There is a collection of someones out there, and at least one of them is reading my “stuff.”  Thanks, Blog Nosh, for the encouragement and the needed motivation to keep on writing.

Oops.  There goes baby BabyGirl’s nursing alarm.  My “I’m a writer” ego-trip is now over.  I’m back in the bus to more pressing alerts of the non-homogenized variety.

“Olympic Truce”

This Article Published at  

Cultural Context:  A tradition dating to the ancient Greek games which calls for a halt to fighting during the Olympic games, ensuring the athletes’ safe passage to and from the events.  Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek (speedskating, 2006) has called for the tradition to be revived with a cease fire in the Darfur region during this summer’s Beijing games.  He also founded an organization called Team Darfur which encourages athletes to play a part in raising awareness and bringing an end to the crisis.

On August 5, the Chinese government revoked Cheek’s previously issued visa, preventing him from attending the Olympic games in Beijing just one week before he was scheduled to arrive.  Although the government was not required to state the reasons for disallowing Cheek, it is widely believed the decision was in response to his work for peace in Darfur and his criticism of China’s lack of action in the region.  Team Darfur has expressed concerns that other athletes are being discouraged from expressing views about the issues as well.  Read the AP article here.

Sad.

In the definition of “truce” at dictionary.com, the word that stands out to me is respite–”a temporary respite, as from trouble or pain.”  A respite in the Darfur, Sudan region does not seem likely during the few weeks of the Olympics.  And, how could we expect it when we can’t even achieve a respite from the war of words and human rights ideologies surrounding these Olympic games.

According to the dictionary.com entry, one of the early origins of the word “truce” dates from the 1200s, meaning “faith, assurance of faith, covenant, treaty.”  It isn’t surprising that faith or assurance of faith is at the heart of the concept of a truce between factions.  A truce requires good faith, a certain level of trust between the parties involved.  It also requires a covenant, which somehow is so much more than a mere promise.  More than an agreement, it is a commitment to the same goal between those parties.

The Olympic “spirit” is the supposed shared goal in the practice of an Olympic truce.  In fact, many of the articles about the Joey Cheek situation tout the spirit of the Olympic games.  The spirit is a common goal that all athletes are on equal footing regardless of race, creed, gender, or political ideology.  The spirit is that anyone can win.  The only great placesetter is ability and performance.  And, although the modern Olympic games may be littered with corporate sponsorship, the spirit is still pride of nationality, pride of team, and pride of personal accomplishment.  You see it in the faces during the opening ceremony parade of nations from the national delegations of hundreds of competitors, many “favored” to win, to the lone flag-bearer proudly representing a new nation, his country’s greatest hero.  “I belong here.  This is where I come from.  This is what I can do.”

Although I see the need for the world, China, myself to be made aware of Darfur, the need for the world, China, myself to be prompted to facilitate change in Darfur, still I fear it is the United States that has first violated an Olympic truce.  We have been the first to take up arms.  For all his worthy work on behalf of the region in crisis, I fear it is Joey Cheek who has wrongly interjected political ideology into the Olympic games.  With our uniquely American way of insisting on freedom of speech at all costs, those around our team have actually violated the covenant of the Olympic spirit.  We have broken an assurance of faith that these games should not be about politics.  

The U.S. team delegation made a powerful statement about the Olympic spirit on August 5, the same day Joey Cheek’s visa was denied.  They chose Lopez Lamong as their flag-bearer for the Opening Ceremonies.  Lamong is a first-time Olympian with no gold medals under his belt.  He will compete in only one event, the 1500-meter race.  He is also a Darfur refugee and a new American citizen.  (Read his story at ESPN here and great commentary at LA Times here.)  The team chose him the American way.  They voted for him.  As he walks the parade of nations carrying the stars and stripes, he will raise more awareness about the Sudanese crisis than possibly Joey Cheek ever could at these games–all without saying a word.

The Olympic games should not be about human rights policy, for they are inevitably about human rights in actuality.  There is no greater way for the Olympics to highlight human rights than to allow the spirit of the games to flourish unshadowed by American-indulged free speech.  As each athlete stands equal on the starting block, evaluated only by his qualifying time, the world is watching.  And listening.  “I am a human being.  I am an athlete.  This is where I come from.  This is what I can do.  I belong here.”

“Black Hole”

Cultural Context:  An apparently racially offensive reference made by a white Dallas, Texas County Commissioner during a Commissioners meeting this week.  In a discussion about traffic tickets, Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield referred to the County Collections office as a “black hole.”  Two black Commissioners demanded an apology, claiming the statement was racist in nature.  In statements after the meeting,  Commissioner John Wiley Price also indicated that terms like “devil’s food cake” (a recipe traditionally made of chocolate) and “black sheep of the family” were also racist in nature.  Read the FoxNews article.

Huh?

Is every use of the word “black” in our language now a racist statement?  Is every reference to something dark now a racist statement?  Is every reference to chocolate?  Every reference to the “devil?”  I’m concerned.  The answers to these questions will determine whether I’ve been offending people willy-nilly my whole life, because those words have been incorporated into my vocabulary since I was a preschooler.  What about the terms “little white lie,” “white noise,” or “white-collar crime?”  Should I be offended by society in general, the technology sector and the judicial sector respectively?

Two observations:

• This ridiculous discourse has now been given national credence in that it appears in today’s news on Politics at FoxNews.com.  No doubt I’ll hear someone discussing it ad nauseam as I surf the channels tonight.  I saw the story when it rotated into one of the top news spots on the home page — you know, the ones with the giant headlines.  It was right above a sublink to the story about Atlanta retiring its “Men Working” construction signs in favor of the more politically correct “Persons At Work.”  Commissioner Price now has his 15 minutes.
   
• In writing my description above, I realized that to portray it accurately I had to list the parties as black or white.  This story is only pseudo-significant if the race of each Commissioner is made clear.  I thought the whole purpose of seeking racial equality and reform was that a person wouldn’t need to be defined primarily by his race.  Talk about a step backwards.

For the record:
Wikipedia tells me:  ”A black hole is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, not even light, can escape its pull after having fallen past its event horizon.  The term “Black Hole” comes from the fact that, at a certain point, even electromagnetic radiation (e.g. visible light) is unable to break away from the attraction of these massive objects. This renders the hole’s interior invisible or, rather, black like the appearance of space itself.”

Wikipedia also tells me that the term black sheep: “originated from the occasional black sheep which are born into a herd of white sheep due to a genetic process of recessive traits. Black sheep were considered commercially undesirable because their wool cannot be dyed as white wool can.”

Devil’s Food Cake:  I’m not even going to go there, except to say that if you are resisting your sweet tooth, chocolate would certainly be classified as sinful.

With due respect to Commissioner Price, we both live in the American South where racism has been a huge issue and a very real experience for many since way before I was born.  In fact, my home state of Mississippi has been the poster child for racism since well before the Civil Rights Movement began.  We (both black and white citizens) continue to struggle to overcome its effects and its stigma in seeking a place of relevance in society in 2008.  In all honesty, MANY disparities still exist between the educational, economic, health and social opportunites available for blacks versus whites.  These are real life battles for our future that are still being fought, and we must win them.  We don’t have time or energy for the ignorant, hypersensitive and publicity-hungry battles over semantics to which this situation shifts the focus.  It’s shameful, and it’s holding us back.

Link I Like

Babel Talk

Just like the name implies, it’s a collection of various and interesting perspectives from blogdom.  I’m enjoying reading it.

Advertising Curiosity

Because I work at an advertising agency, I’m always interested in advertising/design issues, opportunities and curiosities that present themselves in media.  As I was looking at the LA Times website this morning, one such curiosity made its presence known: boxes labeled throughout the site as “Google Advertising.”  I assume these links are part of the ever elusive Google AdWords program. 

The task of understanding and managing campaigns with Google AdWords  is daunting in my limited experience.  However, I see Google ads EVERYWHERE.  They are literally all over the internet in both business and personal websites. The lure of getting paid puts Google ads on lots of blog sites just like this one.

Probably the most curious aspect of Google advertising is how the content specific ads are selected.  I’m sure there is some complicated algorithm that governs the selections, explaining why it completely eludes me.  But, as I noticed some of the actual ad postings in my wandering through latimes.com, I have to wonder…

Is Google the great tally sheet for bottom-lining a web page’s content?

Is Google the great filtering system where dust-laden extra words are trapped, allowing only the essential to heat and cool the visitor?

Is Google the great pot in which content is boiled down to it’s essence?

Scary.

I have to hope and believe that my carefully turned phrases are more than the sum of their content network impressions.  At least, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.  Regardless, I saw some interesting (and maybe telling) content matched ads at LAT:

• On the Entertainment page –
  Plastic surgery, stomach fat and anti-aging abound.  Hmmm…
  The most interesting were “Plastic Surgery in Mexico” (is that advisable?) and “10 Rules for Stomach Fat” (fatloss4idiots.com, no less).
  Just a note — That one for fatloss4idiots.com is everywhere.  Apparently no matter what news stories you’re interested in, you can always benefit from dropping 9 lbs every 11 days.
   
• With an article about Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open – 
  The most notable was “Tortured Philly Fan Shirt.”  In case that golf thing doesn’t work out. The website says it all: drunkenbleachers.com
   
• On the World page – 
  Again with the ads about plastic surgery, tummy tucks and the infamous “10 Rules for Stomach Fat.”  Is the whole world really looking for a nip and a tuck?
   
• On the Environment page – 
  “Forensic Science School” offers “plenty of good deals on a variety of products.”  I don’t even want to know.  Also, right behind the opportunity to “Run your car on water,” you can get another “10 Rules for Stomach Fat.”  I guess that’s for literally reducing your carbon footprint.
   
• With an article about Leiberman endorsing McCain – 
  We have “Fortunes from the Web,” “TV ads Win Elections,” and my favorites, “Work at Home and Love It” and “Retire Early.”  So, just what is Google trying to say about McCain’s chances?

Threebie 01: STOP THE PRESSES

(Here is my first installment of “Threebie” posts.  Read about “Threebies” here.)

At 5pm EST on June 1, 1980, after an introduction by Ted Turner that declared “I dedicate the news channel for America — the Cable News Network,” CNN began its first news broadcast.  Its lead story covered President Jimmy Carter’s visit to Vernon Jordan in a Fort Wayne, IN hospital while the Civil Rights attorney and activist recuperated from an attempted assassination.  Just minutes after launch, the program “cut-away” from it’s first commercial break to offer live coverage of the visit.  (See CNN’s first broadcast here.)

And with that, the face of television and media in general was forever changed.  

Almost 30 years later, as I check out CNN.com for the 5th time this morning, in my mind I want to shout “STOP THE PRESSES!” — but, not until I check out FoxNews.com and Eonline.com one more time.  It’s addictive!  And, I’m just an information junkie looking for one more fix.  We have developed into a media-hungry (even obsessed) culture where even the most trivial items are elevated to “news” status by sheer virtue of their ability to fill up airtime and fulfill advertising obligations.  How did we get here?

CNN, appropriately named, was the first 24-hour cable news network.  Its format allowed viewers to gain information about breaking stories faster than they ever had before — almost immediately, in fact.   The network’s premise and programming philosophy made broadcasting live events a priority while maintaining a regular news oriented schedule.

This concept that has become so completely ingrained in our culture and expectations was actually foreign in 1980 and had many doubters.  What was the difference?  In essence, CNN did not stop the presses.  Where newspapers had multiple edition deadlines throughout the day (and night) and traditional networks broadcast news within strict programming schedules that governed when all but the most crucial news could be shown, CNN offered new “news” at every moment — or at least a re-telling of old news and the opportunity to engineer live coverage at the first inkling of a newsworthy crisis.

Now that other news networks and the internet have jumped on board, how has my understanding of news changed?

• Thanks to 8 months on the campaign trail and 4 more to go, I now know more about the Electoral College than my 7th grade Social Studies teacher — and a lot more about hairstyles of candidates and candidate’s wives, way more about that church in Chicago and it’s outspoken pastor, and more than enough sound bites trying to match the power of “I have a dream” or “Ask not what your country can do for you.”
   
• TMZ.com is a bona fide news source.  Hmmm.
   
• Instead of just leaving troop movement to the Pentagon, I can follow a map drawn in the sand by my trusty embedded correspondent.
   
• News reporters are now the newsmakers, using terms like “rednecks” to describe entire voting districts.
   
• Instead of waiting for the next magazine issue covering all the latest starlet styles, I can get a panty shot every time they get in or out of a car.  And, with the advent of high-resolution digital cameras, someone will even let me know the brand — eeew.
   
• Al Gore can concede, retract, concede, retract right up until the Supreme Court gets involved because after all if CNN said it, it must be true.
   
• Forget gas prices and the 2008 presidential election, the top 4 stories in the U.S. section of FoxNews.com include an environmental rant of the Mayor of Ocean City, MD, population 7,173.  Talk about your 15 minutes!
   
• After tuning in to the multitude of ambidextrous political pundits and their daily programs, I am now psychic.  I know what the president is thinking before he does.
   
• Instead of writing about the things that are important to me — like my family, my job, the Bible verse on my mind, and my life — I’m writing about CNN!  What?!?

Stop the presses, people!