Open Thread: Your Voting Experience
What was your voter experience like? What was voter turnout like in your area? Did you have to wait in a long line? What did you do or talk about while in line? Was it an overall good experience? Did you stop by for some free stuff after voting? Let us know! This is an open thread for all of your experiences, let’s hear them.
Voting Feels Good! More Election Freebies
Not only can you get a free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cone just for voting, but a lot of other businesses have been jumping on the civic duty bandwagon and are offering voters a myriad of free stuff just for voting. My guess is that you’ll be able to wake up, vote, get breakfast, lunch and dinner and have some self-loving fun all in one day and for no cost!
First up, if you’re in the New York City or Seattle areas, you’re in luck! Stop by Babeland and pick up your choice of either a free Maverick Sleeve ($20 value) or Silver Bullet Vibrator. ($15 value) If you live outside of New York or Seattle and can’t go redeem your free sex toy goodies, Babeland is offering you middle-America folks 20% off any purchase from now until November 11 by using coupon code VOTE08.
Second up, make sure to stop by Starbucks where you will receive a free tall (*ahem* small) coffee. Make sure you take your coffee and head on over to your local Krispy Kreme where you will receive a free donut! And come on, there is no donut that even comes close to comparing to a Krispy Kreme!
If you’re local to a California Tortilla you will receive a free burrito and they even put some themes into the mix! You will have your choice of either:
The McCain-Chilada Burrito:
Mexican rice, mesquite chicken, tortilla strips, velvety queso (as opposed to queso with spikes), fresh salsa and shredded lettuce all rolled in a flour tortilla and smothered with green enchilada sauce and garnished with sour cream and cilantro.
The O-Chili-Bama Burrito:
Mexican rice, turkey chili, tortilla strips, jalapeno peppers, fresh salsa and shredded lettuce all rolled in a flour tortilla and smothered with queso and garnished with cilantro and green onions.
I think that’s enough incentive for everyone to get out and vote, so go do it!
Democracy Never Tasted So Sweet!
We have been hearing it from the politicians running in this election, our local volunteers, social media contacts, news anchors, journalists, bloggers and others–The election millions of us will take part in voting in this morning, November 4th, is the most crucial election perhaps any of us will have the civic responsibility to vote in. So, if the overwhelming feeling of a job well done just isn’t enough incentive for you, can I interest you in some ice cream? No? How about free ice cream?
Yep, I knew that would get your attention.
Not only are we talking free ice cream from some unknown ice cream parlor that just opened and is taking over the old gas station in your neighborhood that has been closed for five years; we’re talking about Ben and Jerry’s. Ben and Jerry’s! You know, the ice cream that costs $3 per spoonful! And an entire cone of a flavor of your choosing is all yours for the exchange of you voting in this election. Sounds great, right? So here is what you have to do:
Go here and find a Ben and Jerry’s local to you. Make sure to go to that participating Ben and Jerry’s location during the times of 5-8pm. Tell the Ben and Jerry’s worker what flavor of ice cream you would like and be sure to tell them that you voted; if you really want to make things interesting you can scream in the middle of the store about who you voted for, why, and why everyone else better have voted for that candidate. Say thank you. Indulge.
If you’re still not sure of where to vote, visit Vote for Change for all information on polling places and hours of operation.
Four Years Ago, My Birthday was on Election Day
And oh the fun that was had! Four years ago my family and I agreed on pretty much everything politically, except for my belief about the 9/11 myth, which is to be expected when a member of your family is currently serving in the Army, but other than that, there was no familial conflict when it came to politics. Four years ago, I turned 18 and because I had registered to vote early, I could vote and voice my disapproval of George Bush the first time and I reveled in my civic duty. To me, voting is not only important because I am an American, but I’m also a woman and women in the United States have only possessed the right to vote for the past 88 years, which is not a long time at all when you look at history as a whole. Four years ago I voted and the only thing I wanted for my birthday was a new commander in chief and even though the election did not turn out the way I had wanted, I knew that I had done my part in voicing my concern for the future of my country. But a lot has changed in four years.
George Bush’s second term has brought conflict internationally and nationally and has been put at the forefront of America. Instead of thinking about what would be better for this country, we have had 8 years of a president who thought about what would be in his best interest. What was once believed to be a wealthy country of hope and inspiration has been turned into a nation of conflict, not only with an unjust war but also a country that has been divided between the people who believe the government is and has been doing the “right thing,” those people being deemed as “patriotic” and the rest of us, people who believe that not only the last four years, but the last eight have been a major error and who are called unpatrotic, terrorists and heathens because we cannot bring ourselves to agree with an unjust regime hungry for power and money at all costs.
This year, my birthday was not on Election Day, it was a day like any other and two days later, on November 4th, I will be doing my civic duty yet again and this time it isn’t a battle between George Bush and some Democrat, it is a battle between John McCain, George Bush squared, if you will, and a man who can bring about change. A man who inspires the people he speaks with and instills hope within the people of this country.
Four years later and each time I walk into my family’s house I am warned not to bring up politics, partly, I believe, is because I know what I am talking about and my family simply cannot get over the fact that the one politician finally looking out for our best interests is half black. But why does that matter? Well, Pennsylvania is divided between the sane folks like myself who don’t see race, gender or sexual orientation as something that is worthy of dividing people for and the rest, who believe if you look, speak or even think differently than the white majority, there is something wrong with you.
After a second Bush term we cannot afford a third and a vote for McCain, a man who voted 100% of the time with Bush during his first term and 95% during the second, would be putting into effect a third Bush term. We cannot afford to be divided nation any longer. Throughout the past year or so I have done countless posts about McCain’s politics and if you are still an undecided voter, I urge you to check them out and become a more informed citizen. Now is not the time to vote based on merely your party lines or for the white guy because the black guy is shady or something; this is the time to assess who would be a better leader for this country and John McCain simply is not it.
Vote for change tomorrow; we have already let a president get away with murder, deceit and lies and this election we must scream from the rooftops never again. Never again will a man steal an election and go on to deface what this country was based on. Vote for change, vote for Barack Obama.
We have a lot of work to do. Don’t give up and make sure your voice is heard!
Sarah Palin is Not a Feminist and She Agrees!
Just two months ago, when Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican vice presidential candidate, I wrote a post voicing my outrage over Palin calling herself and being called a feminist. To this day, that post is the most popular post on Menstrual Poetry, receiving more comments than any other post on this website, mostly from McCain and Palin supporters telling me that indeed Palin is a feminist and how dare I say that she isn’t just because she possesses stronger anti-woman policies than even most male Republicans.
Recently, much to my satisfaction and most likely to the dissatisfaction of some Palin supporters (like the LA president of NOW, for one) Palin has recently had a change of heart on her whole “I’m a feminist” stance.
So what’s behind her change of heart on feminism? Perhaps it’s because of the disapproval of actual feminists. Perhaps she realized that it’s a hell of a lot easier to claim she’s a feminist than to actually believe in what feminists fight daily for. While I doubt Palin will comment on her flip flop, I think we can all think of a few reasons why it’s really a great thing that she is choosing to not label herself as anything. For a woman with strong, anti-woman policies to label herself as a feminist is an insult; not only to feminists, but to all women, everywhere.
Good going, Palin! Never insult us by claiming you are one of us again, got it? Good.
Sex-Positivity
I'm passionate about sex-positivity and believe every sexual being should have the freedom to explore their sexuality safely and without condemnation. I even lost my ad network after my refusal to censor myself after reviewing feminist porn.So if you're in the market for sex toys, porn, books, etc. take a look at the retailers below, all of which are feminist-friendly.
Out Campaign
The OUT Campaign allows individuals to let others know they are not alone. It can also be a nice way of opening a conversation and help to demolish the negative stereotypes of atheists. Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows.
