Ellington

Whew, that's over. Or maybe it is. As I type this, it is Election Day, and our blogs are on fire over this election. Jakob just showed up wearing his "voting shoes" (American flag Converses), and people are calling in voting problems from around the area. I just wrote on the blog that there is a special place in hell for anyone who would try to stop anyone else from voting. Apparently, that wing of hell will soon be standing room only.

As I write, we don't know the results. But, I know one thing: I and many others have one doozy of an election hangover. We are tired of negative campaigns, of media not reporting issues or factchecking, of The Clarion-Ledger endorsing who/what they think are going to win. And, truth be told, I probably tied one on last night, no matter how the returns came in.

But this hangover is about more than tequila. It's about being worn out on partisanship, especially the type that assumes that if you oppose a radical-right president that you must somehow be on the radical left. Or that if you don't support a war waged by said president that you somehow aren't a faithful, God-loving person. These are lies, and they are myths that are dividing America, even as they benefit corporations and the greedy who couldn't give a damn about the deeds that most of our spiritual leaders say should come first.

The real remedy to this hangover, no matter the winners, is to roll up our sleeves and get to work re-uniting our country, refocusing our energies on actual freedom and mending fences with the world, so we can work together against the real enemies of freedom, no matter where they are. As Ani DiFranco says so beautifully in her interview (starts page 14), young people have come together like no time in their memory to work for the principles that America is built on that are so in danger right now. "My patriotism is borne of the cultural and activist history of my country," she says. "The land, the beautiful land that we inhabit, everything that we hold high about this country, all of the rights and freedoms that we brag about around the world, were fought for by activists."

It is easy to be an artist and an activist. It's not about protest marches, or sit-ins, although it can be. It's about getting out of bed, off the sofa, stepping up, just doing it, making your world what you want it to be. Here in Jackson, activism is in the air—from the professors and students at Millsaps who spoke out against the gay marriage amendment, to the JSU students who marched to demand prosecutions in the Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner case, to the The Collective founders who just tired of hearing friends, and each other, dump on Jackson. You want to live in an Austin—you build an Austin. It's that easy. Really.

If Bush was re-elected Tuesday, the row will be tougher. But it would also mean that youth culture is likely to explode in unity, with unlikely heroes like Eminem leading the opposition to efforts to squelch our freedoms like the appointment of conservative activist justices over the next four years. No question, Bush would continue to unite the rest of the country against his off-the-charts radicalism, and people would see more and more that establishing one guy's religion kills religious freedom for all. It's a valuable lesson, no matter how it's learned.

Fighting an ideologue does not make one a radical. That is, we don't have a Culture War in America: we have a majority of Americans fighting an extremist administration. The other night, I had dinner with a wonderful group of staunch Baptists in Belhaven; we started dinner with a touching prayer, and then sat down and talked for three hours about why Bush has been so bad for the country. And we talked about the need for deeds, and for religious freedom. These people understand that the government can't force religion in a country that supports religious freedom.

If Kerry was elected Tuesday, the ugly, fearful tone would leave the White House, but the ground would still be tough to till. That is, a likely Republican Congress may try to block everything he tries; it is up to us to send the message that we want unity—not the extreme partisanship that the Bush folks instilled in too many Americans, using the fear of another terrorist attack.

Post 9-11, I changed. I decided that it was time to be positive, to look fear in the face and proverbially allow a greater power to take me by the scruff of the neck, as Desmond Tutu said, to do work that needed to be done right here in my state: help instill the belief that we can be the best, not the worst. We all have the choice to stop whining and start doing. We must believe.

My favorite campaign comment came when Bruce Springsteen stood with John Kerry and said, "The future is for the passionate." I suggest that the best cure for our election hangover is positive, passionate, loving actions. For instance:

1. Support real accountability—fiscal, military, educational. But that doesn't mean programs designed for failure to push a political agenda or feed corporate greed. (Like "No Child Left Behind.")

2. Be spiritual—replace fear with deeds. Spread a religion of love, not hate.

3. Be compassionate—especially to those who aren't. They're the most desperate among us, and the most dangerous.

4. Promote cultural and social literacy, as I heard a woman call it at a black journalists' forum last week. That is, learn and teach about different cultures and beliefs.

5. Continue to make it easier, and even cool, to talk easily about racial progress and setbacks. As Richard Wright said, we should talk about it until we don't need to.

6. Promote wellness, so we have the energy and stamina to do good deed. You don't need mama's smothered chicken three times a week, do you? Or a daily Big Mac?

7. Continue political and civic participation. And, young people, run for office.

8. Help people find their voices. America isn't about nasty folks like Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly.
It's about everyday people, and we must fight all attempts of the government to squelch dissent. Don't focus on "bias"; focus on honesty. Support media with the courage to seek and tell the truth.

Together we stand. Bottoms up.