Are you in America? "America", in this case, refers to the United States. Why couldn't I just have said "United States"? Because, to borrow a phrase, that's just not how I roll.
Anyway, if you are in America, you will, most certainly, have noticed the nonstop news reports about the 2008 presidential campaign. It's impossible to not have noticed. Even you lot who live in caves, having never heard of Luigi, iPods, or instant macaroni cheese, know something about this.
Every time you turn on the television, it's "Barack Obama did this" or "John McCain did that", or it's "Joe Biden said this" or "Sarah Palin said that". It's positively maddening!
"But Spiny," you say, "it's history in the making -- either way the election goes, it'll be America's first black president or America's first female vice-president." To this, I respond: "Belt up! We know already!"
Sometime this week will be the second of three debates between Obama and McCain... as though it will make an iota of difference. It, like every debate before it and after it, will be naught but an expensive and overblown travesty. Each candidate will put on his best air of verisimilitude and tap-dance around the big questions. They'll both contradict everything the other says, making grand speeches like it's just another stop on the campaign trail, completely ignoring the time limits they have to give their answers.
Then, whichever bloke is elected in November will conveniently "forget" the promises they made whilst campaigning, like lowering taxes for the so-called "middle-class", ending America's perpetual dependence on fossil fuel, and doing anything about the US military presence in Iraq.
What will happen is, the taxes on the Have-Nots will rise exponentially, whilst the taxes on the Haves will decrease a hundredfold. Fossil fuel will continue being used, with the oil companies drilling madly everywhere, until there is no more to be had. And, more and more unsuspecting recruits, who were fooled by the slick-talking recruiters into thinking they had a choice in how long they served when in fact they will be serving in the armed forces for the remainder of their natural lives thanks to the military's "stop-loss" programme, will be sent over to Iraq to die.
It's just like in 2000. Now-president George W. Bush (who is, likely, incapable of reading any published work that is more complex than Winnie-the-Pooh) stood up at a podium, looking like the pompous and arrogant numbskull that he is, and made no fewer than ten promises that were so empty and barren that one could hear a pin drop within them. He may as well have promised perpetual motion, a cure for all diseases, and an Earth colony on Jupiter. He's been in the White House for eight years and the only thing he's done is order all television signals be digital by February 2009, to go to war with a country innocent of all wrongdoing in regards to 9/11, and to reward the moneylenders for their ruination of the world's economy.
George Bush has ruined the United States and the next president won't be able to undo any of it. Television stations have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgrading their equipment so it can broadcast digital signals, the war in Iraq has caused Al-Qaida to set up in that country, and the banks have been told that it's okay to swindle people out of more money than they make.
Of course, let's not get ahead of ourselves -- the next man needs to be elected first. Not that the popular vote will do any good, that is. The primary election that narrowed twelve candidates down to two wasn't done by popular vote, but rather by an elite group of individuals known as "superdelegates". The final election won't be decided by the popular vote, either. Instead, by winning over the electoral college. Whomsoever has the greatest number of electoral votes will win the election -- nowhere is it written that a candidate needs win the most popular votes.
So, really, what you care about doesn't matter. Other people -- individuals who have more money, more education, and, apparently, more intellect than you, John Smith of 123 Main Street, could ever have -- are the only ones who matter in this "free country" of ours.
Now, some of you may write me off as just an angry Brit who should bugger off and go back to England -- that's fine. Just read through this entry again and find one point you can argue me on. You'll find yourself hard-pressed so to do.
Pictures at an Exhibition, First Movement