There's not an Iraqi election thread?

[Noah]

The Iraqis voted the other day. It looks like nearly 70 per cent of eligible voters turned out to cast their ballots. So, while these folks are getting death threats from a bunch of crazies if they participate in the elections and still 70 per cent of them show up to vote. Meanwhile, here in the states, if it rains on election day we decide we'd be better off staying home and watching the Price is Right and Springer re-runs as opposed to participating in the political process.

[Jon]

I personally go out and vote as much as I can, but Noah, I don't think you can compare us to Iraq. As much as I'd like more voters to turn-out for our elections, they don't. Iraqi citizrens are worried something bad may happen to them if they don't vote properly and for the right people, so they do, if we were under the same pressures, I'd bet more of us would vote also.

[Ol'blueyes]

I personally enjoy the Price is Right but hey thats just me.

[Heather]

lmao, Bridget!

I vote in every election, since I turned 18. I actually worked the last election, and voted on my lunch hour. That was an insane day. 5am -8:30pm. LONG DAY, and I still made time to vote. :lol:

[Jon]

:lol: cause good citizens vote!

[Andrea]

I've voted in every election since I turned 18 too, no matter how trivial the office that's up for grabs. Heck, I vote in school commissioner elections and my kid will never go near a public school! =)

I am so happy for, and proud of, the Iraqi people, btw. What an historic event this must be, and clearly they acknowledge this by turning out in droves. Amazing. I can't wait to see how it all turns out.

[Aga]

i vote i think it is important to your country to vote. thast just me
right now im hoping for daylight savings so hopefully we can vote on that soon :)

[Kari]

I have absolutely zero understanding for anybody who lives in one of our beautiful western, democratic, industralized, rich countries and doesn't go vote.
Seriously. What could be sadder than living in a country that glorifies its democracy day and night and then only 60 % go to vote.

Now, 70% is a huge participation I think. I would really be scared to vote, even more scared to vote for my real opinion in a country like Iraq and it is extraordinary that so many people went voting.

And we all live in these democratic countries (now, of course George Bush listens to the phone calls of his citizens, which is not exactly the most democratic thing, but still) and there is no excuse for not voting, except you are really not interested.
And what bugs me most are those people who rant and rant about their government and about how their party would have done it better, but then they haven't bothered going to the voting local...(sure there was the possibility of voting before by letter, but hey, you actually have to fill in a form for that and that is really hard work)

[Noah]

Dude, Jon... something bad DID happen to us because enough people didn't go out and vote. In fact it happend TWICE!!! It's called the George W. Bush administration... so it's EXACTLY like Iraq!

anyway, seriously the whole point was actually that Americans are a bunch of lazy bums. you can't argue that one.

here's some voter turnout statistics from other countries:
Malta 96.7%, Australia 95.19%, Greeece 94.0%, Italy 88.9%, Iceland 88.6%, Belgium 84.0%, Spain 83.0%, Sweden 81.6%, Denmark 81.5%, Turkey 78.8%, Cyprus 77.9%, New Zealand 76.8%, Austria 75.7%, Norway 75.0%, Portugal 74.3%, Germany 73.2%, Netherlands 72.8%, United Kingdom 72.4%, South Korea 70.0%, Ireland 67.9%, Finland 67.3%, Japan 67.0%, Russia 65.9%, Canada 61.3%, France 60.3%, Luxembourg 57.8%, Switzerland 35.6%

[Heather]

Actually, Noah, the voter turn out in the last election was significantly higher than the 2000 or 1996 elections.

And we all live in these democratic countries (now, of course George Bush listens to the phone calls of his citizens, which is not exactly the most democratic thing, but still).
Since you brought that up, Kari, the phone calls thing was not something Bush originated. It started in the 1990s as part of the Clinton spy program. After 9/11, Bush just reinstated because of the overwhelming threat of terrorism.

Here's a news article about it:

Clinton NSA Eavesdropped on U.S. Calls
Bush: NSA Surveillance Necessary, Legal

During the 1990's under President Clinton, the National Security Agency monitored millions of private phone calls placed by U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries under a super secret program code-named Echelon.

On Friday, the New York Times suggested that the Bush administration has instituted "a major shift in American intelligence-gathering practices" when it "secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without [obtaining] court-approved warrants."

But in fact, the NSA had been monitoring private domestic telephone conversations on a much larger scale throughout the 1990s - all of it done without a court order, let alone a catalyst like the 9/11 attacks.

In February 2000, for instance, CBS "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft introduced a report on the Clinton-era spy program by noting:

"If you made a phone call today or sent an e-mail to a friend, there's a good chance what you said or wrote was captured and screened by the country's largest intelligence agency. The top-secret Global Surveillance Network is called Echelon, and it's run by the National Security Agency." NSA computers, said Kroft, "capture virtually every electronic conversation around the world."

Echelon expert Mike Frost, who spent 20 years as a spy for the Canadian equivalent of the National Security Agency, told "60 Minutes" that the agency was monitoring "everything from data transfers to cell phones to portable phones to baby monitors to ATMs."

Mr. Frost detailed activities at one unidentified NSA installation, telling "60 Minutes" that agency operators "can listen in to just about anything" - while Echelon computers screen phone calls for key words that might indicate a terrorist threat.

The "60 Minutes" report also spotlighted Echelon critic, then-Rep. Bob Barr, who complained that the project as it was being implemented under Clinton "engages in the interception of literally millions of communications involving United States citizens."

One Echelon operator working in Britain told "60 Minutes" that the NSA had even monitored and tape recorded the conversations of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond.

Still, the Times repeatedly insisted on Friday that NSA surveillance under Bush had been unprecedented, at one point citing anonymously an alleged former national security official who claimed: "This is really a sea change. It's almost a mainstay of this country that the NSA only does foreign searches."
Sorry, but you cant really nail this one on Bush, now can you?

[Quinton]

Malta 96.7%, Australia 95.19%, Greeece 94.0%, Italy 88.9%, Iceland 88.6%, Belgium 84.0%, Spain 83.0%, Sweden 81.6%, Denmark 81.5%, Turkey 78.8%, Cyprus 77.9%, New Zealand 76.8%, Austria 75.7%, Norway 75.0%, Portugal 74.3%, Germany 73.2%, Netherlands 72.8%, United Kingdom 72.4%, South Korea 70.0%, Ireland 67.9%, Finland 67.3%, Japan 67.0%, Russia 65.9%, Canada 61.3%, France 60.3%, Luxembourg 57.8%, Switzerland 35.6%wow... didn't know that many of us voted a few months ago. And I thought people here could care less about politics or the Government. Color me shocked.

[Faith]

Go team :lol:

That's isn't enough Brit's that have voted, but it's more than I thought :)

All I say is, it's fine and good if people don't vote, as long as they make no comments on the state of the government and society afterwards.

[Heather]

Exactly, Gem. Thats how I always felt. If you dont vote, you dont have a right to criticize, because you are not using your voice when you have the chance to make a change.

[Kari]

Since you brought that up, Kari, the phone calls thing was not something Bush originated. It started in the 1990s as part of the Clinton spy program. After 9/11, Bush just reinstated because of the overwhelming threat of terrorism.Interesting...seriously, picking Bush was just one example because it was so on the media all over the last few months. Our former Inner Secretary was all about laws like that, too and I can't really support anything alike.
In this case Bush was really randomly picked, so no nailing it only to him
...which is not the point anyway...

[Ol'blueyes]

I wish I could vote!

[*gwen*~*grover*]

ahh, me too... someone asked me if i would rather lower the drinking age or the voting age, and i said voting (alcohol can be aquired anyway, haha). i want to vote, i mean i honestly understand why some people didnt vote, i dont agree with it, but some poeple were so opposed to both candidates (i had a friend, the MOST liberal person i have ever met, who just disliked kerry so much that she said she might have voted for bush... but she wouldnt have, haha), and they dont want... you know what, i dont know, they need to vote...

[Andrea]

Who knew those Maltans were that conscientious? =)

[Kari]

:lol:...I really want to vote. I count the days...no seriously, I am happy we had an early vote his year because it means I can vote the next time...

[*gwen*~*grover*]

haha^
so the election in iraq... im still just not sure if its going to work... but i wrote a novel about that in the war on terror thread, (and im still waiting for someone to respond, haha)