The big countdown

Nine days to go before the election and I'm already a nervous wreck! I can't bear the thought of another stolen election, like in 2004 and 2000. Every time I think about those elections it makes me wonder what might have been. I know that's wasted energy and none of it can be changed now, but, if we learned nothing from the past, that will be the final nail in the coffin for democracy. We've already lost so much. I just hope that everything goes smoothly and all the votes are counted--this time.

This has been one of the nastiest campaigns in America's history, which shows how desperate the Republicans are to stay in power. Between you and me, I think McCain made a Faustian pact to do or say anything if he would be given the election. That included picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, a pick that turns my blood to ice just thinking about what she would do as president. Just to add a little comic relief here, take a look at Palin As President and click around on various objects. They're adding more stuff every day and it's hilarious.

On a more serious note, Naomi Wolfe has written quite a bit about what it takes to create a fascist government , and it appears that we've met all 10 criteria. Scary thought!

She's also reported--and this is on the Army Times website --that on Oct. 1, the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team (which trained in Iraq for 35 of the last 60 months) was commissioned to active duty on U.S. soil. "This new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities."

This seems extremely troubling to me and should be to any American. Why do we need Army soldiers patrolling on U.S. soil? I also read that since the Patriot Act, all soldiers have signed new oaths that no longer include any language about upholding the Constitution of the United States. It now includes something about "completing the mission." What mission? Equally troubling is that they are answerable only to George Bush --and not to Congress or to the governors of the states to which they have been commissioned (which is also unknown, although there have been reports of these troops in Georgia and Alabama).

I certainly hope Wolfe is wrong and just overreacting, but I honestly think she's sounding the alarm after considering some very strong evidence that something is brewing. As I said, I hope she's wrong and that the election goes without a hitch. However, there's that part of me that thinks I'm being naive to think it could be that easy. As citizens, it's up to us to be vigilant about our democracy. We think just because it's been here for over 200 years that it will continue as a democracy forever, but history shows that democracies are a fragile idea.

We must vote and stay vigilant.