Ask Not

A lot of questions and not many answers floating around out there this week. Dinner last night with the Chica and J. Lots of sake and even more discussion about the election and aftermath. J, after a long absence from politics, dived back into the waters this year; she was exhausted and crushed Wednesday morning. "My initial reaction was, 'That's it. Never again. I am not going through this again.' Then I realized that now, more then ever, I can't give up."
The Chica said she woke up Thursday with JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you" speech in her head. She said that for the first time, she felt that she truly understood it, and understood the basis for the social unrest of that time.
Ninety-two percent of the eligible student population at the local university turned out to vote last week. That's incredible. More than 6000 students--and believe me, speaking as an alum, this is not the most socially or politically active student body--stood up for Kerry. What a force that would make, if each one's reaction to this loss would be to take action in the university or community.

"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt......If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake."
--Thomas Jefferson, 1798, after the passage of the Sedition Act