Still Thinking About Election 2004 (and 2000 As Well)

Bad enough that Michael Moore had to come up with this map:


While I wouldn't mind becoming a Canadian Citizen, I doubt Canada would want me. I'd need a skill that earns enough to be an asset, and they have a selection process that allows them to refuse people (unlike the USA, which makes it easy for ANYONE to become one of us). And besides, Canada has standards which they would probably place each American to in order to find them wanting.

And since Canada probably wouldn't welcome us, I fear this map and its identifications would fit much better:



Yes, the term is "Occupied Territories." I've seen bumper stickers along the lines of "There Are Americans, Then There Are Liberals" with the connotation of liberals as enemies in full force.

But at least we get the idea of statewide areas; more worrysome to me is the county-by-county map. Not that a large area is Republican red; but more the fact that in many states you can isolate the strongly democratic areas into dot-like areas:



(our elections are "Winner Take All," so I'm not gonna entertain the "purple" maps of the USA.)

The problem is this: If I'm going to want to consider myself an American, I want to feel welcome in ALL parts of America, not just the blue counties. I vote with what I see as my economic interest, so I expect that some people will never be on my side of the important issues; but in 2004 the largest group of people voted for "moral concerns." These "moral concerns" people not only vote without consideration of their interests (economic, security or freedom), but if I appear to be out-of-place with their beliefs they push their agenda onto me.

And that agenda would not be the benefits of choosing Steak instead of a Chinese Buffet.

I remember looking at the 2000 version of the above county map at a eatery in a smallish town and stifling an urge to shout back "So you think a few nuclear bombs would fix this nation?" knowing the map hid the concentrations of people in the blue counties behind the mass of land in the red counties. Now I'm more worried about being forever a foreigner in my own country, welcome only in those small areas known a urban wastelands. Also knowing that the places where Al-Quida would most likely hit (like they're going to hit Liberal, Kansas) are the places where I'd feel welcome.

And I wonder what it would take to feel welcome in the red areas. Other than lobotomizing myself, that is.