It's the election, Stupid!

I am not American... but these days I almost feel like I am.

Yes, I am as close to American nowadays as what a combustible chunk of CNN, a saucy spoonful of MSNBC and a dangerous dash of of FOX can create within the space of a heated month of televised presidential debates, campaign ads and snarky SNL. All that, and then add in the gosh-darn-it-betcha-risms that have found their way into the international stream of consciousness and from there unconsciously into my vocabulary - thanks but no thanks to Sarah Palin. In fact this intensive crash course in "AmeriMcCainObamanation" will probably leave me feeling very hollow when I wake up on November the 4th and realise that I can't bl**dy vote!

Oh well Reader, but at least some of you will be able to. The closest the riverman~~~ will be to a voting booth in America will be the "Authentic New York American Pizza - Extra Hot Pepperoni Special" in my freezer which I am saving to nuke and tuck into as the ballots get counted up into the wee small hours of the morning / afternoon / evening.

I know that Americans don't care what the rest of the world thinks with regards to the choice they will have to make in a little less than 8 days. And really, they shouldn't have to. What other country cares about the opinion of the world around them when it comes to electing their representatives? Why, that would be tantamount to a sneaky surrender of national sovereignty if anything!

No... the clamour for free trade from China and India or the shaky day-to-day existence of Palestinians in Gaza are not factors that Americans NEED to consider when casting their ballots. These are factors they can privately CHOOSE to consider of course, but the overall legacy of the volitional process in any democratic election should be exclusively for that country's citizens.

So when CNN airs viewpoints from the bus-driver in Oz to the film critic in Canada and everyone in-between during its "America Votes 2008 - International Voices" segments, this is merely of reflective value... reflective of the sobering fact that whatever choice Americans make on the November the 4th, will be a choice this inter-connected world will have to accept and live with.

So what will you do on election day, America?

Not long ago a singer songwriter based in Austin, Texas called Kat Edmonson(http://www.myspace.com/katedmonson) hunkered down to work with another songwriter called Kevin Lovejoy (also from Austin, Texas), and submitted a jointly-written original song to a CNN film competition. You can view and listen to it in the YouTube channel above this post. According to Kat, she simply handed out old cardboard squares and strips to random folk in Austin and asked them to write out what they would do as president. Simple concept, but pretty powerful... especially when you see what they wrote. And if what they wrote is indicative of what America as a whole wants of its new president, then the riverman~~~ thinks that the rest of the world will be pretty impressed with America come November the 4th.

Go on then America! Choose for YOU... and if you do, I believe you will choose wisely.

In the meantime - I leave you with a lighter look at what has been without a doubt, the most entertaining US election ever.... Gosh, I'm going to feel so bored after election day!

~~~

"Be the change that you want to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi