Election Day approaches, and with these mid-term elections there is great hope among Dems, in spite of mushy messaging, that Congress will regain some balance.
This blog has been quiet on the subject of politics for a spell, a function of laziness (you need a flow chart to understand the Abramoff scandal, though Bill Moyers captures it handily in his special “Capitol Crimes”) and confusion (can you imagine the snapping of Bibles and Congressional nattering had Bill Clinton attacked the wrong country?)
But Nov. 7 approaches quickly and as socially engaged citizens, yes, even those who disagree with the stated positions of this blog, we’ve got to don our GoKnit Pouches, take to the streets and vote.
Here are some thoughts on how we as knitters can knit up a head of steam in coming weeks:
1. The Grand Gesture—Knit a giant American flag ala Dave Cole with two John Deere excavators. My point here is that knitters make news. Two years ago, when Knitters Against Bush gathered in Washington for the March for Women’s Lives, the initiative made nationwide blog news and money for NARAL. Is it time to wriggle into qiviut bikinis and Ugg boots and Knit In to save ANWR? Can someone crochet a mini White House with a mini Barak Obama as President and send it to the EIC of the Wall Street Journal? Or Howard Dean? Do we need to knit Nancy Pelosi a sweater with a Fair Isle chest patch that reads: Speaker of the House?
Ideas?
2. Encourage our less-politically excitable sisters and bretheren to vote—In my opinion, there are certain areas of civic life where it is simply our duty to browbeat, cojole, drag and generally make a nuisance of ourselves.
Let me demonstrate: If you don’t vote, shame on you. Shame. Shame. You have no right to complain about your lot, the pathetic state of the American health care system or the quality of the air you breathe. You have abdicated your rights as an American citizen, rights people around the world die for every day. (Keep in mind, your employer must by law give you time to vote.)
Okay, I’ll stop now. But if you don’t vote, watch out for my knitting needles.
3. Take a cheat sheet to the polls. In Colorado we have umpty thousand amendments and ballot initiatives to sort through, including a wretched Defense of Marriage amendment. I’m proud to report that Mitch worked for an organization where he was asked to create an online cheat sheet for Colorado voters. You can get it here.
4. Discuss amongst yourselves. Talk about issues on your blogs. Encourage your knitting groups and blog buddies to vote. Better yet, volunteer for a get-out-the-vote effort.
5. Plan a “Knit Back the Whitehouse” campaign. Crochet Crooks out of Congress. Stitching for a Scandle-free Washington. Double Knits. Not Double Talk.
People, what can we do for ‘08? What can we do to ensure in our lifetimes: Healthcare for all. Sustainable wages. Energy independence. And a worldwide war on poverty?
Let’s think on it, ‘kay?