brett's logjam

Visitors to the site may have noticed some changes in the URL bar: brettpeters.org now forwards to the much shorter btp.me.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers that the move from a 14-character domain to a 6-character one was driven by the desire to type shorter addresses on my iPhone.

We all do things for obscure reasons.

In the eight years I have been writing this site, I don’t think I’ve ever come out and talked about politics. I’ve linked to technical articles with political undercurrents that I think you might like, but never talked about my own feelings about politics. Given that I have pretty strong opinions about just about everything, no matter how small, this is kinda funny.

But it’s also kinda sad.

I have been politically Independent since I was old enough to vote. I have never come out and told people who I was voting for, let alone who I think you should vote for. Why should I? Make up your own damn mind. That’s what it’s there for.

But by not speaking out, however, I’ve been a passive recipient of the Bush Administration’s steady assault on the rule of law over the past eight years. Habeas corpus? Gone. Fourth amendment? Gone for the 75% of the population living with 100 miles of a border. Legalized torture, willful disregard of the Geneva Conventions, illegal wiretapping, unprecedented expansion of executive powers, massive federal debt, and a shattered economy? We have them. (And that’s just the short list!)

Not this time.

I am voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden next Tuesday. And I think you should, too.

I considered John McCain’s candidacy for a long time. I was impressed by his campaign in 2000, and that favorable impression lasted for a long time. But the last eight years have left us with a very, very different America, and a very different John McCain.

• We need someone who can run their campaign based on people’s hopes, instead of people’s fears. I am tired of being afraid of my government.

• We need someone who is articulate, intelligent, and open to new ways, instead of experienced with the old ways of getting things done. I have had enough of the old ways.

• We need to have someone who is careful, considerate, and who listens to other people’s advice before acting.

After watching Barack Obama for the last year and a half, I think he is the man for the job. His speech on race, A More Perfect Union, is a gutsy yet thoughtful look at race in America. While his speech to the Democratic National Convention shows that the man can talk the birds out of the trees, it was A More Perfect Union that first made me go, I want this man to succeed. Listening to any political figure talk about a complicated, messy issue and acknowledge that there are many shades of gray in between black and white gave me great hope for how he’ll address other issues.

And I have not been disappointed.

I know that many of you do not live in a state where you think your vote will matter. But it does. Don’t throw it away. Even in Texas, don’t throw it away. I live in a swing state that was never supposed to be a swing state. But with the belief and hard work from a lot of people, that’s changed.

It can change where you are, too.

Listen: I haven’t forgotten Barack Obama is a politician, with all the fallibility that goes with that job. I don’t believe that he’ll deliver on every single campaign promise. I don’t even expect that he’ll deliver on most of them.

But he’ll deliver on one of the biggest — hope for a better future — and on another — that with hard work we will get there.

So get out there and vote for Barack Obama on November 4th.

The kids got an early start this year, but the 7-8 hour was pretty quiet. Only had 85 total, down from last year’s record of 91.

Trip wanted to be Sock Man this year, so Merrystar made a great costume for him. He even wore it!

But aside from one house in his grandparents’ neighborhood, he was still more interested in handing out candy than going out and collecting it.

Ah well. Marches to the beat of his own drummer, and all that.