Vote.

On the off chance that anyone reading this is American (this presupposes anyone is reading at all) I offer to you this simple plea.

Please vote. Now. Drop everything, let go of the mouse. Stop typing, the internet porn can wait. Turn off the stove, park the kids or pets with sitters, go stand in line, challenge the challengers, remember to leave your political paraphenalia at home, but just go and vote. Now. I'm not kidding. This isn't like cleaning the windows or cutting the lawn, it can't be put off. This is serious, important stuff.

Also, as much as it may seem like I just want you to go and vote for anyone, I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I want you to vote for Kerry. Not Bush. Not Nader. Not anyone else that might have been written in on your local ballot. Kerry. Now. Touch that screen. Mark that ballot. Push the button. Scan that opti. But for the love of all that is pure and good, please vote, and vote for Kerry.

Why you ask?

Because right now you scare us.

I don't mean "us" here on the internets.

I mean "us" who are not Americans.

That's right. You. Scare. Us.

This may seem like a cool thing on it's face. I mean, inspiring terror and fear has cache.

But it is bad. Very, very bad.

You don't scare us the way you should be sensibly wary of a bear in the woods. You scare us in a "OMG I hope Charlie Manson never gets parole" way. You didn't scare us in the same way when you were led by Clinton, Bush I, Carter or even (god the 80s punk in me is dying as I say this) Reagan. We knew you were big and powerful. We knew you might get pissed off and do something really not nice. But there was a feeling of restraint and that there was a plan and that this plan wasn't concocted by people who could only politely be referred to as barking fucking mad.

We all know that US foreign policy won't change over night, that Iraq will still have happened and will still be a mess. We all know that Hamid Karzai will still be the mayor of Kabul, we know that bad shit will still happen, and that sometimes your military will do it. We know all these things and more. But we would all feel a lot better if the person in charge of the proceedings actually seemed like he wasn't barking fucking mad.

Addendum: go read The Rude Pundit. His is a cautionary tale.