I have completely lost faith in my country and its people in the last year. That is a hard thing to lose, and it has helped make 2003 one of the worst years of my life. I really don't see 2004 being any better, and I have no hope anymore that this country will come to its senses anytime soon. I hope when we do it is not too late.

Sigh. I sigh with you. Back when my country elected (really elected, IIRC) the co-star of Bedtime for Bonzo, I was horribly disaffected. I seriously considered trying to become a Canadian citizen (got all the paperwork and filled half of it out)....then other life events distracted me...

So here we are years later with a monotonous cretin who makes an early-onset Alzheimer president look *good*. Yes, hard to believe, but it is even more depressing. OK, Ronnie and Nancy had wacky, lovable notions of good, evil and Armageddon, but they had nothing as depressing as Shrub's retinue (OK, Reagan had a lot of them!) and the born-born-born again likes of Delay and Ashcroft.

Ick! Icky, Icky, Icky!

OK, if you don't vote, I understand.

But I have a suggestion. Join me in my new initiative: National Hold-Yer-Nose and Take a Hip Flask to the Polls Day. Yes, a bunch of us plan to take the day off, pour some Knob Creek into our Triple-Tall No-Foam Low-Fat Lattes and then meander down to the polling place to pull some levers, dimple some chads and maybe chat up some elderly, lovable female poll workers.

Join us?