sci-fi author, beatmaker

Month: November 2024

Did She Really Lose?

Trigger warning: election stress

Generally I shy away from conspiracy theories, but real, actual conspiracies do exist. While the United States is undoubtedly experiencing a rightward shift in sentiment, even to the point of the outright embrace of racism and fascism by many, I’m not quite ready to accept that MORE THAN HALF the country feels this way.

Am I in denial? Quite possibly. But maybe it’s a little early to start analyzing why Kamala’s numbers were so much lower than most reputable polls predicted.

I’ve been spending some time on the houstonwade subreddit, and some recent posts have raised my eyebrows. How bad, exactly, were the team-Trump election shenanigans?

For example:

Was the election stolen? Probably not. But I’m hoping for recounts, especially in MI and PA, to verify that the ballots add up with the tabulation system results. The next four years will be hard enough to stomach without the sneaking suspicion that the whole thing was rigged.

Ringstation Coalition Human Rights Charter

In Book 2 of the Reclaimed Earth Series, there’s a reference to the Ringstation Coalition Human Rights Charter. In the final version I turned into Flame Tree Press, an overview of the charter was included in a footnote. My editor delicately informed me that formatting several epic footnotes I’d included in Book 1 had been a royal pain in the ass (especially for the e-book), and was there any way I could NOT include footnotes in The Guardian. I said sure, no big deal, I can publish it on my blog. But I don’t think I ever did…

I think as Earthlings and citizens of various nations, we each have some responsibility to think about what an ideal government would look like. And if we live in a democracy, to vote in such as way that moves us closer to that vision.

So now seems as good a time as any to publish the closest thing I have to a “political platform”. As I’m taking in the results from Tuesday’s election, my nauseous optimism has turned into sourness, despair, and no small part rage. Not a good state of mind. As a small step towards reorienting my mind towards social progress, here’s the complete footnote:

Ringstation Coalition Human Rights Charter

First: Expression (free speech, writing, assembly)

Second: Privacy (thought, perception, personal communication, consensual intimacy)

Third: Bodily Integrity (protection from abuse, forced sexuality, torture, unnecessary confinement)

Fourth: Sustenance (clean water and nutritionally sound food)

Fifth: Shelter (Earth-like pressure, gravity, air supply, housing, infrastructure)

Sixth: Justice (no detention without charge, speedy trial, innocent until proven guilty)

Seventh: Healthcare (free access to medical treatment, preventative care, regular nanodrone treatments)

Eighth: Education (no-cost full-lifespan education)

Ninth: Property (right to private property and taxation ceiling)

 

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