Just Let 'Em Ramble

Something in me really just loves letting someone talk, really letting them babble without interrupting them, allowing them to ramble on as much as they want to. It seems that there is nothing like an election to bring out the true colors in a person ... good or bad.

It's not like I care about their political affiliation, I don't have to have the same feelings at all... really it's more like the way they express themselves and their thoughts. Occasionally you will run across people with intelligence and well thought out arguments. What I dislike is when I hear some jerk simply spouting out negatives or critical unpleasantness, it is usually a stupid blowhard that clearly likes the sound of their own voice.

Elections seem to bring out the true feelings of people, much like three alcoholic drinks in an hour... they just start blurting out the most mindless drivel.

The Germans I encounter here almost always ask if I'm going to vote. They are ALWAYS surprised when I let it out that I've voted in EVERY SINGLE election I have been eligible for since I was 18. They usually refer back to the standard American stereotype that the vast majority of Americans don't vote. I've found it easy to shut them up when I say that I have voted in every election, including the little ones for things like the Kansas Board of Education debacle. (No, I didn't vote for any of those stupid bastards).

What I get a lot here in Germany are people who are irritated with George Bush and simply want his ass out of the White House. Thankfully most people I've encountered manage to separate the government of America from the citizens of America... this is a good thing for me... or I think I would be considering wearing a Canadian flag and learning the lyrics to "Oh Canada". If they couldn't separate the two, I'm afraid I would get to hear MUCH MORE of their irritations about the American government.

I guess what I am getting down to is that most of the Europeans I run across feel that they have a vested interest in who becomes the next President of the United States... simply because this person has the power to really mess with their lives too. One French woman I encountered on a plane several years ago even went so far as to tell me that if the rest of the world has to put up with his policies, then the rest of the world should get the chance to vote for the guy. When I told my father this opinion, his quick retort was, "Then let her pay taxes over here for a while."