I feel compelled to say something after this week of post-election depression. My wife pointed out something she read in a local paper this week that resounded with me. In an article discussing the dissapointment in my community of Brooklyn over the election, someone was quoted as saying something like this about New York. "New York represents America to 90% of the world -- everyone except for the rest of Americans."

Although a generalization, it feels true to me. I'm sure it's been said by others already, but New York and Washington, D.C. both paid the biggest price to terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Our cities paid in lives. Last Tuesday the majority of NYC and DC voters voted in favor of removing Bush on election day. It's clear and obvious to us that the answer to terror is not creating wars for veiled agendas for oil pipelines masquerading as crusades for democracy. But though our cities paid in thousands of lives, our voices don't seem to matter now in the scheme of things. And depending on how you see things, either the rest of America or the hands that control elections decided in favor of the other guy.

OK. Venting over. I don't feel like I'm in any position to be complacent with things as they are. I feel more compelled to be more involved in things now than ever, which is incredible for me because I am excessively turned off by politics. But for me the issue has to do with compassion for people. And the direction of our present government makes America seem devoid of it. America is not, but these wars are. Our answer to the loss of life has been to waste more life, meeting aggression with aggression rather than pausing for reflection and doing what's in the best long term interest of human life.

As someone wrote after 9/11, one of the best ways to prevent people from turning to terrorism is to make them your friends, and by that I don't mean to side with them on wars against others. Feed them. Care for people -- all people -- and they won't want to be your enemies. We need a platform based on compassion and caring for life, not one based on greed and selective care. We need.... Oprah for president!!! Sorry. I still think that's a good idea. For me, personally, I think this just means that I need to be more involved via groups like Move On, with groups of people who believe that something is terribly wrong with the way things are and who want to mobilize people to do something about it.

On the positive side of the election, the only age group where a majority voted for Bush was young voters under 30. Maybe there is hope for the future. For them, I suppose, the stakes are potentially greater. I've been reading on some email lists that the threat of a draft is in the minds of young people.

I leave you with this chilling quote someone posted on a list, to reiterate the fact that all wars are the same and that this war on Iraq has nothing to do with Sept. 11, yet here we have it.

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

Let's hope this war ends soon. I'm not religious, but I'm praying for Peace.