On Nov 11, 2004, at 11:25 AM, Alberto Monteiro wrote:
Warren Ockrassa wrote:
Half of America apologizes to the world:
http://www.sorryeverybody.com/
One sixth.
No. Three Thirds. _If_ I were angry at the reelection of Emperor Arbustus Assirius, I would blame both the c.25% that voted for him and the c.50% that didn't bother to vote against him.
:D
The difference being that the ones posting apologies cannot in any fairness be said to be speaking for any but themselves and *possibly* the others who voted against Bush.
While the rest of the world might feel the US owes it an apology (and I am not going to touch that topic with a ten-foot red-white-and-blue pole), at most it's only going to be forthcoming from a little less than 50 million of us, and that's assuming (again) that the very small sampling of people on that web site can be said to be speaking for everyone involved in the vote.
Also, not everyone who didn't vote didn't *bother* to vote. Assuming a population of 280 million, nearly 80 million are below voting age (18) at all. (n1) So of the 200 million or so left, about half actually voted -- which isn't bad for the US -- but of those 100 million remaining, some would be ineligible to vote because of prior felonies. As of 2001 the number was about 4 million; (n2) that means there were just 96 million that could have voted -- theoretically -- who did not. We actually got better than 50% turnout this time around.
But I am not angry - now that I work for an oil company, I want to see the Middle East burn :-)))))))))))))))))))
Oho! You took it up fairly late though; Enron and Halliburton got the jump on you.
-- Warren Ockrassa, Publisher/Editor, nightwares Books http://books.nightwares.com/ Current work in progress "The Seven-Year Mirror" http://www.nightwares.com/books/ockrassa/Flat_Out.pdf
n1 <http://www.census.gov/population/projections/nation/summary/np-t3- b.txt>
n2 <http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:N8SlABKETicJ: millercenter.virginia.edu/programs/natl_commissions/ commission_final_report/task_force_report/ hansen_chap8_disfranchisement.pdf+number+of+felons+in+us&hl=en>
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