My Vote

I went down to the town clerk's office in Woodstock today to cast an early ballot. I decided to pretend that my vote makes a difference in this pseudo-democracy where decisions are molded by corporate donations and media bias.

It was surreal to see Donald Trump's name actually on that ballot. But there it was right under Hillary Clinton. In third place was Jill Stein, followed by Gary Johnson. Now I understand Clinton being first on the ballot because she is first in alphabetical order but why is Trump in second place. It should be Clinton, Johnson, Stein and Trump. So I'm not sure how it is decided who gets top place. And it does make a difference because a certain percentage of voters, (not the brightest crayons in the box type of voters) simply vote for the first name on the ballot.

Anyhow I had to vote for one of the four so I asked myself, which candidate opposes fracking? Which candidate opposes Monsanto? Which candidate opposes war? Which candidate is supporting the Standing Rock opposition to Big Oil? Which candidate is not being funded by Wall street. Which candidate can I trust to keep their word? Which candidate will be strongest on climate change? Which candidate will not be insane enough to go to war with Russia?

Only one of the four qualified and so I voted for Jill Stein.

Not that my vote matters much. Vermont is hardly a swing state. Vermont will go for Clinton and that's a given. My hope is that the Green Party will garner at least 15% of the national vote to qualify participation in future debates.

I support the Greens in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.K. I ran for office for the Greens in Canada (for mayor of Vancouver and twice for Member of Parliament and once for Vancouver Parks Board. So it seems right to support the Greens in America and quite truthfully the Green Party internationally is the only real sane and compassionate political party on the planet.

Now for those who say that my vote for Jill is a vote for Trump, I could not care less because my vote for Jill is a vote for Jill and the Green Party.

When children are slaughtered in Syria and who knows where else in 2017, when oil contaminates the drinking water of communities across the nation, when Monsanto bullies its way into our lives, my conscience will not bother me as much as it would if I voted for a person who has been and will be responsible for so much death and suffering.

I had a choice to vote for 1. a mass murdering psychopath. 2. A narcissistic sociopath. 3 A guy so dumb he thinks the sun revolves around the Earth or 4. a woman who actually represents my values and principles. I made the only logical choice with my vote for Jill Stein.

Now today I may make some Clinton and Trump supporters angry but I could not care less. They can vote for their choices and I don't care so I expect the same in return.

I predict that Clinton will be President and the thought of that sends chills down my spine. I remember her laughing at the murder of Gadafi with her "we came, we saw, he died" comment. I have seen the devastation she oversaw in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Honduras, Haiti etc. But the most recent concern is her threatening to go to war with Putin and that my friends is absolute and total insanity. If I had voted for her my vote would make me an accomplice in the killing of thousands of people over the next four years. I refuse to be an accomplice to mass murder.

As for Trump, he has not actually killed anyone - yet but

every time he opens his mouth, he sounds like an uneducated idiot and his two trigger happy serial killing sons who he supports are enough to not vote for him along with his racism, sexism, ecological stupidity and greed.

I believe I made the right choice.