Tuesday, October 19, 2004

New student methods for presidential elections 

Most readers know that I've long had libertarian tendencies. For some time I was the advisor to the College Libertarians group, which is currently defunct as best I can tell. But I must still be on some lists, because I received this delightful email today.
Dear Cultural/Activist/Political Student Orgs
I am not used to this kind of salutation. Indeed, any salutation containing a slash will usually get me to delete or throw away the letter at once. But this...
Including:African Student Association, All Tribes Council, Amnesty International, Arab Students for Peace, Asian Students in Action, Bangladesh Student Association, Bill of Rights Club, Campus Advocates Against Sexual Assault, Campus Green Party, China Club, Chinese Student Association, College Democrats, College Independents, College Libertarians, Council of African American Students, Democracy Matters, Earth Action Coalition, European Student Association, GLBT Alliance, Global Soc. For Advancement of Leadership, Habitat for Humanity, Peer Educators, Hmong Student Organization, Hong Kong Student Association, Indian Heritage Club, Indonesian Student Organization, International Students Association, Japan Club, Jewish Student Association, Jugglers Against Oppression, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Non-Violent Alternatives, Organization for the Prevention of AIDS in African, Outloud!, People Uniting for Peace, Residence Hall Association, Student Coalition Against Racism, Vegan/Vegitarian Club:
Now, how could one not find such a list interesting? We have all these clubs here, on a campus at which only 3000 students are resident, over 2000 of which are first-year students too busy finding out how late they can stay out with friends playing their XBoxes, and yet we have all these Cultural/Activist/Political Student orgs! Quite amazing. What would bring all these people together?
I am writing you to ask if your group would be interested in tabling at the �Rock the Vote 2004� Benefit Concert.
For those unfamiliar with the language, "tabling" = "set up an information table" rather than a tabling motion or hitting a guy with a table on your interactive XBox game.
We will have amazing folk/rock/punk musical acts...
...followed by a list of bands I never heard of. They must be amazing, and they haven't sold out to the man, either.
We will also have tabling student orgs, ...
Again with the tabling.
vendors and a silent auction.
Selling what? Voter recruitment items?
We all know that this election is crucial to the protection of civil rights for many oppressed communities.
They found us out; Bush fully intends to lock away everyone in a wheelchair after the election so that none of this Chistopher Reeve stuff happens again. Someone must have snuck out with the memo.
Our hope is to encourage voter turnout, promote education on the issues that affect marginalized communities, and foster coalition building between progressive student activist/political/cultural organizations.
Which is of course utter crap. If it was to just encourage voter turnout, why was one particular cultural/activist/student org left off the list? One that would have a serious interest in getting out the vote? (Three guess which one.*) And this activity is paid for by student activity fees, better known as a tax.

Again, this kind of crap is happening on every American campus; while students should most certainly be encouraged to vote, these GOTV events are thinly-disguised rallies for the leftists and Bolsheviks in our midst.

*--Its initials are "CR".

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