Warren Wins Week One!

Warren B. in NY submitted this haiku and won the $50 Weekly Prize!

Ballot has Donkeys
and Elephants; are any
candidates people?

From Warren:

I'm originally from Woodbury, Long Island, and went to Brandeis Univ. ('95), Univ. of Miami (MM '97), and CUNY Hunter College (MA '03). I'm currently living on the upper east side of Manhattan, and teach music (concert band, jazz band, string ensemble and musical theater) at Talent Unlimited High School, as well as direct a pop vocal band and play piano for a cabaret project.

I found out about VoterVirgin from a friend on LiveJournal. Since we live under an outmoded federal electoral system and I'm in a state that's been given up for "blue", getting out the vote around here would be a silly endeavor; since the primaries ended, New Yorker's haven't seen a single presidential campaign ad on TV, thank God. However, I _have_ donated to Kerry's campaign, so I've done my part by proxy in a battleground state somewhere.

I was _born_ ready to vote in this presidential election; although I dislike knee-jerk liberalism as much as I hate knee-jerk conservatism, there's never been a starker choice between a authoritarian hatemonger and... well, a non-authoritarian non-hatemonger. I voted for Nader last time, and it hurts to not do it this time. He may appear to be running for ego's sake this time, but if the statewide polls are lopsided enough towards Kerry come Election Day, I may vote Nader this time too, to do my tiny futile part to support him and his principles. What a system we have where, in certain states, we can be assured that our votes really _don't_ affect the result in the end, eh?

I also like to think I can change some minds long-distance by using humor to inform others about issues that are important to me and perhaps are being sidestepped or glossed over hypocritically by the campaigns (*coughMaryCheneycough*). I've got some Onion-style articles on TheSpoof.com that political folks (and artsy folks) might enjoy. Check 'em out and tell me what you think (and be generous with the ratings!).

President Blames "Faulty Intelligence" For Wrong Date Of Rapture
Taiwan's President Opens Door for Unification, Getting Hung By ToenailsDisney Rejects Comcast Takeover Offer, Cites Bid's Lack of Catchy Soundtrack
Number Of Electronic Devices That Actually Work Correctly On The RiseNew York Yankees To Build Orbiting Baseball Stadium Of Unspeakable PowerBush "troubled" by activist Founding Fathers
Bush Seeks to Protect Marriage from People Who Are Gay, Post-Menopausal, Barren, Self-Absorbed, Ugly
Bush decries "partisan" Congress for establishing Memorial Day
Al-Qaeda hates America, plans attacks, says US Dept. of Obvious
Phish Retires; U.S. Employment Figures Plummet



Runners up to receive VoterVirgin prize packs are:

Robert H:

bullets flying by
mommy can i come home yet
if he doesnt win

T. Ahmed, CA
www.saavy.org:

The "Americans"
stifle my South Asian voice
Now I will be heard

Congratulations! And thanks for adding to the zen before the election!

Don't forget to submit a haiku for this week's contest. Rules at Hey You! (Week 2) Haiku!