As I sit and write this from sunny Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, it’s Election Day here in my home province. Today, Ontarians are being asked to go to the polls to elect the Premier of Ontario. I know to a lot of you FOX-watching ass-hats, the word/title of ‘Premier’ sounds suspiciously Soviet-like in its pronunciation, but actually what we call Premier is essentially the equivalent of a state Governor.
The last month or so has seen the voting-age public inundated with promises (which are destined to be broken no matter what side of the liberal-conservative coin you fancy yourself a member to be), campaign signage everywhere you look, partisan television commercials and candidate literature, quotes taken out of context, mud-slinging and automated dinner-time phone calls out the wazoo from local representatives begging for support. The message remains the carefully scripted same, the candidates look pulled from the pages of a marketing handbook and the sound bites are nauseating and repetitive. And when it comes to campaign music, you can bet one or the other or the other or the other (we have four main parties in Ontario) will be blasting either “The Boys are Back in Town,” “Takin’ Care of Business” or “Changes” at their little victory soirees later tonight.
Fuck that. Move to Poland. Vote for this guy: Jedrzej Wijas of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). I don’t know much about Wijas, but his website claims he’s working on a Ph.D. in literary studies and is a dedicated supported of the arts which is ok in my book. Plus, he hangs with members of death metallers Mortal God and his growled platform (translated to: “End the useless talking / Enough of the stupid wars / Secular government / Dignified life / Freedom / Is my goal / Vote wisely.”) works well enough for me.
P.S. Or fuck it all and watch hockey as the puck gets dropped on another NHK season tonight.
