(blush)

[jay]

However this election turns out -- even if Kerry somehow finds enough votes remaining uncounted in Ohio and Florida -- I'm ashamed and embarrassed for my country that it was even close. Religious intolerance and gay-bashing and fear-mongering outweighing this administration's poor economic performance, deceptions, an unjust and unnecessary war... by performance, Bush is arguably one of the worst US presidents, yet appeals to "moral values" were apparently enough to outweigh incompetence in office.

Increasingly, the so-called "red states" feel like a different country -- different culture, filled with potentially-hostile religious fundamentalists. Just like many Arab countries... I don't know if I could ever be comfortable living in my home state of Georgia, anymore.