Political Friday Five

It's Friday and with the country still caught up in a post-election euphoria (or dismay if you're amongst the 48% "minority" in California), I thought it appropriate to post an election/politics-themed Friday Five.

Now, you all know me and know that I don't, as a rule, do politics. So the questions below are rather light-hearted in nature, although if any of them spark interesting discussions, that would be cool, too :-) Thanks to Deuce and Allan for being the inspiration behind a couple of the questions. And yes, I realize #5 is a sort of cop-out, but I really do want to hear from you!

Here goes:

1. Where we you when the Tuesday's historic election results were announced?
2. Who did you vote for the first time you were eligible to vote?
3. Do you have any political stances you feel strongly about?
4. What's your favorite (or least favorite) politician quote?
5. Submit your thought-provoking election/politics-related question here. What's on your mind these days? What wacky question would you like to pose?

1. We have no TV (well we have a television but no cable service) in our apartment, so Allan and I spent the evening refreshing our web browsers on various news sites. About the time the polls on the West Coast were closing, though, was Todd's bedtime. I was in the midst of snuggling with the little man, doing our usual nighttime routine, when Allan snuck into the bedroom and whispered "He won". It made me realize just how effective seeing other people (i.e. on TV) affects our own reactions. We saw/heard no cheers of jubilation, so we experienced our own quiet elation in the privacy of our own home.

2. I turned in 18 in 1995, so I wasn't eligible to vote until the 1996 election-- the three-way showdown between Clinton, Dole and Perot. I voted for Clinton.

3. Remember how I once blogged about my sadness at seeing live animals at an Asian supermarket? It got worse once I actually visited an Asian country. I won't go into the details here (save it for another entry-- I know, I'm always saying that!) but you can imagine how awful I felt for the poor trapped live animals. I find the treatment of animals and the blatant disregard for their welfare deplorable, whether it's inhumane farm conditions or neglecting your pets. Just as deplorable is human beings' treatment of other human beings, whether it's outright torture or ignoring the starving masses. It is something I will never understand, something I feel very strongly about, and something that touches my cold cold heart like no other issue. Animal rights and human rights.

4. I don't know of a whole lot of (in)famous politician quotes, but I do remember my favorite from the Simpsons. This is the one where the aliens Kang and Kodos invade earth and take over the bodies of Dole and Clinton during the campaign:

My fellow Americans. As a young boy, I dreamed of being a baseball, but tonight I say, we must move forward, not backward, upward not forward, and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom. -- Kodos (as Clinton) gives a speech, "Treehouse of Horror VII"

5. I've supplied #3. 1 and 2 were from Deuce and 4 was from Allan. What's next? :-)