As I write this, I'm wearing a loose-fitting, pale green dress. It's more comfortable than jeans and no one will be around for hours. It's my writing dress, so to speak. It's soft and it clings just right and hangs just so; it frees up my left-brain a little more than my boy clothes do. I'm not an exhibitionist about it, however. I would never be caught dead wearing my writing dress in front of people I didn't know very, very well. I'm a little puzzled as to why I'm telling you this right now. I'm not a crossdresser or anything. It's just clothes.
What I really want to talk about is Belarus and the crackdown in Minsk. I was hoping for another Orange Revolution but that doesn't look hopeful. If you don't know: President Alexsandr Lukashenko won an obviously rigged election late last week. Protestors took to the streets, camping out in October Square in an effort to have their voices heard. The stifling of democracy is a terrifying prospect. Don't forget that in coming years.
Anyway, the protestors camped out in October Square all week - until this morning. The cops had held back, slyly following and arresting people who would leave the square for food or work and ticketing and harrassing drivers who would honk their horns in approval of the protestors. This is serious totalitarianism. This morning, the cops moved into the Square and arrested everyone. I thank God the arrests were peaceful.
It got me thinking about our 2000 presidential election and how, for the most part, Americans trust the electoral process, which I think is great. If there are problems and corruptions, they come from both sides and the cheating almost seems more like gamesmanship than oppression. I do wish those in power could be trusted to trust the voice of the electorate. I guess we just have to stay vigilant. I hope things will be alright in Belarus. I am no fan of domination.
This has been less than eloquent, but I have a massive headache and I stayed up too late on the phone with Chris last night. I'll try to do better next time.
