Dear Santa

At first I thought that writing these letters was like sending Christmas cards, but early for a change.

But really it is like sending letters to Santa--specifically 10 Santas living in the swing state of Wisconsin.

Dear Santa,

Please, please, please bring us a new president. Your vote matters, Santa, especially because you live in Wisconsin, which is hotly contested territory. Besides, there are all those crazy graduate students in Madison who still believe that voting for Ralph Nader will bring the change this country needs. In the best of all possible worlds, I would vote for Ralph, too, Santa, but this year I really really don't want to see Bush win again.

I agree with Ralph, because the differences between these 2 candidates are not what we would like to see. I was happy when Dr. Dean was on the scene, because whooping it up or no, he leaned more where I lean. Ralph speaks smart stuff about the problems with corporate power and the power of privilege, but I just don't think he can pull it out this year. I voted for him last time, Santa, but I don't know that I would have except that I live in South Carolina and I might just as well have voted for you.

But back to this year, Santa. We need you and all the other good people of Wisconsin (including those graduate students, if you could smack sense into them) to vote for John Kerry. We know that in your state, every single vote will count. So please don't get too busy on November 2nd to vote, and please don't fall for the lies and tricks of the Buch-Cheney folks. Look around you, Santa. 50 (I think they're now saying) fresh Iraqi military trainees were executed on their graduation day, and their bodies put in rows, to send a message to their compatriots, and to us, too, Santa. (Thanks for becoming an American citizen, Santa, and for registering to vote.) We need to be smart about our place in the world, which is a powerful place, but not when we keep squandering international good will and cooperation.

And Santa, we can't afford four more years of the Bush administration's environmental policies, which are short-sighted to say the least, and self-absorbed in the worst way. Nor can we take the erosion of civil liberties and depletion of freedoms using the Constitution, not to mention the elimination of legal rights, if Bush puts new Supreme Court judges on the bench.

But what do you need me writing to you for? YOU know who's been bad and good.

Yours sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen in a Red State