from an email i got: Today, many of us are struggling to understand our role in a nation that has just made such a bewildering, painful choice. We are gathering on campuses, at work, with our friends and our family, and asking where is the hope we felt so sure was on the way?

Well, the good news is we don’t have to look far.

Over 20 million of us voted on Tuesday. That’s 4 million more than in 2000, and the highest youth turn out rate since the voting age was lowered to 18. In the 10 most contested battleground states, the voting rate for young people was an astounding 64%. ...

But here’s what really stands out: 18-29 year olds were the only entire age group to support Kerry over Bush. We gave Kerry a 10 point margin of victory, over three times larger than Bush’s margin overall.

So when we ask ourselves, what can we do to help and heal the nation we still so dearly love, the answer is clear: we must lead.
Just before the election, the University of Maryland released a study revealing that 70% of Bush supporters still believe Iraq possessed or was building Weapons of Mass Destruction, and provided substantial support to Al Qaeda. Yet a solid majority of those same Bush supporters agreed that if we knew Iraq had no WMD’s and no connection to Al Qaeda, we should never have invaded.

In El Paso, Texas there is a copper smelting plant ready to open in a poor neighborhood near the University. It is poised to spew 6000 tons of pollution annually and literally poison everyone in the area.

At Temple University in Philadelphia, students pioneered a community wide Get-Out-The-Vote program that helped win the state of Pennsylvania, and their system could make the difference in local and congressional races all over the country.
This is one of many ways that young people can still help shape the honest, caring world we yearn for by using our power at the ballot box – and that is a chance to lead.

On Tuesday we met our challenge and defined our generation. There we can find hope. Now it is time to lead.

I thought it was a very good email and i cut pieces out. the dillemna now is an intersting one. people talk about moving to another country and getting away from the entire problem but it is essential that we don't do that. We must solve the problems we are presented not run from them. eventually things will get bad enough that enough people will vote for something better. it is the pendelum swing. there is always light at the end of the tunnel.