Speaking Out: Yeah It's Me Again

****Before I give my reaction to this article, I'd like to take this opporunity to officially offer Allison Cullin the olive branch. It's never been my intention to offend anyone personally, though I feel Ms. Cullin may not have accepted this reality like mostly everyone else has. For the record, I am not looking to attack anyone personally, this is an SG blog written by someone removed from the process, basically giving opinions on articles. For the first time in weeks however, the number of emails and facebook messages I've received are resoundingly positive, some actually inspiring, and people love to read my blog, I run into readers at parties, bars, even at work and I think it's really cool....so everyone that hates me, take out your cups and throw out all the hatorade cuz I'm not thirsty.


Unite: Votes unaccounted for
http://www.alligator.org/pt2/060306purgatory.php


Ok look....no guy likes the feeling of walking out of a pool of ice cold water straight into a crowd of sorority girls laying out to get some rays...I'm sure its very humiliating. On that train of thought, I know that Lola still having a reason to campaign must be hard to deal with for some, but fighting for a recount based on two hundred questionable votes, numbers that won't decide the election seems pretty damn humiliating to me.

Now listen folks...if UNITE truly were an indie party and truly had been on the fringes, I woulda been all over this in what will more than surely wind up being one more strategically authored scheme to demonize Florida Blue Key, raise concerns about the legitimacy of students conducting and validating their own elections, and give more ammo for ignorant Alligator eggheads to write their own hateful anti-SG diatribes that counteract everything we stand for and keep UF's most powerful tendency @ #1 (Political Apathy in case you didn't know that).

UNITE may have succeeded in holding off validation of the election...however...by pursuing a road that will no doubt scrutinize and seriously call into question the system we've come to know as "SECURE" [on-campus] 'online voting,' then I seriously doubt that any future elections superviser would opt to allow full internet voting. The transformation from the paper ballot to the intranet voting system was positive, though I believe the "right thing" to do would have been full online voting. However, to look at this from the opposing perspective....no paper ballot means no paper trail which could mean a severe and ugly showdown in 2006, it's also grounds for even me, beginning to re-evaluate just how much better full-online voting would be? This will no doubt end in an ugly showdown. A showdown that will hinder SG from moving forward and will further cloud the impression of SG to students, the press, and the administration.

The independent community TODAY is being spoken for by a sordid crew of ambulance chasers and old school System rogues with trivial-at-best-values. Without a Student Alliance Party, without an Access, without a true voice...these are certainly most troubling times to be a GDI at UF.

There is Light @...

What UNITE should be doing campaign-wise at this time is supporting Lola and working for the LS candidate. Politically-speaking, Unite senators-elect should start considering a party leader, such as Gavin Baker for instance, to represent them on the R&A Committee and begin dialogue with the various SG parties (treating Gator, Impact, and the incoming Swamp ticket as individual parties not making assumptions even if one is 99.9% sure.....politics boils down to several components, so make sure not to neglect formalities or pleasantries...we are in the South afterall). Unite senators-elect should also make the distinction between party loyalty and party absurdity, they should definitely speak amongst each other and draw (even) an imaginary line in the sand that will establish just how far they will go collectively, because these senators will have a full year's commitment to the student body, they just got elected, hence they are not working on colorful (or suicidal) efforts at drawing sensationalist media hoopla to pad re-election hopes. Also....there comes a time when the party leaders lose touch with the candidates....

UNITE Senators Elect I am speaking directly to YOU so kindly quit driving pins through your Christian Duque voodoo dolls just so long as to read this:

When UNITE's leaders picked Brandon Siler as your party's VP candidate you were NOT consulted, your opinion DID NOT count and I know that you probably hate having to admit that to yourselves, but TODAY, you are no longer candidates, you are Senators-Elect, hence the party is no longer the vehicle for your success, rather you have become the reason for its existence, you are the leverage, you are the POWER.

If you disagree you can and should dissent and stand your ground because there is a chance, with any party, that during troubling times, decisions may be clouded by self-interest and/or alterior motives and not always will the party line be your line. Make sure to give yourself the luxury of being an individual, with an opinion all your own and the tenacity to never allow others to intimidate you or pressure you out of being a true leader. Be proud that 1 out of every five students went to the polls at the election that put you in office, strive to raise those numbers by providing top level representation and w/o thinking about the movie Office Space too much when I say this, do ask yourself if whatever your doing is in the interest of ....the students.

One of your own's fate depends on a senate vote....the idea that you don't have the numbers anyway and to go to war just to go to war is absurd. The differences between Swamp & Unite (RIGHT NOW) are so minor that old rules on a divided Legislature need not apply, however, certain actions by your party's leadership may and will probably infuse a sentiment of rancor within the Swamp camp against you, so once again, if you believe in what your party is doing stand tall with them, but if you disagree, realize that your obligation to your party rests on fulfilling the initiatives of the platform (promise) to the students, not in being CANNON FODDER for battles that you may not agree with.

Demand that your party leaders ASK you collectively as opposed to TELLING you collectively what it is that will be done. Jared lost, Brandon lost, Lola's fate is pending, the REAL, BONAFIDE leaders of the UNITE Party are you YOU, the SENATOR-ELECT, so you had better get with the effin program and start making sure you're all over that decision making process. In my book ANY Senator-elect has more authority in UNITE than Jared Hernandez or Adam Roberts, if that's not the case, leave.

Best,

Christian Duque