"You're fired."

I have always (since late 2000, at least) loved this speech from the film The Contender and can think of no better time than now, the eve of one of the most contested presidential elections in history, to share it.

Hanson: "Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen of the Committee: Remarkably enough, it seems that I have some explaining to do. So, let me be absolutely clear. I stand for a woman's right to choose. I stand for the elimination of the death penalty. I stand for a strong and growing Armed Forces because we must stomp out genocide on this planet, and I believe that that is a cause worth dying for. I stand for seeing every gun taken out of every home -- period. I stand for making the selling of cigarettes to our youth a federal offense. I stand for term limits and campaign reform. And, Mr. Chairman, I stand for the separation of Church and State, and the reason that I stand for that is for the same reason that I believe our forefathers did. It is not there to protect religion from the grasp of government but to protect our government from the grasp of religious fanaticism. Now, I may be an atheist, but that does not mean I do not go to church. I do go to church. The church I go to is the one that emancipated the slaves and gave women the right to vote. It gave us every freedom that we hold dear. My church is this very chapel of Democracy that we sit in together, and I do not need God to tell me what are my moral absolutes. I need my heart, my brain, and this church."

I urge you: do not forget to vote tomorrow. Voting should not only be a right and a privilege but responsibility. This is your chance to play Donald Trump, to have your voice heard about whether Mr. Bush should be fired or allowed to continue or whether John Kerry is better suited for the job.

Warning: Liberal ranting coming up. If you don't want to read me b*tching, stop reading now: I personally urge you to vote Kerry/Edwards; beyond my morals and beliefs, I have been nearly physically sick in recent days watching Mr. Bush's television ads (remember: I'm in New York now) talking about how after 9/11 he was there to care for the families and to hug children who lost parents. Mr. Bush, I have one question for you: Why do you think this is special? I believe that anyone else in your position would have done the same things. Do you think Gore would have stood at arm's length (no matter what your opinions of the man) and said, "Oh, well, that sucks. Sorry." No. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, yes, Mr. Bush--you showed great compassion and clearly were overcome with emotion and I do respect this act of yours, but please--please--can't you think of any other platform to run on? During the debates this was my chief source of aggravation: Bush seemed to want applause or a cookie or something for simply doing his job. "It's tough work." Yes, we all know it's tough work, that you have the most difficult job in the country, but part of that job is not to complain to the public. It comes with the territory. That's what your family is for. Being president is a THANKLESS job. And you, of all people, have seen close up how tough the job is when your father was in office. If you can't take the heat, get out of the sauna. Now that this is off my chest . . .