doughyatt.org

"Not chaos-like together crushed and bruised, but, as the world, harmoniously confused: where order in variety we see, and where tho' all things differ, all agree." --Alexander Pope

Welcome to my personal web site! I am Doug Hyatt, an aspiring writer living in East Tennessee, as well as an expert in the field of bioinformatics (biology meets computers). Tired of the straitjacket nature of blogging software, I have finally decided to design my own pages. Instead of struggling to make sense of a single 'harmoniously confused' blog, my humble readers may now select which of my varied jumble of interests they wish to learn more about. Each mini-site features its own static content as well as a running blog detailing my latest exploits related to its subject. Enjoy!

November 4, 2004: "The horror... the horror..."

"W. doesn't see division as a danger. He sees it as a wingman. The president got re-elected by dividing the country along fault lines of fear, intolerance, ignorance and religious rule. He doesn't want to heal rifts; he wants to bring any riffraff who disagree to heel." -- Maureen Dowd, New York Times, November 4, 2004

"The world does not accept that moral ends justify immoral means. No election victory will change that." --Simon Jenkins, London Times, November 4, 2004

In a shocking turn of events, George W. Bush has won a second term as president of the United States. I was deeply saddened by the American people on the night of November 2nd, 2004. On that fateful night, they legitimized the reign of a tyrannical warmonger; the people of our once great nation succumbed to Karl Rove's cleverly run campaign of fear, terror, and brainwashing. As Jon Stewart of the Daily Show wryly observed, the issues of the war, the economy, and terrorism were all "apparently trumped by the thought of two dudes kissing". Truer words have never been spoken.

I, and most of the non-U.S. portion of the world, expected Kerry to win. Bush was behind in the polls on so many issues, including the economy (which pundits say decides elections singlehandedly, but you can throw that theory out the window with this one). His approval rating had fallen below fifty percent. A vigorous consensus had been formed across the airwaves; our televisions flooded with the clamor of the angry and the disenfranchised, decrying Bush in a near-unanimous voice. Everywhere I turned, another rock musician, another writer, another comedian, or another Hollywood personality would emerge from the woodwork to condemn the president and to urge young people to get to the polls. Almost all of my friends voted for Kerry; a great percentage of them early voted.