It’s been quite a while, my friends. I think it’s time for some catch up!
Life has been a total rollercoaster for the past few months. I made a little Lifestyle Change, stopped eating fast food and started eating fruits and veggies with a vengeance. I’m officially down 30 pounds! A few weeks before the election we lost a student to violence, then lost another. I can’t say that I ever want to attend another teenager’s wake again in my life. It was all pretty gut wrenching and disturbing.
By the time the elections came around, I figured I had cried enough to last a few lifetimes. Needless to say, I spent election night drinking wine and sobbing tears of joy, for a change. Let’s hope that’s what we get.
That’s the only way I can describe what I just saw at the RNC. Sarah Palin may THINK she can convince middle America that she’s cool, feisty, and whatever… Sorry, Sarah, I’m not chancing voting for a ticket that includes a candidate who banned books from public libraries, advocates pro-life in ALL circumstances (including rape and incest), and pushes abstinence only programs in public schools despite the fact that THAT education clearly didn’t work for HER children.
I just reviewed the following video to remind me what I’m pushing for:
I’m still transfixed with the current political drama.
Ya know, at first I was interested in learning more about Sarah Palin, up until I learned about her Pro-Life stance. From that point on, I decided that I would NOT be voting for McCain under any circumstances. And to be completely honest, prior to that, I couldn’t help but kind of like the guy. I agreed with his perspective on pulling out of Iraq and leaving our soldiers high and dry. I liked his biography (minus the whole cheating on his first wife, who waited for him for 5 years while he was in a cell in Vietnam thing). I liked his ability to cross the aisle…and though I wasn’t exactly a Lieberman fan, I liked that McCain wanted to make the ballsy move of choosing him for VP.
But now? Now? There’s no way in HELL that I’ll jump party lines to offer any kind of support to yet ANOTHER Right wing Christian. Didn’t we all already learn the hard way that a leader who governs with a Bible instead of the effin’ Constitution gets us into some pretty murky places??
Palin’s church video makes Reverend Wright’s debacles look like a walk in the park.
Hmmph. It seems that it’s been a while since I directly wrote about politics.
Obama
I bought Obama’s The Audacity of Hope a few weeks back. While I will admit Barack is a decent writer, I found it, overall, pretty boring. If you’re into policy, congressional history, mixed in with a little autobiography, you’ll like it. Otherwise, skip it or read the excerpts on the net.
I left the book thinking, despite his grandiose ideals (that I just happen to share), he’s not such a great husband or father. He’s got that only child, my-job-is-so-important-that-it-compromises-my-family-life vibe going. Then again, these are likely GOOD qualities for a leader of the “most powerful” country in the free world. Like any great writer, artist, or leader, I guess something has to give. In this case, we get an inspiring leader, while his kids and wife get a part-time father and husband.
I’m not buying 100% into his rhetoric, yet can’t help but appreciate the words and ways of thinking. Sadly, I kind of feel like he already sold out. The title of this book was inspired by a 1990 sermon from Jermiah Wright (a piece written in reflection of George Frederic Watts painting, “Hope”), the man he dropped like a hot potato following the now infamous Wright sermons on AIDS, 9/11, and White America.
The audacity of hope.
That was the best of the American Spirit, I thought–having the audacity to believe despite all the evidence to the contrary that we could restore a sense of community to a nation torn by conflict; the gall to believe that despite personal setbacks, the loss of a job or an illness in the family or a childhood mired in poverty, we had some control—and therefore responsibility–over our own fate.
It was this audacity, I thought, that joined us as one people. It was that pervasive spirit of hope that tied my own family’s story to the larger American story.
Lieberman
What’s the deal with his choice to speak at the Republican National Convention? Is he really this desperate for attention or is he merely “socking it to” the Dems for screwing his previous election? Either way, I tend to believe that his presence doesn’t make him look like some rebel, but more like an A-hole.
Cindy McCain
I never liked this woman. There. I said it. After this was covered on NPR the other day, I found yet another reason to strongly dislike her. Now, I know First Ladies aren’t exactly running for president, but the person you chose as your running mate in life certainly has a reflection on YOU. I never inherently hated McCain, but his wife, on the other hand, is quite a piece of work.
Just Me
I really hope the next 4 years will bring better times than the last 8. Not that I blame GW or 9/11 for all of my life’s tribulations, but this certainly hasn’t been a great time to come into adulthood.
I randomly heard “American Pie” on the radio the other night. The last time I heard that tune was the night GW was elected for the second time. I remember being on the 290 in my beat up mercury tracer station wagon and gulping back tears at the irony of the timing. I know I’ll never again be that wide-eyed 23 year old, coming to a new town with high hopes and aspirations. It’d be nice to come in from the cold.
We really thought we had a purpose
We were so anxious to achieve
We had hope
The world held promise
For a slave to liberty
Freely I slaved away for something better
And I was bought and sold
And all I ever wanted
Was to come in from the cold
(I think) there’s truth in what Jesse was saying.Obama code switches, depending on the audience he’s speaking to.When the news covers him speaking to predominantly black voters, he breaks into a southern drawl, throws in a few double negatives, and makes cheap attempts at evoking some kind of evangelical preacher spirit.If he was smart, he’d stop worrying about convincing black America that he’s black, and start perfecting his Spanish.<p>Make no mistake, I’m voting for him, but I’m certainly not as smitten as I was when he first hit the scene.
You Said It