A Tribute

I would like to take a moment and at least try to acknowledge the significance of what we've just seen happen this week. Yesterday, August 27, 2008, the Democratic National Convention formally nominated the first African-American man as the party's presidential candidate.

For some reason, the importance of the above statement fails to strike me completely. I do not know if it is because we already knew this was coming for a long time, or because there is so much animosity toward Barack Obama and his politics and views. But it feels like the historical importance of what we've just seen occur is not getting much press.

We act as if the civil rights movement happened a lot longer ago than three or four decades. We act as if racism still isn't a part of society today, even when it still is in many instances. Maybe we have too small a grasp on the impact this has in the actual context of our history. Imagine thinking in the 1950's or 60's that the United States of America could nominate a black man to be president. Of course, we always talk about the American dream, and often don't see enough evidence of said dream. Yet here we have the epitome of what the dream really denotes, and it is lost in the politics of it all.

So at least for one day, or for a few minutes at least, I am sitting down, forgetting about the fact that it's Obama who is the nominee. The individual is insignificant. The politics are irrelevant. Just think about the wonder of something happening that people may have never imagined would be possible. And maybe, in some small way, it can help us believe that we can do great things, too.

In connection with this short thought, I would also include the significance of Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency. She didn't win, but she came very close. I think her impact, especially on women, in the context of history, is difficult to measure. Again, forget for a moment that it is Hillary, and just think about the act itself - she came closer to holding the highest office possible in the free world, as a woman. I submit that no one would have imagined it possible fifty years ago, either.

For just a moment......wait for it.......there. Good.

Now let's get back to the "fighting."

Why I Want Obama to Win the Election

I have been thinking about this topic lately, and there are a lot of reasons why I want Barack Obama to win the presidential election this November. Some of you (of the two who read my posts) will interpret this as me "coming out" as an Obama supporter. I am not "coming out." I am simply stating exactly what I already said - these are reasons why I want Obama to win. Nowhere will you see, "This is why I'm voting for Obama," because I have not even come close to concluding that I would be bold enough to take that course of action. Without further adeiu, here are some of my top reasons:


- He sounds intelligent. Now I know, no one is perfect, and even Obama can sound pretty labored when not having the luxury of a teleprompter next to him. But, come on, Bush can't speak coherently with a teleprompter (and John McCain is not so great himself). So having an intelligent-sounding president would be a real treat.


- I can't wait to hear the dynamics of political discussion completely flip-flop. After listening to "things aren't as bad as democrats make it sound" for at least eight years from conservatives under the rule of George W. Bush. I can see and hear and smell it now: all of a sudden, the country will be in the crapper, only because Obama became president. And it will be all Obama's fault. Of course, democrats will be saying "things aren't as bad as the republicans make it sound."


- Obama might actually have some positive foreign policy attributes, other than, we tell you what to do, you do it, or we threaten you, and then we bomb you. But then again, President Bush isn't the only president in recent history to take those positions, so I don't know how much hope we can have for the "weak on defense" democrat Barry.


- For all that's gotten screwed up under Bush's watch, I can't imagine Obama could do that much worse. I want Obama to get elected so everyone can see that the country actually won't be sent to hell, just because the "radical, marxist, socialist, communist, white-hater, muslim, abortion-loving, extremist-associating, corrupt-real-estate-broker-relationing," Obama got into office.

- When Obama implements his "socialist" policies, I want to see economic conditions improve in the country. And then I want to hear how it has nothing to do with Obama from the conservatives. Actually, I would love to hear them say they were wrong about the stock market self-destruction predictions they made previous to the elections, but I might as well clean all the bathrooms of Grand Central Station with my tongue (to quote "Weird Al"), because that ain't gonna happen.

- I want to laugh while people keep listening to Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Savage, attack and attack and attack President Obama, and defend their actions, all the while forgetting how dispicable they thought (and said so) democrats and liberals were for doing the same thing to President Bush for eight years. My oh my, no wonder nothing changes. But it will be bittersweetly funny.


Okay, those are just a few reasons I came up with off the top of my head. On a related note: after decidedly hating contradictions, I am really starting to embrace them. Epecially the fact that so many people do not even see the blatant hypocrisy in their words and actions (and I probably don't see it in myself, which makes it even more ironic and painful). For republicans, when the economy is in trouble, it is not Bush's fault - it's the democrats'. When gas prices go way up, it's not Bush's fault. It's the democrats' because they resist more oil drilling, and nuclear power.


However, when Obama's president, if the economy is weak, it will be his fault. If immigration doesn't change, it will all be on Obama. If gas prices don't go down, Obama will be to blame. And people can't see the double standard that they wake up with, walk out the front door with, and come home with, every day of their lives.

I'll come right out and admit - I don't like Bush, not really much at all. But I don't think he's ruined the country. I don't hate him. However, I think he set the bar so low for U.S. presidents, that either Obama or McCain will make a better president. So I may vote for McCain, I may not. I may vote for an independent candidate like Ralph Nader or Chuck Baldwin. But when the new president is sworn into office in January, 2009, I will have hope for him, for us, for the country, because he will not be President Bush.

But hypocritical politics, I suppose, will endure. People who want to hate McCain will find reasons that support that agenda. People who want to demonize Obama so they can feel better about voting for McCain when they never would have supported "the maverick" otherwise, will do so. I will not be a part of groups similar to those. As a close relative said recently (and I hope he doesn't mind me lifting this from him), "I vote for people, not parties."

Maybe later on, I will tell you why I want McCain to win.

How the President Sees the World

I read the article on the front page of the New York Times, grimacing, brows furrowed, in expected confusion. Why expected confusion? Confusion at how President Bush can threaten Russia for invading a country with a straight face. Expected, because this is not the first time the U.S. president has advised against invading sovereign territory, all the while maintaining troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, sovereign nations we invaded and still occupy today. The same thing happened when Turkey invaded the Kurdish region of Iraq last year.

I can only read things the way I see and understand them. All I know, is it's an audacious man who invades a country without a declaration of war, occupies that country for six or seven years, with no end in sight, who then criticizes another country for doing the same. I would find it hard to not feel hypocritical in pointing the finger at other nations.

Then again, finger pointing is always the most effective way to divert attention from where it really needs to be. In that regard, I'm sure President Bush is glad Russia is showing it's true "evil" colors. We have to have an enemy in order to have someone to fear and fight against. Since the "war on terror" gets more and more unpopular by the day, and we have become "buddies" with North Korea, and we are negotiating with Iran (even though you can't negotiate with terrorists, per the opinion of Bush himself), maybe Russia will fill the void left by the axis of evil countries. You know, in case the wars taking place in the Middle East abruptly end, and we need to war against another country. We wouldn't like to have peace for too long.

That's all.

To Drill or Not to Drill

To think that people would actually vote for McCain because he is "less bad" than Obama. Such a strategy is equally as stupid as voting for Obama because he is "less bad" than McCain. Both of these guys say whatever is necessary to get votes - to anyone, to anything, anywhere. It is absolutely pathetic. But either way, we get one of them. And life will go on.

Let them fight and fight about who is the bigger "celebrity." It's still absolutely pathetic.

P.S. I had to throw this out there just to give a little update. We are making a move into a new home, I am starting substitute teaching, and signing up for fall classes. I may not have the time "luxury" I've had in the past, but we'll see what we can do. As always, I will aim to entertain, if not offend you, in the best ways imaginable.