Normally, I try to cite a news article or some sort of current event as basis for an entry because, otherwise, this blog is sort of purely opinion based, but - on this occasion - I think all I want to do is share an opinion.
Regardless of what the McCain campaign and their Fox News partners want to spew about the "east coast elites" and the "un-American" parts of the country, I know that - for my friends and I - we care so deeply about this country that we want only the best for it and the best doesn't come from divisive politics or fear mongering. The best America can be, for right now, is unattainable unless her leaders drastically change course and, yes, possibly even admit some wrong-doing. America has lost her respect and much of her power in the eyes of the world. Her people are tattered and tired, but - I don't believe - done, by any means.
We need leadership, though. Real leadership. We need someone who will stop spewing bullshit and be honest...as honest as any politician really can be, at least. Obama has the potential to change America's direction. Personally, his "inexperience" is almost a plus for me because, as I'm sure I've lamented before, I feel he isn't as entrenched in the Washington status quo as McCain (or even Clinton). You can't survive in politics without becoming indebted to someone, but I do think he has tried to keep his hands pretty clean. He has a vision. He has intelligence and eloquence. He has the potential to bring respect and class back to a country that's lacked it for so fucking long.
America's democracy is in trouble. We shouldn't have people waiting out in line for two to eight hours outside polling places. We shouldn't have fear and confusion in polling booths. It shouldn't even cross our minds in this country that a vote may not be counted. People have to know their rights; they have to know that - even if there are police officers everywhere - it's still their right to vote and they can intimidate you, but they can't stop you. (Well, unless you're actually doing something aside from voting that is illegal. Haha.) We need an informed electorate and this race, more so than any other in recent history, seems to have gotten people who would otherwise look away, to stand up and notice what's going on around them. I only hope they actually go out and vote. While McCain is certainly not the most heinous among the Republican party, what good will he bring to the nation? What change has he really told us he'd bring to the White House? McCain would not be the worst case scenario, but Palin really would be.
Anyone who was on the fence between Obama and McCain should have flung himself excitedly over to Obama's side after the announcement of Sarah Palin for Vice President. That decision alone proves how unequipped he is for the presidency. She does nothing but tell Americans over and over how perfect America is and how - to be a true American - you have to blindly follow failing leadership; you have to think America is great even when the evidence around you proves we have serious problems both in our backyards and overseas. Is it really un-American to point out your country's short-comings and vow to improve upon them? Lying to your fellow people, to other countries, and to yourself about America's perfection helps NO ONE, so stop calling Michelle Obama and the rest of us "unpatriotic" for not being proud of America's behavior. Over the passed five years, America has lost over 4,000 citizens to a war in Iraq (http://icasualties.org/oif/) not to mention soldiers from other countries, Iraqi solders, Iraqi civilians, the wounded, the troops in Afghanistan, or the families of all of the above. There are countless lives that have been ruined, so don't tell me America should be proud of it. There ARE things more important than being right, America. Like being smart. And smart is something Barack Obama exudes. He will - responsibly - end this nightmare.
We need to shred this "mightier than thou," "city on a hill," American exceptionalism shit and realize we are not the only players in the world anymore...and the world is shrinking. McCain hounds Obama for saying he'd meet with world leaders (specifically Ahmadinejad) without "preconditions." Yes, Obama thinks negotiation without preconditions is better than no negotiations at all...how terrible. We can't keep ragging on people and expecting them to drop their beliefs (no matter how passionately we may disagree with them) just because the mighty U.S. wants it so. There has to be understanding. There has to be compromise. Omaba seems like a man who knows the world is bigger than America's borders. American isolation simply will not work and we have to be active (but RESPONSIBLE) as a world leader...while we can still call ourselves one.
We also have to help our own right here. We can't have people falling more and more in debt, taking out loans only to dig deeper holes. It's a wretched cycle most Americans face as early as college (for those lucky enough to attend) with college loans. At 21 years old, you can find yourself under piles of debt. The cost of living goes up, while jobs decrease; they get sent elsewhere. We give breaks to big businesses so they'll stay big while the small ones get smaller and smaller until there are no Mom 'n' Pop places anymore. (As much as I do love my Starbucks, I'd take a smaller, independent coffee shop over it any day.) Maybe "spreading the wealth" sounds like Socialism, but I certainly think it's better than keeping all the wealth in the hands of the wealthy while the rest of us (and the economy) find ourselves in the shitter.
Further, we need to end the era of bigotry and hatred within our borders. In 2008, whether Barack Obama is an Arab shouldn't even be a factor. You shouldn't vote for him just because he's black, but you should also not vote against him because he's black. I don't dislike Palin because she has a vagina; I dislike her because everything about her, to me, is anti-American, anti-women, anti-environment, anti-civil rights, and anti-progressivism in general. In 2008, there is no reason why gays shouldn't - without question - have the right to marry. In 2008, there is NO reason why America is not leading the way towards energy efficient cars, homes, dogs, cats, everything! There's no reason for it and it needs to change. It needed to change four years ago, but...we'll take it now.
Election Day is tomorrow. I'm a mess of anxiety and excitement. I have little crying fits. I want to see this county be so much healthier than it is and has been for the last eight years.
The last eight years should have been so much different. Let's make the next eight brighter. Let's pull out of this period of de-regulation and executive-privilege-on-steroids and make America a country about which we can all feel truly proud again.
Please go out and vote tomorrow. It is one of the only parts of American "democracy" in which citizens actually get to be involved. There are many websites with polling information. One I came across is: http://www.vote411.org and it seems very helpful. Most polling places open between 6am and 8am and close between 6pm and 8pm. It's your right and the country needs you.
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Palin. Show all posts
Monday, November 3, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
No, Sarah Palin Really Isn't Hillary Clinton. Promise.
You probably know it better than me, but it really seems like your country is in trouble! Things were looking up with Obama and all, but the Republicans are up to their usual antics, or even worse. The actuaries put McCain at 30% chance of dying in his first term. Then it's president Palin!
The future is going to be very turbulent, partly because of the loss of wealth and influence that the US will experience, especially if the Republicans are elected again. It's quite sad to see what is happeneing, to the extent that I almost cancelled my trip to go somewhere like Japan or Australia! But I'm sure it will still be interesting to see what it is like in the US.
At least you can console yourself with this fact: No matter how bad it seems there, the things that are happening with my country's leadership is worse! At least there intelligent people almost have a chance to elect a reasonable government. Here, we are just resigned to the fact that it will be an idiot of epic proportions.
- Written by Warren / my friend in South Africa
in his recent email to me.
-------------------------------------------------
Naturally, promting a long response (with a few additions including the video):
(Written back to Warren)
...
Ugh...the election. Yeah. From my perspective, Obama is the best guy for the job. I've heard reports from European media outlets that say people in Europe think Obama would heal international relations. Is that the basic feeling there too? He wasn't my top pick, but - between Clinton and Obama - I voted Obama in the primary.
The fact that the polls have this election so close is disgusting. If McCain is elected, the entire world is going to laugh at us collectively (not that they haven't been the last eight years)...and then weep. I don't know what - if any - of the convention coverage you saw or read, but somehow the Republicans were trying to paint themselves as bringers of change. If their party was so great, why would people want change in the first place and WHY ON EARTH would we elect the same guys to bring about that change?
And Palin...oh, God. That is the most hypocritical and blatantly strategic move I've ever seen. They attack Obama's "inexperience" and then nominate someone with less experience than he for the second most important position in the country? With a presidential candidate in his 70's. Wonderful. She doesn't know anything about foreign policy. She did this interview and she was on the defensive the whole time while the interviewer really wasn't trying to fool her, I don't think. The interviewer (Charles Gibson) was calm and relaxed and was asking her honest questions about herself and her qualifications. She doesn't know what the Bush Doctrine is!? I wouldn't expect any regular citizen to know what that is, but anyone looking to be president should. Period. If I know what it is, so should this woman. My mom doesn't, but she's not a student of politics; she's not running for anything. Granted, the Doctrine has had a few incarnations since its first inception during Bush Senior's presidency.
This isn't fucking rocket science. I learned it in American Defense Policy as a second year political science student and I probably should have learned it sooner, but it was only the second international relations course I took. Does she know what the NPT is? North Korea ring a bell?
Aside from that, I pray that the women in my country are smarter than McCain thinks they are. If they do even minimal research they will find that Palin is NOT a stand-in for Hillary Clinton. I didn't vote for Clinton mainly because I worried that she is already too immersed in the Washington status quo that she won't want to change a lot of it...she's in debt to a lot of it. I just think Washington as a whole is corrupt (with lobbying, partisan bickering, etc.) and needs someone new who ISN'T waste-deep in it to try to clean it up. Obama's in it, but not as deeply, I think...I hope. I think Clinton would be good at the job and better than McCain, certainly, but I wanted Obama if those were my choices. Regardless, Palin IS NOT Hillary Clinton and I really want to see Clinton out there telling her supporters how she and Palin are polar opposites. Have you heard of "PUMA?" They are former Hillary supporters who have vowed to vote McCain in Clinton's absence. I don't understand it at all, but she has a lot of supporters considering McCain and with this Palin nomination, they may win some over. Clinton really needs to get out there and tell people the truth about Palin, that this woman does not stand for woman's reproductive rights, for gender equality, for gay rights, not even for gun safety. As I think they said in SNL this week: she thinks global warming is God hugging a little too tight. Haha...so that's may be too much, but you get the point. And It's appalling. Everything about this woman angers and sickens me. And saddens me.
Lastly, all this shit about sexism coming out NOW, now that we know Palin's daughter is pregnant especially. It was - apparently - perfectly acceptable for people to be sexist against an evil liberal like Hillary Clinton, but not this little lady with her "American" values. They want to say Bristol's pregnancy is a family matter. What does it say about her parents' ability to control their children? She's 17 and unmarried. Abstinence education didn't work within her own family, but it's good enough for the country? They said it was Bristol's "decision" to have the baby. (A) She didn't have a choice because of her family's conservatism and the fact that the spotlight is squarely on her now. (B) Let's say, for argument's sake, the family did allow Bristol to choose...the very fact that women have that right - that Bristol / her family had the right - to choose would be taken away is Palin had her way.
They said it was Bristol's decision and that the media should stay out of it; it's a private decision. Yes, it IS a private decision. But Palin would allot the government the right to make that decision if she had her way: and the decision would be to keep the baby even in cases of rape and incest. Her family is taking advantage of a freedom this country has for the time being, a freedom that they would have taken away so that it is no longer a private decision, but a governmental one, if they have their way.
How can that sound like a good way to run a country? As far as economic and foreign policy, I can't even talk since she has little knowledge or experience with either. McCain's war view is to keep it going, but how are we going to win anyone over while we're bombing them? I often wonder how George Bush sleeps at night...especially after the recent anniversary of the terror attacks. Watching the memorial stuff and all the shows about the buildings' collapsing: the whole time Bush had a warning. Nothing was done preceding the attacks to warn or prepare citizens and little has been done in the aftermath to prevent it from happening again. We got caught with our pants down and then turned around and bombed a bunch of innocent people. Awesome. A+, America. Way to fucking go. That's how we win hearts and minds...by scaring them into loving us and killing the rest.
Nah...I'm not bitter at all.
Sorry for that long rant. You can't get me started on politics in an election year and expect me NOT to go off! I'm very interested in your take on everything and what you've heard or know about the election. What is the political situation where you are? Since it's an election year here, it's like all other news just stops.
...
-------------------------------------------------
Lastly, and this is just for a quick LOL, Warren sent me this:
These are questions the US asks those applying for VISAs. He is in the process of planning of trip here in the winter. Number 3 is my favorite. Because, apparently, the terrorists who were smart enough to plan the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 are dumb enough to tell you that they are terrorists who want access to our country.
The future is going to be very turbulent, partly because of the loss of wealth and influence that the US will experience, especially if the Republicans are elected again. It's quite sad to see what is happeneing, to the extent that I almost cancelled my trip to go somewhere like Japan or Australia! But I'm sure it will still be interesting to see what it is like in the US.
At least you can console yourself with this fact: No matter how bad it seems there, the things that are happening with my country's leadership is worse! At least there intelligent people almost have a chance to elect a reasonable government. Here, we are just resigned to the fact that it will be an idiot of epic proportions.
- Written by Warren / my friend in South Africa
in his recent email to me.
-------------------------------------------------
Naturally, promting a long response (with a few additions including the video):
(Written back to Warren)
...
Ugh...the election. Yeah. From my perspective, Obama is the best guy for the job. I've heard reports from European media outlets that say people in Europe think Obama would heal international relations. Is that the basic feeling there too? He wasn't my top pick, but - between Clinton and Obama - I voted Obama in the primary.
The fact that the polls have this election so close is disgusting. If McCain is elected, the entire world is going to laugh at us collectively (not that they haven't been the last eight years)...and then weep. I don't know what - if any - of the convention coverage you saw or read, but somehow the Republicans were trying to paint themselves as bringers of change. If their party was so great, why would people want change in the first place and WHY ON EARTH would we elect the same guys to bring about that change?
And Palin...oh, God. That is the most hypocritical and blatantly strategic move I've ever seen. They attack Obama's "inexperience" and then nominate someone with less experience than he for the second most important position in the country? With a presidential candidate in his 70's. Wonderful. She doesn't know anything about foreign policy. She did this interview and she was on the defensive the whole time while the interviewer really wasn't trying to fool her, I don't think. The interviewer (Charles Gibson) was calm and relaxed and was asking her honest questions about herself and her qualifications. She doesn't know what the Bush Doctrine is!? I wouldn't expect any regular citizen to know what that is, but anyone looking to be president should. Period. If I know what it is, so should this woman. My mom doesn't, but she's not a student of politics; she's not running for anything. Granted, the Doctrine has had a few incarnations since its first inception during Bush Senior's presidency.
This isn't fucking rocket science. I learned it in American Defense Policy as a second year political science student and I probably should have learned it sooner, but it was only the second international relations course I took. Does she know what the NPT is? North Korea ring a bell?
Aside from that, I pray that the women in my country are smarter than McCain thinks they are. If they do even minimal research they will find that Palin is NOT a stand-in for Hillary Clinton. I didn't vote for Clinton mainly because I worried that she is already too immersed in the Washington status quo that she won't want to change a lot of it...she's in debt to a lot of it. I just think Washington as a whole is corrupt (with lobbying, partisan bickering, etc.) and needs someone new who ISN'T waste-deep in it to try to clean it up. Obama's in it, but not as deeply, I think...I hope. I think Clinton would be good at the job and better than McCain, certainly, but I wanted Obama if those were my choices. Regardless, Palin IS NOT Hillary Clinton and I really want to see Clinton out there telling her supporters how she and Palin are polar opposites. Have you heard of "PUMA?" They are former Hillary supporters who have vowed to vote McCain in Clinton's absence. I don't understand it at all, but she has a lot of supporters considering McCain and with this Palin nomination, they may win some over. Clinton really needs to get out there and tell people the truth about Palin, that this woman does not stand for woman's reproductive rights, for gender equality, for gay rights, not even for gun safety. As I think they said in SNL this week: she thinks global warming is God hugging a little too tight. Haha...so that's may be too much, but you get the point. And It's appalling. Everything about this woman angers and sickens me. And saddens me.
Lastly, all this shit about sexism coming out NOW, now that we know Palin's daughter is pregnant especially. It was - apparently - perfectly acceptable for people to be sexist against an evil liberal like Hillary Clinton, but not this little lady with her "American" values. They want to say Bristol's pregnancy is a family matter. What does it say about her parents' ability to control their children? She's 17 and unmarried. Abstinence education didn't work within her own family, but it's good enough for the country? They said it was Bristol's "decision" to have the baby. (A) She didn't have a choice because of her family's conservatism and the fact that the spotlight is squarely on her now. (B) Let's say, for argument's sake, the family did allow Bristol to choose...the very fact that women have that right - that Bristol / her family had the right - to choose would be taken away is Palin had her way.
They said it was Bristol's decision and that the media should stay out of it; it's a private decision. Yes, it IS a private decision. But Palin would allot the government the right to make that decision if she had her way: and the decision would be to keep the baby even in cases of rape and incest. Her family is taking advantage of a freedom this country has for the time being, a freedom that they would have taken away so that it is no longer a private decision, but a governmental one, if they have their way.
How can that sound like a good way to run a country? As far as economic and foreign policy, I can't even talk since she has little knowledge or experience with either. McCain's war view is to keep it going, but how are we going to win anyone over while we're bombing them? I often wonder how George Bush sleeps at night...especially after the recent anniversary of the terror attacks. Watching the memorial stuff and all the shows about the buildings' collapsing: the whole time Bush had a warning. Nothing was done preceding the attacks to warn or prepare citizens and little has been done in the aftermath to prevent it from happening again. We got caught with our pants down and then turned around and bombed a bunch of innocent people. Awesome. A+, America. Way to fucking go. That's how we win hearts and minds...by scaring them into loving us and killing the rest.
Nah...I'm not bitter at all.
Sorry for that long rant. You can't get me started on politics in an election year and expect me NOT to go off! I'm very interested in your take on everything and what you've heard or know about the election. What is the political situation where you are? Since it's an election year here, it's like all other news just stops.
...
-------------------------------------------------
Lastly, and this is just for a quick LOL, Warren sent me this:
These are questions the US asks those applying for VISAs. He is in the process of planning of trip here in the winter. Number 3 is my favorite. Because, apparently, the terrorists who were smart enough to plan the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 are dumb enough to tell you that they are terrorists who want access to our country.
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