You Ignorant Sluts

The "Sit on Your Ass" Congress

2011-11-01T09:05:00.004-04:00

It seems to me that the "Tea Party" morons in Congress have failed to understand exactly why they were elected. Apparently they think their mission from God is not to do anything at all, & thus assure that President Obama doesn't get credit for any legislation that could actually help the American people dig out of the mess that the Republicans created in the first place. God forbid that anything they do might even inadverdently help the President, whom they hate with an almost pathological fervor, beyond all reason. It's really, really hard not to think that racism is a huge part of this hatred, because otherwise their behavior makes no sense at all. They also seem to detest everything to do with government, so it's rather puzzling why they would want to be actually in it. The opposite of government is chaos, but they act as if they don't understand this, & that just may be the real problem. Lack of intelligence hasn't ever stopped anyone from running for office, but these yahoos have taken that to a whole new level. They seem to have no knowledge of history, & certainly aren't interested in learning anything that doesn't fit in with their odd, ass-backwards view of the world. Facts just seem to get in their way, especially if they contradict their weird, moronic beliefs. I've followed politics all of my adult life (& used to work in that area for years when I was younger), & I've certainly never seen anything like this, ever.

Coming To America

2011-08-25T14:11:00.020-04:00

The following post is one that was written for & published on another site about a year ago, but with the continuing controversy in Arizona especially, I think it's obviously still relevant to our national dialogue:

As the grandaughter of immigrants, I feel a kinship with all of those people who are brave enough to leave their own countries to start a new, hopefully better, life in a new country. My paternal grandfather, who came here as a teenager from Italy, loved America & was always thankful for the opportunities he had been given here. I once asked him why he never went back to Italy to visit, & he told me that in Italy he had nothing, & not much of a future to look forward to, but that America had given him the chance to become a success & to provide his family with the type of life they would never have had in Italy. He was proud when both of his sons, my father & my uncle, went to fight in WWll for their country, even though the country of his own birth was aligned with the other side. I couldn't understand that at the time, & I confess that I still find it somewhat strange.

We who were born here seem to take a lot about our lives for granted, even if we are only first or second generation Americans, whereas immigrants are grateful for & embrace all of the things that they didn't have in their homeland. The most important of these things is simply opportunity. While native-born Americans sometimes act as if success is owed them, those not born here look at it as a gift that they must nevertheless work to achieve. This is as it should be, but sometimes I wonder what immigrants must think when they see people become famous & materially successful without actually working for it (if the shoe fits, then wear those Jimmy Choos- everybody knows the people I'm talking about).

I really believe that most Americans, especially those of us whose ancestors came here as immigrants (which is actually everybody but Native Americans, but you know what I mean), do welcome people from other countries & other cultures. However, there are still some people (hopefully, in the minority) who apparently think that everyone who emigrates here is after their jobs. It doesn't seem to matter that most of the jobs taken by immigrants are those not exactly coveted by the majority of Americans. In fact, a lot of highly educated professionals from other countries can't actually practice their chosen professions here because of poor documentation, licensing problems, language barriers or other difficulties, especially if they come from politically volatile or repressive countries. How many times have you heard of otherwise highly qualified medical doctors, scientists or engineers who end up driving a taxi or working in a fast food place to make a living, most often working for minimum wage to support themselves & their families?

However, most of the problems we see with the backlash toward immigrants are with those poor souls from Latin America countries, especially Mexico, who often come here the only way they know how, by illegally crossing borders or rivers. They don't get to see the Statue of Liberty before landing on Ellis Island, as all of my grandparents did, or to see the welcoming words written by Emma Lazarus at the foot of this magnificent beacon of hope & opportunity: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Instead, what they often see are vicious dogs & bigots with guns

I do understand that the terrible economy & the horrendously high umemployment rate have been a factor contributing to the backlash, but I suspect that these mean-spirited individuals who want to patrol the border with firearms, use barbed wire & barrier walls & immediately deport everybody here illegally actually would think like this even if circumstances were better. No matter what they call themselves, these right-wing crazies are all cut from the same mold, & intolerance seems to be their real political movement & hate their real religion. We certainly do need a new federal immigration policy, but it must be more than a selfish, punitive kind of policy. It can't be that difficult to come up with a solution to this very real problem that is fair to all concerned, leavened with the admonition given to us from Jesus, & echoed by all of the world's major religions in one form or another, to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". We really are all brothers & sisters, & we should start acting like it. This is America, which is still a singular & magnificent experiment, no matter where we started out. There is simply no other country like it. We all end up in the great melting pot that blends our diversity into shared humanity. We can't let those who don't actually believe in the underlying concept of our country control the dialogue about immigration (or anything else, for that matter). Real patriots need to be the face of America in the 21st century.

The Neverending Story- Campaign Edition

2011-08-23T23:50:00.046-04:00

Is anybody else already tired of the 2012 election, & it's only 2011? I mean, honestly, have you ever seen a weirder bunch of candidates than these Republican clowns? Even if you combined everybody's good points (assuming there are some), you wouldn't have one decent candidate. Even the supposedly non-moronic ones, like Romney, are acting like this is an audition for a reality show. I mean, actually telling people that your humongous mansion isn't quite humongous enough for you is insane. And I just read somewhere that he likes the "Twilight" book series. Really? Seriously? Rachel Maddow speculates that all of Romney's gaffes have to actually be some master campaign strategy, otherwise the odds are just too great for that many blunders. And the Scary Ignorant Idiot Brigade, led by Bachmann & Perry, just frigging keep saying shit no normal person would even think of saying in public. As I never tire of saying, in Texas they call Bush the "smart one" when comparing him & Perry. I think you can sort of stop right there talking about him, actually; that really says it all. And Stepford Wife Bachmann is basically Sarah Palin with a (Christian) law degree (& without the trashiness). By the way, are there really two versions of the law, one Christian & one not? Perplexing, no?

This election cycle seems to be a case of the inmates running the asylum. Are there really Republicans that can listen to this idiotic, hateful, bigoted, homophobic, racist, & just plain mean rhetoric & not cringe to think that these morons are representing the party of Abraham Lincoln (even though it hasn't really been that in a long, long time)? Romney doesn't seem mean-spirited & hateful like the others, but still is so out of the mainstream of normal American thinking that it just seems unbelievable that he's the most rational alternative to the other batshit-crazy people. After the 'big three', the rest of the field is simply even more ridiculous. Ron Paul is like everybody's crazy, cranky uncle; Newt now seems to be a figment of his own imagination; Huntsman's smart & not crazy, but has no charisma & always looks angry; Herman Cain & Rick Santorum are basically non-starters; & that's about it. I really wish both Sarah Palin & Christine O'Donnell would join the fray; that would be even more of a hoot to have an almost all crazy person lineup. The sound bites alone would be 24/7 entertainment.

And that's exactly what the biggest problem with this bunch is- it's way more like reality show entertainment than actually serious politics. Yeah, maybe one out-there wacko in a campaign would provide comic relief when actual policy discussions get too deep, but when most of the candidates fit this profile, there's something seriously wrong with the picture. I can't imagine what the rest of the world must think of our electoral process when they see (or worse, listen to) this ridiculous bunch, who almost all seem so out of the mainstream of American politics as we've always known it. Even though I guess I'm one of those liberals/progressives who've been more than a little disappointed with President Obama's apparent capitulation to, & baffling, neverending patience with, the right-wing crazies currently running the Republican show, just comparing his intellect & real accomplishments so far, especially in the face of the very real fiasco of an economy he inherited, with this bunch is completely ludicrous. I guess we'll just have to keep watching the show & keep being entertained, because we're sure not being informed very much about anything so far, except how completely far our country seems to have gone off the rails. Stay tuned, folks, if you have the stomach for it- anything might happen.

"Christian" Homophobia

2011-08-13T17:31:00.011-04:00

Well, I see another so-called "Christian" homophobic GOP congressman has been caught with his "principles" compromised. What a joke these guys are. They call themselves Christians, but can they possibly be any further from what Christ actually preached? It offends me, & it should offend everyone, whether you're Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or any other religion. Or even an atheist. I guess you can call yourself anything you want to, but at least don't pretend that whatever deity you claim to worship approves of hatred & discrimination. I don't know of any religion or form of spirituality that preaches this. I don't claim to know a lot about other religions, but I do know that Christ preached about tolerance & love & equality & treating others as your brothers & sisters. How do these haters justify their behavior? Aren't they at least embarrassed to spew this vicious, hateful rhetoric about anyone not exactly like themselves, whether it's race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or any other difference? And why do the rest of us allow them to do it unchallenged? Just because they're crazy shouldn't give them a free pass to say absolutely anything they want to. And I don't even want to start in on that so-called "church" in Texas that pickets funerals- what assholes!

As I said before, the only reason this kind of behavior goes on is because we let it. And we can't possibly measure the harm it does to everyone. Do we really think that there aren't a whole bunch of ignorant morons out there who believe this shit, especially if they hear it enough? The 2010 election results proved that to be true. Of course, that just revs me up to my favorite subject lately, which is proposing an IQ test that everyone must pass to be able to vote in any election. Yeah, it's undoubtedly unconstitutional, but why must idiots be allowed to dictate who makes our laws? Maybe, as Winston Churchill said,"... democracy is the worst form of government, except all the other forms that have been tried", but really, don't you know at least a few people you wish wouldn't be able to vote? I know I certainly do.

I know that Democrats are certainly not exempt from these awful so-called " sex scandals" (Rep. Weiner, anyone?), but they're mostly just egotistic idiots, & not mean-spirited people talking about hate & intolerance. It just always seems to me that it's the anti-gay "Christian" Republicans who get caught in compromising homosexual situations. I just can't believe that we're still dealing with this bullshit in 2011. Shouldn't we be more enlightened by now? Don't we have bigger problems right now than worrying about someone's choice of whom to sleep with or marry? Doesn't this seem ludicrous to anybody but me?

With a Heavy Heart

2011-08-10T09:50:00.037-04:00

I, along with millions & millions of others, were so hopeful & excited just three years ago. We just knew that finally we had somebody who could cut across the bullshit & inspire other politicians to be better. Now, not so much. I am still an unabashed liberal, & I still love President Obama, but I am so, so disappointed that his leadership qualities are not what we all hoped they would be. I do understand that he dislikes conflict & confrontation; I do, too, but I wasn't elected president to transform the political system, & he was. He's undoubtedly a brilliant man, & I know his heart's in the right place, but why on earth can't he stand up to the people who only want one thing: to destroy him & his presidency? And in the process, they're destroying the whole country.

My heart actually hurts when I think about the mess we're in right now, & how much it's damaged the chances that Obama will be reelected in 2012. And the absolutely worst part is that the very people who caused the economic crisis are the ones blaming Obama & the Democrats, & I'm sorry to say that apparently most people seem too dumb to recognize this. It's just too bad that the morons who voted for the "teabaggers" (as Bill Maher calls them) can't be the only ones who have to suffer the consequences. That would truly be karma. Ah, well.

I really think that the president needs to look up the definition of "compromise". He's constantly being bullied into giving up way more than the other side. That's actually called "capitulation", not compromise. He really, really needs to draw a line in the sand that he absolutely will not cross. Instead, he keeps letting the teabagger-led Republicans move the frigging line to wherever they want it. Say what you want about Bill Clinton, but he knew how to deal with these kinds of people. I'm afraid that Obama's lack of administrative (& perhaps political) experience is coming back to haunt all of us. Maybe he should talk to Bill- & Hillary, too, about the mess he's in. I agreed with Clinton about using the 14th amendment solution for the debt ceiling debacle (& apparently so did Nancy Pelosi, whom I love), & I think Obama should have just said "Fuck this shit- I don't need you" to the Republicans, & raised the frigging thing, which every other president has had no trouble doing. Isn't it more than a little suspect on the part of the Republicans that this president is absolutely the only one who has had this problem? Do people still think after this that racism isn't involved in everything the Republicans do, especially the teabaggers? I think it's insulting both to the man & the office, & yet they keep getting away with this behavior.

The Congressional Democrats aren't blameless in this whole situation. Not enough of them, either, are speaking the truth clearly or often enough to the American people. Why can't they, & the president, have the balls to tell the truth about how & why we got to these miserable circumstances we're in, & to blame the people responsible? It's just unbelievable to me. At least the teabaggers have the guts to say exactly what they think, even if they are all batshit crazy & completely ignorant of history. Something has got to be done, & quickly, or what's still left of the middle class is going to be obliterated. Those of us who used to be middle class, & are now the working poor (at least those of us who still have jobs), have almost lost hope of things getting better for us. I fear our country becoming like some third world country that has two classes: the rich (who, because of the inequality of our tax code are getting even richer); & the poor (all of the rest of us). Our country could return to the condition it was in after the Depression, before FDR & the New Deal & the rise in importance of labor unions ( which actually helped more than anything to create a middle class).

We have to hold people responsible not only for what they do, but also for what they don't do. Every member of Congress should have his/her feet held to the fire. Moaning & bitching may relieve stress, but it doesn't solve problems. And the idea of only cutting spending, especially for those programs which really help people ( more than ever in a bad economy) & not making everyone pay their fair share of taxes is simply ludicrous, & is also, I think, criminally naive. We need to raise revenue the right way, create programs to put people back to work (maybe by actually making stuff in this country again), & refuse to be terrorized (yeah, Biden was right) by ignorant morons who simply want to destroy our president, our government, & our very way of life. They may have nothing to lose, but we have everything to lose, & we're losing it fast.

Guns, Guns, Guns!

2011-01-10T15:33:00.014-05:00

"Guns don't kill people; people kill people". If I ever see that idiotic statement again after what happened over the past weekend in Arizona, I may have to kill someone myself, with my bare hands. The one & only purpose of guns is to kill, period. Seriously, do hunters go into the woods intending to only wound an animal, maybe just to see it writhe in agony for their amusement? Do soldiers go into war hoping to stop the enemy by shooting them somewhere on the body where the wound wouldn't be fatal? Or are these hunters & soldiers, as well as the police, using rubber bullets, just to stun perhaps? As stupid as those questions sound, it couldn't sound as stupid as that opening statement does.

I guess there are responsible gun owners, such as hunters, whether or not I approve of the "sport" of hunting or not. Two of my uncles were hunters, & they owned actual hunting guns, not handguns or semiautomatic weapons. Why can't we pass laws outlawing every kind of gun other than those expressly intended for hunting? How could the NRA object to that? I would bet that the overwhelming majority of hunters are not even members of the NRA, anyway.

I don't like guns, period- any kind of guns. Obviously, they are necessary to the police & the military, but that's about it, as far as I'm concerned. Even if hunters & those concerned with "personal security" (whatever the hell that actually means) are included with the former as gun owners, the question remains about exactly who should & should not be allowed to own guns, & what types of guns. Who exactly would qualify as a responsible gun owner, anyway? Shouldn't it be someone who can pass not just a background check for past criminal behavior, but someone who has no mental health issues & actually knows how to properly use the gun in question? As much as I hate even talking about this, & believe that the second amendment has been misinterpreted (not hard to do, since it seems quite ambiguous to me), unless we are going to completely outlaw guns, which I would love but know isn't going to happen in the near future, we do need way better regulation not only concerning who can own them, but what kinds can be owned by individuals. Nobody needs an assault rifle or a semiautomatic weapon to either go hunting or for personal protection, & I don't think handguns are necessary at all.

The Republican Party has always been the party who oppose any regulation of guns, & I've always wondered exactly why that is. Yes, they undoubtedly get big campaign donations from the NRA & other pro-gun lobbies, but since we're not talking about completely banning guns, but simply regulating them, I just wonder if there's something else going on there. I can't begin to speculate what it could be, but it's very curious to me. Why would anyone think that it's ok for a mentally unbalanced person with no weapons training to own an assault rifle, for instance? I just think that's odder than hell- makes no kind of sense.

Putting aside the question of why the political climate in our country has become so full of hate & intolerance (that's being beat to death right now, & I think you can guess what I think about it, anyway), this situation with guns being so readily available to anyone who can afford to buy one, especially at gun shows, is intolerable to me. I think it's incredibly stupid & irresponsible. I'm afraid that the Democrats have been complicit in letting this situation get as out of hand as it now is, & someone has to finally step up to the plate & say "enough". I really admire the sheriff in Tucson who just put it on the line & said what most politicians are too cowardly to say about the climate of violence today. What's really strange to me is that most law enforcement people support gun regulation, & yet the politicians of both parties sit on their asses & let shit like what happened in Arizona occur, perhaps on a smaller scale, all over the country, over & over. Am I missing something, or are they all just cowards?

Because He Can

2009-12-15T15:13:00.004-05:00

Can Joe Lieberman be even more of an asshole than I thought he was? I honestly did not think that my opinion of him could go any lower than it already was, but damnit, today it went frigging subterranean. He finally acknowleged that the real reason he opposes meaningful healthcare reform is because he hates liberals. He admitted that he's opposing the Medicare buy-in because liberals such as Rep. Anthony Weiner (D, NY) like it too much. I guess that what I've been reading in the blogs is absolutely right: progressives (read 'liberals') should have fought to the death for a single payer system, so the centrist compromise would actually have been the public option/Medicare buy-in or some other form of REAL reform, instead of the bullshit we're going to end up with. What an absolute prick Lieberman is, & the fact that the cowardly Democrats are letting him get away with this shit is simply indefensible. Like a spoiled child, he's doing it BECAUSE HE CAN. And he's frigging getting away with it. That's way beyond sad, holding the whole country hostage to this fucking egomaniac. I honest to God hope he rots in hell for all eternity. He deserves it, if anybody ever did.

Here We Fucking Go Again

2009-11-03T13:03:00.007-05:00

Well, the Catholic Church is yet again trying to bite off its nose to spite its face. The United States Council of Catholic Bishops, the governing body in the U.S., is apparently instructing all pastors to distribute anti-health reform material at masses. And of course, the issue is.....(wait for it) ........ ABORTION! What a surprise. Talk about a one issue group of folks. I guess it's ok for people to die &/or suffer needlessly because of lack of decent medical attention, but don't even think of paying for abortions with medical insurance. Is it any wonder that the Church is losing members in droves, including the always traditionally Catholic populations of many, many South & Central American nations, because it's so out of touch with the actual real-world concerns of almost everyone these days? Do they really think that just because you CAN get an abortion, you're GOING to get one, just for the hell of it? I honestly don't understand this logic- I guess because there actually is no logic involved.

I am so absolutely sick of this shit. If it wasn't so infuriating & just so WRONG, it would be funny, that one issue could be the lone overriding concern cancelling out literally EVERYTHING ELSE in existence, apparently. At least some of the bishops have to know that this is just wrong & crazy. There is no way in hell it can be justified, & I know that at least some of them aren't absolute idealogical robotic morons. And don't you just love the way they handle the church/state separation (as always)? Oh, I guess that doesn't count, cause it's just in the Constitution, not the Bible (not that Catholics know jack-shit about the Bible). What hypocritical assholes. Jesus would be ashamed.

Jackasses on the Loose

2009-10-05T11:43:00.023-04:00

In an op-ed piece in last Sunday's New York Times, titled "The Politics of Spite", the economist Paul Krugman said that "the modern conservative movement, which dominates the modern Republican party, has the emotional maturity of a bratty 13-year-old". That is true, especially if the 13-year-old was also named Damien. But I believe that it's much more serious than calling them juvenile. They're also vicious, mean-spirited, racist, homophobic, ignorant & dangerous. And crazy, especially these jackasses (my new favorite word) who go around waving signs denigrating the president, but can't tell the Constitution from 'Pat the Bunny'. And on Bill Maher's show on the Friday before last, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman, whom I rarely agree with, was talking about the violent atmosphere that will undoubtedly cause some crazy, ignorant right-wing asshole (my words, not his) with a gun to go on a rampage that will end in tragedy. I mean, a poll on Facebook about murdering the president? Are you fucking kidding? What's the old adage about the lunatics running the asylum? That's the Republican party right now. Jeaneane Garofalo, whom I absolutely love cause she just always calls a spade a spade, said on the same show that these lunatics are basically white supremists, which I think is very true. That's the reason it's become so personal with all the shit about Obama. They just do not want a black president, & I believe will stop at nothing to try to eliminate him, not just his policies. I'm sure that they resent the fact that he's not only smarter than them, but more educated & sophisticated, too. Not that they actually respect any of those things; in fact, they seem to revel in their ignorance & stupidity. Go figure- I sure as hell can't (& don't want to).

Are the rest of us- the sane, relatively informed people who actually elected Barack Obama- really going to sit around & listen to & watch this bullshit any longer without doing something? I went to see Michael Moore's awesome film "Capitalism: A Love Story" the other night, & I didn't know whether to cry or take to the streets. He shows, in ways the average person who isn't well-schooled in economics can understand, exactly how Wall St. has fucked us, over & over. It's just part & parcel of this same kind of crap that we observe & say "somebody should do something about that". Well, guess what, folks? We are those somebodies. Nobody's going to ride in on a white horse, even the brilliant & talented President Obama, to save us. It really is up to us. It's not just almost too late to actually do something about global warming, but also all the other things that are JUST WRONG. In his movie, Moore compares our civilization to that of the Roman Empire, & we all know what happened to it. It's not just hyperbole to say these things- it's urgent to wake people up to all of the terrible things we seem to be getting used to. We really don't have to put up with all the bullshit about banks & other financial institutions being "too big to fail". That's just too bad if they've fucked things up so badly, but they knew there wouldn't be any real consequences for them, just for us. I mean, what kind of shit is this that the very people whom they've already fucked over & over are the very ones who have to pay for their incompetance & criminality? We are STILL the ones who are hurting, not the CEOs, who are still racking up millions in "bonuses". I'm sorry, but isn't the definition of "bonus" a reward, for doing something over & beyond the average? How does nearly bankrupting a company earn someone a bonus?

And I've just recently read something I guess I really shouldn't be surprised about, but have to confess made my jaw drop. Certain "conservatives" have decided that not only does the "left-wing media" write lies, but apparently so have the authors of the Bible. Yes, folks, all that liberal stuff about treating your fellow human beings as you yourself would like to be treated, & our obligation to feed & clothe the poor & take care of our less fortunate brothers & sisters needs to be cut out of the Bible. As does all that commie language about the rich finding it harder to get into heaven & Jesus throwing money changers out of the temple. Aside from the fact that these people apparently have no idea what a metaphor is (see the earlier comment about reveling in their own ignorance), there are some things that I guess SHOULDN'T be taken literally.

It's just exhausting to even think about all this. I sometimes feel like Rosanne Rosannadanna (Gilda Radner's brilliant character on SNL), who used to say, after a long diatribe against something or other, "Nevermind". But unfortunately, we can't afford to say that today. Our very existence is in jeopardy from ignorant people who actually bring guns to town meetings with the President. It's almost weirder than fiction.

It's been a while since I started this blog, so I just found out yesterday about President Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. I love it especially because it's making the right-wing crazies practically explode. But seriously, one of them actually said that this was the"elite" Europeans' way of finally voting in the 2008 election. Fuck, yeah! What in the hell is wrong with that?

The Crazies

2009-09-04T14:39:00.005-04:00

The crazies are out in force about the President's speech to schoolkids next week. I work in education, & speak from experience. Sadly. I mean, seriously, what the hell is wrong with people? Even if they ARE right-wing ignorant bigots, you'd think they would at least respect the office, if not the man. Yeah, these sure are patriotic, God-fearing folks alright. Do these one-issue, Bible-thumping hatemongers actually know what Jesus preached about, or does their interest stop at the Old Testament? I know this shit shouldn't surprise me, but you know, it always does. I guess I believe in redemption, against all evidence to the contrary. Speaking of which, our office even got a few calls about some schools lowering the flag in honor of Sen. Kennedy last week.Apparently, there are a LOT of hateful, spiteful, mean-spirited people out there with obviously not enough to do & way too much time on their hands. It is so,so sad that people, especially those that call themselves Christians, have so little tolerance, love, & respect for anyone who doesn't agree with their narrow-minded, petty & downright hateful beliefs. As much as I try to see the good in everyone, it's just impossible with these types of people. It really does make me sad. As much as I hated everything that George Bush stood for, I would have never acted the way these parents are acting if this had occurred during his presidency (not that it would have happened, but, still). I work for a Catholic school system, & what's happening makes me ashamed that these people call themselves Catholic. I really am both angry & incredibly sad about this situation. There's nothing Christian or patriotic about this kind of behavior. Jesus would be ashamed, too.

The Healthcare Clusterfuck

2009-08-06T14:57:00.010-04:00

Do Republicans & so-called "Blue Dog" Democrats (whatever the hell that means) have anything to lose, other than campaign contributions from insurance & drug companies, by enacting healthcare reform? Yeah, I thought not. Do they really think that the American people can't see through this smokescreen (or maybe we should call it a "shitscreen")? I have great health insurance through my job right now, but if I stop working (for whatever reason) before I qualify for Medicare, there is no way in hell I could get insurance, let alone be able to afford it. I think there are a lot of people like me in America, let alone the millions without ANY healthcare insurance. And what exactly do those morons disrupting the 'town meetings' think 'reform' actually means, anyway?

It's just not healthcare "reform" if there's no public option. Do all these idiots yelling & screaming about "socialized medicine" not know that's exactly what Medicare is? That has been working pretty well for a very long time. What's going to keep the private insurance companies in line, if everything is going to be exactly the same as it is now, as far as choice goes?

I think the President should import some folks (doctors, administrators, etc.) from countries that have good universal PUBLIC healthcare to educate these screaming morons (if that's even possible). I know that most of them don't really want to be educated, but it will help those of us who actually want to understand what a "public option" is & how it works. Our country spends the most money of any developed country on healthcare, yet everybody else seems to have better healthcare than us. Doesn't that bother everybody? If it doesn't, it should. I for one would love to hear an intelligent discussion comparing the various systems in each country. I don't know why no one else has thought of this. It would be concrete information that people could actually use to make a decision & to use this information to let their representatives in Congress know what normal, thinking people actually want. It's sure not this circus bullshit we've been seeing in the media (& that's a whole other topic) day after day. Hey, grow a pair, progressive Democrats (& President Obama, too), & let's stop all the misinformation & outright lies we've been subjected to. You really don't need EVERYBODY to love you- all that does is make you look like ineffective wimps who back down at the slightest roadblock. Those of us who are intelligent & actually give a shit what happens to our country need to let them know that now, before it's too late & things get even more fucked up (if that's even possible). I, for one, am sick of the same old bullshit that Obama promised us he would change. Ball's in your court, Democrats, let's see what you do with it, & a nice, soft layup is not enough. You need a slam dunk this time.

An American Tragedy

2009-07-06T09:19:00.026-04:00

What a tragedy & maybe a blessed relief at the same time. Michael Jackson gave so many so much pleasure, yet couldn't find much in his own life. He needed unconditional love, & thought he could get it by having children (no matter how they were conceived, or who were the actual biological parents, he raised them, so they were his kids). By all accounts he adored them, & they adored him. He became what he never had: a good & loving father, who had his children's best interests at heart. He did the best he could, even though he had no role model to emulate.

My daughter remarked that it was so wrong that Joe Jackson outlived his son, but maybe it was inevitable. From everything I've read & observed, he was a monster, & I don't use that term lightly. He was the reason Michael Jackson became who he was. Apparently there was no room for sensitivity or sweetness or unconditional love in the Jackson household. Anything that got in the way of making money to support the family was forbidden. The real surprise was that the entire family wasn't quite as tragically screwed up as Michael, but then again, he & Janet were the most successful, & both of them had few good words for their father. He didn't even let his kids call him "Father" or "Dad". It was always "Joseph". From the first time that he told Michael that he was ugly (a bald-faced lie, obviously) or had a big nose, the damage was done. Even though he was a really cute kid who grew up to be a really good-looking man (before all the surgery), Michael didn't really see "the man in the mirror". He saw someone who looked too much like his father (who WAS ugly), even though I think he looked more like his mother, who was beautiful. He suffered from "body dismorphia", which is the same disorder anorexics & bulemics have, & the outcome of that is never good.

I think Michael used plastic surgery & skin bleaching to become the farthest thing from his father that he could imagine. I don't think that he didn't want to be a black man, which is something Quincy Jones said in a recent interview, but that he didn't want to become THAT black man (his father), & even though the means he used turned out to be sad & tragic, I think he felt it was his only option. And people do get addicted to plastic surgery, & seemingly can't stop, even when the results become obviously (to others) horrible.

The world has lost an incomparable talent, & his kids have lost an adoring father, the only parent they've ever known. I don't question that Katherine Jackson loves her grandkids (biological or not), but just their proximity to Joe Jackson makes me shudder. He, of course, just wants
Michael to make more money for him in death, as he did in his earlier life. I just hope someone looks out for those kids & loves them as Michael did. And I hope Michael Jackson has finally found the peace he never had in life.

Cheney Redux

2009-05-27T08:44:00.005-04:00

Why in the world are people still listening to Dick(head) Cheney? We had 8 years of his bullshit, & it just about led us to the brink of doom. Of course, it's the media that's trying to shove him down our throats again, but apparently we're letting that happen. I guess electing President Obama was such a momentous feat, the American people have become too exhausted to actually follow through & tell the right-wing nutcases & Jesus freaks that their day is over. Or is it, really? Even some progressives have bitched about the president not doing enough to advance their agenda. Are they freaking kidding? Do they honestly think that 8 years of fucking everything up can be rectified in 4 months? Not even 4 years would be enough to right all the wrongs the Republicans subjected us to. The guy's not Superman (close, but not quite). If the Republicans still want Dick Cheney (who, in a more just world, would be in prison), to be their spokesman, that is beyond sad. It's insane.

President Obama has done more good in the short time he's been in office than probably any other president in recent history. One of the reasons is that he's a grown-up, & a very pragmatic one , at that. He talks to us as if we're on his intellectual level, even though very few of us actually are. The economic mess he inherited was caused by people (both Republicans & Democrats) who had no vision, no compassion, & no regard for history. Greed was all they understood, & as long as they got theirs, they could have given a crap about the rest of us. And to make things even worse, they governed (if you want to call it that) through fear, & Cheney was the embodiment of that. Actually, he was & is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with this country. So why does the media even give him the time of day? Since they haven't been doing their jobs of exposing all the bullshit during the last 8 years, I guess they're trying to gloss that over by riling things up & creating controversy where there is none. Cheney's policies & his methods of implementing them have been rebuffed & discredited, yet here he still is. Why won't they let them die the grisly death they deserve? Maybe President Obama hasn't done everything right, but he sure as hell hasn't done everything wrong like the previous administration. Bush was just a boob, a borderline-retarded moron with a mean streak- Cheney's puppet. Do some people just never learn? We should not be implicit in this campaign to resuscitate Cheney. Maybe Bush is smarter than we thought. At least he's keeping his mouth shut.

The Terrorization of "American Idol"

2009-05-26T10:19:00.006-04:00

I guess the American people were ready for a black president, but not for a gay "American Idol". Man, they apparently can only accept so much. All those Jesus freaks with their pudgy little fingers voting for the "not gay" guy. Sure, Kris is cute & can sing pretty well, but he's sort of like a generic brand of cheese: bland, smooth, & easy to swallow. Adam Lambert was the most original & talented contestant ever on the show. This guy has star power just radiating out of him. His vocal range, his sometimes flamboyant costumes & makeup, & his stage presence were all unprecedented on this show. He can literally sing anything & make it sound original & interesting. Oh, I just found out he's Jewish, too, so that's another strike against him when it comes to the Holy Roller crowd. Notwithstanding the presidential election, the American people can apparently still act like morons when they want to.

The most interesting thing about the vote was that Adam was clearly not surprised by it. So, on top of all his other stellar qualities, he's also pretty bright & pragmatic (not unlike our new president). He's clearly going to be a star, so all he needed was some exposure to get the ball rolling. I just wonder why he waited so long to get on the show. Maybe he had some kind of personal deadline. Whatever the reason, I'm very happy he shared his talents with the American people, ignorant though they may be. So, despite a few exceptions (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, maybe David Cook), America voted for mediocrity again. The judges are so fond of saying that it's a singing competition, but it's clearly not. It's a popularity contest for the most unthreatening person who can carry a tune, who also has the right "values", which apparently do not include tolerance or acceptance.

Amen

2008-11-06T12:03:00.005-05:00

We (America & particularly Ohio) didn't fuck it up this time. We finally got it right. Amen. Who didn't cry when they heard/ saw those words "Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States"? I still can barely believe it. What a transformative time to be alive. It's equal parts hope, pride & relief. Whether or not our new first lady was misquoted or misunderstood or whatever, I can also now finally say that I'm proud of our country & really, really proud of our incoming president. I've been so ashamed the last 8 years that the rest of the world, who really want to look up to America, have been unable to because we had the most ignorant, incompetant & completely clueless "leader" in our nation's history. I don't want a "C" student (& I'm being charitable here) as president. I want somebody smarter than me, someone brilliant, charismatic, intuitive, knowledgible & self-assured. We now have that, & more, in President-elect Obama. And what a role-model Michelle will be, a combination of Eleanor Roosevelt & Jackie Kennedy. So President Obama & his beautiful family will be
the face of America for the next 4, & hopefully 8 years. What a blessing for America & for the world.

Meet the Flintstones

2008-09-28T23:15:00.002-04:00

I just read a report that Sarah Palin told a music teacher in her hometown of Wasilla, Alaska in 1997 (shortly after being elected mayor of Wasilla) that she believes that humans & dinosaurs lived together on earth 6,000 years ago. She told Philip Munger, who teaches music at the University of Alaska, that she had "seen human footprints inside the tracks" of dinosaur fossils/tracks. This was after Palin had given a commencement address & Mr. Mauger had just conducted a college band, & they had struck up a conversation. I honest to God don't know what to say about this. Maybe- isn't it really scary that there's even a slim possibility that this woman would someday have access to the nuclear codes? Gee, thanks, McCain, I guess she's another example of you putting country first. Oh, by the way, what's going to happen on Thursday to prevent her from showing up at the VP debate?

Personal Experience

2008-09-05T11:48:00.010-04:00

I've just found out first-hand that there are those in the hierarchy of the Catholic church who are very, very displeased with Sen. Joe Biden's position on reproductive rights (imagine that!), to the point that even buttons advocating the Obama/Biden ticket are being banned from being worn by employees of the church on church property. Sen. Biden is both a practicing Catholic & a pro-choice proponent, which I would guess is extremely common today. The ability to be both is a choice that at least some Catholic bishops are not willing to give Catholics; I guess the "don't ask, don't tell" policy started in the military regarding sexual identity has unfortunately trickled down to everyone who actually thinks for themselves in this area, also, especially those of us who work in any capacity for the church.

Nobody but a moron is "pro-abortion". Abortion is almost always the very last choice for the vast majority of women. I just wish everyone would get the language straight: it's "pro-choice" & "anti-choice", NOT "pro-abortion" & "pro-life". Everyone is "pro-life", & I resent that the phrase has been appropriated by the religious right. You can certainly be both morally opposed to abortion & still be pro-choice. It simply means that everyone can make up their own minds about the matter, without laws either prohibiting or advocating abortion. Why is that so difficult for people, especially the religious right, to understand? There are lots of things that are sins without being crimes. Apparently some people would prefer that we throw out the Constitution & replace it with the Ten Commandments. These are the same ignorant people who obviously are unaware that our country owes its very existence to the concept of separation of church & state.

So for those of us who are in the position of needing our jobs but are denied freedom of speech, I guess we just bite our tongues & resent the shit out of the authorities who deny it to us, & hope that this November we finally elect candidates who will give us a government that is genuinely responsive to & actually cares about all people, which has been so sorely lacking the last eight years. I, like Michelle Obama so rightly said (in spite of being forced to back down), would like to have a government & a country I can be proud of again, & a president who really represents the better angels of our natures that I can look up to, instead of being ashamed of. I mean, do you really want to be smarter than the leader of the free world? That's both sad & scary, & I hope never to experience it again in my lifetime. It all IS really up to us, & we can change the history of the world forever this November.

Move Over, Lynne & Dina

2008-09-03T12:59:00.004-04:00

Lynne Spears & Dina Lohan have got nothing over Sarah Palin. While the former have exploited their daughters for (mostly) money, Ms. Palin has done the exact same thing for her own political purposes. At least Britney & Lindsay were already in the public eye; poor Bristol Palin has had all this publicity thrust upon her & her problems simply because her selfish mother got the unbelieveable chance of a lifetime to run for national office, & put her ambitions before her daughter's welfare, not to mention the welfare of her 4 month old special needs baby. Simply having 5 kids doesn't make someone a good mother; anyone can HAVE kids, it's the raising part that's hard, & this woman has failed that test, as far as I'm concerned. I'm a mother, & absolutely nothing would come before the needs & welfare of my child, even though she's now grown. Do people not get this? Sometimes you just CAN'T have it all, especially if your family has problems like the Palins do. Something has to come first in your life; everything can't have the same priority, no matter how much of a feminist you claim to be (do prominent Republican women, especially the hard-core evangelicals, even claim to be feminists? I really don't know the answer to that one). What a sad, sad example for our young people this misguided choice for VP is turning out to be. John McCain should be especially ashamed of himself for this, not to mention all the other shit he either does or doesn't stand for (who can keep his positions straight? Even he doesn't remember them most of the time). I hope that Hillary comes out swinging on this one; she raised an exemplary daughter the right way while being in the public eye practically all of her adult life, & it couldn't have been easy. I'm kind of sorry I've been so hard on Hillary; she looks like Mother Teresa next to this Palin broad. I sure as hell hope that this poor child doesn't have any problems with her pregnancy, cause her mother is going to make sure she sees it through no matter what, right? And what the hell is it with all those kids' weird names, anyway?

The X X Factor

2008-08-29T14:51:00.004-04:00

John McCain's pick for vice president is an insult to all women, & especially to supporters of Hillary Clinton. Does he really think that just because Sarah Palin has breasts & a vagina, she is interchangeable with Hillary? For all her faults, Hillary is on the right side of most of the issues confronting our country today, especially those of particular concern to women. Considering the verbal slurs he aimed at his wife in the past, McCain obviously has a low regard for women. As Barack said about him in his magnificient speech on Thursday, McCain just "doesn't get it". But I'm not as charitable about it as Barack; I don't think McCain cares, in fact I think he honestly doesn't give a shit about ordinary Americans, & the reason he doesn't "get it" might have something to do with the fact that he graduated almost at the bottom of his class at Annapolis. That kind of makes him & George Bush "twins" in more ways than one, I guess. What a cynical, pandering asshole he is. As Dubya used to say, "bring it on", Republicans; I can't wait for Obama & Biden to kick your asses back to the Stone Age you belong in.

True Genius

2008-06-23T15:35:00.003-04:00

I was very sad to hear about George Carlin's death. I know he suffered with heart problems for a pretty long time, but 71 really isn't very old. The word "genius" is thrown around a lot, but in my estimation the only true geniuses of comedy have been Richard Pryor & George Carlin. Chris Rock will eventually join that illustrious list, also, I think. I was fortunate enough to have seen George Carlin in person, & it was an unforgettable experience. I also read his books, & for someone who dropped out of school in the 9th grade, he really put the lie to the need for higher education. But I guess when you're a genius to start with, & also have such an enquiring mind & quick wit, learning is a life-long pleasure, actually. RIP, George. You made us laugh, & you made us think. We will miss you & your ability to slash through all the bullshit to get to the truth.

Thank You

2008-06-08T00:59:00.004-04:00

It may have taken her four days, but I have to hand it to her: Hillary Clinton today gave a beautiful, honest, gracious, heartfelt & brilliant speech, the speech of her life. It was masterful, & maybe if she had spoken like that throughout the campaign, the outcome would have been very different. Perhaps she couldn't have given that speech on Tuesday night because the wounds were too raw; I think I've been a little too hard on her, & I apologize for that. But today (or I guess it's actually yesterday now) she said everything right, & that speech was as close to perfect as anything I've ever heard. It helped to restore a lot of the faith that I, & perhaps a lot of others ,once had in her. It will live in history. Thank you, Hillary.

Making History

2008-06-04T07:52:00.006-04:00

Well, he did it. Barack Obama, a progressive, first-term senator few people even knew not that long ago, has defeated the most famous woman in the world to become the (presumptive) presidential nominee of the Democratic party. It was Hillary's nomination to lose, & by God, she did, with her typical grace & style (right!). It's a stunning, obviously historic achievement for Sen. Obama, & even so, Hillary didn't have the class & humanity to let him have the moment all to himself. As is typical with the Clintons, her speech was all about her. Yes, her campaign was also historic, but I think she set the women's movement back with her combative, aggressive manner. It shouldn't have been about beating the boys at their own game, but about actually changing the way we play the game. As much as I would have loved to vote for a woman for president, she was just the wrong woman at the wrong time. Congratulations, Sen. Obama, it was a stunning victory & possibly the most well-run campaign in American political history, & you deserved to have your shining moment all to yourself. Please don't pander to the Clintons & offer the vice-presidency to Hillary. You were so much more gracious in your remarks about her than she was; I think that's enough. Godspeed, & God bless the Secret Service.

Good News & Bad News

2008-05-20T23:56:00.005-04:00

I am so. so sad about the Ted Kennedy news. This is a man to whom everyone in this country, & even around the world, owes a tremendous debt of gratitude. He's arguably done more good for more people than anyone in politics for the last forty-some years, & he's done it staying true to his beliefs, as a proud & unabashed liberal. Even if you're not a religious person, please pray to whatever higher power you believe in for him. The Kennedy family has given so much to this country, yet has suffered so much tragedy that you wonder how they persevere, year after year. Sen. Kennedy is a remarkable man, & comes from an equally remarkable family. God bless all of them.

Now to the good news. The California Supreme Court, the majority of which was appointed by Republican governors (at least that's what I read), has finally done what so many millions of people have been waiting for, & made them first-class citizens. It's about time that our largest state has granted basic civil rights to gay people; it's just too bad that it's not the law everywhere. When we start thinking that we live in enlightened times, we just need to remember that this is the case. Oh, well, we take victories wherever we can get them, I guess.

Just a comment about the education split among Obama & Clinton voters. I'm sorry, but is she actually proud that less educated people vote for her over Obama? I'm not being snotty: I never finished college, either, & some of the smartest people I know didn't even go to college at all. But a lot of these people (like myself) are nonetheless fairly well-read & basically self-educated, & there's not a thing wrong with that. The Clinton supporters I'm talking about are sort of like George Bush (despite his Ivy-League"education"): basically ignorant & intellectually incurious. And I'm not even going into the racist aspect of all this, except to say that I find it very hard to believe that any formally OR self-educated person can be racist- that's really, really incredibly stupid, & I think it means, simply, that you're just a bad person, & shouldn't be allowed to vote. I really mean that. Just like some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids. Oh, to rule the world for a month. Anyway, I think Hillary should address this issue of racist voters, the sooner the better.

Here We Go Again

2008-04-23T08:03:00.007-04:00

As much as I hoped it wouldn't happen, I'm afraid the election results in Pennsylvania yesterday could mean that racism has finally reared its ugly head. I think it's just starting to sink in that America could possibly elect a black president , & that's simply unacceptable to a lot of folks, even the ones who would swear up & down that they aren't bigoted. These white "working class" voters can't possibly believe that Hillary Clinton has shared their experiences; she comes from an upper middle class background, & doesn't really "feel their pain", as her husband once famously said. The problem is that people actually believed Bill, because he's a better politician (or a better actor-is there a difference?)

Anyway, Hillary's plan of winning no matter the cost to the party she claims to support goes on. Apparently she's staying in just in case Barack really steps in shit he can't recover from, & then she'd be there, willing & able to carry on. I guess it's smart; she can't possibly do herself any more harm than she has already- even the New York Times, which endorsed her, now says that her campaign has been disgraceful, so what the hell more does she have to lose? I just think that all of this negativity has really helped McCain look better to a lot of independent voters. It all makes me sad ,& afraid that once again, Democrats may have found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

"The Speech": Barack's Profile in Courage

2008-03-18T12:46:00.004-04:00

"The Speech". That's what Barack's moving, beautiful speech today will be called from now on. No other description will be necessary. When I read the speech, I cried- that's how much it affected me. Beautiful, lyrical and courageous, it's what no other politician running for president has ever dared to say, lest they lay too much on the line. Well, Barack has bared his, and our country's, soul and it was perfect. How can anyone read this and not want this man to be their president? The biggest problem could be that he's too good for us; some factions in America have a nasty habit of trying to bring down anyone that threatens them. And make no mistake about it: Barack definitely threatens the status quo. He challenges us like no president since JFK, and no candidate since RFK. Can we possibly live up to his challenge? He thinks we can, and that's what makes us want to. If you haven't read the whole speech, please do it now. It just may change your life.

Too Much Excitement/Everything Old is New Again

2008-03-05T14:03:00.026-05:00

It's the day after the Ohio & Texas primaries. Had Obama won both, the Democratic race would be over. But noooo - things are still fucked up, because Hillary won them (albeit not by much in Texas, & we're still waiting for the caucus results). Even though it's only March, it seems as if the primary season has lasted 10 years, because everybody started running so early & all the states rescheduled their primaries to an earlier date so they could all be "relevant." I don't know about you, but I'm about sick of primaries by now & I'm a political junkie, so I can imagine how weary other folks might be.

At work today, someone remarked that it's kind of exciting to still have the race going on, but I forgave him (sorta) because he's 33 & didn't live through the nightmare that was 1968. That was the last time we had this kind of "excitement," & it didn't end so well then. For those of you who are also young &/or ignorant of history (I'm sorry, but not being alive at the time doesn't absolve one of knowing shit everybody should know), 1968 was a nightmare that I hope is never repeated. We had hordes of young people excited, first about Sen. Eugene McCarthy & then later about Sen. Robert Kennedy. And then came the assassinations of both Dr. Martin Luther King & Sen. Kennedy, riots both in the streets & at the Democratic convention, lots of people (both young & old) completely disillusioned about both politics & America, an eventual Democratic nominee nobody really wanted (Sen. Hubert Humphrey), & the end result was Richard Nixon. Is that enough excitement for you? Democrats need to get this shit resolved now, because I (& undoubtedly countless others) will have to slit my throat before living through four more years of soulless Republican assholes.

2000 Redux?

2008-02-24T14:54:00.012-05:00

So Ralph Nader is going to do it again. I honestly think he can't help himself; he just has to think he's relevant. He says that if the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans this year, they deserve to lose. The real problem with Nader is not his positions on issues; he's right on most of them. The problem is that Nader either doesn't or won't live in the real world. He absolutely refuses to admit he was the real reason that Gore lost in 2000. He goes on & on about all the other stuff that happened in that election. Sure, it all came together in a perfect storm for the Republicans, but had he not been in the race, stealing that election would have been a whole lot harder for them. Sure, Gore & the Democrats made a lot of mistakes; Democrats seem to love to shoot themselves in the foot. But there is no perfect candidate or perfect campaign. We just have to vote for the person who holds positions closest to our own, & who we believe can do the best job as president.

Nader's on an ego trip once more, & you can't convince me otherwise. He's sort of like the little kid that has to have his own way, or he takes his toys & leaves, only he doesn't leave; he stays & makes life miserable for everyone else. Maybe he just doesn't care whether or not he fucks up the presidential race again, just as long as his voice is heard. It would be kind of sad if it wasn't so infuriating. Here's this 74 year old man, never married or with any close relationships, who once was REALLY relevant (when he was a consumer watchdog), who got a taste of politics & was apparently seduced by it. It really kind of negates all the good things he did before, which is a shame. Of course, the real shame is all those people out there who'll probably vote for him (if he can get on the ballot) as either some misguided form of protest, or as a deliberate way to sabotage the election. That's the real problem with independent/third party candidates & the people who vote for them; it doesn't matter what their motives are, because the results are the same: chaos. This year, of all years, we can't afford chaos. The stakes are just too high. It's been a long, long time since a presidential election mattered this much. This election won't just have the potential of changing our country; it could actually change our world. I honestly think that to do whatever it takes to keep Nader off the ballot in every state would be an act of patriotism this year. Let's just hope the Democrats have the guts to do it.

The Right to Terrorize & Hope Reborn

2008-02-17T14:31:00.018-05:00

So, another campus/school/mall/wherever shooting. Ho hum. It's become so common that we barely react anymore ; we're certainly not shocked anymore. What does that say about us & our culture? Are there any people left who actually are horrified & angry that these things both continue to happen & that everyone just accepts it as something we can't do anything about? Is there anyone besides me who lays this squarely at the feet (or more to the point, the trigger fingers) of the NRA? The "right to bear arms" does not include the right to terrorize. Yet that's what our supposed "gun laws" have failed to address. About the only thing I disagree with Barack Obama about is what the second amendment actually means. I know he's a lawyer who taught constitutional law, & I know there's been controversy forever about the interpretation of that amendment. But surely the outdated notion that we need guns to protect us from the federal government (even though with our current administration, it has crossed my mind more than once-just kidding) is incredibly outdated & just plain stupid. And don't get me started on how our treatment of mental health issues is insufficient & very often dangerous, leaving extremely damaged & sometimes extremely violent people to fend for themselves when they're obviously completely unable to do so. Not to mention putting everyone else at the mercy of these unstable, confused & often destructive people.

What's the answer? I guess that depends on how we frame the question(s). Guns are by definition violent, & giving those with mental health problems access to them should be seen as ludicrous as it actually is. Actually, in my view, giving anyone other than police & military access to guns is ridiculous. Ok, there are people out there who like to hunt. I understand that it was necessary for survival at one time, but come on, people, there are supermarkets now. I do have to admit that in the past I've been somewhat of a hypocrite about this. I had two uncles who were hunters, & I did eat my share of deer, rabbit & perhaps other poor, pathetic creatures. But that still doesn't make hunting right. And please don't call it a sport unless you also give guns to the wildlife who are being hunted (that's an interesting visual, right?). Anyway, I don't remember my uncles having a whole arsenal of guns. They just had what they needed for hunting particular animals, whatever they might have been. The point is that the NRA has overstepped its boundaries, defending all kinds of gun ownership without regard to what they're being used for. No one ever needs assault weapons or rocket launchers or other highly destructive types of weapons. If you want to either hunt or do target shooting, you just need weapons made for that particular purpose, & not a whole arsenal of them, either. The ideal solution to gun violence is articulated by the brilliant comedian Chris Rock, who is always right on about so many of society's problems. He says that guns don't need to be regulated, but bullets should cost $5000.00 apiece. That way, you'll have to think long & hard about whether whoever you plan to shoot is actually worth it. Think about it. Genius.

Notwithstanding Chris Rock's solution, access to guns is way too easy; in almost every state, gun shows are the one venue where you don't have a waiting period. I'm sure there are lots of other loopholes in the state laws. We really need a national law regarding access to both guns & ammunition, even though that idea would cause way too much controversy. And as far as mental health treatment goes, there are too many loopholes in those laws, too, to have any sort of cohesive treatment plans for individuals. So I guess unless we get really serious about both of these problems, we'll continue to have crazy people with guns shooting up all kinds of venues, causing tragedies that we deplore, which is all we'll do about it. When is enough finally enough?

On a lighter note, I'm crazy excited about my state (Ohio) being possibly the decider (sorry, Dubya) concerning the Democratic presidential nomination. Everyone said that it would be a done deal after Super Tuesday, but everybody was wrong (imagine that). Anyway, I hope everyone gets out & votes, not only in Ohio, but in all the states that are left. I really hope & pray that the Democrats don't find a way to shoot themselves in the foot AGAIN this year.

I just heard Barack speak at a rally in Houston after his win in Wisconsin. It was way more than inspiring; he touched on every issue that concerns people, & he was brilliant. We need this man as President; it's like he's the second coming of Robert Kennedy: his passion, his intelligance, his compassion. And don't think he's naive about the rough & tumble of politics. I'm reading his book (The Audacity of Hope), & he really has a grasp on politics; he understands it in a way not too many politicians do. I'm excited about what we can start to achieve in this country with Barack as president. Yes we (REALLY) can!

P.S. I don't know if I just misheard this on the news or not (I hope I did). Someone, somewhere is advocating arming college students to combat campus shooters. I don't even know what to say about that. I'm dumbstruck.

Thanks For Everything

2008-01-30T15:16:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note about John Edwards dropping out of the presidential race. What a classy & honorable thing to do right now. That's precisely what a real statesman, & NOT just a politician, should do. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for what he brought to the presidential campaigns, & I hope he stays in the national spotlight in some capacity for a long time. We need his voice. Best wishes to him & his family.

Saint Barack

2008-01-27T14:13:00.000-05:00

He was already a rock star; now he's been canonized, by no less than the Kennedys. The stunning endorsements by Caroline & Teddy Kennedy have made the Democratic race a crusade now. Caroline comparing Barack to her father is no less than a "come home" call for all Democrats, especially those who were lured into voting Republican during the Reagan era. I completely agree with her assessment of what this country wants & needs: no less than a hero, someone who inspires us to be as good as we can be, to become the kind of country that inspires the world to be as good as we are. We were actually like that once, when we had statesmen & not just politicians, when we were an example of all that was good & fair in the world, & people in other parts of the world aspired to be like us. We can be that America again; we can become the conscience of the world again. If Barack Obama is good enough for the Kennedys, who have given so much to this country, he should be good enough for us.

The Kids Are Not All Right

2008-01-18T11:56:00.000-05:00

I recently read a blog whose writer was appalled at the lack of sympathy for Britney Spears, especially from middle aged women. She couldn't understand why these women with daughters Britney's age were so vehement in their criticisms of her. I guess she figured that "there but for the grace of God" were their daughters. However, I think she missed the point; that being that they were critical of her as a mother of very small children, & I can understand that. Although I do believe that Britney has an undiognosed mental illness (probably bi-polar disorder or maybe post-partum depression, or both), even I - who am as sympathetic as anyone in the world concerning this - can't help but wonder how she cannot think of her children first in all circumstances. I believe any good mother would wonder this. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter what your accomplishments are in other areas of your life (& I'm talking about both men & women here): if you fuck up your kids, you're an abject failure (& an asshole).

I know people say this all the time, but there really should be some sort of test everyone needs to take before being allowed to have kids ("Heil" to you, too - I know, I know). It's frightening to me how totally unsuited, unfit & sometimes downright dangerous some people are who have kids. Maybe it's because some people (especially women) still feel that they're viewed as selfish or not normal (or whatever) not to have kids. But I believe that if you don't especially want kids, for whatever reason, the desire to be a good parent isn't really there. Providing for their material needs isn't enough by a longshot. It is just as important to meet their emotional needs.

But back to Britney (I'm sort of obsessed with the subject lately, much to my own chagrin). Coming from the South, where people tend to both get married & have kids (in whichever order) somewhat younger than in other places, perhaps she felt it was expected of her, although I'm not altogether convinced that at least the second kid (if not the first) was expected. Unfortunately, she didn't have a very good role model. Her own mother has always used & exploited both of her daughters shamelessly. Using your own children as a meal ticket is an unforgivable sin, & I honestly believe that Lynne Spears will have to answer to God for that. So Britney already had that strike against her. Complicating things also is that the poor girl just isn't that bright. When she had people looking out for her (even though I'm not sure exactly what that means in her case) she seemed to be able to function, albeit as a robot. Her downward spiral seemed to start when she & Justin Timberlake broke up. Maybe he was sort of her anchor to some kind of reality, 'cause she seemed to lose her grasp on it soon after. Anyway, it's a really sad situation, especially for those adorable children, & I feel bad for all of them & I keep hoping there's someone in Britney's life who finally is able to reach out to her & convince her to get help before it's too late. The somewhat tarnished silver lining in this is that maybe it will make other parents of celebrity children think a little harder about what they're doing to their kids.

Our Long Ride on the Short Bus

2008-01-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

Isn't it almost unbelieveable that it's taken EIGHT years for the American people to finally get fed up & be ready for & willing to change? Talk about slow learners. Maybe it's all the new voters since 2000, but I don't think that's the whole story. Maybe we just have to be plunged into absolute despair to be open to hearing about "hope". As I've probably said before, there's just no excuse to have voted for George Bush twice. OK, I'll give you a pass (reluctantly) the first time, but come on, people, even animals learn from their mistakes if the consequences are bad enough. Are we really that stubborn, or egotistic, or (I've got to say it) stupid? Just that alone is enough for the rest of the world to sneer at us; we've become both a bully AND a laughingstock at the same time, it appears.

Well, folks, we now have another chance to redeem ourselves, to show the world we really do give a shit about something other than fearing gay marriage & Muslims. Although I wish that Al Gore would have given us a second chance to do the right thing, I can't blame him at all. I guess there is such a creature as a recovering politician, & God knows he's been through enough crap already. And Hillary has disappointed me terribly, especially on the war. Edwards is right on all the issues, but that bus left the station a while ago, & now he's just taking votes from Barack. So that leaves us with Obama, who I have to admit I used to believe couldn't really be a viable candidate, both because of his relative inexperience & what I suspected was a still insidious racism in this country. To my delight, I've been proven wrong. For really the first time since 1968, it seems as if young people have a candidate they can actually believe in & work for. Barack Obama is a true rock star candidate, & could possibly be the catalyst for real change not only for this country, but for the world. And face it, experience is overrated most of the time. Probably no one has more experience in government than Dick Cheney. Do I really have to say more? I think that Barack has ignited a spark in all of us which does indeed give us hope. I could vote for any one of the three, actually, & in any combination on the ticket, but the only one who inspires true excitement is Obama. Since there's a good chance that it'll all be over by Feb. 5 ("Super Tuesday"), those of us in states that have primaries after that probably can't make history as far as the Democratic nomination, but we can all make history in November, & show the world, as Gerald Ford said after the Nixon resignation, that "our long national nightmare is over". Can we get it right this time?

Reality Bites

2007-12-29T19:08:00.000-05:00

I am sick to death of the writers' strike. I like to watch TV, & since I abhor most reality shows, things are not good for me in TV land, & if the strike isn't settled soon, things will get worse & worse. I'd say I could read more, but I already read a lot. Sometimes you just need to stop thinking & veg out in front of the tube. OK, I get it, WGA, you're getting screwed on royalties, or residuals, or DVD sales, or internet content, probably all of it, but enough is enough. For God's sake, get somebody in there to negotiate for you who knows how the other side thinks, like agents, or proven labor negotiators for other unions, or Alec Baldwin (you know what I'm talking about if you read the Huffington Post), or somebody who can shake things up, not just make a point. There are lots & lots of people this strike is affecting, not just writers. All the production & post-production people who work for the scripted shows are out of work, too. You can only expect solidarity so long. When you can't feed your kids, or pay your rent, or go to the doctor if you're sick, then solidarity turns to resentment & anger. Sure, SAG & DGA support you, but these are generally people who make a lot more money than the others I've mentioned- they can afford it. Obviously, negotiations have not gone well; I don't know if they're still broken off or not, but just saying that you're right & the other side are souless money-grubbers is not working very well, is it? Yes, you're the ones who actually create the shows, but right now, that's just not enough, is it? Maybe before reality TV had such a stranglehold on the public (I guess there's no accounting for taste, or lack of) that was the case, but unfortunately, no longer. I don't know the answer to this dilemma, but I know there are smarter people than me out there who do. It's time for them to do something.

On another note, is anybody else out there terrified what Bush might or might not do in response to Benazir Bhutto's assassination? What a real tragedy that was, but the response from this inept, ignorant administration could possibly make the repercussions just as tragic. How insane is that, that we need to be afraid that our elected government will do something that could possibly lead to nuclear annihiliation? I really don't think that people are taking this situation as seriously as it should be taken. Pakistan is generally regarded as the most unstable country in the most unstable part of the world, & now this country, already in chaos, could be plunged into civil war, or worse. Maybe if they didn't have nuclear capabilities, things would not be quite as scary, but they do, & anyone not extremely concerned about this is just not paying attention, or a moron. Maybe praying wouldn't hurt, but sometimes I think that God just isn't paying attention anymore, either.

I know that most of the readers of my blog have come to me through Arlan, & I thank her, & you all, very much for giving me the chance to vent my frustrations on a somewhat larger stage than my living room. In spite of all that we have to worry about in the world, & all the problems we've yet to solve, please try to have a Happy New Year. Maybe we can all resolve to each do something to make 2008 a better, safer, & happier year than this one (like electing a Democrat president, for example). See you next year.

Twilight Zone

2007-12-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

In whatever alternative universe he seems to inhabit, Dubya thinks the economy is "doing okay." I guess in Bushworld, he could be right. I'm sure that he & his friends are doing just dandy. Meanwhile, most of the rest of us are struggling to pay our bills, while our salaries are just not keeping up. I don't know about you, but I can't afford $3 gas & higher utility & food prices, but this president is so totally isolated from the real world, he doesn't have a clue. Not that he would care, anyway, & that's the pathetic part of it. I would pick frigging Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney over Bush, that's how disgusted I am with him. Not that I would even think seriously of voting Republican: the first & last time I would have done that was 1964, for Goldwater, & back then I couldn't vote yet (in the Dark Ages). Is it really possible that everything in this country is actually getting even worse than we thought it could get? The absolute saddest & most pathetic thing is that we all just have accepted that conditions in almost every area of American life CAN get worse. The American dream has become the American nightmare under Bush & his cronies, & I just cannot understand how we could have let this happen. It astounds me, & I'm pretty cynical.

Anyway, I guess we all should try to make the best of it through the holidays, but after that, we have got to get serious, folks. I read that Sen. Chris Dodd is considering running for majority leader in the Senate, & since he's one of the few Democrats (running for president or not) that actually has a backbone & at least tries to use it, I really hope he does run & win. To say I'm underwhelmed by what the congressional Democrats, especially in the Senate, have done so far after all the expectations we had for them is an understatement. They're still letting Bush fuck them at almost every opportunity. I mean, come on, we don't have to take this shit. What's really interesting is that despite the war, the scandals, the disregard of our civil liberties, & all the other outrages perpetrated on us for the past (almost) 8 years, again it may be "it's the economy, stupid" that finally resonates with people next year. Economic conditions sure aren't going to get any better; if anything, they'll get worse. If we would have another 4 years of Republican rule, I honestly think the middle class in America would be a memory. We'd become like lots of those countries in South America & other places in the world where there's just the rich & the poor, with nothing in between.
I don't think that my grandparents & all the other immigrants who came to this country hoping for a better life could have ever foreseen this happening. That still just might be the ultimate tragedy of the Bush administration.

In spite of all this, please try to have a good holiday season, & we'll take on the bastards again next year, ok?

Holiday Blues (or not)

2007-12-08T18:27:00.000-05:00

I've had a love/hate relationship with Christmas for a while now (can you have a relationship with a holiday?). It sort of started when my daughter was small, & Christmas was really fun. Among my husband & myself, my parents, & several aunts & uncles, the living room looked like a small version of "Toys R Us." Back then, I had a lot of people to buy presents for, & although it seemed like a chore at the time to buy & wrap gifts for all of them, I kind of miss it now.

Since that time, I've had a lot of personal loss, a great deal of it just before or after the holidays. I usually more or less dread the season now, which is hard in our household because my daughter LOVES Christmas. Always has & always will, probably. Even though she doesn't get the huge volume of presents she was used to getting in the past, the season really means what it should to her, which is giving - not only gifts but goodwill & affection. And for some reason, this year things have been a little better for me & I really don't know why. I've never outwardly had a "bah humbug" attitude, but then I've never been one to show my sorrow or unhappiness to the world. Everybody thinks that everything is always perfectly fine with me, regardless of how I really feel. And I guess that's ok; why should you bring down everybody else around you just because you're upset or unhappy or grieving? Being repressed does have its upside, I suppose.

Now that I've thoroughly depressed everyone reading this (if anyone is actually reading it, I mean), maybe I should try to be a little more upbeat. As I said before, this year has not been such a downer for me, & I suspect that part of it is that my daughter's generally happier than she's been in a pretty long time. She's in a relationship that seems healthy, & she appears to know what she wants to do with her life long-term, without being in a panic to do everything right now. I guess I'm trying to say that when she's happy, I'm happy, or at least happier. She's basically my life, & that's not as sad as it sounds, because we've always had a wonderful relationship, & she's a warm, caring, intelligent & funny person. She's truly a gift from God & I'm grateful every day for her. Also, I'm not as behind on shopping as I usually am, so that's good. Maybe, too, I'm starting to accept my situation in life & not yearn as much for what I've lost or what could have been, & realize that there's very little I can actually do about it, so I guess that's progress of a sort. Anyway, I am a little bit in the Christmas spirit this year; it was actually I who suggested it was time to put up the tree in our house, & I even enjoyed decorating it. For me that's definitely a plus.

In case I don't write again before Christmas, I hope everyone has a lovely holiday season.

I Hate Them All

2007-11-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

My daughter is a rabid fan of reality TV (those of you who read her blog already know this, of course), whereas I detest almost all of it. The problem is the people, for me. Generally, they tend to be the most whiny, narcissistic, ignorant & unpleasant people that you definitely do not want to know, or even meet. I know that a show about pleasant, bright, self-aware people would probably be the most boring experience ever for genuine reality TV fans, so I get the criteria used. And I do know why my daughter loves it; she's intensely interested in human behavior & the dynamics of relationships (& I suspect that feeling morally & intellectually superior to these cretins enters into it a little bit, too, though I'm sure she'd deny it because she's a good person, but subconsciously?) Anyway, I'm afraid that the writers' strike will result in even more of these train-wreck shows, as though there aren't enough already. I have to admit that I do watch more television than I probably should, but my favorite shows are scripted ones like "The Office," "30 Rock," "House," "SNL," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (at least partly scripted), "Grey's Anatomy," "Law & Order SVU," & a few others. I do have to put out there that the best show ever in the history of television was, & is, "Seinfeld." I can watch the same episodes over & over & never get tired of them. They're just as funny the 10th time as they were the first. That, for me, is brilliance, & we have so little of that these days. I loved "Arrested Development" & "Sons & Daughters," but apparently not enough other people did. Oh, I almost forgot "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" on FX (the characters are all insane) & "Rescue Me" are also favorites of mine (not that anyone actually cares what my taste in TV is, but I wanted to tell you, & now I have).

I guess what I'm trying to emphasize is that the production of the above shows actually require thought, & creativity, & a desire to do something that will make people think, in some cases, about particular issues or situations or relationships, & also to provide genuine entertainment, & not the train-wreck (I know I already used that phrase, but it's so perfect to describe reality TV) variety evident in reality shows. As I remarked before about my daughter's addiction to reality TV, it really does make you feel superior to these people, & maybe that does provide some respite from all the horrible things that have been happening in our country for the last seven years, so I guess it could be...not actually a good thing, but at least a distraction. But there are just so many of them, &, I fear, more to come. I'd call it the "dumbing down" of America, but a populace that elected George Bush twice could not possibly get any dumber - could it?

Some Thoughts on the Writers' Strike, & Other Things

2007-11-16T15:23:00.000-05:00

God knows, I don't get paid for this at all (if somebody out there wants to hire me to write, I'd be ecstatic), but if I did, I'd be very pissed if I didn't get paid every time someone viewed my writing, no matter what the medium. Songwriters get paid every time their songs are played, so why shouldn't screenwriters (I'm not sure that term covers both TV & movie writers, but that's who I'm talking about) get paid the same way? What people forget is that every writer isn't like Larry David, worth a gazillion dollars. Sure, some of them are, but the vast majority are probably more middle class folks just trying to make a living. I happen to think that creative people should actually get paid more than the decidedly non-creative people who "run" show business. These are the people who entertain us, hopefully make us think, & generally keep a lot of us sane enough to live a relatively productive life. I imagine that for every script a screenwriter sells, he/she probably writes several dozen that don't sell. Also, these people are basically self-employed, & generally don't have the same benefits that most workers have. The fact that they have a union to help them get at least health insurance is wonderful. I know that unions don't have the kind of clout they used to, but they're still necessary in lots of ways. Just because we don't have 10 year olds working in factories anymore (at least in this country) doesn't mean we don't have other injustices that should be addressed. Unions are the reason we don't have those aforementioned children working anymore, for one thing. I had uncles who were union members (mostly the UAW), & without them they couldn't have made the decent living they did to support their families. Not to mention the wonderful health insurance, even for retired members, which unfortunately is becoming extinct. Unions basically built this country, & I worked in lots of political campaigns in the '70s that couldn't have been viable without their support. I imagine that lots of people today believe that unions are no longer necessary; that unions basically drive prices up & there are more laws protecting workers (hello-mostly because of union influence), but if unions were as prevalent today as they were thirty years ago I don't think we'd have had so many of our manufacturing jobs outsourced to other countries. The result of NAFTA & other trade agreements (all opposed by unions) have not only been higher unemployment in this country, but also the cause of so many incredibly shoddy & outright dangerous products being imported (can you say "Mattel"?). This has been the real "higher price" for our country. And don't even get me started about calling my bank &/or credit card companies & getting someone whose command of the English language is tenuous at best, & who can't deal with anything that digresses from the (obviously) printed list of problems/subjects in front of them. And this takes me to a related subject.

Does anyone know anymore what the term "customer service" actually means? I swear to God, the next time I go to a drive-thru or to the grocery/discount store, if the person supposedly waiting on me doesn't even acknowledge that I'm actually there, I WILL make a scene (my daughter knows I'm capable of doing it). I mean, it's as though they'll be struck dumb if they make eye contact- what is
that about? Ok, I know that a lot of these people are quite young, & the pay's not all that good, but were they raised by wolves? Were they truly never taught how to treat other people? I've been involved practically all my life in dealing with the public in one way or another, & not counting government employees (who I'm not including, because they get paid no matter how they treat people, & have always been less than gracious & helpful as a rule), I've noticed that in the last few years almost nobody has any concept of what this type of job involves. Most people who are supposed to serve the public act as if the whole experience is beneath them. As trite as it may sound, it's simply the Golden Rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. It's not a difficult concept to understand, so I guess the problem is actually that it's too much trouble to make the effort for a lot of people.

I also think this somehow ties in with the nutjobs (do you hear me, Lou Dobbs?) who have a hard-on about immigration. In reality, the only jobs illegal immigrants are taking in this country are the ones that nobody here actually wants to do. If Americans are just dying to wash dishes, mow lawns, get up on roofs, & do other manual labor for minimum (& sometimes less) wage & no benefits, they can be my guest. Too bad that the immigrants here don't have more of those call center jobs we're outsourcing; they'd be a whole lot more conscientious than the people who're doing it now, & undoubtedly nicer. And the politicians who are so concerned about all these "illegal" people (& we're talking about Mexicans, right?) taking all those wonderful jobs should be trying to get the Mexican government to change whatever the hell they need to change to provide these folks with the means to support their families & provide them decent living conditions. From what I understand, almost all of Central & South American countries have this huge divide between rich & poor, with not much of what we would consider a middle class. This is actually the basic problem. Who in their right minds would prevent people from bettering themselves? Isn't that what our country is all about- or at least used to be? I wouldn't be living here if my grandparents hadn't decided that trying to make a better life in America was much better than struggling in the old country (in their case, Italy). Our country is truly a nation of immigrants, welcoming everybody, yet some people are actually trying to put up fences & walls to isolate us. Gee, wasn't there a wall in Germany that tried to keep people both in & out? That worked out real well in the end, didn't it?

I could keep on writing about this forever, but I'll save that for another time, maybe. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone (& how about those Pilgrims, now that I mention it?).

I'm Sorry

2007-11-15T08:46:00.000-05:00

I need to apologize to everyone for the weird disparity of type on the last blog entry. I have no idea how it happened. I did everything the same way I've been doing it. My daughter tried to fix it for me (since I'm technologically illiterate), but even she, who can usually fix anything, was unsuccessful. I have no idea what this entry will look like when published. Oh, well, it's the content that counts, right?

Ignorance & Arrogance

2007-11-13T12:25:00.000-05:00

The above title comes from a post written about the WGA strike, but I think that it's an absolutely perfect description of George Bush. Indeed, I believe that he's arrogant ABOUT being ignorant because God knows he has nothing else to be arrogant about. He's like those people you meet sometimes who seem proud to say that they don't read, or know about anything that happened before they were born. I don't believe for a minute that Bush has read any of the books he says he has. I'm convinced that the only way he got through Yale & Harvard Business was by paying someone to write papers & maybe even to take exams. He only got in because he was a legacy; the Bushes must have given a LOT of money. Dubya seems to be proud of the fact that a "C" student was able to become President; we all should be very ashamed of that same fact. What happened to "the best & the brightest," a phrase used during the Kennedy years? Don't you WANT your president to be smarter than you, or at least AS SMART? Bush has certainly proven that ANYONE can become President (that is, if you're also rich & have a daddy to bail you out all your life ). I will never, ever get over the fact that the voters elected this man President TWICE. It does more than boggle the mind; it makes us seem as though we're either a nation of people as ignorant as Bush himself, or we're all mentally ill. Do you have another explanation? We were gullible enough to let the Republicans first literally steal an election (& maybe two), & then frighten us to death about "terrorists." We were like lambs to the slaughter, both times. If it hadn't had such tragic results, it would have been humorous. Well, maybe not humorous, unless it's black humor.

We should really all (I mean Democrats, Independents, & recovering Republicans) make a solemn vow to vigorously support whomever becomes the Democratic nominee. ANY of them would be better than anyone the Republicans nominate, by a long shot. I mean, Hillary's disappointed me, too, but at least she's smart & she does have Bill. We can't afford to be too "pure" this time around. If the Ohio primary were tomorrow, I'd vote for Edwards, but by the time it actually rolls around Hillary may be the unofficial nominee, so I'll probably do what I always do & vote for the obvious choice. I still am holding a glimmer of hope that Gore might jump in at the last minute, but that's probably not going to happen. At least Hillary knows how to run a good campaign, & she won't take shit from whoever the Republicans nominate from that group of hypocrites & stumblebums that are running. I really don't envy whomever gets elected president next year, 'cause he/she will have an incredibly hard time trying to clean up all the crap left by Bush, & I don't just mean the war. It's going to be difficult just to know where to begin, although Iraq is actually a pretty good start. Eight years might not be enough.

It's Hard Out There

2007-11-05T12:55:00.000-05:00

All together now, you know the tune: "It's hard out there for the wimps, it's hard out there for the wimps," referring, of course, to the Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who are caving yet again to the Bush administration concerning the Attorney General nominee. I guess that because Democrats in general have had to end up voting for the lesser of two evils when it comes to presidential nominees for so long, they're just used to it. Amazing that they don't even recognize it when they have the upper hand. I read that if this nomination doesn't fly, Bush would just not name a new one, but will have an acting Attorney General. So what? Whoever's in there will be someone we don't like & can't trust anyway. Does it really matter what his/her (who am I kidding?) status or title is? If any of the sitting senators now running for President vote for this nominee, I hope & pray that it comes back to bite them in the ass come primary time. I'm sick of this crap, & I will not vote for anyone who, from now on, goes along with ANYTHING the Bush administration proposes. Absolutely nothing is going to get cleaned up, straightened up (or any other euphenism you want to use ) until Bush & Co. are out of power. Maybe when they actually are in complete charge (whatever that means to them), the Democrats will finally grow a pair. Even then, though, there is so much wrong & screwed up that it may take eight years to dig out of this morass we're in now.

Now for something completely different (thank you, Monty Python). My daughter burned me a copy of Britney Spears' new CD. I know, I know--what the hell am I doing writing about her (again) ? Well, my daughter asked me to listen to it, & I did. Actually, it's not terrible, if you like electronic/techno/dance type music (which I really don't). I'm just amazed that Britney took enough time out from driving around L.A. & going to Starbucks to actually record it. Even though she can't really sing, she is (or at least she was in the past) a pretty good entertainer, in the Janet Jackson mold. My daughter dragged me to one of her shows several years ago (pre-K Fed), & it was quite a production. The girl can (or at least could) dance, & she put on an extravaganza, with lots of flash & pizazz. Who knows (or cares) what her future holds? I think I need to be her mother for about six months; I would definitely straighten that girl out.

If you want to hear a great singer, please go to our friend Terra's site: http://www.terranaomi.com/. She's an amazing singer-songwriter who's destined to be a superstar; British newspapers have compared her to Joni Mitchell. She's based in London right now, but we got to see her when we were in L.A. recently. She was there filming her latest music video for her song "Up Here" (my favorite Terra song). Please listen.

This & That

2007-11-04T16:11:00.000-05:00

One thing I plan to write about (other than politics) is my pet peeves &/or things that are unbelieveably stupid. I have been to New York numerous times & to Southern California a few times, but one thing seems to always be consistent: NEVER seeing celebrities when I just know they're crawling all over the place. Ok, I saw Tony Randall once in New York (does anyone not ancient even know who he is? Hint: the Odd Couple on T.V.), & I convinced myself I saw John McEnroe on a street corner in L.A. the last time I was there (late Sept.), but come on- frigging Britney Spears is all over the place, riding around in her car constantly with papparazzi following her, & not even one sighting? I think she's a train wreck, but damn, she is a celebrity, & she's everywhere but where I happen to be at the moment. Of course, I've seen celebrities in L.A. at concerts & talk shows, but they're SUPPOSED to be in those places. My daughter's (& my) friend Arlan, who we stayed with last time in L.A. (thanks again, Arlan) sees & meets celebrities ALL THE TIME. Of course, she's got lots of blogs with all kinds of fans of her own, & she's one of those people who can literally talk to anybody, anytime, about anything, but still- you've got to see them before you can talk to them. Even though my daughter & I were actually WITH Arlan almost all the time while in L.A., still: NO CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS! I guess that proves that it must be my bad luck, & even proximity to me is contagious. This is not exactly an earth-shattering problem, or even very important in the overall scheme of things, but still, it bugs the shit out of me, & damn it, this is my chance to express my frustration about it. So there.

On a way more important note, one thing I wonder about is exactly when "conservative" became a synonym for huge spending & meddling in peoples' lives, both private & public (not to mention shredding the Constitution). Barry Goldwater is undoubtedly spinning in his grave (note: I, like Hillary, was a "Goldwater Girl" in 1964), with these hypocritical stumblebums in power pretending to be conservatives. At least the so-called "big government" policies of the Democrats try to actually do things to make peoples' lives better, not worse. I guess Bush & his cronies are really trying to prove that government doesn't work. Hell of a job, Bushies!

What?

2007-11-04T03:56:00.000-05:00

The best quote I've seen lately is from Dennis Kucinich (speaking about George Bush): "Either there's something wrong with him, or there's something wrong with us." He was questioning Bush's mental health, & although I've seen similar things on the Huffington Post by actual mental health professionals, it's the first time a presidential candidate (albeit a doomed one) has commented on it. I think there really is "something wrong with us," to have let this nightmare administration go on for seven long years. When exactly will we have had enough? I thought it was enough last year when the Democrats gained control of the House & almost the Senate, but apparently I was wrong, given the way they've caved in on so much since then.

Does no one remember the lessons of Vietnam & Watergate, or have these become just words? Have we become as ignorant of history as Bush himself is, or do we just not give a shit anymore? You'd think that, despite everything else people apparently are not outraged enough about, struggling to pay the mortgage & buy groceries would be at least somewhat important to ordinary people. Is it really too hard to make an effort? Are we just too beaten down & numbed by all of the unbelieveable assaults that we've endured over the last few years? I just don't understand why more people aren't angry & ready to revolt, or at least to do something to punish these sons of bitches who have turned our country into either a laughingstock or a hated enemy (depending upon which part of the world we're talking about). These are the same people who had the gall to impeach Clinton over a blow job, & these hypocritical scumbags have done everything possible to show us that they not only don't give a crap about anyone but themselves & their cronies, but actually have a deep contempt for the American people they're supposed to be serving. If things were up to me (& everything really should be), I would have impeached Bush & Cheney years ago.

I really haven't done a laundry list of all the stuff we should be outraged about; it would just take too long. And I do know that there are a lot of people who feel the way I do, & a lot of them also express it. But it's just so frustrating for me to see more & more of this shit keep happening, like we're too stupid to know &/or remember what's gone before. But that's just me. Or is it?