"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
-Plato
This saddens me. John Edwards, will make it official today, in New Orleans, that he is dropping his bid for the Democratic nomination. While I have to admit that in recent days he had lost me, I still believed in him. He is a good man, he would have been good for America. So why did I turn to another candidate in the last week? Well, thank you for asking.
It came down to hearing, and seeing, in another candidate the right answers to my questions. Not just the questions I write about here sometimes, but those quiet questions we all carry around. It's about all the work we are in for, when the new president takes office. It's about practicality verses high hopes, and ultimately, it's about experience. Hillary Clinton has been dealt more then one blow in her life, and not only did she survive, she prospered. In the public eye, she has been called everything in the book, and yet she moves on with humor and strength.
One of the things that initially excited me about John Edwards, was how he and his wife handled Elizabeth Edward's cancer. They had an up close and personal view of the strain of catastrophic illness. I believed that he had a real and strong desire to not just be president, but to NOT LET US DOWN. He spoke in practical terms. He spoke to the middle class. He spoke about a better life in America, not the dream of a better life. He made me feel like America could once again be that great country we all like to think it is, but in reality is far from it.
We don't lead the world in economics. We don't lead the world in education. We don't lead the world in democracy, as long as our own government is spying on us. We don't lead the world in health care. We don't lead the world in...
The list is a long one. We need someone who can help bring us back to what we once were. I think Edwards could have been that man, which is why he was on my sidebar for months. Then, one day, I began to hear more of the right answers coming from Hillary Clinton. I believe she is the right person for the White House. And in a perfect world, John Edwards would be her running mate. That would be a ticket I could believe in. Can you see it?
Goodbye John Edwards, for now. Hope to see you soon!
"Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional."
-Chilli Davis
Yep, we are back from the snow, and now it's time to celebrate Alan's birthday! He is 46 years young today, and still the hunkiest hunk on the block. I wish I could figure out why he doesn't look a day older then when I met him in 1977. It's simply not fair, but it sure is fun. :)
Yesterday, we took our long ride to the snow, and we got as far as Colfax, California, when we were turned back for not having snow chains. Sometimes they let you through, but yesterday they were expecting snow showers in the Sierra, so we were out of luck. I am going to get a set of chains, but I think I will wait until later in the season when they are cheaper. We will get another chance to get up to the snow, maybe in a few weeks, it just depends on the whims of Mother Nature. :) I need some new snow boots anyway. :)
Back to today. Alan and I went out to lunch at Red Robin. YUM. I don't eat out very much anymore, not since I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, but Alan received a certificate for a free hamburger lunch, so I thought it would be nice to have a little treat. I ordered a bowl of French Onion soup, which must have agreed with me, because 2 hours later my blood sugar was 130 mg/dl. A perfectly lovely, acceptable reading! And all is well. I am so happy Alan got to have the burger, he deserved that treat. He has been very supportive of my new eating habits, and most of the time eats the same thing I do. That helps this diabetic more then I can say. :)
Alan was thrilled with the results of the New Hampshire primary. Actually, we were both very pleasantly surprised. As I have mentioned before, he is voting for Hillary Clinton, while I am still a bit on the fence between Clinton and Edwards. I have a few more weeks to make up my mind, but I have to admit, I am beginning to lean towards Hillary. Hmmm... what to do, what to do.
Tonight we will probably just cuddle and watch something on TV. My birthday is coming up on June 29th, and we will probably do something very similar to what we did today, although by then we probably will be talking about how pleased we will be to see the end come to all those annoying political ads. LOL. Life is a cycle after all, and isn't it grand? :)
Happy Birthday Alan
:)
-OndineMonet "Happy Birthday Dear Alan" Red Robin Pleasanton, California January 9, 2008 Afternoon
"All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field."
-Albert Einstein
Tomorrow is the New Hampshire Primary, do you know where your candidate is in the polls? After the debate last Saturday night, I am more sure then ever in the merits of John Edwards, but I must say, Hillary Clinton continues to impress me, and earn my respect as well. Obama, by contrast, is losing me more and more every day. I just don't have a strong enough faith in his abilities, to see him earn the nomination and to be eventually be president. I think he talks a very good game about change, but he really doesn't get down to specifics. I think Edwards and Clinton are much more clear and decisive on what their plans are if they are elected president.
I haven't completely closed my mind to Obama, because there is good chance he will win the nomination, and I want to believe in whoever is chosen on the democratic ticket, but I have to say, right now, he isn't someone I believe in. Just being a democrat is not enough. Hopefully, the next president of the United States will be a democrat, and so my vote will be reflecting the person I want to see in office for the next 8 years. I would like to have the same kind of faith in the next person I vote for, as I did for Bill Clinton in the 90's or Al Gore, in 2000. I wish I knew right now who the running mates of the candidates will be, because to me, it's just as important as who will be president. There is a lot to consider here.
Oh well, the California Primary isn't until February 5th. I still have some time to visit some websites and do some reading. As I mentioned before, Alan is planning on voting for Hillary Clinton, while I am still in favor of John Edwards, so we have had some really interesting conversations lately. So, while the New Hampshire Primary is happening tomorrow, I will be on my way to the snow to do my first new photos of 2008. The southern Sierra got a good dusting of snow from the last storms, and there is another strong system on the way. Hopefully I will be able to get some nice winter photos, and I am looking forward to the long car ride with Alan as well. Alan good for my moods, as well as my blood sugar. :) He's the best part of my future, well, he and Elvis. :)
Note: I will be gone very late tomorrow, so I won't have a Tuesday post, but look for me on Wednesday! I'll be back with new photos! :)
-OndineMonet "Decision 2008" Berkeley, California Winter, 2008 Early Evening
"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."
-Oscar Wilde
Politics And Pop Culture
Like A Spider's Web In The Rain...
Do you ever feel a little like a spider on or about New Years? What I mean is, a year begins and you spend the rest of your time either facing difficulties or happily tidying your little web in the universe. Sometimes something will land in your path. It might be something that enriches your world, or it might be something that can ruin everything. Most of the time however, you simply build and watch for rain. I made my peace with 2007, and yet I felt a little sad when it ended because I had felt like I turned the attitude I had when the year began completely around to the point I was happy. So now what?
I had finally felt in control once again. Now, it feels like I am starting all over again, because there is a New Year on the calendar. Hmmm... I guess what I am feeling comes from my inability to let go of things. "To Move On." I will work my way out of this slump again soon.I know it's just the universe playing tricks on me. Heck, my horoscope even told me as much recently. I know that usually all I need is a good day with the camera. I am going to venture out of my cottage in a couple days... sunny or not. I wonder what I will find in the elements?
Rain With A Chance Of Hail...
Sigh. This child is lost. That photo of her breaks my heart. Not because I was particularly a fan of her, but mostly because I am a woman. Yep. I am feeling a little bit maternal, as much as I would feel if this were happening to a neighbor or someone I actually knew. But I don't imagine there is much guidance in this child's world. Her mother has some problems and we will leave it at that. Being a celebrity means a little less to someone Britney's age, because she has never had to claw from the ground up.
How can the rest of us expect her to grow-up? She never had a chance the first time around. But enabling her is the wrong way to go as well. So, what to do? Well, the first step has already begun, in that the judge in the custody case between Britney and Kevin Federline, finally removed the children from her care. It's life lessons like this that bring about maturity. This young lady is starting from a place of drug abuse and alcoholism, which will make it worse, but waking up in a hospital, with the DT's and no one to stop the mental and physical pain can mature you as well. It's the rain that teaches us to seek shelter.
It's Like Thunder And Lightning The Way You Love Me Is Frightening...
Ok, Iowa had it's lessons. Thunderous lessons. Hillary Clinton had a good chance of walking away from the Iowa Caucuses the big winner. She began her campaign a year ago, and she has held most polls ever since. But now, Obama is a big threat, and surprise, so is John Edwards. I tend to look at the results with a grain of salt. There is a lot about it I can't take too seriously. Such as the Republican choice, Mike Huckabee who is a scoundrel in true Republican manner. He proved as much with that dirty little trick of his, regarding his "negative" ad. He made the ad... then decided to hold a press conference to say he wouldn't stoop to that level. Then he gave out copies, and according the FactCheck.org, it still aired at least 10 times, on four different stations in Davenport and Cedar Rapids Iowa. It's all a lot of thunder, with no lightning in my opinion.
No matter who the chosen Republican or Democratic challengers are, there is one statistic that both parties might want to take very seriously. Who came out into the cold to vote in Iowa. Michael Moore pointed out in his newsletter, that 239,000 showed up to vote for the Democrats, while only 115,000 turned out for the Republicans. That statistic makes me smile. It gives me hope. I imagine every one of the 239,000 has had enough of the dirty tricks, the backstabbing, and the lies coming from Republicans. Are the Democratic candidates exempt from that kind of behavior? Apparently not. But I can tell you this, most American's are fed up with the lies. Most Americans are ready to see integrity brought back to the country. I have my ears open, and my mind set on what I want to hear and more importantly... see. Fair weather promises I can do without. I am a little more weather savvy then that. I don't fall for every pitch from every umbrella salesman who comes my way.
So, it's on to the New Hampshire debates. Tell me, will you watch tonight?Oooh, did you hear that? Probably not, because that big clap of thunder took place outside my window. It's raining here in the Bay Area, and it's hailing too. I like weather like this. It makes me feel alive and appreciate change. It makes me look to the future and all the sunshine coming my way. Observing politics is a lot like observing the weather. Sometimes you hear a lot of noise, that does nothing but make you feel scared and alone, while the best of days tend to go by in hopeful silence. The California primary is being held on February 5th, when is yours?
-OndineMonet "One Fine Day" Berkeley, California April, 2005 Late Afternoon
"I never vote for anybody, I always vote against."
-W.C. Fields
2007 has come and gone. The Gulf Coast still hasn't been rebuilt. America's reputation around the world still remains, at best, tarnished. Osama Bin Laden is still alive and well, and apparently living somewhere in the mountainous region of Pakistan. We found out that the lies coming out of the White House went deeper then we ever imagined, and I would be willing to bet that we haven't heard anything yet. We saw health care denied to children, and the CIA quietly destroying documents that proved that America has engaged in torture. We saw our president commute the sentence of a convicted Scooter Libby, to no time served, because Bush considered the 20 month sentence too harsh. Scooter Libby was convicted of perjury, and obstruction of justice in the investigation into the outing of CIA agent Valarie Plame Wilson. And as if that wasn't a big enough slap in the face to American justice, I want to know why, to date, no one has ever stood trial on charges of treason for that outing.
I remember the day that I saw that "Breaking News" announcement, that Scooter Libby had gotten away with that treasonous act, because the anger was so great I began to shake all over. My head began to pound, and a deep sadness welled up in me. I don't know why, I should have known the Bush administration would do what they did. I should have known that Libby would beat the charges, but I always want to believe that Bush would just once do the right thing. And it was while I was grieving for America that I had to ask myself, "Is the pride I put in America worth it?" Our country is in the hands of liars and opportunists who have their own agendas. Is my writing about my opinions of their dirty deeds reaching anyone, and is it making any difference at all?
I have no delusions about who my simple blog might be reaching, but sometimes I hope that while I am showing you the beauty of the world with my camera, I can show you the more poignant moments I see as well. Maybe I can make a difference with what I choose to share, or maybe I can't. I guess there is no real way of knowing. I just sit down here at the keyboard and hope for the best. I haven't written much about politics in the last few months, because I am feeling like a lot of folks right now... I have Bush fatigue. What more can be said, that hasn't already been made known? I know that if I spend too much time watching the political news, my blood sugar goes sky high, which harms my health. I don't want to be a diabetic, and I don't want to be someone who lives in a rose colored world, afraid to speak her mind, and call a liar a liar. So what to do, what to do.
Sigh.
I can't give up on my ideals. I won't let the Bush administration tire me that much. In fact, I am going to aim my focus to the 2008 election. It's now 11 months away, and while that might seem like forever, it really isn't. So let's start talking again. If we do, we might actually put someone in office who will work for us, instead of the other way around. We might find someone who will actually protect us from terrorists, instead of pouring billions of dollars into the very country that is harboring these fugitives. Remember when America wasn't at war? Do you remember how you felt on September 10th, 2001? Do you remember when you didn't have to choose between buying your child an ice cream cone, and buying a gallon of gas? We can have those times back, but we have to be willing to get a little tired once in while. We have to be willing to be courageous enough to say ENOUGH!
Here is something I am looking for this next year, beginning with the Iowa Caucuses. I don't want to hear what's wrong with a politician's political opponent, I want to hear what the politician speaking to me plans to do with America. End of discussion. The mudslinging on the republican side makes me laugh. As usual they have learned nothing. It always comes down to, "I'm more religious then he is... or she is for that matter." LOL. They still miss it. They still don't get that I won't be voting in my moral leader, because I have enough backbone to be my own moral leader.
The Democrats seem to want to ignore the failings of the Bush administration, and focus on the future. That's both good and bad in my opinion. I am focusing on the future as well, but I will be damned if I will forget the past. And I have no more patience with those politicians who do. I am a big supporter of John Edwards, but lately I am seeing less and less passion from him. I liked Barack Obama, until he brought in Oprah Winfrey to stump for him. I don't know. Of course celebrities should be able to speak their minds like all Americans, but unfortunately we Americans also like to let others do our thinking for us. Let's face it... we can be sheep, especially when our spirits are tired. Is Barack Obama really a good choice for you, because you respect Oprah Winfrey?
Lately I have been turning my attention toward Hillary Clinton. There are several things about her which have gained my respect. She does plan to do more then bandage the nations deep cuts. She does have a viable plan for universal health care, she can be called a BITCH by a nitwit planning to vote for a republican, and she can ignore it with class and yes, courage. She isn't perfect, not by a long shot, but she has demonstrated a lot of the values that the republican party likes to claim is theirs alone. She kept her marriage together, she raised her daughter to be a wonderful young woman, and she has held her head high despite the nitwits of the world. So what exactly earned her the disparaging name of BITCH? Is it because she hasn't caved? She didn't say it was ok to turn America into a shadow of itself? Is it because she can admit that if she knew then, what she knows now she would have made different decisions? What exactly is it that makes her a BITCH?
I don't know... but I know I want to know more. And that renewed energy feels damn good!
So, this is my last political rant of 2007, and I say, let's get a dialog going. Tell me, how close will you be following politics in 2008, beginning with the Iowa Caucuses? How much do you know about the politicians currently running for office? What is your personal list of priorities when it comes to the next president? What do you want the next president to do as their first official act in office, regardless of the party elected?
"A liberal is a man or woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future."
-Leonard Bernstein, The New York Times, 30 October 1988
If Leonard Bernstein's definition of a liberal is correct, then I guess you could say I am a liberal. I have been putting a lot of thought lately into what I consider myself to be. It keeps changing, sometimes without my permission. I just found out the other day, that I am officially a "cougar." "Huh?" Said my therapist Sarah, "Where did that come from?" Well, I explained, "there is this new reality show on NBC, and the premise is that a 30-something hunky guy looks for the love of his life, by choosing the newest love of his life from within two groups of women. The first group (the kittens) are in their 20's and the second group (the cougars) are in their 40's. If being in my 40's, actually officially 45 next week, makes me a cougar... then I guess I am a cougar." MEEEOOOWWWW.
I used to refer to myself, when asked, as a Woman/Democrat/Liberal/Native Californian/FemmaNazi. The FemmaNazi part was to humor the whichever conservative poophead who was insisting on restricting me to labels they made up, so they could fit everyone into a neat little box. It helps some folks think more clearly, if they don't have to use much energy by considering that some folks think for themselves. I vote most often Democrat, so therefore I must agree one hundred percent with everything being said by the democratic party. Sigh. I loved how one blogger used to constantly insist that because I am a liberal, then I must have voted against raises for police and firefighters. I have never voted that way in my life. Not once. Sigh. Equally shocking to some of my conservative friends was the fact that I voted for Arnold Schwarzenegger. What can I say? He was the right man for California. I wasn't alone in that assessment, he won the election quite readily last fall, when some republicans in the nation were being replaced in the house, and the senate.
I have been a democrat my whole life, and a card carrying one as soon as I could vote. I am not so sure anymore. The lines have blurred for me. I don't think enough has been done, since the change of leadership in the house and senate. Nancy Pelosi is trying her best... and that is what worries me. As if it isn't bad enough that we couldn't get enough votes to override the president's veto of the proposed Iraq war budget, it looks like there will be no overriding his veto of the bill that would increase federal funding for stem cell research. An issue close to my heart. A bill that was endorsed by the AARP, the American Medical Association, and the American Diabetes Association, which are just three, among over 500 medical and scientific organizations that supported the bill. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that 68% of Americans also support stem cell research. But it doesn't really matter how we as a nation feel about it, Bush has proven time and again, that we will not have a say in what direction the country moves in, as long as he is the "decider."
"If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayer for the first time in our history to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. I made it clear to Congress and to the American people that I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line."
-George W. Bush, June 20th, 2007 (White House)
There he goes again, playing to that imaginary base he thinks he still has. With George Bush in office, programming what our will should be, it makes me wonder if I need worry about having a voice. I could just sit back and let the "decider' decide how I should feel about everything. I thought when the democrats took control of the senate and congress, we might finally get something done. Nope. Not if it furthers humanity. I can't believe that a man who rushed into a needless war, woefully unprepared, and with no realistic way out, was vetoing for a second time, a stem cell research bill, and dictating what my morality should be while he did it. Sigh. I hurt when I saw the latest U.S. American soldier update today in Lafayette memorial. I visit there once a month, and as the seasons have changed I have watched the numbers grow. Sometimes time does not make things better. Nothing could have saved my father who died of series of strokes, while battling stomach cancer, or my mother who died a few years later of Alzheimer's. There is still no cure for that, and now it will be at least 2 years longer before federal funding is freed up for this much needed research.
"Let me be clear:When I am president, I will lift the ban on stem cell research."
Simple and to the point. John Edwards, who I have on my sidebar, posted his own message regarding this issue on his website. You can read it here. Everyone has something to say, but will anyone get anything done, even if there is a profound change during the next national election? Who knows. It's a depressing thought to be sure. I want to see an end to this insane war. I want to have reasonable gas prices, I want to see children really have a chance at a future, with appropriate funding for education, and I want to know that there is at least a chance that a cure for Alzheimer's will be found before it happens to me. Is it so much to ask that I survive to be a really cool old lady? A lady with all her marbles, and all the will to embrace life? I am no longer a kitten, I am a cougar. Ok, I can accept that. What I can't accept, is facing my old age, and all the scary moments that sometimes accompanies it, with little to no hope, because of the selfishness of politics in America.
-OndineMonet
On A Lighter note, I loved, loved, loved the Soprano's parody that Hillary Clinton did regarding her pick for a campaign theme song. If you haven't seen it, play the above YouTube video. It was a bit of humor, when it was really needed. I always appreciated that about the Clinton white house. They had a sense of humor, that wasn't unintentional or due to illiteracy.
"Congress needs to stand firm and strong. Congress should answer the president's veto, by sending him another bill with a timetable for withdrawal."
-John Edwards May 2nd 2007
It came as no big surprise that President Bush vetoed the war budget sent to him by congress on Tuesday. He said he planned to veto it, after all, it didn't give him his way. He wants to continue on in Iraq, with the current flow of business as usual, despite the terrible toll it is taking on America, both here on our own soil and in Iraq to our overworked and drained military. Honestly, it is depressing to know that our own president is so selfish, that he would surround himself with yes people on all sides, to enable his deep denial over the situation in Iraq. Something must be done to put a stop to this national tragedy, but I don't think it will come by way of our new democratic house and senate. I don't think they will hold up under the pressure. There are already rumblings that they will cave, and consider putting in non-binding resolutions for setting benchmarks for the Iraqi's to meet. Not good enough! Not good enough by any stretch of the imagination. The Iraqi's care so little about the state of affairs in their war-torn nation, that they are considering a two month vacation over this next summer. Does that sound like a country who has any intention of stepping up to the plate, to take control of their own fate?
It is a depressing thought that congress would cave, and allow the opportunity to end this war to slip away. They are in a tough place when it comes down to what to do. If they cut off funding to the soldiers, they will be blamed for the consequences of their actions, when in fact, those consequences should be resting on the shoulder of the president.That pin works both ways. He can't say that he has no choice but to veto... sure he does, he just won't consider other options. He is too busy with photo op's on American Idol, and thanking the American people for their generosity. The fact of the matter is, we have to be generous, because we can't count on our own government to take care of us. Ask the people of the Gulf Coast, if the Bush Administration has come through for them.
The white house is still looking for a "War Czar" which is yet another made up office, designed to shield Bush from taking responsibility for his decisions as Commander-in-Chief. Amazing.And can you believe that the official White House website, still has the press release announcing "Major Combat Operations In Iraq Have Ended," you know, the speech he made under the banner, "Mission Accomplished," still available? "Major Combat Operations In Iraq Have Ended." Last month, was one of the deadliest months in Iraq, since he made that famous speech in 2003, over 100 military members were killed in April. Over 100!
So, if we can't count on our new congress and senate to hold up under the pressure, what are we to do? I think it is going to fall on all of us, the over 60% of Americans who want a swift end brought to this war. The democrats needed a 2/3 vote to override President Bush's veto, and it wasn't achieved mostly due to the Republican vote. Ok, you can be a republican and still not support the war. I know there are some of you out there... the poll numbers indicate you are there, so here is what I think should be done. Right now. It doesn't matter what political party you belong to, if you think we need to be out of Iraq, send your senators and congressmen an email before the next proposal is sent to Bush's desk. DEMAND that congress sticks to it's first inclination for setting a timetable for withdrawal. Change must come from you and I.
Let the politicians know, that come the 2008 national election, we will be casting a vote based as a direct result from their actions right now. We have that power. Dick Cheney recently told singer Sheryl Crow, that he doesn't work for her, he works for the American people. I am still trying to figure that one out, considering she is an American citizen. Sigh. Perhaps he meant he only works for those HE considers Americans, in other words, those who follow him with near idol worship. Those who follow him with blind faith. Considering his poll numbers... I don't think it's a terribly big group, but the point is, if he is going to be serving as VP, than he has an obligation to all Americans. I wish he would remember that. Sigh.
I have been listening to John Edwards over the last couple days, and I am gaining more and more respect for him. He said exactly what I have been thinking over the last week or so. "Congress needs to stand firm. Congress should answer the president's veto by sending him another bill with a timetable for withdrawal." I appreciated that. I am impressed with the choices we are being given on both sides of the campaign. The 08 election process will be exciting to watch unfold over the next year. Based on information on the candidates to date... John Edwards impresses me the most, as someone who will lead America to a surer, safer future. He doesn't have to do it with fear tactics or bullying, he will be doing it with common sense and courage. Hillary Clinton is a good bet as a candidate, as is Joe Biden, but right now, barring anything unforeseen, I think I will be supporting John Edwards. Now go, be Americans, and email or snail mail your representatives. Make your voice heard loud and clear, before the next round of negotiations with the president take place.
"I've decided to cut out the part of the speech where I say anything nice about Democrats."
-Ann Coulter
I wasn't going to address the latest mean spirited pearls of wisdom that came pouring out of conservative political commentator Ann Coulter's mouth this past week, but I can't help it, the woman offends me on all levels, and sometimes, I just have to say exactly what's on my mind. Ann Coulter doesn't belong in the public eye, she is the worst possible influence on our young people, especially the young women of this country, and her kind of hate will only further widen the painful tear this country has suffered. Does she have a right to freedom of speech, of course she does, but it should be stifled at hatred. What constitutes a hate crime anyway. Are mere words enough to be charged, or do you actually have to inflict bodily injury? Her most recent attack, this past week on former North Carolina Senator, John Edwards, is not by far the most heinous words every spoken by Coulter, does anyone remember this bit of nonsence?
"These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband's deaths so much."
-Ann Coulter, referring to the widows of the victims of 9/11.
In her attack this past week, in front of an audience at the annual, Conservative Political Action Committee, Ann had this to say about Edwards...
"I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go to rehab if you use the word, "faggot."
Shameful. Republican Presidential candidates, John McCain and Mitt Rommey, where quick to distance themselves from the remarks by Coulter, so I have to wonder, who was sitting in the audience, and who found it so funny? It bothered me that laughter could clearly be heard after her remarks. What kind of person would laugh at such idiocy? I have many conservative friends who I have a great deal of respect for. We have been able to share our opposing views, without bending to this type of hatred. I have learned from them, and I would like to think they have learned a little from me. In a perfect world.
It seems to me that as long as someone, somewhere, welcomes the likes of Ann Coulter to speak at universities, and rallies, and talk shows, the longer we will have an air of misinformation too available. We live in times like never before. Times when it seems like every country in the world has their finger on the trigger. God I hope I am wrong about that. Things in Iraq are NOT improving, they are getting worse. Walter Reed Hospital, in Washington, was supposed to be the flagship of care for our wounded men and women who have returned home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. What kind of a conscience allowed them to live in such deplorable conditions? Who dropped that ball? We have problems way too devastating on American soil, to be taking up our time giving our attention to a person or persons consumed with hatred. Ann Coulter is a person, consumed with hatred. I wonder sometimes, if my conservative friends cringe when she speaks. Shrug. To be truthful, that is none of my business, that is between them and their conscience.
There is interest in the next presidential election, like never before. I have to say, I admire Edwards for not lowering himself to Coulter's level, by slinging a slur back in her face. That is what I am looking for in a candidate. Someone who can see ignorance for what it is, and remain calm under the circumstances. Someone who recognizes the true needs of America, which is to feel safe and prosperous on our own soil, and to be able to provide for our families. Someone who will bring an end to the national nightmare, that is the Iraq war. It would be nice to have someone in office who will actively pursue Osama Bin Laden... remember him? It would be nice to know that the young men and women we are trying to woo into the armed services, will have the proper care as veterans. America needs to be fixing the existing problems we suffer with right here in America. Bigotry, health care, literacy, living wages, the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. You know the list. How long do we want to be updating our memorials? Do we have time for the influence of Ann Coulter? Do we have time to continue to hold her up as any kind of positive example?
Your turn, you tell me, is Ann Coulter hurting, or helping America? What should our focus, as a nation, be on? Who in politics is really listening to and addressing our needs? Who, at this point, seems like they are most in touch with America? Will we every be free from the current air of division in America? When does freedom of speech go too far?
As of December 2nd, 2006
As of January 24th, 2007
In Memory Of 3154 Soldiers Killed in Iraq As Of February 28th, 2007
NOTE: The Lafayette Memorial is updated each weekend.
"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
