The Angry American

June 6th, 1945

2009-06-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Today, our country is losing it's greatest national resource at an alarming pace. I bet you are wondering to what I am referring? The answer isn't what - it's who. Today, so few of them are left and every day we lose more and more - our country's Greatest Generation.

65 years ago today, they faced insurmountable odds and an unlikely outcome, and they faced it as young men and women - most probably in their 20's or younger. They faced this challenge the way they faced all the other hardships in their lives - head on- with hard work, dedication, devotion and bravery. Their victory in the fielf of battle made our country synonomous with Freedom on the one hand and overwhelming military might on the other. Their sacrifices liberated an entire continent of oppressed people and saved a people from total annihilation. They were liberators.

Winston Churchill once said ( of the Battle of Briton but can certainly be said of Normandy) "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. " And yet, 65 years later, so mahy of us forget the contributions of the Greatest Generation.

My husband's grandfather, Addison Hogue Thomson, was one such a man. He was the kindest, gentlest man that it has ever been my privilege to know. He was slow to anger and quick to forgive. He loved his country - very much. When she called, Addison answered. He bravely served his country as a medic for the duration of the war. He would only talk occassionally about his experiences. He never thought of himself as a hero, and yet, believe me when I tell you that he was one.

Addison Thomson was one of six brothers, five of whom fought for their country as members of the Greatest Generation. His brother David was simply too young to serve. He was at D-day plus one. I can remember him telling me of his experiences there. The first thing he learned when he hit the beach with the 101st was to cover the Red Cross on his helmet with mud as the Germans used it for crosshairs so that the wounded could not be tended. He had horrible memories of the war and hated Patton with an intensity that it was difficult to believe considering his otherwise peaceful demeanor.

Addison Thomson epitomises the greatest generation. They were ordinary men and women who rose up to the challenges presented and accomplished extraordinary things, then quietly went back to lead their lives, never wanting or needing gratitude or accolades. Yet today, of all days, those men deserve both the accolades they are given and the undying gratitude of free men and women everywhere. I hope we never forget their contributions and their sacrifices. I hope that a new generation will look to those that have come before and aspire to be something more, to do something more, not just for ourselves, but for the betterment of the world.

Honoring Memorial Day

2009-05-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

Ignorance is bliss, sometimes that really is the truth. I was reading the New York Times online today, ( I know, I can already hear your heads collectively shaking...) and I came across a piece in the OpEd section on how the readers of the Times define America. Here, on the cusp of one of our most important American holidays, I was saddened by what I saw. I would like to say that I was shocked, but in actuality I wasn't.

The Times commentary was full of those who quite frankly hate their own country. They defined it as the land of the brainless and home of the obese. They talked about our collective delusion that we are the worlds lone Super Power. Some discussed how, in their opinion, our country enforces our morality at the end of a gun. It makes me so sorrowful to think that this is the way the majority views their country. Fortunately, I then remembered that I was reading the Times and that, in and of itself, was sure to tip the results in one direction, predominantly supporting one point of view.

Thankfully though, in the United States of America, there are many points of view. This is mine.

Let's start with Memorial Day before I address the definition of the United States of America. What does Memorial Day mean to you? Why do we honor this day and what exactly are we remembering? In what manner do we choose to celebrate?
For me, Memorial Day is a day of reflection and gratitude. It is a day to pause from our daily lives and reflect on those things that most of us take for granted every day. I have been fortunate in my life to know real heroes – the men and women of the United States military. Some of these men and women have laid down their lives – paid the ultimate price of freedom – because they love their country and all the ideals she represents. I know that Freedom isn't free. These individuals and their families have paid the price – and continue to pay the price. Today I have a friend – actually many – who is missing her husband as he defends this country. Today I have a friend that is being sent into harms way in spite of promises by our politicians to end this war. Today, I have a friend who every day mourns the loss of her only son. He gave his life so that all of us could live happy and free. Scott Vincent, and the hundreds of thousands just like him, are eternally my heroes. To them I owe the deepest debt of gratitude – one that can never be repaid. The very least that I can do for them is to take this day and remember, and to teach my children to do the same.

It is my honor to be a citizen of the greatest country this world has ever known. I was lucky to be born an American, and I will never be anything but proud of my country, I will never feel anything but the deepest love for her and all she represents. Does that mean that I do homage to the land of the brain dead and home of the obese? No. This is how I see my country:

In my normal day as an American citizen I have more freedom than most of the world will ever know. That isn't wishful thinking – it's the truth. I can go where I want to go.I can use any mode of travel that I see fit with minimal interference in my life relative to the rest of the world. I can express my opinions in almost any manner that I see fit. I can wear what I want without fear of reprisals – or worse. I don't need a male relative to escort me out of the house. I have no fear of dying in a soccer stadium because of my sex. I can go to any religious establishment and worship as I chose. Or not. Simply put, I am an American and because of that fact, I do what most of the world can only dream about. I have a voice and I have a choice.

To me, my country is about hope, choice, dreams, accomplishment and above all Freedom. The greatest compliment someone can give me is to say that I am an Idealist. It is then that I KNOW I am an American because, in the words of Woodrow Wilson, “America is the only idealistic nation in the world.” She seeks to do the right and criticizes herself for anything less than perfection. Yes, I Love my country and today, I celebrate and honor all those who paid the price for me to live in the greatest country in the world.

Don't We Have More Important Things to Worry About?

2009-04-30T04:34:00.000-07:00

I hate telemarketers, don't you? Even worse, I dislike those who would impose their point of view and morality on others. Yesterday it was my misfortune to be on the recieving end of both of these.

I got a call, and I forget the name of the organization, but basically they wanted to know how angry I am about the fact that abortion is legal. Really? You really want to know? Here it is in a nutshell, but I can promise you that people who ask that sort of qustion aren't going to like my answer.

I am a mother. I am personally pro-life. That said, I realize that others may have a different moral belief than mine. Some do not believe that life begins at conception but rather that conception is just a possibility for life. My husband is one such a person. Many people have miscarriages and intervening events that stop the process of conception from resulting in the birth of a live child. So the idea of conception being a "possibility for life" is something that many agree with.
Whatever my own personal beliefs are, it isn't for me to tell my husband or anyone else that their differing beliefs are wrong. Isn't that part of what makes our country great - the tolerance for a multitude of differing beliefs? Since when did we become a society of morality police?

There are things about the abortion argument that I am passionate about - partial birth abortion is one example. Even so though, there are much more important issues facing our country. Our economic system is hanging on by a thread, the dollar is being devalued as we print more and more money for this bailout and the tax burden that will be passed on to my children and grandchildren because of it is almost unbelievable. We are currently facing a potential health pandemic and all some people care about it abortion.

Some people just don't get it.

"Contractually Obligated"??

2009-03-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

I have stopped watching the news and now I am relegated to getting my news soley from the Internet. The reason for this change in behavior is that everytime I watch the news, I only find myself getting angrier and angrier. Sadly this is also the case when I read the news, but one can not put one's head in the sand.
Today, I came across this headline: "Insurance Giant AIG to Pay $165 Million in Bonuses". Does this make anyone else see red??? I mean, here AIG is, raking in $170 BILLION in tax payer dollars and they are using one tenth of OUR money to pay the executives who made the disasterous decisions leading their company to the brink of disaster BONUSES???
AIG says that they are "contractually obligated" to pay these bonuses. Failing to do so would have resulted in lawsuits, which is probably true. However, had the government allowed AIG to go into chapter 11 prior to the bailout, all bets would have been off. AIG would have had the flexibility to renegotiate their contractual obligations based on the reality of their finanacial situation. Instead, hundreds of employees who made poor choices are getting the benefit of our hard earned dollars.
Am I the only one who is angry here?

Casey Anthony is Indicative of Everything that is Wrong with our Society

2009-03-03T04:51:00.000-08:00

If you have been anywhere near a cable news channel in the past year, you have heard the sad case of Caylee Marie Anthony. She was a little girl who lived in Central Florida with her sad excuse for a mother, Casey Anthony.
How can it be that two grandparents, who live at least part time with their grandchild, don't see said grandchild for over a month and wait that long to raise the red flag? Hello? Doesn't anyone else have a problem with this? Then you have the missing gas cans from their garage, the smell of "something dead" in the car, and you still have the incredibel audacity to believe your daughter who has lied to you about everything else. Some people are truly brain dead.
The minute I saw Casey Anthony pictured partying it up while her daughter was supposedly missing, I knew that she killed her child. THere is not a mother on the planet who would simply accept her child being missing and behave in this manner. Not unless she already knew where her child was.
Casey Anthoney gives young mothers everywhere a bad name. The fact is, she just couldn't handle the responsibility of being a mother. She wanted to be young and have fun, so she simply removed the problem - her beautiful almost three year old daughter - from her life. How truly sick.
A mother is the person who is supposed to love you more than anyone else on the planet. Now I know that many fall below this measurement but few sink to the depths of Casey Anthony's depravity.
They found the remains of Caylee Marie with duct tape around her little mouth. Her mother premeditated the act and killed her own child in cold blood. Who does that? Then, there are the pictures of the wild partying....
In our country, the fact that Casey Anthony is good looking will be to her favor. People want to believe that those who are pretty on the outside are also pretty on the iside. In reality though, often beauty hides a heinous beast underneath. That could not be more true in this particular case.
In papers across the country it is being suggested that a finger print on the duct tape will seal Casey Anthony's fate. All I can say to that is I hope so because, in my opinion, the death penalty is just too good for her.

Spending Into Oblivion - Isn't Anyone Paying Attention?

2009-02-24T03:40:00.000-08:00

Some months ago I was sitting in front of the television late one night when the foundations of my entire world were shaken beneath my feet. I watched as the President of the United States told all of us that our economy - the economy that drives the world - was on the verge of collapse. Since then I have heard story after story about the Great Depression part two. That should be enough to wake us up, shouldn't it America?
Honestly though, since then, what have we done? Have we tightened up our belts looking for ways to really improve our country or our economy? No. We have relied on politicians - some of the very people who got us in this damn mess in the first place - to discern a way out of this economic imbroglio. Am I the only one that has a problem with this course of action??
Instead of pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps, what do we do? Well, we borrow ourselves into oblivion on the belief that more money in the economy is going to save us - it won't. It will just make digging ourselves out of this hole all that much harder. We are borrowing our tomorrows to pay for today and so many as just marching on in quiet oblivion. How is this possible in my country?
So we just passed a 750+BILLION bailout. Great. Where is that money coming from? We are going to save the housing industry, the car makers, the airlines, and anyone else asking for a handout. Even the porn industry is trying to get in on the action.
If all of that weren't bad enough, we are now looking at ANOTHER $410 Billion in spending. That's an 8% increase over last year people. Just do the simple math - you are making less, your economy is on the verge of collapse but the admission of it's own leaders, and we are spending 8% more than last year??? The comment from one of my favorite movies comes to mind: " Go sell crazy somewhere else. We're full up here!" Part of said $410 BIllion bill is a program for a measly $500,000 for what is described as a Senate "pilot program" that will defray the cost of mass mail postcards to households notifying them of a nearby town meeting to be attended by any senator. Hello? Has anyone ever heard of a newspaper? How about the interent, it's free?
We are all in big trouble here people..... Buckle up, because it's going to be a very bumpy ride.

Animal Cruelty Laws Among the Faster Growing in the United States

2009-02-16T04:37:00.000-08:00

Finally! There is some good news to be had when I read the paper this morning. After all, isn't it time that we FINALLY become a compassionate society? Why is it ok to torture animals because we deem them somehow less than ourselves? The answer is that it isn't, and anyone who would excuse such, does it merely for their own benefit.

Look at the sad case of Michael Vick. Not long ago, when the Vick debacle happened, Whoopi Goldberg had the incredible audacity to defend Michael Vick, the NFL football player arrested for abusing and murdering dozens of dogs. Whoopi said, " from where he comes from" in the South, dogfighting isn't that unusual".

"It's like cockfighting in Puerto Rico," she said. "There are certain things that are indicative to certain parts of the country." No matter how you slice it, this statement goes BEYOND ignorant!!!

This is what a bit bull puppy looks like. They are adorable, intelligent and fiercely loyal. They have a bad reputation because some ignorant people - like Michael Vick - train some dogs to be mean. Unlike a human being, it is not in a dog's nature to be cruel. What was Michael Vick's goal? I mean, did he really need more money??? Wasn't the MILLIONS that he was already making enough for him??

This is what one of Michael Vick's pit bulls looked like after a dog fight :

From Vick's indictment for these heinous crimes: "The 27-year-old Vick, whose nickname is listed as "Ookie" in the indictment, allegedly established the Bad Newz Kennels in early-2001 in Smithfield, Virginia. It was this property, for which Vick paid $34,000, that the star athlete and his codefendants used as the "main staging area for housing and training the pit bulls involved in the dog fighting venture and hosting dog fights." According to prosecutors, Vick and his cohorts began purchasing pit bull puppies in late-2001 and would eventually "sponsor" individual dog fights with purses as high as $26,000. In the indictment's most harrowing parts, federal investigators describe what happened to some Bad Newz Kennels dogs that either lost matches or did not perform well in test fights. After a March 2003 loss by a female pit bull, codefendant Purnell Peace, "after consulting with Vick," electrocuted the animal. In April, prosecutors allege, Vick, Peace, and Quanis Phillips, "executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions." These animals, the indictment claims, were killed "by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

So Whoopi, I don't care what part of the "South" you are from - inhumanity and cruelty still look the same as they do in other parts of the country. Dog fighting is illegal and there is NO EXCUSE whatsoever - not your geographical origins as Ms. Goldberg suggests - not "Culture" as actor Jamie Foxx has suggested. There is NO excuse - PERIOD. Cruelty to animals is WRONG and those that engage in it - barely register as human beings as far as I am concerned.

One of my favorite books is "The Singer" by Calvin Miller. In it he recounts life in the Garden of Eden. God walks Adam through the Garden and introduces him to the animals. " And God called down the Sparrow from the Tree and said to Adam, 'Behold your Sister ~ a life not so great as yours but precious just the same."

All life is precious - human life - canine life - it makes NO difference no matter what part of the country you live in. Whoopi should be ashamed for defending this atrocity! To find out more about how you can help animals abused in this horrible way, please visit: the Animal Charities List . Don't sit idly by and let someone like Whoopi Goldberg continue to spew ignorance. Cruelty is never OK.

Now, thanks to laws changing all across the country, people like Michael Vick are no longer going to simply get away with murder because their victim is "just an animal". Thanks to conscientious and compassionate people everywhere, real change is happening. How can we suppose to live in a society that is cruelty free if that ideal does not extend outside of our own species?

The WORST Husband in America? Stephen Fowler this is for YOU....

2009-02-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

I don't usually watch reality tv but this caught my eye on youtube. It's difficult to believe that one human being could so successfully malign our country, our mlitary and so many other human beings all at one time. I find just about EVERYTHING about this man offensive!

The worst part of watching this wife swap preview was watching the so-called perfect family. The "mother" actually talks about how spending too much time with her children makes her unhappy. How selfish and self invovled can one couple possibly be?? It was heart-wrenching to see how unhappy their children are.

Stephen Fowler claims that his IQ is 159 or something like that. I find that highly unlikely, after all hitting it out of the ball park when it comes to being a pompous ass doesn't exactly make him Einstein.

As an American, I find this couples' behavior to be absolutely repugnant. "We are training our children to be citizens of the world..." Can you feel my eyes rolling?? This family wouldn't even acquiesce to reciting the Pledge of Allegience. In the opinion of this American, for being such "smart" people, they certainly are not very commendable people. The man especially was an embarrassment to his children, his spouse, his country and his gender. It's hard to imagine a man more grossly odious than Stephen Fowler.

Worst of all was his obvious disdain for the military. It makes me absolutely nauseous to think of the good men and women in our armed forces who put their lives on the line everyday for this piece of human excrement to have his right to make an ass out of himself. I can't believe that Uncle Sam would even allow someone so imperialistic in their thinking to become a citizen. I say we throw him back over the pond and let the British proudly claim their native son.

In addition to the horrid affront this man continually made to the United States military, claiming we needed those with lesser IQ's to "feed it" etc... he was the worst example of masoginistic thinking that I have witnessed in a long time. I'm surprised that he even allowed his wife to leave the kitchen and his expectations of his children were clearly to be seen little and heard not at all. These two so-called Americans are not WORTHY of the name and should be ashamed of themselves, I certainly am embarrassed to have to call them my countrymen.

Why?

2009-01-19T05:25:00.000-08:00

Here we are, finding ourselves on the very cusp of History. In just a few days, Barrack Obama will be sworn in as the first black president of the United States of America. It's mentioned over and over again, and believe me, part of me gets it and feels the import of the moment. Still, in a truly color blind society, which is what our country aspires to be, is the constant reminder truly important?

I think the message and the hope of Barrack Obama are so much more important than his skin color. I think emphasizing too much on the obvious doesn't bring out the best in all of us, but rather accentuates the worst.

Let's just run with the historic moment though, shall we? Since the news media everywhere wants to focus on Barrack Obama's color, lets go there. On this momentous occassion, why would our new President choose to use the Bible of another President for his swearing in? Why would he even consider being the first President in US history to use the bible of President Lincoln? I understand the connection of the first black President using the bible of the President who signed the Emancipation Proclaimation, I really do. I just think this moment is worthy of it's own momentos, not clinging on to those of the past, no matter how reverred.

Doing It for the Sisterhood

2008-06-11T03:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I wrote here. My poor blog looks and feels sadly neglected. Sorry about that, life has been crazy lately and with all that has been going on with the Democratic primary, I have been at a loss for words honestly. That in itself is something of an anomoly for me.
So, if you read my blog, you know that I am NOT a Hillary Clinton fan. As I watched the days drag on, even I dispaired at Obama's inability to put her away. The Clintons, like a cat with 9x9 lives, they always find a way to land on their feet. (I'm desperately hoping that Hillary's next landing space is NOT next to Obama on the Democratic ticket! Don't do it Obama....)

All that said though, even I will admit that I found Hillary's "exit" speech to be powerful and stirring. In my minds eye, I was taken back to the days of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, when a woman was considered chattel - the property of her husband - and didn't even have the right to vote. I listened to Hillary talk about the glass ceilings that have been broken, and I realized that TODAY, I can tell my daughters that truly anything is possible. Where once their best hope was to be a teacher, now my daughters truly can dream as big as their abilities and imaginations will let them.

I was proud, as a woman, of her accomplishment and of her fortitude. How many had called for Hillary to quit? Many really... myself included. Now, looking back, I'm glad she stayed in the race as long as she did. I'm glad that she didn't just quit when the road was long and hard. What kind of message would that have sent to the men in our country?

I listened to Geraldine Ferraro and Gloria Steinem - neither of whom I hold in great regard - talk about the culture of misogyny in our country and I began to wonder if there wasn't something to what they were saying. Sure, some men came out and supported HIllary, but how many "good ole boys" are there still today? How many men out there truly believe that a woman is incapable of being President just because of her sex? A lack of a penis does not indicate lack of intelligence or lack of judgement. In fact, I would suggest that as mothers, WE understand the cost of life. We know what it is to want peace and strive for peace. I think those traits would make for an excellent President.

Yes, Hillary was not my choice for President, but I am grateful to her for lighting the way for all of our daughters - YES IT CAN BE DONE!

Why I'll NEVER Eat Ground Meat Again!

2008-03-04T04:03:00.000-08:00

So, I know that on Super Tuesday Two, today's blog content is not my usual fair. The purpose of this blog was never intended to be about political commentary though, but instead about all the things that make me, as an American angry! Today's topic certainly makes me, well angry isn't even the word.

Most of you heard about the beef recall a week or so ago. It was the largest beef recall in history. Most of the beef that may have been tainted - headed for school cafeteria's around the country and into our children. Here's the problem, the issue is what is called "downer" cattle. You may not be familiar with that term. I wasn't until this news story broke. "Downer" cattle is a phrase used to refer to sick and dying cattle that usually can not stand on their own. They are hung in cargo trucks from their necks and transported to slaughter houses around the country. Usually when they arrive, they are covered in their own feces, thereby increases the risks of E.Coli, mad cow disease, and untold amounts of other serious infectious diseases.

The Humane Society released an undercover video, which is just too shocking to show here, but if you are interested in viewing the evil that some men are capable of, you can find it on youtube by searching for "downed" cattle. In this video, workers at the slaughter house were shown using cattle prods on animals that couldn't walk, pulling or dragging the animals with fork lifts and spraying their noses and faces with high pressure water hoses. To what purpose would a human being do this, I ask you?

The only answer that I could come up with is that those individuals who did this are not human, but MONSTERS. Their hearts are so full of greed, corruption and hate, that they have no pity or compassion for a totally helpless animal. I for one will NEVER be party to this again. For health and for moral purposes, I will never eat ground meat, hot dogs, or other byproducts like this ever again.

Do you want your children to be party to cruelty? Do you want your children eating meat from animals that are so unhealthy that they can't stand? Don't want to take my word for it? Investigate it for yourself.

There is a way to be humane - what these animals had to experience wasn't it.

He's a Dreamer.....

2008-02-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

As my father and I sat and listened to Barrack Obama speak tonight, my 84 year old father turned to me, and with flat eyes said, "He's a dreamer...." Right away in my mind, I heard the words of one of my favorite songs, you know it, sing along with me..." You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one." Those are stirring words, and as always, they were stirring words that Barrack Obama spoke to supporters in Houston tonight.

You see, I agree with Obama that change works from the bottom up. I agree that the people are the power behind the change, and I agree that the time for change has come. It is time for our country to once again fulfill it's promise, to all it's citizens. I want to hold my head up high and say that I'm proud to be an American. I'm tired of the status quo in Washington, interest groups mattering more than the will of the people, and most of all, I'm tired of the nuances which divide us.

Red or blue, Republican or Democrat - each one of us is more alike than we are different. We all love our families. We all want our children to lead a better life. We all want security for ourselves and to have our basic needs met. If we work together, we can achieve our dreams. Imagine what that would be like. Imagine the kind of world that we could then pass on to our children.

Yes, Obama is a dreamer, but I say that in order to acheive great things, you have to first dream great things. I like the vision of my country that I see through Obama's eyes. I think it's time for that vision to be more than a dream.

Right now, I know what those in the Clinton camp are saying as their candidate talks to a high school crowd while Obama speaks in front of thousands...." Houston, we have a problem."

My Message on Super Tuesday - YES WE CAN!

2008-02-05T04:21:00.000-08:00

As Super Tuesday descends upon us, my heart is filled with hope, for the first time in years - real hope. Today, I believe that the American people can, and more importantly, WILL, send a message to the world. Today, we stand for change. REAL CHANGE. Today, we stand for Hope. Today, we stand for a better future and a better world for our children. Today, as my state casts it's ballots, I'm proud to say that I will tell the world, "YES WE CAN!" What will your vote say?

For a little inspiration as you head out to the polls, I encourage you all to check out my new video bar... It's a new song by the leader of the Black Eyed Peas, and I think it says it all.

What I Learned About Politics from my Third Grader

2008-01-31T17:28:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, I excitedly cast my first vote in my Presidential election. . I was in the fourth grade and my school was conduting a straw poll. Now, 26 years later, my daughter is going to cast her first vote - also in a straw poll.
My daughter brought a paper home from school today showing all the candidates and a basic outline on their various positions. As I reviewed it with my daughter, I asked her who she was going to vote for. She told me that she was going to vote for Hillary Clinton, so naturally, my next question was why she chose her candidate? Her answer - "She's a girl and if she wins the election, she will be the first female president>" I explained to her that voting for a candidate simply because they look like you - same race, same gender, etc... - probably isn't the best criteria for choosing a candidate.
"Ok then," she says, " I'll guess I'll vote for John Edwards". This, of course, happened before Edwards had withdrawn from the race. Again, I ask her the reasons behind her choice. "He has a nice smile. He looks like a nice person adn I think that whoever is President should be a nice person." I explain to her that having a nice smile, good hair, and looking like a nice person aren't quite the best factors to be looking for in a candidate either. After all, Jimmy Carter had a megawatt smile and was a very nice person. What did four years of Carter get our country? Inflation through the roof, staglation, the highest unemployment in decades and 52 American hostages who spent over a year in Iranian custody. Thanks but no thanks.
So she asked me what factors she should consider when choosing a candidate. I told her that she should think a candidates views on the issues that were important to her, and then, based on that, decide which she thought would be best for the country. I showed her how to use the internet to look into the Candidates and their positions - where they were similar and more importantly, where they differed. After doing her own investigation, she came to remarkably similiar results to my own- torn between 3 different candidates.
As I talked to my daughter, I was amazed at how many adults never move beyond third grade. Some people really will vote for Hillary or Obama, simply because she is a woman, or he is an African American, he/she looks like me....
Some people really will cast their vote for the candidate with the nicest smile, or the candidate with the "likability" factor. Isn't it strange how little some of us change?

As for me, I was proud to cast my very first vote for Ronald Reagan. He is and will always be, my President. Right or wrong, he made me proud to be an American again, something that I think our whole country so desperately needed after Jimmy Carter. As for my daughter, I'm not sure who her first candidate will be, but after today, I hope she has a better understanding about what to consider and why voting is so important.

The End of the Two Party System?

2008-01-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

This election cycle just keeps getting more and more interesting. Both parties seem at war with themselves and appear to be crumbling from within. Personally, I abhor the two party system. It perpetuates the problem in every election year of giving me the choice of voting for dumb or dumber.

I have to say that I was particularly surprised to see how acutely acrimonious this nominating process has been for the Democratic party. I guess I really shouldn't have been though with a Clinton in the race. Talk about dirty politics- we've seen it all - and the majority of the states haven't even had their primaries yet. It started with Hillary getting "teary" and playing the gender card. How many times can she mention she's a woman and making history in one sentence? I've lost count.
Then the democrats moved to quibbling over who did more for the Civil Rights movement in getting legislation passed - Lyndon Johnson or Martin Luther King, Jr? It is almost impossible to believe that this is even a legitmate conversation in the year 2008 - let alone even a question in the mind of any American.
We have had debates on unions ~ should culinary workers be able to vote at their place of work, which just happens to be a casino? Some citizens don't think so, and filed a class action lawsuit to stop the said culinary workers and others from doing so. (Strangely, no law suit was filed when the legislation was passed... only after the culinary workers union endorsed Barack Obama for President...)
Just the other night I watched Barck Obama and Hillary Clinton circle one another like two rabid dogs, both going for the oratory jugular. Can a party this divided against itself survive the primary season? Well... the answer is that it remains to be seen.

While the Republicans aren't as vicious in the personal attacks, they actually have much more to worry about, as far as the survival of their party. The Republican vote seems to be split into fours - McCain, Romney, Huckabee and Guiliani. You have political pundits like Rush Limbaugh on the attack against more moderate candidates like McCain and Huckabee 3 hours a day - 5 days a week. You have Tom Delay, a convicted criminal, claiming that if John McCain, a decorated war hero is nominated then Delay can not, in good conscience support him or the Republican party. I wasn't aware that Delay had a conscience. The rabid right simply refuses to acknowledge the fact that the American people may be ready to embrace a more moderate stance on so many issues that face our country. Apparently Rush Limbaugh and others have all forgotten the most important governing factor in our country:" All legitimate power comes from the consent of the governed."

You see, it is the AMERICAN PEOPLE who have influence, not Rush Limbaugh, not Bill Clinton or any other political pundit. In the end, we will decide what We the People really want for our country. In the end, we the people will decide what type of governing bodies we want and what our political parties will look like. We will determine whether the republican and democrat parties survive this nominating process. (I'm pretty sure that at least the Democrats will - anything but a Republican seems to be their primary mantra...)

This flawed two-party system is further sustained by the winner take all mentality in the majority of the states when alloting delegates for nominating conventions. More on that in my next entry.

Reaching Across the Aisle - Why Rush Limbaugh is Just Flat Out WRONG!

2008-01-18T05:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had those moments of temporary insanity? Well, I had one yesterday as I was driving in my car and turned on Limbaugh's program. Honestly, I used to be an avid - almost rabid - dittohead; however, as I have grown older, and I hope wiser, things have changed. I no longer view most issues that affect our country in the same immutable terms.

Yesterday was an example of Rush at his most vitriolic. There he was explaining why the "republican base" would never accept a candidate who embraces the "issues of the left". What exactly were those "issues of the left" in the world according to Rush? Well, global climate change, health care and legislation promoting greater fuel economy - to name a few.

Our country is just too polarized for any candidate of any party to speak only their base. Whatever candidate finally is elected in this cycle will need to have a broad appeal in order to start healing our country. We need to come together and decide that we are Americans first and whatever party affiliations any of us may have can only come in a distant second to the love and loyalty that our country should and MUST command.

Rush says that if any Republican candidate works too hard to appeal to the independents or moderates, that they simply will not get the support of the base. The same, in his opinion, can be said of Democrats. I disagree. I believe that whatever the case, both parties will support their candidates and this election will be decided by the chimeras - the undecided voters.

These so-called "liberal issues" of global climate change, health care and greater fuel economy ( and eventually independence from foreign oil) aren't just liberal issues. They are issues that face every single person in this country. Global climate change is happening. Whether mankind is contributing to the change or not is irrelevant. We are stewards - not owners - of this planet. It's up to us to care for it, and all the other creatures that call this planet home. Now, I'm not a tree hugger that embraces irresponsible environmental policies that are detrimental to our country. I am, however, a responsible American who believes that I should leave this world a better place, not the worse for wear.

As for health care, shouldn't the richest country on the Earth have some viable options to provide health care for all it's citizens? I am not suggesting, nor do I advocate a universal health care system. However, I do support making health care affordable for every American, and I think that we can do that, and further, that we should.

As for fuel economy and independence on foreign oil, if any American doesn't understand why this is of vital importance for our national security, then that is just beyond me. A portion of every dollar we spend at the pump, lines our enemies pockets and enables them to challenge us on the world stage. We simply must, for the security of our nation, get to a point where we can finally say, "We don't care if you drink the oil, we don't need it!" That's a dream for a day that this American looks forward to longingly....

So what do you think? Did Rush get it right? Will each party only embrace those that embrace the most rabid in their party? Or do you think that it's time for our country to finally try to come together?

The Battle for Michigan

2008-01-14T03:45:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, voters in our countries 8th largest state, will go out and vote in their state's primary. This really is a story about the Republican nomination, as the steam went out of the Democratic race in Michigan a long time ago. When the state decided to move up it's primary, the Democratic National Party removed all it's delegates from the State and both Barrack Obama and John Edwards took the extra step of removing their names from the ballot. In Michigan, a democratic voter has only two options - vote for HIllary Rodham Clinton or vote undecided. There is no write in option. This blogger is encouraging ALL voters in Michigan who may be reading this to vote your conscience tomorrow, whatever your ballot options my be, you can still vote uncommitted.

On the Republican side of things, Senator McCain and former Governor Romney are in a neck and neck race. McCain does have an advantage in Michigan, in that all voters can participate in the primary, and he won't have to compete with Obama for the votes of Independents. McCain won the state handily against George W. Bush in 2000 because of the Independent vote. Time will tell if history will repeat.

Michigan really is a must win state for Romney. He was born and raised in Michigan and his father was the one time Governor of the state. With two second places in the previous contest, the outcome in Michigan is of vital importance to Romney to keep his candidacy viable.

The battle between the two candidates really is an ideological one and no place demonstrates that better than Michigan. Senator McCain is famous for his "Straight Talk" express. He believes that he should tell the American people how he really sees it, even if it may be something that they don't want to hear. McCain believes that the economy in Michigan is undergoing a fundamental change as the American automakers lose ground to foreign competitors. McCain says that certain types of jobs are leaving Michigan ( and other parts of our country) and they won't be coming back. Reagan told the people of Michigan the same thing back in 1980 and won the state handily. So, the outcome of the primary there may well be determined by which point of view about the jobs in Michigan that the voters believe. After all, at 7.4%,Michigan has the dubious distinction of claiming the nation's worst unemployment rate. In fact, jobs were the number one concern for voters back in 2004, and with the loss of 451,000 jobs in that state since 2001, it's a good bet that unemployment continues to be the number one concern of voters there.

Former Governor Romney was also a very successful business man in the private sector. He says that not only are Michigan's manufacturing jobs worth fighting for, but that we must fight for them. Our country was once a powerhouse of manufacturing in the world, and unless we want to see our country decline further, we must reclaim that role. He suggests that innovation in the auto industry is the way to turn this situation around.

It is interesting to note though that Governor Romney does not support the legislation passed in December which require greater fuel economy, while Senator McCain not only supports this legislation, but voted for it. The Consumer Federation of America claims that this legislation will cut the import of foreign oil by 15% and reduce emissions by 1 billion tons. I fully support this legislation, and feel that our companies need to be more progressive and innovative to compete with foreign competitors, who as of right now, are simply doing it better.

Yes, the outcome in Michigan will have huge implications for our country. It will be interesting to see what the Obama effect will be, and where the chips will fall.

The Clinton Years Part Deux?

2008-01-09T09:50:00.000-08:00

Change definitely seems to be the word du jour in this years presidential election. Both parties are buzzing about change and that message really seems to be resonating with the American People. I know it resonates with me, I'm dog tired of politics as usual in Washington. All the candidates seem to have a different view on what "change" really is, and I guess in November, and in this primary season, ultimately it will depend on how the American people define the concept that matters.
Still, the last thing this blogger wants to see in another "dynasty" in the White House. I think we need fresh blood to really shake things up to encourage real change.

How much can a candidate like Hillary Clinton really offer? I'll grant you that Senator Clinton works toward her own goals, but are they the goals of our country? Personally, I think that she is quite happy with the status quo in Washington - after all - she has lived it for the last 16 years. Hillary Clinton is at the dead center of the rotten core of our government. She is an insiders insider that knows how to get elected, but will she be successful at getting things done?
Will she really be able to build a coalition of Republicans and Democrats in order to accomplish the work of the American people?

Change for me does not involve looking at the same people, listening to the same jokes and hearing the same stories that I have already heard. A couple of months ago, I awoke and found myself listening to Hillary Clinton talking about nationalized health care and watching OJ Simpson get arrested over my morning coffee. Geez, I went to bed and woke up back in 1994. Scary.

Hillary's campaign seems to be Clinton part Deux. We are looking at the same people, the same advisors, and listening to the same broken recording messages, in my opinion. If any here can list some differences between Clinton part one and Hillary's campaign, I'd love to hear them. Really.

Finally, my biggest argument against Senator Clinton - as a woman, her constant playing of the "sex" card offends me. I'm aware you are a woman - please stop reminding me. OH, and the little "break down" in the cafe - set the feminist movement back almost as far as the 1999 pathetic "stand by your man" routine. As a woman Hillary should know that she needs to be doing it better than everyone else. So often we hear the generalization that a woman wouldn't be a good president because they are "too emotional". So what does Hillary do? Break down in tears over a cup of coffee because this election is "personal for her" - she just "cares so much". She does care - about power - not necessarily about our country.

I personally would have been really shocked if Hillary wouldn't have won New Hampshire, no matter what the pollsters said. I mean, New Hampshire really is the home of the uber- left. Some of them hate Bush so much they want to succeed from the Union. The New Hampshire voters - many of them - were not receptive to to the idea that our country has to come together to make real and lasting change. They want to hear the angry Hillary talking about vast right wing conspiracies. I hope that the message of real change will fall on more fertile ground in the coming primaries.

I'd love to hear from some Hillary supporters out there about why you are supporting your candidate. You see, I am a TRULY undecided voter - what one New Hampshire blogger called a "chimera". I think that there are many more "chimeras" just like me, and if I was Hillary, I'd be worried about that. The crown doesn't sit on her head just yet. The exit polls that I looked at seemed to suggest that of those voters that had decided months ago who to vote for, were supporting Clinton while those that were deciding in the present were going toward Obama and Edwards. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues and what it will mean in the upcoming primaries. Buckle your seat belts, I think we are in for a bumpy ride.

The Title Says it All.....

2008-01-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

I would say that I am an average American and I think that the adjective "angry" when applied to myself and many others is accurate. I am a stay at home mom to two little girls, but contrary to the opinions of Linda Hirschman, I am extremely active in politics and I would consider myself to be educated on the issues that face our country.
Once a week, I will be blogging here about the upcoming election, issues that face our country, the faux paus of the various candidates etc..... In this election year, the outcome is just too important to sit idly by. We all have to challenge one another to do more, say more, think more and most importantly, to get out there and exercise our civic duty to vote.
I don't know about you, but I am so bone weary of politics as usual. I'm tired of the status quo - politicians make promises for a better tomorrow and then blame the "other side" when they don't or can't deliver. I'm tired of our country being a country of "red" and "blue" states. When I look at our country from space, I don't see any "red" or "blue". Shouldn't every single American care more about what is best for their country than they do about political party?
I'm tired of individuals who drink the blue and red kool aid and do little more than regurgitate the talking points of their party. This blog is about ideas - evaluating honestly those put forth by both sides. I hope you will join me on this journey and maybe, this really is our moment to make a difference. Maybe together we really can make a real change for the betterment of our country, ourselves and our children.