Are you as offended by McCain's VP choice as I am? Right after I wrote yesterday's post, Hubby got up and we watched the news, which of course included all of McCain's headline-grabbing hoopla. In the first commercial break there was a new McCain ad, specifically aimed at Hillary supporters. It featured a 30-ish woman holding a Hillary rally sign and talking about how much Hillary's candidacy meant to her. Then she smiles really wide and says she's found a new alternative, and her rally sign morphs from Hillary to McCain. It was an open invitation for disenfranchised Hillary supporters to join McCain's camp, and it made my blood boil to realize that McCain thinks the women of this country can be swayed so easily, that we don't make rational choices but instead we choose based on emotion and gender. Now McCain REALLY deserves to lose.
This morning I got up with a mission - I wrote letters to the two main newspapers in my area expressing my outrage at McCain's pandering. Hopefully they'll get printed, but if not, here they are (yes I cheated and sent the same letter twice - why reinvent the wheel?)
To the editors:
I’m highly offended by the blatant pandering John McCain attempted in his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. It was pathetically obvious that this move was an attempt to win over disenfranchised Hillary Clinton supporters. This selection is proof that McCain really does live in another world if he thinks Palin could even begin to fill Hillary Clinton’s shoes. Palin’s lack of experience is appalling, especially after all of McCain’s attack ads against Obama that question his experience. The only qualification I can see in Palin is two x-chromosomes.
McCain presented Palin as if to say “Look, here’s a woman you can vote for!” As if that would be enough to sway my opinion, or those of any of the women I know. I fervently hope that the women of America are far too smart to fall for this obvious and pathetic attempt to sway their votes by appealing to gender.
Mr. McCain, you have insulted my intelligence once again by even considering for a moment that I would cast my vote strictly along gender lines. Before, I disliked you for your political stance and your continued alliance with failed Bush policies, even though I respected you for your military service. You have now lost all respect in my eyes. You deserve to lose, and lose big, and I will work to see that happens in November.
While Hubby and I were watching McCain present Palin to the cheering crowd, we both noticed something that caused us to run back the program and watch it again (thank you TIVO!): McCain checked out Palin as they were both standing before the crowd. I thought I was seeing things until Hubby said "what was that?". When we ran it back and watched again it was right there - for between five and ten seconds McCain's eyes dropped to the level of Palin's butt and stayed glued there while his smile turned into much more of a leer. He looked like a caricature of a dirty old man in a raincoat saying "Want some candy, little girl?" Ewwwww........ and he's running for president? Creepy.
Here's more creepy stuff. This is on McCain's current trophy wife Cindy, and how McCain tossed away the woman who waited for him to return from Viet Nam. Guess this is why we don't hear "family values" associated with McCain...
"Cindy McCain is John McCain's second wife. His infidelities put strain on his marriage, and he was divorced from Carol McCain, his wife of 15 years, in 1980. (Carol McCain not only waited 5.5 years for her husband to return from Viet Nam, but she also endured a horrific automobile accident during that period which broke both her legs and one arm and ruptured her spleen. She nearly lost her left leg, and surgeries left her four inches shorter than she was before the accident. The woman he returned to was far different in appearance than the beautiful former model he left behind.)
Cindy Lou Hensley and John McCain began dating in 1979. While the Wall Street Journal article used as the source for the e-mail's information states 'At the time Senator McCain was separated from his first wife', numerous other sources assert he was still living with Carol McCain when he began seeing his future wife, Cindy. John and Cindy wed in 1980, one month after his divorce from Carol became final."
(the above information is courtesy of http://www.snopes.com/politics/mccain/cindy.asp)
Funny how the foibles of Democratic candidates and their spouses are broadcast far and wide by the GOP (or should it be the GrOPe?) but the same problems are neatly concealed and everyone pretends they didn't happen. McCain tossed aside his first wife, who was no longer model-gorgeous, for trophy wife Cindy. Incidentally, the same website referenced above also said that Cindy got herself into some trouble with drugs - an addiction to Vicodin that led her to forge prescriptions and steal drugs from the medical charity she ran at the time. She was arrested but avoided prosecution by doing community service, joining Narcotics Anonymous and closing the medical charity. It's a shame this deprived people overseas of badly needed medical resources because Cindy McCain had a jones for pills. Meanwhile back in 1992 the Republicans gave Bill Clinton hell over a little pot, and then later they tried to impeach him over Monica Lewinsky. Hey Republicans, you should be familiar with the Bible verse about "he who lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones."
Okay, I guess I'm done being snarky for one day, but I want to close with something I'd been meaning to post for a few days now: Hubby is brilliant, even if he doesn’t realize it himself. A McCain ad came on and I could see his temper rising as he watched it. It was the one that starts “Washington is broken”, and Hubby immediately started fuming, “Yeah, he knows it’s broken because he helped break it!” At the beginning of our marriage Hubby actively did not care about politics and was unwilling to vote, let alone get involved. Now he’s become politically aware and wouldn’t miss an election. He’s not quite ready to volunteer to work on a campaign, but there’s hope. He thinks about the issues, forms his own opinions, selects the candidates that best represent his views, and is not afraid to share his views with others. We're going to the Taste of Colorado on Labor Day, and Hubby was thrilled when our Obama t-shirts arrived in the mail yesterday so we can wear them on Monday. He’s come to realize that participating in democracy is necessary and beneficial, that a few individuals can make a difference, that change has to start from somewhere, and that doing nothing but complaining won’t solve anything.
I watched the most amazing movie recently, an older film called “Mindwalk”. It deals with philosophy, history, anthropology, sociology and systems theory. This movie poses so many questions and has so many “aha!” moments that I found myself a bit overwhelmed. I’ll definitely go back and watch it again. This movie was required for one of my classes this semester, an Engineering class (yes, you read that right) called International Dimensions of Technology and Culture. I was apprehensive about taking an Engineering class, but so far we’ve only discussed Philosophy. I can handle that. Anyway, here’s the link to that movie: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9107401959308808776&q=mindwalk One of the quotes I noted down from this movie is “American voters want their leaders to be dumber than they are. They figure they’ll do less harm that way.” Brilliant!
“When the rich wage war, it’s the poor who die.” - Sartre
Peace,
AuntieM
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
DNC wrap-up, and McCain's political gamesmanship
I was planning to write a long catch-up post about all of the events of the DNC, including a rave review of Obama's speech last night. It was reminiscent of both Kennedy and King, and it was beautiful and moving. When Obama stated his intent to free America from its dependence on foreign oil within 10 years, I got goose bumps. It reminded me of Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon in 10 years, and he did it in 9. I watched Obama's speech with my friend M and her son K, and afterwards we sat around talking about it. One thing that impressed all of us was the efforts Obama made to include those who may hold differing political views, emphasizing that we all have to come together to create meaningful, lasting change. Obama is all about relationship-building and collaborative effort, which is precisely what we need to heal the red-blue divide and move forward as one nation. It's like taking a restorative approach to politics, which is groundbreaking in itself.
Biden's speech on Wednesday night was also quite thrilling and emotional. I knew Biden has been a loyal Democrat for decades but I didn't know anything about his personal history. I had no idea that he was a widower and raised his kids as a single father for so many years. This gives him a much better perspective on the challenges single parents face, because he doesn't have to imagine - he's been there. One of Biden's sons is about to ship out to Iraq, so this tells me that Biden has a very personal stake in ending the Iraq war as soon as possible and getting US soldiers home safely, because his own kid is one of those soldiers.
This morning, in a blatant attempt to take some of the post-convention wind out of Obama's sails, McCain named his own VP pick: Sarah Palin, current 1st term govenor of Alaska. Here's the lowdown on Palin so far:
Biden's speech on Wednesday night was also quite thrilling and emotional. I knew Biden has been a loyal Democrat for decades but I didn't know anything about his personal history. I had no idea that he was a widower and raised his kids as a single father for so many years. This gives him a much better perspective on the challenges single parents face, because he doesn't have to imagine - he's been there. One of Biden's sons is about to ship out to Iraq, so this tells me that Biden has a very personal stake in ending the Iraq war as soon as possible and getting US soldiers home safely, because his own kid is one of those soldiers.
This morning, in a blatant attempt to take some of the post-convention wind out of Obama's sails, McCain named his own VP pick: Sarah Palin, current 1st term govenor of Alaska. Here's the lowdown on Palin so far:
- Extremely conservative (duh)
- Staunch right-to-life supporter
- Elected Govenor of Alaska in 2006, prior to that she was mayor of some small town and unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Govenor in 2002.
- Got into some hot water over allegations of abusing her authority as Govenor to have her ex-brother-in-law fired from his job as a state trooper. Claims she did nothing wrong.
- Has 5 kids, the youngest was born with Downs Syndrome.
- Enthusiastic supporter of drilling in ANWR, authorized building a massive pipeline to carry natural gas to Canada.
- Strong supporter of capital punishment.
- Was recently quoted as saying "I'm not sure what a Vice President does, anyway." (Seriously.)
- Supports federal vouchers for private/religious schools.
- 44 years old, 3 years younger than Obama, 28 years younger than McCain.
At first glance it looks like Palin is a female figurehead, selected to appease disgruntled Hillary supporters who may still be nursing a bad case of sour grapes and may consider the ultimate in political spiteful acts - voting for McCain. It's pandering, pure and simple. She's a face, an image, a powerless image that McCain hopes to use to draw voters to his camp by parading her out like some sort of arm candy.
So now we know the players in this race. Obama and Biden, a powerhouse of a team combining Obama's energy, hope and creativity with Biden's experience and foreign policy expertise. Obama and Biden compliment each other well, and both have an everyman quality about them that says they're not so far removed from real America that they can't understand and relate to what ordinary citizens are going through.
On the other hand we have McCain and Palin, a Bush clone and his Genie, ready to say "Yes, Master". McCain has repeatedly criticized Obama for lacking experience, yet McCain selects a running mate with far less experience. Palin's political experience is about two steps up from student body president. She's had zero experience with national level politics and foreign policy. So what qualified her to be VP? Two x-chromosomes and an extremely conservative political record. That's it. Fini.
I hope the few remaining disenfranchised Hillary supporters are not fooled by this blatant attempt to win their votes by parading a complacent, tractable female candidate before them like she's a contestant in the Miss America pageant. Come on, folks - Hillary herself asked if the choice of candidates was about the issues or about her, and urged her supporters to get behind Obama's campaign. She was beautifully eloquent in her speech on Tuesday night, and I can only hope that her supporters will take her words to heart and come together in a show of party unity, to vote for change instead of more of the same failed Bush policies, to take our country forward into the 21st century with new technologies and fuels instead of continuing to pollute our environment and bankrupt our citizens by continuing our reliance on fossil fuels, to provide health care for all instead of for the few, to bring our proud soldiers home instead of asking more of them to lay down their lives for Bush/McCain's pet war.
Peace,
Auntie M
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Which America Does McCain Live In?
Here is a copy of a letter I sent to the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post. It came out so nicely that I thought I would preserve it here for posterity.
Peace,
AuntieM
Which America Does McCain Live In?
Evidently there are two different Americas, and McCain and I don't live in the same country. In McCain's America he says "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." That stands in stark contrast to the rapidly increasing prices of gas and groceries in my America, as well as the skyrocketing foreclosure rate. Of course the foreclosure rate probably isn't even on the radar in McCain's America, where he owns so many houses (seven) that he can't keep track of them all. In my America, millions of homeowners are struggling to cover the mortgage payment on one house, and far too many American citizens are facing the very real prospect of losing their homes to foreclosure.
Income standards must be very different in McCain's America. McCain said he considers a $5 million annual income to be the threshold of "rich". Does that mean an income of $4 million a year is middle class? That's a far cry from the incomes most people earn in my America, where many citizens go without health insurance because they can't afford the premiums. In my America citizens are engaged in a constant struggle to pay their bills, send their kids to college and maybe even put away a little for retirement. In my America far too many citizens are living one paycheck away from homelessness.
McCain's comments are proof, straight from the horse's mouth, of just how out of touch with real America McCain really is. Real America can't afford to continue with the same economic policies that have failed us so badly for the last eight years. Real America can't afford a president who thinks that multi-millionaires are members of the middle class, or one who believes that tax breaks for oil companies making record profits are somehow beneficial and necessary. Real America can't afford John McCain.
Peace,
AuntieM
Which America Does McCain Live In?
Evidently there are two different Americas, and McCain and I don't live in the same country. In McCain's America he says "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." That stands in stark contrast to the rapidly increasing prices of gas and groceries in my America, as well as the skyrocketing foreclosure rate. Of course the foreclosure rate probably isn't even on the radar in McCain's America, where he owns so many houses (seven) that he can't keep track of them all. In my America, millions of homeowners are struggling to cover the mortgage payment on one house, and far too many American citizens are facing the very real prospect of losing their homes to foreclosure.
Income standards must be very different in McCain's America. McCain said he considers a $5 million annual income to be the threshold of "rich". Does that mean an income of $4 million a year is middle class? That's a far cry from the incomes most people earn in my America, where many citizens go without health insurance because they can't afford the premiums. In my America citizens are engaged in a constant struggle to pay their bills, send their kids to college and maybe even put away a little for retirement. In my America far too many citizens are living one paycheck away from homelessness.
McCain's comments are proof, straight from the horse's mouth, of just how out of touch with real America McCain really is. Real America can't afford to continue with the same economic policies that have failed us so badly for the last eight years. Real America can't afford a president who thinks that multi-millionaires are members of the middle class, or one who believes that tax breaks for oil companies making record profits are somehow beneficial and necessary. Real America can't afford John McCain.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Another must-read article
Once again McCain has gone out of his way to prove just how distorted his views of real life in America really are. In the midst of the subprime mortgage meltdown, skyrocketing foreclosures, severely declining home sales and prices, and sharply reduced credit availability that has both home buyers and students scrambling, McCain doesn't know how many houses he owns? Gee, I feel lucky to say Hubby and I own one, along with the bank. Lucky because a lot of homeowners can't say that anymore, those who have had their homes taken away by foreclosure after being drawn into risky loans they couldn't actually afford.
I feel lucky to be able to work part time at a wonderful nonprofit while going to school full time. Hubby and I live very simply, but we manage to make ends meet. Many American families can't say that. Wages are either flat or declining, while prices on everything from milk to bread to gas to school supplies are sharply up. Each month gets a little tighter, till some families get caught in the squeeze and fall behind, and then what? Well bankruptcy isn't nearly as much of an option as it used to be, thanks to Bu--sh-- letting the banking industry rewrite the bankruptcy laws. Whoops, sorry, this rant was supposed to be about McCain but sometimes it's hard to keep the two separate. Anyway, millions of American families are scrounging to make it from month to month, while McCain says that his definition of "rich" is making over $5 million a year.
One more point: when American families are struggling to fill their gas tanks and fridges and buy back-to-school clothes, McCain is running around campaigning in $500 shoes. I don't think every pair of shoes in my closet added together cost that much. I'd be embarassed to pay that much for something like shoes, and even more embarassed to have others know that's what I did. Those shoes cost more than we spend in a month on groceries! Wonder how many pairs he has?
Wait a minute, there's a McCain ad on tv right now, claiming McCain is "the original maverick". What does that mean, anyway? I'd like to pin him down to explain that. Sure it sounds impressive, but what does it mean? As far as McCain being "ready to lead", he's only ready to lead the people of this country, lemming-like, over a cliff. The problem is that too many people are swallowing his propaganda. Wake up, people! Ask questions, demand answers, and don't settle for flag-waving and slick rhetoric!
All right, enough of my rant. Here's the article I promised, excerpted from the Huffington Post. Enjoy. Get mad. Demand change.
Peace,
AuntieM
Nico Pitney
pitney@huffingtonpost.com HuffPost Reporting From DC
McCain Doesn't Remember How Many Houses He Owns
August 21, 2008 09:32 AM
"John McCain said in an interview with Politico on Wednesday "that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own."
"I think -- I'll have my staff get to you," McCain said. "It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you."
The answer, according to the group Progressive Accountability, is an even 10 homes, ranches, condos, and lofts, together worth a combined estimated $13,823,269.
John and Cindy McCain own a plethora of houses spread throughout the United States, including: two beachfront condos in Coronado, California, condo in La Jolla, California, a two-unit condominium complex in Phoenix, Arizona, three ranch houses located outside of Sedona, Arizona, a high-rise condo in Arlington, Virginia, a rental loft, and, according to GQ, a loft they bought for their daughter, Meghan.
As Politico notes, McCain's comments are a serious potential gaffe, as they dovetail with an increasingly aggressive effort to paint the GOP nominee as wildly out of touch on economic issues.
In recent weeks, Democrats have stepped up their effort to caricature McCain as living an outlandishly rich lifestyle -- a bit of payback to the GOP for portraying Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as an elitist, and for turning the spotlight in 2004 on the five homes owned by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Pro-Obama labor groups have sent out mailers highlighting McCain's wealth, and prominent Democrats have included references to it in comments to reporters.
Twice in the past two weeks, those Democrats have focused on McCain's houses.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Politico's Ben Smith that it was McCain "who wears $500 shoes, has six houses and comes from one of the richest families in his state."
And David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, referred in an interview with Adam Nagourney of The New York Times to an imagined meeting of McCain strategists "on the portico of the McCain estate in Sedona -- or maybe in one of his six other houses."
McCain's comments came four days after he initially told Pastor Rick Warren during a faith forum on Sunday his threshold for considering someone rich is $5 million -- a careless comment he quickly corrected.”
(Don’t just take my word for it, see for yourself. Here’s the link to this article and to the videos so you can see exactly what McCain said. )
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/21/mccain-doesnt-know-how-ma_n_120322.html
I feel lucky to be able to work part time at a wonderful nonprofit while going to school full time. Hubby and I live very simply, but we manage to make ends meet. Many American families can't say that. Wages are either flat or declining, while prices on everything from milk to bread to gas to school supplies are sharply up. Each month gets a little tighter, till some families get caught in the squeeze and fall behind, and then what? Well bankruptcy isn't nearly as much of an option as it used to be, thanks to Bu--sh-- letting the banking industry rewrite the bankruptcy laws. Whoops, sorry, this rant was supposed to be about McCain but sometimes it's hard to keep the two separate. Anyway, millions of American families are scrounging to make it from month to month, while McCain says that his definition of "rich" is making over $5 million a year.
One more point: when American families are struggling to fill their gas tanks and fridges and buy back-to-school clothes, McCain is running around campaigning in $500 shoes. I don't think every pair of shoes in my closet added together cost that much. I'd be embarassed to pay that much for something like shoes, and even more embarassed to have others know that's what I did. Those shoes cost more than we spend in a month on groceries! Wonder how many pairs he has?
Wait a minute, there's a McCain ad on tv right now, claiming McCain is "the original maverick". What does that mean, anyway? I'd like to pin him down to explain that. Sure it sounds impressive, but what does it mean? As far as McCain being "ready to lead", he's only ready to lead the people of this country, lemming-like, over a cliff. The problem is that too many people are swallowing his propaganda. Wake up, people! Ask questions, demand answers, and don't settle for flag-waving and slick rhetoric!
All right, enough of my rant. Here's the article I promised, excerpted from the Huffington Post. Enjoy. Get mad. Demand change.
Peace,
AuntieM
Nico Pitney
pitney@huffingtonpost.com HuffPost Reporting From DC
McCain Doesn't Remember How Many Houses He Owns
August 21, 2008 09:32 AM
"John McCain said in an interview with Politico on Wednesday "that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own."
"I think -- I'll have my staff get to you," McCain said. "It's condominiums where -- I'll have them get to you."
The answer, according to the group Progressive Accountability, is an even 10 homes, ranches, condos, and lofts, together worth a combined estimated $13,823,269.
John and Cindy McCain own a plethora of houses spread throughout the United States, including: two beachfront condos in Coronado, California, condo in La Jolla, California, a two-unit condominium complex in Phoenix, Arizona, three ranch houses located outside of Sedona, Arizona, a high-rise condo in Arlington, Virginia, a rental loft, and, according to GQ, a loft they bought for their daughter, Meghan.
As Politico notes, McCain's comments are a serious potential gaffe, as they dovetail with an increasingly aggressive effort to paint the GOP nominee as wildly out of touch on economic issues.
In recent weeks, Democrats have stepped up their effort to caricature McCain as living an outlandishly rich lifestyle -- a bit of payback to the GOP for portraying Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as an elitist, and for turning the spotlight in 2004 on the five homes owned by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Pro-Obama labor groups have sent out mailers highlighting McCain's wealth, and prominent Democrats have included references to it in comments to reporters.
Twice in the past two weeks, those Democrats have focused on McCain's houses.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Politico's Ben Smith that it was McCain "who wears $500 shoes, has six houses and comes from one of the richest families in his state."
And David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, referred in an interview with Adam Nagourney of The New York Times to an imagined meeting of McCain strategists "on the portico of the McCain estate in Sedona -- or maybe in one of his six other houses."
McCain's comments came four days after he initially told Pastor Rick Warren during a faith forum on Sunday his threshold for considering someone rich is $5 million -- a careless comment he quickly corrected.”
(Don’t just take my word for it, see for yourself. Here’s the link to this article and to the videos so you can see exactly what McCain said. )
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/21/mccain-doesnt-know-how-ma_n_120322.html
Friday, August 8, 2008
Let the games begin
I'm watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics as I write this. Okay, I'm a sucker for pageantry and I do have a tissue within reach because stuff like this gets me all choked up. Still, as I watch this spectacle, this introduction of a "new" China to the world stage, a few thoughts occurred that I wanted to record.
First off, the slogan of these Olympics: One world, one dream. Too bad that dream doesn't include Tibet and Darfur. Guess the folks in those countries don't count.
A few days ago I thought I heard something about Bush being critical of China's human rights record. Yes, there's a lot to be critical about, but come on, isn't that a bit hypocritical? As long as the US holds prisoners at Guantanimo Bay, as long as the US keeps conducting its imperialistic war for oil in Iraq, as long as the Patriot Act allows our government to violate the civil rights of its citizens, then Bush has no room to try and claim the high road on this issue. How hypocritical can you get?
Bush...aargh. Of course he's at the opening ceremonies. It's his last chance to play an international bigwig, he's not going to miss this. January 20, 2009, baby, the date we can finally be rid of him once and for all, as long as this country doesn't condemn itself to four more years of Bush policies by electing McBush.
I never thought I would actually approve of anything Paris Hilton ever did, but her response to McCain's 'celebrity' attack ad against Obama was priceless. She posted a response on YouTube thanking the "old white haired dude" for endorsing her for President and thanking him for acknowledging that she was indeed qualified to hold office. Beautiful!
I thought it was interesting that the Chinese chose a little girl to sing their anthem, while a pretty well gender-balanced group of kids carried in the flag, dressed in ethnic garb. This caught my attention because of China's one child policy. The little girl who sang was charming and talented, but my first thought was "she was lucky to have lived." There is hope in that area though, because the Chinese have begun to realize just what a mess they've created for themselves. The ratio of men to women in China is now 120 males to 100 females. That means there are millions of Chinese men who cannot find spouses. These men are called "barren branches" in Chinese culture because they will not be able to marry and sire children, so their family lines will end. China is now trying to correct their cultural notion of male supremacy by emphasizing the value of female children. At least that's what I read for an Anthropology paper about a year ago. Maybe selecting this little girl to sing was part of that campaign.
After the kids carried in the Chinese flag, it was taken by a group of goose-stepping Chinese soldiers, which created an almost surreal juxtaposition: from children to cannon fodder. Nuff said. For any country, including the land of the formerly free and the home of the perpetually terrified. This is off-topic, but I want to mention something Hubby said this morning. A McCain ad came on, slamming Obama as usual, and Hubby said, "You know if McCain gets elected he's going to bring back the draft because he'll start more wars and need more soldiers to fight them." And he's right. We've got a clear choice here: McCain=your kids as cannon fodder. Not his, oh no, just yours.
You'd think the networks would be able to get this amazing spectacle right. The audio cut out for about 15 minutes, and it just came back on. But it is beautiful, and the precision with which these thousands of people are pulling off the show is amazing.
As much as I enjoy shows like this, the commercials really get all over my last nerve. I think I'll TIVO the rest so I can skip the commercials.
The cultural education tidbits included in the ceremony are fascinating. It makes me wonder why we in America are taught virtually nothing about the history and traditions of other cultures and countries. Maybe that's our national arrogance and ethnocentrism at work, but we've got to learn to be citizerns of the world, not just our own insular country. Learning about these far-off cultures has been one of my greatest joys of being in college, but it makes me realize that kids need a better cultural introduction in their formative years that was provided when I went through school. Hopefully things have changed somewhat since then.
Peace,
AuntieM
First off, the slogan of these Olympics: One world, one dream. Too bad that dream doesn't include Tibet and Darfur. Guess the folks in those countries don't count.
A few days ago I thought I heard something about Bush being critical of China's human rights record. Yes, there's a lot to be critical about, but come on, isn't that a bit hypocritical? As long as the US holds prisoners at Guantanimo Bay, as long as the US keeps conducting its imperialistic war for oil in Iraq, as long as the Patriot Act allows our government to violate the civil rights of its citizens, then Bush has no room to try and claim the high road on this issue. How hypocritical can you get?
Bush...aargh. Of course he's at the opening ceremonies. It's his last chance to play an international bigwig, he's not going to miss this. January 20, 2009, baby, the date we can finally be rid of him once and for all, as long as this country doesn't condemn itself to four more years of Bush policies by electing McBush.
I never thought I would actually approve of anything Paris Hilton ever did, but her response to McCain's 'celebrity' attack ad against Obama was priceless. She posted a response on YouTube thanking the "old white haired dude" for endorsing her for President and thanking him for acknowledging that she was indeed qualified to hold office. Beautiful!
I thought it was interesting that the Chinese chose a little girl to sing their anthem, while a pretty well gender-balanced group of kids carried in the flag, dressed in ethnic garb. This caught my attention because of China's one child policy. The little girl who sang was charming and talented, but my first thought was "she was lucky to have lived." There is hope in that area though, because the Chinese have begun to realize just what a mess they've created for themselves. The ratio of men to women in China is now 120 males to 100 females. That means there are millions of Chinese men who cannot find spouses. These men are called "barren branches" in Chinese culture because they will not be able to marry and sire children, so their family lines will end. China is now trying to correct their cultural notion of male supremacy by emphasizing the value of female children. At least that's what I read for an Anthropology paper about a year ago. Maybe selecting this little girl to sing was part of that campaign.
After the kids carried in the Chinese flag, it was taken by a group of goose-stepping Chinese soldiers, which created an almost surreal juxtaposition: from children to cannon fodder. Nuff said. For any country, including the land of the formerly free and the home of the perpetually terrified. This is off-topic, but I want to mention something Hubby said this morning. A McCain ad came on, slamming Obama as usual, and Hubby said, "You know if McCain gets elected he's going to bring back the draft because he'll start more wars and need more soldiers to fight them." And he's right. We've got a clear choice here: McCain=your kids as cannon fodder. Not his, oh no, just yours.
You'd think the networks would be able to get this amazing spectacle right. The audio cut out for about 15 minutes, and it just came back on. But it is beautiful, and the precision with which these thousands of people are pulling off the show is amazing.
As much as I enjoy shows like this, the commercials really get all over my last nerve. I think I'll TIVO the rest so I can skip the commercials.
The cultural education tidbits included in the ceremony are fascinating. It makes me wonder why we in America are taught virtually nothing about the history and traditions of other cultures and countries. Maybe that's our national arrogance and ethnocentrism at work, but we've got to learn to be citizerns of the world, not just our own insular country. Learning about these far-off cultures has been one of my greatest joys of being in college, but it makes me realize that kids need a better cultural introduction in their formative years that was provided when I went through school. Hopefully things have changed somewhat since then.
Peace,
AuntieM
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Sky Pilot
I heard a song this morning just as I woke up, and it made me think. The song was from 1968 and was called “Sky Pilot”. I laid there and listened as it talked about religion, war and killing. The song questioned killing in war and the church’s sanction of that action, and asked how can killing in war be reconciled with “thou shalt not kill”? The song caused me to reflect on the absurd notion that killing as a part of war could possibly be sanctioned by God. As if I’d want anything to do with a god that would take sides in a political conflict!
This song also made me think of the principle of Manifest Destiny, under which the American west was settled and the Native Americans were slaughtered. The conceit and hubris of those who came up with that idea continues to gall me – Why would a just and loving God, as Christian religions have taught us to believe in, endorse the slaughter of one population so the other population can take their land?
I saw a great bumper sticker some time ago and have been on the lookout for one to purchase ever since. It read "Jesus called. He wants his religion back."
There is no such thing as a “holy war”; wars are declared by governments and fought by citizens for political or economic reasons, for territory or resources. Governments may issue propaganda claiming higher principles, but if you look underneath, the root causes of war come back to resources and territory. Material gain, nothing more. What sort of God would actually endorse violence for material gain? You might as well claim to rob a bank “in the name of God”, that makes about as much sense. Governments that claim to wage war “in the name of God” are trying to pull a fast one on their citizens. Take Bush’s pet war in Iraq as an example: allegedly we had to go to war to protect ourselves from terrorism and from Muslim extremists who want to wage a jihad upon us. We are effectively fighting an undeclared holy war, Muslims v. Christians. But what are we really fighting for? Oil. Resources. Territory. Bragging rights on Bush’s part – he wanted to be a wartime president, so he started a war. There’s nothing noble about the war in Iraq, it’s a war of imperialist aggression started by the United States in the name of creating record profits for oil companies. That’s why our soldiers are fighting and dying right now: for the glory of Exxon et al.
And let’s not forget McCain in all of this. He’s trying to position himself as the heir apparent to all of the failed Bush policies, the candidate who will continue this ridiculous war for oil, the military candidate who would rather rattle his saber than negotiate a peaceful solution.
Food for thought on a Saturday morning.
“Everything is interdependent. Therefore destruction of your neighbor, destruction of your so-called enemy, is actually destruction of yourself.” - The Dalai Lama
Peace,
AuntieM
This song also made me think of the principle of Manifest Destiny, under which the American west was settled and the Native Americans were slaughtered. The conceit and hubris of those who came up with that idea continues to gall me – Why would a just and loving God, as Christian religions have taught us to believe in, endorse the slaughter of one population so the other population can take their land?
I saw a great bumper sticker some time ago and have been on the lookout for one to purchase ever since. It read "Jesus called. He wants his religion back."
There is no such thing as a “holy war”; wars are declared by governments and fought by citizens for political or economic reasons, for territory or resources. Governments may issue propaganda claiming higher principles, but if you look underneath, the root causes of war come back to resources and territory. Material gain, nothing more. What sort of God would actually endorse violence for material gain? You might as well claim to rob a bank “in the name of God”, that makes about as much sense. Governments that claim to wage war “in the name of God” are trying to pull a fast one on their citizens. Take Bush’s pet war in Iraq as an example: allegedly we had to go to war to protect ourselves from terrorism and from Muslim extremists who want to wage a jihad upon us. We are effectively fighting an undeclared holy war, Muslims v. Christians. But what are we really fighting for? Oil. Resources. Territory. Bragging rights on Bush’s part – he wanted to be a wartime president, so he started a war. There’s nothing noble about the war in Iraq, it’s a war of imperialist aggression started by the United States in the name of creating record profits for oil companies. That’s why our soldiers are fighting and dying right now: for the glory of Exxon et al.
And let’s not forget McCain in all of this. He’s trying to position himself as the heir apparent to all of the failed Bush policies, the candidate who will continue this ridiculous war for oil, the military candidate who would rather rattle his saber than negotiate a peaceful solution.
Food for thought on a Saturday morning.
“Everything is interdependent. Therefore destruction of your neighbor, destruction of your so-called enemy, is actually destruction of yourself.” - The Dalai Lama
“One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Peace,
AuntieM
Friday, August 1, 2008
McCain and racism - his latest strategy
Apparently McCain is showing his true color, and it happens to be white. The article below was printed in yesterday's Huffington Post and discusses McCain's attempt to juxtapose Obama with Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Maybe I missed something but how are media-created "stars" (and I use that word very lightly) who made themselves famous for drugs, child neglect and running around sans underwear even remotely comparable to the best Presidential candidate we've seen in the last decade? This is a pathetic attempt to play on the gullibility of those who can't distinguish between legitimate news and propaganda.
John McCain Plays the Race Card
Posted July 31, 2008 09:33 AM (EST)
document.write("huffington_post:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-press/john-mccain-plays-the-rac_b_116042.html");
"I have great admiration and respect for Senator Obama."
If so, McCain has a funny way of showing it. All we've seen and heard from him for the last month is a string of personal attacks, culminating in yesterday's ad smearing Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world." He's just another famous, pretty face, in other words, and not ready for the presidency.
True? No. Childish? Yes. But that's not all. This ad is also deliberately and deceptively racist.
Of all the famous celebrities they could have compared Obama to, why not Tom Cruise? Or Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Donald Trump, or Oprah Winfrey? Why Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? Why two white blond bimbos?
Only one reason. It's a somewhat tamer version of the white bimbo ad used so successfully against Harold Ford in Tennessee. In juxtaposing Barack Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, the McCain campaign is simply trying to plant the old racist seed of black man hitting on young white woman. Not directly, but subliminally and disgracefully.
One thing for sure. This isn't the John McCain we first saw in 2000, running a campaign on the issues. And this isn't the positive McCain campaign he himself promised us for 2008. This is a campaign that, from the beginning, is nothing but negative, personal, dirty and, yes, racist.
Maybe we need to speak out not only in support of Obama and the honorable and above-board manner in which he has dealt with McCain's mudslinging, but also against McCain and his pathetic attempts to play on ignorance. Maybe we should start e-mailing the McCain campaign and demanding that he stop the unfounded personal attacks on Obama and focus on the issues. Maybe one e-mail wouldn't make much of an impact, but I'll bet 100,000 would . Wonder how we can get the ball rolling on this? Here's a link to send messages to the McCain campaign:
http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/
also phone # (703) 418-2008
If I find better contact info I'll post it on this blog.
A colleague relayed a comment Obama made that was so profound I've been pondering it for a whole day. Obama said something like "We are the people we've been waiting for", as in if we want change, we're only waiting till we get off of our collective asses and work for it ourselves.
Peace,
AuntieM
John McCain Plays the Race Card
Posted July 31, 2008 09:33 AM (EST)
document.write("huffington_post:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-press/john-mccain-plays-the-rac_b_116042.html");
"I have great admiration and respect for Senator Obama."
If so, McCain has a funny way of showing it. All we've seen and heard from him for the last month is a string of personal attacks, culminating in yesterday's ad smearing Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world." He's just another famous, pretty face, in other words, and not ready for the presidency.
True? No. Childish? Yes. But that's not all. This ad is also deliberately and deceptively racist.
Of all the famous celebrities they could have compared Obama to, why not Tom Cruise? Or Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Donald Trump, or Oprah Winfrey? Why Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? Why two white blond bimbos?
Only one reason. It's a somewhat tamer version of the white bimbo ad used so successfully against Harold Ford in Tennessee. In juxtaposing Barack Obama with Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, the McCain campaign is simply trying to plant the old racist seed of black man hitting on young white woman. Not directly, but subliminally and disgracefully.
One thing for sure. This isn't the John McCain we first saw in 2000, running a campaign on the issues. And this isn't the positive McCain campaign he himself promised us for 2008. This is a campaign that, from the beginning, is nothing but negative, personal, dirty and, yes, racist.
Maybe we need to speak out not only in support of Obama and the honorable and above-board manner in which he has dealt with McCain's mudslinging, but also against McCain and his pathetic attempts to play on ignorance. Maybe we should start e-mailing the McCain campaign and demanding that he stop the unfounded personal attacks on Obama and focus on the issues. Maybe one e-mail wouldn't make much of an impact, but I'll bet 100,000 would . Wonder how we can get the ball rolling on this? Here's a link to send messages to the McCain campaign:
http://www.johnmccain.com/Contact/
also phone # (703) 418-2008
If I find better contact info I'll post it on this blog.
A colleague relayed a comment Obama made that was so profound I've been pondering it for a whole day. Obama said something like "We are the people we've been waiting for", as in if we want change, we're only waiting till we get off of our collective asses and work for it ourselves.
Peace,
AuntieM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)