Oh Canada!

I just watched the wonderful gold medal hockey game between the US and Canada, and I couldn't resist commenting on how poetically beautiful the outcome was! The victory by Canada, in this dream matchup of teams, winning gold on their home ice and closing out the 2010 Winter Olympics was the perfect result. Even though theoretically I should be bummed since the US lost, I can't see any losers in this situation. I went through several tissues between the overtime sudden-death score by Team Canada and the conclusion of the Canadian national anthem, simply because I was so touched by the symmetry and meaning of it all. I'm sure the joy and pride of Canadian citizens right now is immeasurable, first because they have done a fantastic job of hosting the world in their country, and because hockey is such a big thing for Canadians.

Way to go Team Canada!!!

There's something about the Olympics that touches a soft spot in my heart, because it is an opportunity for nations to put aside their differences, to build relationships and friendships on the foundation of sport, to put nationalism aside in favor of sportsmanship. To me the Olympics are a peacemaking activity, and my only wish is that the spirit the Olympics engenders may last beyond the extinguishing of the Olympic flame.

The only negative note is the NHL's proclaimation that its players will not be allowed to compete in the 2014 Winter Games in Russia, due to the disruption the Olympics presents to the NHL's schedule. I think that if the NHL carries out this threat, hockey fans should boycott all NHL games held during the 2014 Winter Olympics. Can these shortsighted fools not see that exposing NHL players and hockey in general on the world stage will help bring more fans into the game, increasing TV ratings and ticket sales? They're too focused on the loss of immediate revenue to see the long-term potential, and to recognize the opportunity cost of grabbing for today's dollars while throwing tomorrow's dollars out the window. Come on NHL, where's your spirit? Why deprive your players of the chance to represent their countries, something that a fair number of them have undoubtedly dreamt about since childhood? That's just mean.

Peace (and anticipation of the 2012 Summer Games in London),

AuntieM

Proof we're on the right path, even though we still have a ways to go

Hi all,

Sometimes a picture (or in this case a chart) is worth a thousand words. That is why I am replicating the e-mail below from Obama for America. Hopefully they won't mind since I'm hopefully helping their message reach a wider audience.

"Wondering what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- President Obama's stimulus bill -- has accomplished? Look at this:

One year ago tomorrow, after tens of thousands of you shared stories and called your representatives, the President signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.And while this anniversary isn't a cause for celebration, there is reason to be optimistic. This chart makes it clear: We're on the road to recovery.Still, we know there is a long way to go. Many Americans are still struggling, and creating jobs remains President Obama's top priority.Click here to learn more about the President's record on the economy, what we're doing to put more Americans back to work, and get easy-to-share information you can pass on to friends and family:http://www.blogger.com/ Thanks for making change happen."

I don't know about you but I'm really tired of hearing Republicans complaining about the perceived lack of progress, particularly when obstructionist Republicans in Congress have been responsible for throwing sand into the machinery of reform at every opportunity. The chart above shows just hwo deeply we as a country were in the weeds by the end of the Bush II administration, and how much progress has been made to reverse job losses since Obama took office. I'm sharing this because it's hard to dispute factual evidence, and this is proof that under Obama's guidance our economy has started to turn around. Yes, lots of people are still out of work and I certainly feel for them and wish something could be done about this overnight, but it took us years to get into this mess and it's going to take us a while to dig ourselves out. But now at least we're on the right path, and we've got to stick with it.

Peace,

AuntieM

Blogging to fulfill a pledge

Hi all,

I don't know if you've heard about this (probably not unless you're already on board with Organzing for Obama) but they're running a campaign to mobilize volunteers to help spread the word, i.e. truth, about the reforms proposed by the Obama administration and to help combat Republican scare tactics and outright lies about what reform will do. After about 12 seconds of consideration I agreed to pledge time each week to this cause, partially because you can choose your own activity and decide where you can make the most difference. My activity to fulfill that pledge is this blog, which I really want to resurrect despite all my other commitments. I hope that enough people read this and pass it along to their networks for it to make a difference, because the midterm elections are going to be a referendum on the Obama administration's entire plan to turn this country around, and we can't afford for the Republican naysayers who want to maintain the failed status quo of the past to come out on top.

Hope you will check into this opportunity to make a difference and will join me and about a million other people in working to give Obama's reform strategy a fighting chance.

Thanks for reading.

Peace,
AuntieM