Monday, September 29, 2008

My Seat Comes First

More Republicans voted against the Bush Bail Out (I'm against it whole heartedly) because they are the ones at risk of losing their seats in Congress. This means that we need to make it clear to Democrats that just because they have a D after their name, does not mean that they support a progressive agenda and we will find candidates who do, if not now, then soon.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Money to the cause

I think this is amazing. I donated $20 and then the website revealed to me who my matching donor was, someone named Tina M, retired Air Force!! MSgt and CPA! I hope she e-mails me back. I had no idea the matching donor would be revealed, wow!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Summing up Palin

She's a nightmare. She looks like Wall Street, talks like a populist, and has a heartless, dictatorial core that only reserves love (but not attention*) for her own family. She's infectious, exciting, folksy, fun, approachable, determined, focused, and CERTAIN about God's world.

We need to do all we can to peel away all this disarming attitude and to reveal the actions of the fear-ridden little dictator underneath that beautiful sunshine.

*I've been thinking often about Palin and the way she brought her infant onto the brightly lit, noisy, overwhelming stage at the convention--something I wouldn't have done with either of our babies. But was I being too critical? Then I was reminded about Phyllis Schlafly and how she's always been the conservative symbol for feminists who think women should be no more than wife and mother. This isn't quite accurate, I think Schlafly's position was pro wife-and -mother, but not anti-work. But in either case, the biggest argument today is "what's best for children." And that's a whole can of worms for feminists and Phylis Schlafly who was really discussing a woman's sense of happiness, not a family's happiness (which often requires self-sacrifice). I grew up with a father who dedicated his life to the ministry and was out of the lives of his children most of the time. So when I look at Sarah Palin, I see a parent, and a mother, who is putting most of her attention elsewhere in a BIG WAY. I'm not saying she's wrong, but I am saying that she's not pro-family by any stretch of the conservative imagination. If the right was saying this about John Edwards' campaign, then they can darn well say this about Palin.

Peace.

Blogger chaos

It's hard to figure out which brand of feminism bloggers subscribe to, it's all over the map. We've got conservatives calling leftists sexist, and leftists calling Palin anti-woman. I think they are both right and wrong; which is why feminism is still a much needed philosophy and legal goal in this country.

Yesterday

I wonder if these banking failures will make conservatives more willing to control greed than they are so willing to control women's wombs.

She's a "Feminist for Life" member? How is she either?

I'm writing this winded piece on feminism as a response to a conservative windbag who wrote an irresponsible piece about women recently, and then I was going to tie it all to Palin, when I saw this. Enough said.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

CNN and MSNBC: VP festival

I watched a painful "Biden Revealed" on CNN tonight. The family basically danced for the cable "news" network, while the CNN producers cut Biden down with innuendo, biased commentary that related skewed "facts," (e.g. they made Biden's well informed "partitioning of Iraq" advocacy and lack of support for the surge sound like lunacy and a recent failing in foreign policy). Most of the piece had this ridiculous music that sounded full of dread and fear--it was usually played during an "if they win..." moment and it was run long and hard while they showed footage from the convention in Denver.

Contrast this with the MSNBC show on Palin. I was initially skeptical because they glowingly interviewed her family and friends and spent minutes on childhood photos and high school videos, and it all seemed so perfect. But the report has been professional otherwise, reporting accurately the criticisms and problems with her candidacy. Noticeabley, MSNBC refrains from extensive "commentary" on the candidate's "situation" which CNN was unable to stop doing. In other words, they show Palin f-ing up without discussing how or interviewing partisans to help point it out. They give her a fair shot, but don't gloss over the real problems she's been having and might have.

If only the MSM gave liberals the same treatment.

Our values rule

I have a very close (well, formerly close) conservative friend who is always pointing out how different our worldviews are even though we grew up together in the same small town, shared the same library (hmmm, actually, my father did take me to a city library close by...), had the same teachers, knew the same people, went to the same college... I always wind up saying, "We're not that different." Which either bugs her or leaves her puzzled. We used to get into arguments and I would always point out the ramifications of the policies that she advocated on poor people, or less educated people, or different people, which just made her catholic soul feel guilty, but rarely changed her mind. We don't discuss politics anymore.

We just found out that Sarah and Todd Palin had their first child 8 months after they were married. Perhaps the child was a bit early, but it sounded like she had created a path that her daughter was following. Where's the outrage? Well, where would it come from? The left doesn't judge that. The right wing? I guess they give their own a pass, but "other" women are somehow worse? If Biden had an out of wedlock pregnancy would we ever stop hearing about it?

The right wing benefits from OUR inclusive, accepting, "life happens," values (you know, the compassionate values that Jesus advocated), and THEIR exclusive, choice limiting, judgmental "values" condemn us as we forgive them.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Fun, Stella, thanks for tagging me (-:

1. Where was I ten years ago?

Atlanta, Georgia establishing artistic cred. I was living in a cheap condominium in Midtown (a great neighborhood) with two cats and working at a private university with the wear-my-ego-issues-on-my-sleeve ex-husband. My father had died in February of that year.

2. What was on my To Do list today?

Eat breakfast, catch a column in the paper, squeeze in a shower, empty the dishwasher, two loads of laundry (a drop in the bucket), water the plants on the balcony, feed the baby (at one point nursing the baby directly opposite the McDonald's at the mall) and 3-year old, entertain both and exercise both, download I-Tune and Quicktime updates for my 3-year old's "applications", this tag list, discuss the counter-offer on the condo we want to buy that costs 6 times more than the one I had in Atlanta. It was a light day.

3. And my favorite number. What would I do if I were a billionaire?

Wow. Like, Stella, I would want a self-sustainable house and garden, but in a nice neighborhood near lots of shops, and that would include a big, light art studio and reception area. I would set up personal retirement and education funds for our children, and fund children's health charities, research into environmental issues that effect health, as well as alternative medicines. I would vigorously support progressive candidates and transparent, efficient government.

4. Five places I've lived.

Beverly Hills, California
Brooklyn, New York
Columbus, Ohio
St. Louis, Missouri
Eastbourne, England

5. Bad Habits. Numerous!
  • Procrastination; putting off the stuff I don't enjoy doing.
  • Distraction; doing the stuff to the detriment of the stuff I should do, and even WANT to be doing, and Peripheral focusing (which isn't focusing at all, it's multi-tasking ALL THE TIME).
  • Chocolate binges.
  • Anger; a short temper (I profusely apologize when this happens to my sweet kids), and raging against things I have no control over (right wing idiocy) to those who also have no control over it (and occasionally to those who do, but I try to keep my composure then).
  • Budget busting (I'm trying to get better at this!)
  • Using TV like a babysitter (okay, not for THAT long...).
  • There's more...

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Bull Shit McCain/Palin

I didn't want to watch this. We're house hunting with 2 kids under 4, so it's not like we don't have anything to do.

Country First. No.

Power First.

Let's ask Palin why she belongs to a secessionist group and why she censors public libraries. And let's ask John McCain exactly where it is in the Constitution that innocent Americans can be RAIDED because they use cameras. And we'll all ask the MSM why they haven't covered this fascist police action!!

Family Values. No.

Willful Ignorance.

I'm sorry, but if abstinence education and advocacy "works" then...what happened there at ground zero?

I stopped watching it, I only caught the end where she endorsed a "great man" for President. That would be Obama. She supported Pat Buchanon in 2000...

I haven't had the stomach to watch the key note speech, how many times did he lie or mention 9-11?

Peace.