Honest Michelle

This is a new kind of politics. Clearly, Mrs. Obama is not the shrinking, get-along, act-nice first lady along the lines of Laura Bush. I doubt we'd ever find Michelle being interviewed by Katy Kurick while nursing along native plants back at the ranch, and discussing decorating, while a distant-to-her war rages.

Can the left stop eating our young and give this woman a break? She answered a difficult question honestly, which was something like, "Given that Hillary Clinton's campaign has attacked you non-stop from everything from cocaine, to choice, to taxes, and using race-baiting, will you work for her to get her elected?"

She essentially said, "Probably not for her, but yes, for the Democrats." This is personal for them and the Obama's get to feel what they feel without playing nice for our f-ing party.

Every person is good and bad, but we don't have to work for the people who cross the line into unacceptable behavior; Democrat or not. And yes, I would vote for Hillary if she wins the nomination...but I probably wouldn't if my husband was running against her. For whatever reason, the McGovern family did not vote for Carter. They were probably right.

The Healthcare Debate

Who are these mythical healthy people who can afford health insurance but don't buy it? And if they are choosing to take this stupid, possibly expensive gamble, why is it unfair to have penalties for those who don't buy in at the registration time when they could afford it?

I think I went without health insurance for a few months in my life after college, and it was because I couldn't afford $200/mo for an HMO. I was constantly scared that I'd have an accident or health emergency and get hit with hospital bills. I don't even know these financially secure risk-takers personally; do you?

Paul Krugman simultaneously defines them as irresponsible "gamers" that will avoid Obama's plan (unlikely considering Dean's argument that employers will enroll people and there will be subsidies, and that government plan...), and then as "victims" of Obama's penalty plan.

Krugman has it out for Obama, doesn't he?

Don't Tread on Me

For a long time I very mistakenly thought that the "Don't Tread On Me" image was an English, Scottish or Irish one because I had strong associations with it's message. I thought of it today when I visited Swiftspeech's blog and saw the shocking video they have of police brutality against an innocent American woman.

As Americans, I believe we all need to adopt this old American attitude toward our government. Thank you Swiftspeech crew, Stella, M.D., every one of you, for being the eyes and ears of justice for our citizenry. We must be ever vigilant, as Vigilante reminds us, and ready to fight injustice in our communities.

Here is Benjamin Franklin (via Wikipedia):

In December 1775, Benjamin Franklin published an essay in the Pennsylvania Journal under the pseudonym American Guesser in which he suggested that the rattlesnake was a good symbol for the American spirit:

I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids—She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.—She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretentions of quarrelling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenceless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defence, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?

How do couples get here?

It is my belief, once divorced and married for real only the second time, and based on the book, Will Our Love Last? by Sam R. Hamburg, that couples need to have a successful two out of three of the following agreements, or dimensions, in order to be happy:

Sex (frequency, level, desire)
Wavelength (morality, spirituality, politics, world-view)
Practical (money, neatness, schedules, home environment, food)

My husband and I have the first two in spades, although one or two aspects of the Practical dimension are sometimes treacherous for us, but we're getting better at understanding each other there. I belatedly realized that I had none of the above with my first marriage (that guy I married role-played being a liberal, among other things, for years).

I can't imagine how a marriage can work successfully when Wavelength, which must be the Arnold and Maria strike out, isn't working. I mean their respective endorsements are "100 years in Iraq," "Scalia," and "cutting spending" vs. "a change in military-use mindset," "Pro-choice," and "universal healthcare and environmental health investment." But according to the Will Our Love Last book, these marriages can survive. But how can Arnold and Maria not place top value on Wavelength when they are both so involved in politics?

A Hillary Push-Poll?

It's unfortunate that there's not any company mentioned or trace of who might actually be responsible for this.

Obama's cross-over appeal...

Thank you DB Cooper and Vigilante:

Eisenhower endorsement

I was just thinking today about Obama's point during the debate, something like "We need a new mindset," when it comes to using our military. Spot on!! The main reason I am opposed to Hillary being our nominee is because she has so strikingly supported every Bush military move, especially the last one with Iran. She claims she couldn't have foreseen him using their Iraq vote for invasion (huh?) and that she doesn't think they can now use that Congressional Iranian National Guard = Terrorists bill to go to war with Iran. If she hasn't learned by now that lawless Bush and Cheney need little, if any, encouragement for war, she is worse than Wolf Blitzer's "naive" slap--she's blind.

Being Green Today

I'm feeling really good because I've spent the morning actually doing something to prepare for our new baby. We're reusing a double stroller that my sister-in-law (married to a Reagan Democrat, no less) wonderfully saved for anyone who would need it (possibly us in particular) for six years! It's been painstaking but also a welcome brain puzzle to disassemble it so that I can wash every fabric part.

The other thing I've begun successfully and consistently doing is to use a big, soft "cool" insulator bag for grocery shopping (it's kind of like a big beach bag with a zipper) that I bought at Costco for $6. Not only is it good at the grocery store (the baggers actually put the cool stuff in there for me!) but when I get home it's really easy for me to recycle or reuse any paper and plastic bags I've used by putting them in the empty "cool" bag to take back out to the car. Then I just pull it out of the car whenever I grocery shop. I feel good about all this today!

Peace.