That’s HOT!

The Next President

Autumn. Finally.

I can’t explain the sheer joy I feel when there is a slight chill in the air.  Add a few leaves on the sidewalk, and I might just do a little jig.  The weather here has been incredible this week, and couldn’t have come any sooner.

So, what’s new?  Same old shit mostly.  It’s been over two months since I quit smoking.  I managed to gain way more weight in those two months than I should have, so it’s time to quit eating.  To be honest, I haven’t felt well at all these past few weeks, so I’ve made an appointment to get it all checked out.  Hopefully it’s nothing a diet and more exercise can’t take care of, so let’s all keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

Cannot believe the debate last night.  Sarah Palin scares the shit out of me.  Honestly.  I don’t want that woman running my office, much less my country.  I know she’s trying to prove that she’s no different than the average American–Joe Sixpack–but I don’t want the average American in one of the two highest offices in the land.  I want an elitist, for god’s sake!  Really.  I want the smartest person I can find who is actually willing to do it.  What the hell is wrong with these people who think she’s god’s gift to the political arena?  If McCain wins, I think it is fair to say that the USA is doomed.  We may already be on a path that we can’t recover from, but his election would guarantee the end of the country as we knew it.  It’s a good thing I adore Canada, although I am sure there will be a huge line to get in.

Job search?  Hmm, what job search?  The economy is so fucked that it’s hardly worth the effort and eventual disappointment.  Even my current employer is getting rid of people.  And we were ridiculously short-staffed to begin with.  So, I don’t see any point in begging people to hire me at the moment.  I have two leads here in town that I’ll follow up on, but otherwise I’ll continue to clock in at the prison every day.  They might as well get what little of my soul that remains.

Still enjoying my new virtual life.  I figure it’s just a step on the way to getting a real life.  I’ve managed to catch up with a lot of folks from college, many of whom I’ll be seeing tomorrow at the reunion.  (I just crossed myself, and I’m not Catholic.)

I also scheduled myself more than a week away from the office.  Hallelujah!  A few days in the Ozarks and nearly a week here to just enjoy not being at work.  I’m counting the minutes until next Friday at 6:00 pm when I will be free.  One more week.

Favorite Videos at this Very Moment:

1. Old Gregg, from The Mighty Boosh
2. Craig Ferguson on Democracy and Duty – He is becoming one of my favorite people on the planet.  (He first impressed me with this monologue, which I found to be well-crafted and truly moving.)
3. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin – Brilliant!
4. Well, this is a really old one, but I can’t do a list of videos without the Betty Glover Library Workout Tape.
5. Jon Stewart on Republican Hypocrisy – Sure to be a classic!

Random Thoughts After 3 Days in Peace & Quiet:

• Cupcakes are awesome.  Yummier than cake and half the guilt!
• Catch and Release is not a great movie, but I loved it for the scenery.  Made me want to be in Montana NOW.
• A clean house is overrated.
• Sailing in Gustav is overrated.  But sailing will still be fun when I go next weekend, since I wimped out on this weekend.
• It’s a shame that Lauryn Hill has become whatever it is she has become, because The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill really is a great album.  I pulled it back out this weekend, along with 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of… (also one of the greats!), and I cannot stop dancing around my house.
• I still need to lose 5 to 10 pounds.  I think I want to buy a jump rope, because walking the puppy isn’t doing it for me.  She gets easily distracted, so we never get very far.
• I wonder if there are Latin ballroom classes anywhere in town?
• Facebook is crack.  Crack is whack.  Therefore, I am whack.
• Finally watched Black Snake Moan from start to finish.  Wow.  That’s all I’ve got to say about that for the time being.
• Um.  I cannot possibly keep up with all of the Palin pregnancy drama if it keeps up at this rate.  Too bad Palin opposed Sex Ed.
• Kinda loving Emiliana Torrini right now.
• I’ve invited a guy I barely knew in college to stay here for Homecoming.  Uh, what?!
• Found out today that another friend from college is in rehab for the second time this summer.  I can barely wrap my head around that, and then I start thinking about her poor son.  I cannot imagine what his life has been like so far.
• Played some crap poker this weekend, but at least I won.  Maybe I need to go to poker bootcamp.
• Talked to the crush for the first time in about a year.  Might see him next weekend.  He sounds miserable, so I’m not so sure I’m in the mood for that.
• Life isn’t all bad.  I’m very lucky.

Why I Cannot Vote For Hillary…

I tend to wear my political beliefs on my sleeve. I don’t know if it is a good thing or a bad thing, to be honest. But it always leads to some interesting conversations. Lately, a lot of people who know me well are curious why I am not supporting Hillary Clinton. Why am I not completely excited about the potential of the first female president?, they ask.

Because it has nothing to do with gender, I tell them. Yes, I would love to see a female president. Yes, I was a big supporter of Bill Clinton. (In fact, there is still a campaign poster of him with a sax from 1992 on my childhood bedroom wall.) And yes, I do think this country is ready for a female president.

But none of that matters. I simply cannot vote for her. Period.

I consider myself very liberal, very progressive. And if she is the Democratic candidate, I will be completely torn. As much as I loathe the thought of voting for her, I loathe the Republican candidates equally.

So, why do I dislike her as a candidate? Lots of reasons, most of which have been well covered by many others: I don’t think she has the experience that she claims; I don’t want to continue a Clinton dynasty; I do think we need real change.

But, mostly, I do not trust her motivations. Why does she want to be President? Is it to change the lives of Americans for the better? Is it to move our country in a positive direction? Is it to repair our self-image as a nation? Sure, all of these things will be claimed as goals, as long as it reflects well on her. As long as the numbers are good.

I don’t get any impression that she truly cares about anything more than the power and glory. About the title and the respect and the chance to show that she can get the office.

True, all politicians are inherently somewhat vain and self-righteous, but she quietly takes it to another level. It seems that she is so caught up in the machine that she might have just lost sight of what the machine was created to do. She has mastered the rhetoric and the game so completely that she has forgotten that the game is not just about winning, but about learning, growing and developing. A true all-star not only shows themselves to be great, but also improves their teammates, the coaches, the field of play, and the foundations upon which the game was created.

Hillary Clinton is not an all-star. She may put up the big numbers, but she does nothing to inspire those around her.

Obama is an all-star. He has completely changed the field of play. He has taken the game to a new level, simply by inspiring millions that change is possible and having the intelligence and vision to look in new (or long-forgotten) directions.

He seems to truly care about the will of the people and be willing to serve. Our nation’s leader should be our servant, willing to sublimate his or her desires to the greater needs of our people. I cannot see Hillary putting me first in any decision-making process. Barack Obama would probably lend me his car, if I asked nicely and made a good case for its use.

I know that someday a female will also rise to this level of the game. (Many have been near there and have been overlooked.) But Hillary Clinton is not the one. Nor can she ever be. She has been a dutiful office-holder, and I commend her for that. But she will never be the leader our country needs so desperately.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, already is that leader.

I do not share all of his views. Nor will I ever completely agree with one candidate on every single issue. But, I have faith in him as a person, in his motivations and in his desire to facilitate progress. That’s all I can ask for.

I pray that everyone will vote for the candidate that inspires them, that they believe can guide this nation-community in a positive direction, that they can see putting the needs of the people before their own. I pray that the ridiculous media attention placed upon race, gender and religion can be redirected towards the more important issues of character, community, honesty, vision, and ethical leadership.

And I pray that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.

Yes, We Can (Part Duex)

The first time I heard this speech, I got chills.
Now every time I see this, I feel a rush of excitement all over again.
Way to go, will.i.am!

Yes, We Can

Obama
O8

I don’t care what anyone says.

And the winner is…

According to SelectSmart.com, this is how the candidates rank for me:

1. Theoretical Ideal Candidate (100%)
2. Barack Obama (86%)
3. Dennis Kucinich (84%)
4. Joseph Biden (76%)
5. Hillary Clinton (74%)
6. Wesley Clark (not announced) (74%)
7. Christopher Dodd (73%)
8. Michael Bloomberg (not announced) (72%)
9. Alan Augustson (campaign suspended) (72%)
10. Al Gore (not announced) (71%)
11. John Edwards (69%)
12. Bill Richardson (61%)
13. Mike Gravel (60%)
14. Ron Paul (45%)
15. Kent McManigal (campaign suspended) (44%)
16. Elaine Brown (40%)
17. Rudolph Giuliani (39%)
18. John McCain (35%)
19. Mike Huckabee (35%)
20. Mitt Romney (28%)
21. Tommy Thompson (withdrawn) (26%)
22. Chuck Hagel (not announced) (25%)
23. Sam Brownback (21%)
24. Newt Gingrich (not announced) (21%)
25. Tom Tancredo (16%)
26. Fred Thompson (not announced) (15%)
27. Duncan Hunter (12%)
28. Jim Gilmore (withdrawn) (10%)

All I can say is that it’s a good thing that Gilmore guy withdrew. He is clearly an idiot.

First, the highbrow…

On my break today, I grabbed Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States and flipped to the middle of the book (dealing with the period immediately following the Spanish-American War).  Two quotes he includes hit me:

How our hearts burned with indignation against the atrocious Spaniards!… But when the smoke was over, the dead buried, and the cost of war came back to the people in the increase in the price of commodities and rent–that is, when we sobered up from our patriotic spree–it suddenly dawned on us that the cause of the Spanish-American war was the price of sugar… that the lives, blood, and money of the American people were used to protect the interests of the American capitalists.

-Emma Goldman

I bring you the stately matron named Christendom, returning bedraggled, besmirched, and dishonored from pirate raids in Kiao-Chou, Manchuria, South Africa, and the Philippines, with her soul full of meanness, her pocket full of boodle, and her mouth full of pious hypocrisies.

- Mark Twain

Hmm.  Not much has changed.