Tell me what feminist does this?
"...Eight years ago, complaints about charging rape victims for medical exams in Wasilla prompted the Alaska legislature to pass a bill - signed into law by Knowles - that banned the practice statewide.
"There was one town in Alaska that was charging victims for this, and that was Wasilla," Knowles said
A May 23, 2000, article in Wasilla's newspaper, The Frontiersman, noted that Alaska state troopers and most municipal police agencies regularly pay for such exams, which cost between $300 and $1,200 apiece.
"(But) the Wasilla Police Department does charge the victims of sexual assault for the tests," the newspaper reported.
It also quoted Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon objecting to the law. Fannon was appointed to his position by Palin after her dismissal of the previous police chief. He said it would cost Wasilla $5,000 to $14,000 a year if the city had to foot the bill for rape exams.
"In the past we've charged the cost of exams to the victims' insurance company when possible," Fannon told the newspaper. "I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer."..."
and then follows it up with this!
"Palin On Abortion: I'd Oppose Even If My Own Daughter Was Raped...
...the soon-to-be governor said she would fund abstinence-only education programs in schools. "The explicit sex-ed programs," she added, "will not find my support."...
in line with John McCain's own stances. The Senator is against federal funding of birth control and sex education. He has called for the overturning of Roe v. Wade and received a zero rating from NARAL.
Once, aboard the Straight Talk Express, McCain was asked if he supported the use of contraception or President Bush's abstinence-only education program to stem the spreading of AIDS.
"After a long pause, he said, 'I think I support the president's policy.'..."
Sep 15, 2008
Sep 14, 2008
Sep 12, 2008
Not the First Time
"Why is your hair all sticky? What is it your hair?"
"Sucker."
"Why is there sucker in your hair?"
"Because I was coloring and I didn't have any place to put my sucker down and so I set it on my head."
"Where is it now?"
"I ate it."
Also see very short post from November 2005 called Savin' it for later.
"Sucker."
"Why is there sucker in your hair?"
"Because I was coloring and I didn't have any place to put my sucker down and so I set it on my head."
"Where is it now?"
"I ate it."
Also see very short post from November 2005 called Savin' it for later.
Sep 11, 2008
Oh Sweet Debate thy Essence is too Alluring, I Yield and Permit Myself to Find Fire in Your Company Again
My favorite Exceprt from the Salon article
Zombie feminists of the RNC
How did Sarah Palin become a symbol of women's empowerment? And how did I, a die-hard feminist, end up terrified at the idea of a woman in the White House?
By Rebecca Traister
"...It's true that the last time I had this kind of visceral yearning for a politician to save the day was on the evening of Sept. 11, when the only person whose face I wanted to see on my television was Bill Clinton's. Perhaps when the Clintons took office in my 18th year, they became imprinted on my brain as my presidential parent-figures, my ur-protectors. But it's hard not to notice that if that's the case, it's Bill I want to nurture and soothe me, and Hillary I want to show up, guns blazing Ripley-style, to surprise the mother alien just as she is about to feast on independent voters, protectively shouting, "Get away from them, you bitch!"
There I go again with the hyper-feminized anxieties. I think it's mostly that I want Hillary Clinton -- the imperfect history maker whose major selling points for "First Woman..." status, in retrospect, included the fact that she was not a Republican, not pro-life, did not believe in teaching creationism alongside evolution, had never inquired about the feasibility of banning books, understood the American economy, supported universal healthcare and did not kill wolves from planes -- to make Sarah Palin go away and stop threatening to make history I don't want to see made.
It is infuriating that Clinton, her supporters and, yes, also those Obama supporters who voiced their displeasure at the sexist treatment Clinton sometimes received, and also female voters, and also females full stop, are being implicated in feminism's bastardization..."
Also, yes I took down my new diatribe, from the other day. I'm still sorting out where I sit and how I feel about it. I suppose I'm not comfortable leaving it up because I keep flip flopping in my own mind on the subject depending on what day you ask me and what I read last and so I didn't feel like it was exactly fair for me to leave it up if I wasn't 100% behind it.
What I am 100% sure of is this, I am voting D, because I miss prosperity and peace and because I think we should help each other. If I have bread and you need some, have some of mine.
Zombie feminists of the RNC
How did Sarah Palin become a symbol of women's empowerment? And how did I, a die-hard feminist, end up terrified at the idea of a woman in the White House?
By Rebecca Traister
"...It's true that the last time I had this kind of visceral yearning for a politician to save the day was on the evening of Sept. 11, when the only person whose face I wanted to see on my television was Bill Clinton's. Perhaps when the Clintons took office in my 18th year, they became imprinted on my brain as my presidential parent-figures, my ur-protectors. But it's hard not to notice that if that's the case, it's Bill I want to nurture and soothe me, and Hillary I want to show up, guns blazing Ripley-style, to surprise the mother alien just as she is about to feast on independent voters, protectively shouting, "Get away from them, you bitch!"
There I go again with the hyper-feminized anxieties. I think it's mostly that I want Hillary Clinton -- the imperfect history maker whose major selling points for "First Woman..." status, in retrospect, included the fact that she was not a Republican, not pro-life, did not believe in teaching creationism alongside evolution, had never inquired about the feasibility of banning books, understood the American economy, supported universal healthcare and did not kill wolves from planes -- to make Sarah Palin go away and stop threatening to make history I don't want to see made.
It is infuriating that Clinton, her supporters and, yes, also those Obama supporters who voiced their displeasure at the sexist treatment Clinton sometimes received, and also female voters, and also females full stop, are being implicated in feminism's bastardization..."
***
Also, yes I took down my new diatribe, from the other day. I'm still sorting out where I sit and how I feel about it. I suppose I'm not comfortable leaving it up because I keep flip flopping in my own mind on the subject depending on what day you ask me and what I read last and so I didn't feel like it was exactly fair for me to leave it up if I wasn't 100% behind it.
What I am 100% sure of is this, I am voting D, because I miss prosperity and peace and because I think we should help each other. If I have bread and you need some, have some of mine.
Back to the normal junk I usually post about
I went and saw Disaster Movie last night. Mostly because we had already seen everything else that was playing that was of any interest. I went in expecting the movie version of a MAD Magazine and actually got the 6th graders version of the movie version of MAD Magazine. my advice... don't even rent it. It was soo bad I am nt even going to be bothered to link to it. But then again how bad can an evening out with your husband at the taco shop and the movies whilst Grandma is hanging out with the kid be? So I should be careful not to complain to much. (Thanks Mom.)
What I did see that was interesting is the first teen movie in a long time that looked "cool." Up until now the younger crowd has been easily been written off as totaly un-hip Justin/Brittany/Sponge Bob loving freaks that weren't around when the REAL cool stuff was happening and I never paid any mind. But suddenly there is a movie that gives me hope that some of these youngsters are cool, complcated, fresh and funny people.
This isn't the only part of my discovery, the other part is this: they all look like they are 14, making it painfully clear how far away I am from club hopping, running around town with my boyfriend and driving a beat up old hatchback full of shenanigans. I usually don't ever miss those days. I like dependable cars and the relative predictability of my saftey and I don't think you could pay enough me to go back to that uncertain age of 22, but something about this movie makes me want to be young now in 2008 with these people and now I am really looking forward to seeing Nick and Nora's Infinate Playlist.
While the movie American Teen promised to be the new Breakfast Club, new generations don't need the new and improved (fill in the blank of whatever was cool before.) That's like saying GenXers should get excited for the new and improved Easy Rider. Nope, just doesn't work. Each generation get's a new movie that we all fall in love with and I think this one may be it. Nick and Nora's Infinate Playlist opens in October 3rd.
What I did see that was interesting is the first teen movie in a long time that looked "cool." Up until now the younger crowd has been easily been written off as totaly un-hip Justin/Brittany/Sponge Bob loving freaks that weren't around when the REAL cool stuff was happening and I never paid any mind. But suddenly there is a movie that gives me hope that some of these youngsters are cool, complcated, fresh and funny people.
This isn't the only part of my discovery, the other part is this: they all look like they are 14, making it painfully clear how far away I am from club hopping, running around town with my boyfriend and driving a beat up old hatchback full of shenanigans. I usually don't ever miss those days. I like dependable cars and the relative predictability of my saftey and I don't think you could pay enough me to go back to that uncertain age of 22, but something about this movie makes me want to be young now in 2008 with these people and now I am really looking forward to seeing Nick and Nora's Infinate Playlist.
While the movie American Teen promised to be the new Breakfast Club, new generations don't need the new and improved (fill in the blank of whatever was cool before.) That's like saying GenXers should get excited for the new and improved Easy Rider. Nope, just doesn't work. Each generation get's a new movie that we all fall in love with and I think this one may be it. Nick and Nora's Infinate Playlist opens in October 3rd.
Sep 10, 2008
Confession of My Changed Mind & New Diatribe
And I have a total confession to make. I am judging Palin based on her personal life and her commitment to her family.
I should clarify, I've recently found I judge politicians based in two hemispheres the logical and the emotional totally contradicting my own post a few weeks back. Sometimes one outweighs the other. In Bill Clinton’s case the logical outweighed the emotional for me. The logical debate is easy to talk about and make, just read the Republican Party Platform (PDF) and the Democratic Party Platform and you can see the differences. The personal issues are much more delicate and need more explanation and are sometimes scary to talk about for fear that we are being unfair, bigoted or misogynistic.
The Logical half of me agrees with none of Palin’s policies, including her propensity to be against "earmarks." A very large earmark for $250,000.00 is what is keeping my water bill from doubling this year because Barak Obama and Dick Durbin earmarked the money for our tiny town's new sewer plant. It was an incredible feat for a town of 2,000 people to get that kind of windfall, but Durbin knows us and we already pay more for our water that people in AZ do. Our monthly bill is around $80.00 for a family of three. So we here in tiny town LOVE the earmarks. I won't even start to talk about abortion, foreign policy or the environment; we've all been there and know her policies are the same as 50 years of republican platform.
The emotional half of me sees a woman with five children, two of which need special care, a newborn with downs syndrome and a teen that is pregnant. Either of those things would require a lot of attention and dedication from the entire family. I fully understand when people have to work and need to get childcare so that can make their house payment and put food on the table, it's a choice they make to keep everyone afloat, I grew up in a dual income home. But I do not understand a parent ANY PARENT male or female putting their career in front of the well being of their children.
Let me say that when my brother got cancer both of my parents wanted to spend every minute with us children. The jobs they worked at reflected exactly what our family needed and when the travel to the hospital became too exhausting and the situation extreme, like the Obamas have done during campaign season, my parents had the good sense to send me to spend time with my Grandparents.
People make their own priorities and have to recognize their limits. Yes, at first it may seem like a double standard for the Obama’s to send the girls to live with Grandma during campaign season and that’s ok with me, versus Palin and her five kids. However, I think the situation is very different. The Obamas recognize Michelle needs help and they recruited another family member to help. The Palins have an extreme circumstance, they have five children and two with special needs and they keep insisting everything is hunky dory. In the mean time Palin’s driving around with her newborn in her lap and abusing her niece/nephew by making disparaging remarks to the children about their Dad. Even Joe Biden the Bulldog’s initial response was to put off his Senate seat when his children needed him most.
Now, one could argue that Plain’s children have the best care a Governor could pay for and a very capable stay at home Dad, but I stay home with one child and I can't imagine staying home with five and two of them with special needs. I demand the respect, help and support of my spouse and I mean very specific things by help and support, because saying you support someone and sharing your income with them isn't it. I mean, getting up in the middle of the night with the baby, coming straight home from work to be here for dinner and homework, giving me time off from my job to get out of the house, doing a few loads of laundry, playing board games with us all, being in the house when the baby poos in the tub and the dog needs to go out and the phone is ringing all at the same time, all of the wonderful tasks that make us a family and not just roommates who eat the same groceries and screw occasionally.
By no means am I suggesting I am the norm and because I couldn't handle it the Palins can't, but I am saying that I have lived in an extreme situation with a sibling that had special needs and I am a parent and these are the experinces I have to aid in my judgment.
So publicly I may not feel completely comfortable saying I don't think Palin is a good parent because I’m worried that the initial reaction may be calling me a misogynist, but if she had a penis I'm pretty sure I would be saying the same thing. My husband would and has passed on jobs that paid more, with better titles to be here, largely participating in raising his child because that's where our priorities are right now. Yes, he has ambition and goals and so do I. They are something that we have the luxury of putting off until we can and want to spend more time away from the house and family life.
Perhaps this is the inherent difference between me and Palin. To me children are something one plans* and enjoys spending time working at and it seems to me that Palin thinks children are something that happen to you, something God plans for you and something she copes with. This is not putting into question her love for her children; it is directly questioning her judgment and commitment. The way her children are prioritized in her life says something about her character, the same way finding out a politician is having an affair can say something about their character. I can't ignore it and I don't think it's fair for people to ask me too.
So there, I've confessed. I think Sarah Palin’s priorities are not in line with what I expect from a leader. I don’t think she upholds any of the same family values I have and I think she has poor judgment. I also think that if McCain can't see this he also has poor judgement.
*or in the case of an unplanned pregnancy somethng you have the good sense to adjust your plans for,
I should clarify, I've recently found I judge politicians based in two hemispheres the logical and the emotional totally contradicting my own post a few weeks back. Sometimes one outweighs the other. In Bill Clinton’s case the logical outweighed the emotional for me. The logical debate is easy to talk about and make, just read the Republican Party Platform (PDF) and the Democratic Party Platform and you can see the differences. The personal issues are much more delicate and need more explanation and are sometimes scary to talk about for fear that we are being unfair, bigoted or misogynistic.
The Logical half of me agrees with none of Palin’s policies, including her propensity to be against "earmarks." A very large earmark for $250,000.00 is what is keeping my water bill from doubling this year because Barak Obama and Dick Durbin earmarked the money for our tiny town's new sewer plant. It was an incredible feat for a town of 2,000 people to get that kind of windfall, but Durbin knows us and we already pay more for our water that people in AZ do. Our monthly bill is around $80.00 for a family of three. So we here in tiny town LOVE the earmarks. I won't even start to talk about abortion, foreign policy or the environment; we've all been there and know her policies are the same as 50 years of republican platform.
The emotional half of me sees a woman with five children, two of which need special care, a newborn with downs syndrome and a teen that is pregnant. Either of those things would require a lot of attention and dedication from the entire family. I fully understand when people have to work and need to get childcare so that can make their house payment and put food on the table, it's a choice they make to keep everyone afloat, I grew up in a dual income home. But I do not understand a parent ANY PARENT male or female putting their career in front of the well being of their children.
Let me say that when my brother got cancer both of my parents wanted to spend every minute with us children. The jobs they worked at reflected exactly what our family needed and when the travel to the hospital became too exhausting and the situation extreme, like the Obamas have done during campaign season, my parents had the good sense to send me to spend time with my Grandparents.
People make their own priorities and have to recognize their limits. Yes, at first it may seem like a double standard for the Obama’s to send the girls to live with Grandma during campaign season and that’s ok with me, versus Palin and her five kids. However, I think the situation is very different. The Obamas recognize Michelle needs help and they recruited another family member to help. The Palins have an extreme circumstance, they have five children and two with special needs and they keep insisting everything is hunky dory. In the mean time Palin’s driving around with her newborn in her lap and abusing her niece/nephew by making disparaging remarks to the children about their Dad. Even Joe Biden the Bulldog’s initial response was to put off his Senate seat when his children needed him most.
Now, one could argue that Plain’s children have the best care a Governor could pay for and a very capable stay at home Dad, but I stay home with one child and I can't imagine staying home with five and two of them with special needs. I demand the respect, help and support of my spouse and I mean very specific things by help and support, because saying you support someone and sharing your income with them isn't it. I mean, getting up in the middle of the night with the baby, coming straight home from work to be here for dinner and homework, giving me time off from my job to get out of the house, doing a few loads of laundry, playing board games with us all, being in the house when the baby poos in the tub and the dog needs to go out and the phone is ringing all at the same time, all of the wonderful tasks that make us a family and not just roommates who eat the same groceries and screw occasionally.
By no means am I suggesting I am the norm and because I couldn't handle it the Palins can't, but I am saying that I have lived in an extreme situation with a sibling that had special needs and I am a parent and these are the experinces I have to aid in my judgment.
So publicly I may not feel completely comfortable saying I don't think Palin is a good parent because I’m worried that the initial reaction may be calling me a misogynist, but if she had a penis I'm pretty sure I would be saying the same thing. My husband would and has passed on jobs that paid more, with better titles to be here, largely participating in raising his child because that's where our priorities are right now. Yes, he has ambition and goals and so do I. They are something that we have the luxury of putting off until we can and want to spend more time away from the house and family life.
Perhaps this is the inherent difference between me and Palin. To me children are something one plans* and enjoys spending time working at and it seems to me that Palin thinks children are something that happen to you, something God plans for you and something she copes with. This is not putting into question her love for her children; it is directly questioning her judgment and commitment. The way her children are prioritized in her life says something about her character, the same way finding out a politician is having an affair can say something about their character. I can't ignore it and I don't think it's fair for people to ask me too.
So there, I've confessed. I think Sarah Palin’s priorities are not in line with what I expect from a leader. I don’t think she upholds any of the same family values I have and I think she has poor judgment. I also think that if McCain can't see this he also has poor judgement.
*or in the case of an unplanned pregnancy somethng you have the good sense to adjust your plans for,
Sep 9, 2008
A First Class Screwing
Hello bloggies, I know I've been on a political tangent for some time and I can't help it. The conventions are over and now we just have the long slog up to the debates (I can hardly wait!) Today I'm going to try super hard to not check CNN 40 times and besides my family is scheduled to be make landfall in FL soon and so I should really start packing. Its cool enough here that we aren't wearing our shorts anymore so I it makes sense.
OH! My dear husband spent hours on the phone with Travelocity again yesterday. We ordered plane tickets through them in May and after the flight was changed around no less than three times the flights were cancelled all together as the airline stopped serving Orlando and get this... they haven't refunded our money yet. After much customer service arguing, Dan finally climbed the frustration ladder to the call center manager who informed Dan for the first time ever we didn't get a refund because we hadn't returned the paper ticket (that we never requested in the first place, who still uses paper tickets?! That's soo 1996.)
No one ever asked for the totally useless, there is no flight, paper tickets to be returned and the manager apologized for that and gave us $150.00 to use at Travelocity to make up for it. Which is real nice accept we can't use it for renting a car or getting a cheap flight or upgrading our current flight or anything that would be useful to us in the least. He might have well given us a three night’s stay on the moon but no way to get there so as far as I'm concerned Travelocity can go call itself.
In the mean time we overnighted the tickets back and our $700.00 is lost in red tape hell and is now money we will not be spending in FL. I called the credit card company and refuted the charge telling them the story they said they'd open an investigation and put a freeze on the amount and while they agreed it was some bull pucky I was being put through, it would still take 6-8 weeks to resolve the ticket dispute for items I bought in MAY! And the travel industry wonders why people aren't participating in their little S&M game anymore.
OH! My dear husband spent hours on the phone with Travelocity again yesterday. We ordered plane tickets through them in May and after the flight was changed around no less than three times the flights were cancelled all together as the airline stopped serving Orlando and get this... they haven't refunded our money yet. After much customer service arguing, Dan finally climbed the frustration ladder to the call center manager who informed Dan for the first time ever we didn't get a refund because we hadn't returned the paper ticket (that we never requested in the first place, who still uses paper tickets?! That's soo 1996.)
No one ever asked for the totally useless, there is no flight, paper tickets to be returned and the manager apologized for that and gave us $150.00 to use at Travelocity to make up for it. Which is real nice accept we can't use it for renting a car or getting a cheap flight or upgrading our current flight or anything that would be useful to us in the least. He might have well given us a three night’s stay on the moon but no way to get there so as far as I'm concerned Travelocity can go call itself.
In the mean time we overnighted the tickets back and our $700.00 is lost in red tape hell and is now money we will not be spending in FL. I called the credit card company and refuted the charge telling them the story they said they'd open an investigation and put a freeze on the amount and while they agreed it was some bull pucky I was being put through, it would still take 6-8 weeks to resolve the ticket dispute for items I bought in MAY! And the travel industry wonders why people aren't participating in their little S&M game anymore.
Sep 7, 2008
Sep 6, 2008
Gross Anatomy
On Friday I walked the children to preschool school and on the way asked them what they brought for show and tell.
F: I brought a very cute stuffed animal mommy kitty cat and her kitten
N: I brought my bat man gloves
My kid: I brought my science book full of human body diagrams and my imaginary friend Shang.
I'm not sure what to say about this beyond thinking about Wednesday Adams.
F: I brought a very cute stuffed animal mommy kitty cat and her kitten
N: I brought my bat man gloves
My kid: I brought my science book full of human body diagrams and my imaginary friend Shang.
I'm not sure what to say about this beyond thinking about Wednesday Adams.
Sep 5, 2008
New Paint isn't Enough
Ok McCain you tell me which time were you lying? In these clips or last night?
He has no idea how right he was when he said "We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us." While I believe in the last few months McCain received the message loud and clear that this country is ready to for a change I hope the people screaming for it see that no matter how much new paint and pin-striping he throws on that old Studebaker it won't ever become a high-bred. Even if there's a cute young chick driving it, it's always gonna be slow, need lots of repairs and burn oil.
Sep 4, 2008
Say Mavrick One More &#&!@*$ Time!
In case you missed Palin's speech last night, you didn't miss much beyond cheap jabs and the usual retoric. Here's the condensed version:
Hi I'm Sara Palin, I'm normal just like you and so's my entire family wich I will now intorduce for 10 minutes. I support the miltary and am a fiesty maverick too. The guy I'm running against had big styrofoam collums at his speech, what a liberal eleitist jerk, plus he's gonna forfeit a war we are already winning, talk shit about you behind your back and raise your taxes alot, and that'll suck for my sister who just opened a gas station just like many of you other small business owners. In closing I'm mavericky and so is John McCain, we are the most mavricky mavricks that ever mavricked and that's a good thing... 9/11 and mavrick.
Keith Olberman put it perfectly after her speech last night when he said if she's gonna talk like a fighter then she shouldn't be surprised when the Democrats come out swinging. I can hardly wait for her and Biden to debate, he's going to chew her up. So I'm turning my attention back to McCain and going to make a prediction about the speech he'll give tonight. I bet it'll go like this:
I'm a regular dude just like you, all mavricky and regular getting in trouble at school and at the bottom of my class and stuff, oh accept for that part where I'm a war hero, and married to a blonde billionaire that's not so regular, but I feel mavricky and that's regular! I'm more experienced cause I've been working in Washington a longtime but wait!... but I'm totally new too. I never back down from a fight and don't play well with others, and that's mavricky. Besides, you don't want a president that can work well with the other branches that run the government, you want one who will totally be all like "What... What are you looking at nerd!" and then jump towards them with flexed muscles and make them flinch and then yell "Thought so beeyotch!" Plus, Obama's gonna totally call you a slut behind your back. I'm a stright talker I'll do it to your face! Cause I'm a mavrick and I'm gonna change stuff, win a war and give you money. Mavrick!
Hi I'm Sara Palin, I'm normal just like you and so's my entire family wich I will now intorduce for 10 minutes. I support the miltary and am a fiesty maverick too. The guy I'm running against had big styrofoam collums at his speech, what a liberal eleitist jerk, plus he's gonna forfeit a war we are already winning, talk shit about you behind your back and raise your taxes alot, and that'll suck for my sister who just opened a gas station just like many of you other small business owners. In closing I'm mavericky and so is John McCain, we are the most mavricky mavricks that ever mavricked and that's a good thing... 9/11 and mavrick.
Keith Olberman put it perfectly after her speech last night when he said if she's gonna talk like a fighter then she shouldn't be surprised when the Democrats come out swinging. I can hardly wait for her and Biden to debate, he's going to chew her up. So I'm turning my attention back to McCain and going to make a prediction about the speech he'll give tonight. I bet it'll go like this:
I'm a regular dude just like you, all mavricky and regular getting in trouble at school and at the bottom of my class and stuff, oh accept for that part where I'm a war hero, and married to a blonde billionaire that's not so regular, but I feel mavricky and that's regular! I'm more experienced cause I've been working in Washington a longtime but wait!... but I'm totally new too. I never back down from a fight and don't play well with others, and that's mavricky. Besides, you don't want a president that can work well with the other branches that run the government, you want one who will totally be all like "What... What are you looking at nerd!" and then jump towards them with flexed muscles and make them flinch and then yell "Thought so beeyotch!" Plus, Obama's gonna totally call you a slut behind your back. I'm a stright talker I'll do it to your face! Cause I'm a mavrick and I'm gonna change stuff, win a war and give you money. Mavrick!
Sep 3, 2008
Tell Us How You Really feel
Thanks Stroller Derby!
"Today on MSNBC, Peggy Noonan, WSJ columnist, and Mike Murphy, former McCain adviser, were caught with their mics on and their opinions on tape."
"Today on MSNBC, Peggy Noonan, WSJ columnist, and Mike Murphy, former McCain adviser, were caught with their mics on and their opinions on tape."
The Ministry of Truth Called
I watched the convention last night and heard the same ol' party platform accept they've thrown the word maverick in there. Here's what all the speeches I heard sounded like to me:
Fine young men and women serving this wonderful country, God, maverick, 9-11, drill for more oil, maverick, terrorists, tax relief, fine military, maverick, family values, surge, maverick, defend America.
Just because you throw the word maverick in there 400 bajillion times it doesn't make it a new platform or different ideas, these are traditional Republican ideals that McCain is trying to uphold while speaking to his base voters. Do we still require kids to read 1984 in school?
Fine young men and women serving this wonderful country, God, maverick, 9-11, drill for more oil, maverick, terrorists, tax relief, fine military, maverick, family values, surge, maverick, defend America.
Just because you throw the word maverick in there 400 bajillion times it doesn't make it a new platform or different ideas, these are traditional Republican ideals that McCain is trying to uphold while speaking to his base voters. Do we still require kids to read 1984 in school?
Sep 2, 2008
America First, then Alaska?
I've been barely able to step away from CNN for a week now. With all the getting to know Palin and the hurricane right on the tails of the DNC, I'm going to overdose on Anderson Cooper (what a way to go!) Despite my recent joking and video shenanigans I agree that some things are left untalked about and actually I wish the press would move on and pick up this story about Palin belonging to and promoting the Alaskan Independence Party. I think this little group goes beyond a neat little bunch of mavericks that love and promote the state of Alaska and moves more into that weird gun toting crazy militia territory. Ok yes, I am questioning the patriotism of the VP Candidate and I really wanted to move past that rudimentary portion of the debate but dangit if there isn't reason to ask for a response. If Obama has to confirm that he loves his country because he doesn't wear a lapel pin I think the GOP should have to answer to this!
Also: I heard this bit yesterday on CNN radio where Cambell Brown drills Tucker Bounds from the McCain campaign and wish I could've seen it live and today there is video!
BitchPHD posted today a link to a girl protesting at the RNC trying to give a cop a flower getting pepper sprayed. WTF?
Also: I heard this bit yesterday on CNN radio where Cambell Brown drills Tucker Bounds from the McCain campaign and wish I could've seen it live and today there is video!
BitchPHD posted today a link to a girl protesting at the RNC trying to give a cop a flower getting pepper sprayed. WTF?
Sep 1, 2008
Big Easy
Some places you vacation for the scenery and some places you visit for the people and the spirit of the place. New Orleans is one of those places. Yes, it has beautiful architecture and wonderful old houses and neighborhoods but what I remember most about being there was the people and the culture. We couldn't get a bad meal in New Orleans. I imagine any restaurant not serving divine fare closes up after the first meal is served. We felt like we danced through the daily while we were there, it seemed everywhere we walked jazz was ringing down the streets from musicians on the avenue or tucked into eateries serenading diners. It was a place where you could join any conversation that happened to be close to you and you could participate in any toast someone happened to give. Perhaps that's what was the best, we felt welcomed and included and cared for in every way, right down to the waitress in the diner who remembered us Yankees and had hash browns ready for breakfast instead of grits because we asked the day before.
As I type CNN reports the lower ninth ward is flooding again the levee has breached.
As I type CNN reports the lower ninth ward is flooding again the levee has breached.
Aug 31, 2008
Holla Back DC Edition
So on Friday I was obsessed with the Palin pick trying to figure out what it meant for Obama and I jumped from blog to blog reading comments. On the Daily Kos I participated in a short poll asking me what the best part of Palin's speech was and the last choice won with an overwhelming 95% "McCain repeatedly checking out Palin's ass while he fingered his own wedding ring during her speech."
I had to fact check and immediately went over to CNN to re-watch the video and sure enough the teleprompter/copy of the speech is placed at Palin's butt level and McCain seems to be checking it out, over and over and over again. I laughed and made a short video counting how many times he seems to check her out. I posted it on You Tube and sent it to two people and wondered if I should post it here at all, in light of my comments about bringing the debate to a higher level. Yesterday the video had 1,500 views and today it's a 4,000! So much for a higher level of debate huh! Seriously GOP, next time pay attention to this kinda thing.
The Daily Kos picked posted the video and added: "In praising Palin's speech, Fox News (who'da guessed) noted that she did not use a teleprompter. If Governor Palin did not have one to look at, then neither did McCain. So for those who tried to provide an innocent explanation for McCain's downward glances, there was nothing else but Sarah Palin's derrière in his line of sight."
Links:
HollaBackARKANSAS
HollaBackBOSTON
HollaBackCALIFORNIA
HollaBackCANADA
HollaBackCAPEANN
HollaBackCHS
HollaBackCHARLESTON
HollaBackCHICAGO
HollaBackCOLORADO
HollaBackCONNECTICUT
HollaBackDC
HollaBackMIAMI
HollaBackPACIFICNORTHWEST
HollaBackPENNSYLVANIA
HollaBackSANFRANCISCO
HollaBackSEATTLE
HollaBackTEXAS
HollaBackTORONTO
I had to fact check and immediately went over to CNN to re-watch the video and sure enough the teleprompter/copy of the speech is placed at Palin's butt level and McCain seems to be checking it out, over and over and over again. I laughed and made a short video counting how many times he seems to check her out. I posted it on You Tube and sent it to two people and wondered if I should post it here at all, in light of my comments about bringing the debate to a higher level. Yesterday the video had 1,500 views and today it's a 4,000! So much for a higher level of debate huh! Seriously GOP, next time pay attention to this kinda thing.
The Daily Kos picked posted the video and added: "In praising Palin's speech, Fox News (who'da guessed) noted that she did not use a teleprompter. If Governor Palin did not have one to look at, then neither did McCain. So for those who tried to provide an innocent explanation for McCain's downward glances, there was nothing else but Sarah Palin's derrière in his line of sight."
Links:
HollaBackARKANSAS
HollaBackBOSTON
HollaBackCALIFORNIA
HollaBackCANADA
HollaBackCAPEANN
HollaBackCHS
HollaBackCHARLESTON
HollaBackCHICAGO
HollaBackCOLORADO
HollaBackCONNECTICUT
HollaBackDC
HollaBackMIAMI
HollaBackPACIFICNORTHWEST
HollaBackPENNSYLVANIA
HollaBackSANFRANCISCO
HollaBackSEATTLE
HollaBackTEXAS
HollaBackTORONTO
Aug 30, 2008
Head Spinning Pick
I've been thinking about Palin since the pick yesterday, so the GOP did a good job of immediately distracting me from Obama's speech. I've been wondering how it'll impact the polls and where the PUMAs are going to land (although I heard the PUMAs website is owned by a registered Republican, so it seems obvious these voters switched parties to vote for a woman and are just going back to where they were before.) I was a little surprised to read this today on the front page of Yahoo.
From The story behind the Palin surprise Jonathan Martin Fri Aug 29, 6:24 PM ET
"...McCain adviser Matt McDonald sought to allay these concerns by citing her experience dealing with international trade issues and even her travel overseas and her eldest son’s Army service.
“But the bottom line is, she doesn’t have a whole lot of experience. She just doesn’t,” said the source on the call, who said he had mixed feelings about the selection.
And, this person noted, beyond her own inexperience, Palin's youth may ultimately pose as much peril as opportunity.
“I wonder if her youth will accentuate [McCain’s] age over time in a bad way,” this source said.
Another Republican, echoing the private thoughts of some strategists in the party, was less restrained, suggesting the Palin pick damaged one of McCain’s most valued attributes and wouldn’t help him beyond the party base.
“It hurts the experience edge, and the hard abortion stuff scares moderate swing voters,” said this GOP insider. “It will appeal to some Bubbas, but that’s not enough.”...
...Another Republican cited a line from “This Is Spinal Tap”: “There is a fine line between clever and stupid.” "
Wow, that's harsh comming from your own party and your own advisors and we're only one day in.
From The story behind the Palin surprise Jonathan Martin Fri Aug 29, 6:24 PM ET
"...McCain adviser Matt McDonald sought to allay these concerns by citing her experience dealing with international trade issues and even her travel overseas and her eldest son’s Army service.
“But the bottom line is, she doesn’t have a whole lot of experience. She just doesn’t,” said the source on the call, who said he had mixed feelings about the selection.
And, this person noted, beyond her own inexperience, Palin's youth may ultimately pose as much peril as opportunity.
“I wonder if her youth will accentuate [McCain’s] age over time in a bad way,” this source said.
Another Republican, echoing the private thoughts of some strategists in the party, was less restrained, suggesting the Palin pick damaged one of McCain’s most valued attributes and wouldn’t help him beyond the party base.
“It hurts the experience edge, and the hard abortion stuff scares moderate swing voters,” said this GOP insider. “It will appeal to some Bubbas, but that’s not enough.”...
...Another Republican cited a line from “This Is Spinal Tap”: “There is a fine line between clever and stupid.” "
Wow, that's harsh comming from your own party and your own advisors and we're only one day in.
Aug 29, 2008
HOPE
Dan and I fixed dinner with a quiet excitement, hurrying about and getting ready for an evening in front of the TV with remote in hand, flipping from CNN to live feed and occasionally back to local channels. Mostly we watched the live feed our cable company provided for free (thank you Dish Network) and for the first time we saw regular people stand up and testify in Democratic solidarity. This is not to say that regular people haven't spoken during other conventions, in fact I'm sure they have but normally while they are speaking the big networks use that time to show commercials. We delighted in watching the live feed, and want to share with you some lines that made us smile:
"I'm a lifelong Republican. I voted for Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Bush. But I literally cannot afford four more years of this." - Pam Cash-Roper
"Einstein said a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If we elect John McCain, then, according to Einstein, we surely would be insane." - Monica Early
"I want a government that takes care of Barney Smith not Smith Barney" - Barney Smith
Of course you've heard all about Obama's speech. Most of you either watched it or will see/hear/read clips of it and form your own opinions but when Obama said
"Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America – they have served the United States of America."
It made me really hope we are going to push the debate forward past the stale rhetoric that bogs us down from ever talking about real issues. And while we are moving past the things we may never agree on, I was also glad he said:
"We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.
The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.
Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.
This too is part of America's promise — the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort."
I am looking forward to an elevated conversation about policy and economics and I hope McCain and his Grand Old Party rise to the challenge of leaving inherent differences behind. We all know they're red and we're blue and anyone that is deciding on a candidate solely based on these red/blue issues has already chosen a party and is sticking to it. Now is the time to move beyond Politics 101 and debate the issues that aren't obvious party platform. This is the realm in which campaigns are won.
"I'm a lifelong Republican. I voted for Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Bush. But I literally cannot afford four more years of this." - Pam Cash-Roper
"Einstein said a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If we elect John McCain, then, according to Einstein, we surely would be insane." - Monica Early
"I want a government that takes care of Barney Smith not Smith Barney" - Barney Smith
Of course you've heard all about Obama's speech. Most of you either watched it or will see/hear/read clips of it and form your own opinions but when Obama said
"Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America – they have served the United States of America."
It made me really hope we are going to push the debate forward past the stale rhetoric that bogs us down from ever talking about real issues. And while we are moving past the things we may never agree on, I was also glad he said:
"We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.
The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.
I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.
Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.
This too is part of America's promise — the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort."
I am looking forward to an elevated conversation about policy and economics and I hope McCain and his Grand Old Party rise to the challenge of leaving inherent differences behind. We all know they're red and we're blue and anyone that is deciding on a candidate solely based on these red/blue issues has already chosen a party and is sticking to it. Now is the time to move beyond Politics 101 and debate the issues that aren't obvious party platform. This is the realm in which campaigns are won.
Aug 28, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)