A jumble of unrelated ideas

I had a coupla things brewing up into stories overnight.

The first one was "My grandmother thinks Sarah Palin should be President and I have been struck dumb." Something about the cute little suits she wears, combined with her cute mannerisms, or somesuch notion. But she is so cool for a granny, that I could only listen and mumble respectfully that I disagreed. And finally admit we would get nowhere with this discussion and besides that, my throat was closing up on me and my eyes were bugging out. Such is the toll that stifling of political opinion takes on me. Such is my respect for my beloved Gig. :-)

But I have just the solution for people of like mind:


Write her in on your ballot! Really! Go ahead! There's a spot for people that you think could get the job done, so use that blank space! I think that's exactly what you should do, and get a few of your friends to do the same (but only a few friends, mind you).


And then I'll see you in November... :-)


(What?! You think I'm kidding, and there must be some trick to this?? I promise not. You're truly allowed to write in your own choice. Just don't hold me accountable for the outcome.)


Then I was going to post some fun action shots of the kids playing in puddles yesterday, which I may still do.


But when I walked out to the mailbox, and saw this on the driveway, courtesy of Cole, I knew I had my post:





A propos of nothing, my boy graffiti'd peace slogans on the driveway! With exclamations galore, to show his extreme emotion! "No hate!!!" and "Love is best!!!" - a 2nd grade view of the ideals of life. I love it. (Sorry, pic wouldn't turn...)

Happy Friday all - have a no hate kind of weekend...

Gentleman Joe

Happy Friday folks! =)

Well, I honestly cannot say I "watched" the debate, because I kept getting distracted by Palin's beehive, and had to look away. So I listened, and heard waaaay too many Beaver-Cleaverish phrases. Those gosh darn maverick hockey mom outsiders just make me want to say gee whiz and wowsers!
Biden certainly played nice, and even when he called Palin on dodging questions, he did it in a soft way. So that was a little disappointing. I like attack-dog Biden! Of course he had to moderate it, but could have gone with a bit more spunk I think.

I feel like Joe Biden stated clearly the goals of the Obama-Biden ticket, and connected the dots on salient issues. So I was satisfied on that account. But boggled on the so-called mommy appeal of Palin. The persona, charisma and experience of Obama & Biden weigh heavy with me. And the thought of Palin in crucial foreign policy negotiations makes me nervous. Her mid-western pet phrases will not seem half so cute in those situations, and will hardly get the job done. Cuteness can only mask ignorance for so long - and should never replace a firm grasp on policy. Not when our national security is at stake. Cuteness is off my radar when it comes to representing American interests on the worldwide stage. Talk about starry-eyed surprise - when the glaze of Palin's physical appeal has been rubbed off of Republican eyes, that's when you get the surprise - as in, Surprise! I don't know a thing about world politics!

So the only real debate question at this point should be this: Who do we all want to stand up AS us? To speak FOR us? And I am infinitely more comfortable with a well-versed, well-traveled team of leaders who are able to move among a variety of cultures both domestic and international. Maverick won't mean a thing once you're out of US borders. On the world stage a maverick is more akin to a rogue nation - that goes its own way regardless of international opinion.

Caught up... again...

I know I should just turn off CNN sometimes, and be peaceful and content to not think about politics. And yet... here I am again, watching, soaking it all in, googling comments made by The Opponents, and holding imaginary conversations with myself.
And since I've already delved into politics, why not religion? Ooh, scary. Either draws people closer or scares them off every time! :)
The repeated line in my head today was to Palin (yes, again).

"Hey Palin, God called. He said to tell you that there's only one of Him, and He's on both sides."

But she will be bold, and she will insist that we are in Iraq doing God's task - which smacks of superiority. Because the people we war against are also praying to God for assistance, deliverance and victory. As are the soldiers, bystanders, townspeople and children of all nations involved. God is God. He goes by many names, in fact too many to count.

Here is an awesome song by one of my favorite artists, Jack Johnson. I'll try to post the link, because you can read the lyrics AND hear the song here: http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/jack_johnson_lyrics_3161/sleep_through_the_static_lyrics_73873/sleep_through_the_static_lyrics_728706.html

One small step...

I came up with a phrase that amused me this week, and since it won't stop running through my head I'll exorcise it here.

Sarah Palin: one small step for Republican-kind, one giant leap back for womankind.

This week, part of the "it" that irks me was said better in 2 news articles than I could have hoped for. And so I'm simply going to share 2 articles as food for thought. 'Cause I've sure been thinking about them, though I try & try to move on and not get agitated. :) Maybe agitated isn't the word... incredulous? boggled? fired up!

The fact remains that the women of my generation stand on the shoulders of women who fought for equality of the sexes. And though I may not choose to exercise every one of those hard-won rights, I hold tightly to the freedom. And I refuse to countenance any potential leader that would revoke those rights. My girls will not grow up in a world without personal freedom, a world where the government dictates to their potential harm, what they can and cannot do with their bodies. It's not about whether or not a woman chooses to exercise her rights - it's the simple fact that the rights exist. And should continue to do so in a world inhabited by equal peoples.

First some humor...
Sarah Palin and foreign policy:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/politics/animal/main4414663.shtml

Then some meat...
Gloria Steinem on Sarah Palin:
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-steinem4-2008sep04,0,1290251.story