Thursday, November 06, 2008

evening

Reading Other People’s Blog Comments Can Be Hazardous To Your Health

I’m behind on my blog reading, have been for quite some time.  I just don’t feel like reading about other people’s lives like I used to, nor do I feel like participating in other people’s lives like I used to.  The last couple of years have been a learning experience - some people I like far more than I used to (yeah, I can’t figure out how to say what I want to say without ending in “to"), and some people, far, far, far less.  Anyway, I was reading Dooce’s blog - she’s generally pretty entertaining, her dogs are cute, and I usually like the commenters.  However, I read a couple of entries that alternated between terrifying me, depressing me, shocking me and making me angry.  Let me rephrase that sentence - the comments from the entries are what had my head spinning, not the entries themselves.  The comments that terrified me were in the blog entry that she wrote about John McCain and his sarcastic air quotes when referring to abortions that are done to protect women’s health.  There were so many women in the comments who didn’t seem to have a problem with him mocking the health of women who needed abortions because being pregnant could cost them their lives.  Ick, and the number of women who were willing to vote for Sarah Palin, probably the most unqualified and unintelligent running mate in presidential election history, was scary.  Sarah Palin makes Dan Quayle seem like Albert Einstein.  Reading the comments made me afraid that Obama was going to lose...and I was reading the comments a day after he was already elected.

Those comments weren’t the worst, it was the really depressing/scary comments were regarding Dooce’s hypothetical question of whether people would give money to feed starving children, if it also meant giving money to a crack addict.  The number of people who completely lack an ounce of compassion is stunning.  There were a bunch of dumb comments about giving a “hand up, instead of handout” and teaching a person to fish, blah, blah, blah, as if getting someone job training was going to help them feed their children tonight. Also, there were lots of comments about people needing to just get jobs or fend for themselves or people who made up wild scenarios that had the crackhead getting high and killing the children that you were trying to feed.  These people seemed to not understand the concept of the “working poor” or the fact that record numbers of people are losing their jobs through no fault of their own or that some people have medical bills that have them living from paycheck to paycheck. 

Here is an example of the compassion from someone named Katie, “Any children involved do deserve help which is why they should be given to a family who can take care of them properly. People who lose their jobs just need to find new ones. People who get sick should have taken better care of themselves. I don’t believe in that “bad things happen to go[sic] people” crap. People should exercise the control they have over their lives and stop whining!” I hate to say it, but my first thought was that I would wish her a terrible painful illness, a lost job and hundreds of resumes sent out without getting a single interview, and no health insurance, leading to her need the generous charity and compassion of others.  My second thought was, that’s a terrible way to think and I shouldn’t wish for bad things to happen to someone solely because they were born without a heart.  I’ve got to imagine that for someone to get to the point of having little compassion for their fellow human beings, they really must be miserable.  Nonetheless, she wasn’t the only one who expressed thoughts like that.  She had lots of company.  It was depressing to see how many people would let kids starve (hypothetically) just because they were either so intent on wanting to make sure that a crack addict didn’t get a day’s worth of crack on their dime or that they just didn’t want to help someone if they didn’t have to.  Of course, this is the same group of commenters who had someone in their midst who posted this:“I’m sorry, but NO where in the history of the US does it say, we DESERVE health care. Why do democrats think that everyone is entitled? It’s a judgement call… If you work hard you earn the right, it’s not just to be given to everyone.
NO guarantees in life baby…
ps… I am unemployed with NO insurance and still believe this to be. Also, my mom died from heart failure because she stopped taking her high blood pressure medicine because she thought she couldn’t afford it any longer. Her fatal flaw was not asking for help from her family, but never did she think she should be just GUARANTEED health care from the universe. She wasn’t a martyr either.

Ack, someone who doesn’t think we deserve heath care, that we only deserve to be taken care of if we have money.  Someone whose mother died due to lack of medical care.  I’m sorry, but that’s just stupid.  No one deserves free cosmetic botox or free stripper-sized breast enhancements, but we ALL deserve basic health care, whether or not we’re fortunate enough to have a good job or to have inherited money or to have won the lottery; in fact, those of us who can’t afford health care are the ones who deserve it the most - rich people can afford to buy it.  Maybe we should split the country in two, and us “bleeding heart liberals” will pay more taxes, but our children (gee, I think this and I don’t even have any kids, what a wacky liberal I am) will all have health care and a good education because we think everyone is deserving.  Our country will have lower infant mortality rates, better health care, a longer life expectancy, and on and on.  How strange to want all those things that lead to a better & happier life.  Here’s a study that shows that we’re definitely on the wrong track as far as health care goes.  The commenter from Dooce’s blog can continue to not get health care because she can’t afford it, but I want my friends and family to get the health care that they need, not the health care that they can afford.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

the wee hours

My Mom is a(n) FOB

My mom isn’t fresh off the boat (unless by fresh, you mean almost 70 years), but it’s my favorite new blog.  I love this new entry:

You tell ‘em, Momma!
By mmiaf | November 4, 2008
A story from a MMIAF reader:

“I recently explained to my mom what “Yes on 8″ meant since there are a lot of signs in our neighborhood. We also just had two gay weddings in the family. On Thursday, at our neighborhood meeting, a woman running for a Senate seat in our district asked if we wanted a “Yes on 8″ sign for our lawn. I respectfully turned it down, but then my mom laughed and said loudly, “We cannot take! Our family has the gay!”

Sadly, the idiotic California Proposition 8 initiative to “protect marriage” might win - they’re still counting the votes.  Apparently, heterosexuals are afraid that if we’re allowed to get married, somehow it’ll affect their marriage.  Perhaps they just ought to quit thinking about “the gay” all the time.  I don’t spend my time and money trying to stop bigots from marrying.  Or, maybe we should to try to change the constitution to prevent marriages between bigots, because they get married and fill the country with baby bigots.  Or, maybe we should change the constitution to criminalize divorce - wouldn’t that be a better “protection” of marriage?

It’s nice that we can elect a black man to be the President of the United States, but several states passed laws banning gay marriage...and one state passed a law banning adoption by unmarried couples, straight or gay.  I guess there always has to be someone they can legally hate.  They were only trying stop “the gays” from adopting, but the courts said that was discrimination, so they’re going after the straight unmarried couples now, too, just to make sure gay couples can’t adopt.  I sure hope all of those people who voted for it are adopting every single kid in their state who doesn’t have a family, because otherwise, how could they live with themselves?  Denying homes to kids, just because the voters don’t want gay parents.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

late evening

44th President-Elect, Barack Obama (Nevada went blue!  Nevada went blue!)

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN)—Sen. Barack Obama spoke at a rally in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, after winning the race for the White House Tuesday night. The following is an exact transcript of his speech.

Barack Obama speaks at a rally in Chicago, Illinois, after winning the presidency Tuesday night.

“Hello, Chicago.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the new White House.

And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best—the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.

It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.

It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.

This is your victory.

And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime—two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.

There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.

I promise you, we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years—block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.

It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.

In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.

Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.

As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

To those—to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.

That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons—because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America—the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves—if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.

Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.”
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Good job, Toot.  I wish you’d been around to see it, but I’m sure you knew it would happen.
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Reactions around the world, from The Huffington Post - pictures to make you teary. 

mid-afternoon

Happy Election Day!

Happy Election Day! (click the card)

Monday, November 03, 2008

the wee hours

Meet Charles Alexander

I “met” Charles via Grace, and she’s right, watching this video will make you cry, or at the very least, tear up.  Charles volunteered for the Obama campaign after his wife passed away.  It was a good way to keep his mind busy and help his candidate at the same time.  Watch the video - it will make you feel warm and fuzzy about voting (if you’re an Obama supporter - if you’re a McCain supporter...why???  John McCain of 2008 is not the John McCain of 2000, the relatively sane McCain), or will make you feel guilty if you’re not voting.  Mom & Dad, ask Glenn if he voted.  If he didn’t, make him feel ashamed of himself.  Of course, it’s easy for a middle class, straight, white guy to think that voting is no big deal because his life hasn’t changed based on votes - he’d feel differently if he was poor or gay or female or any color other than white.  Well, until now - look at the new home construction industry, not so healthy, is it?  If we’d had a different president, who didn’t invade Iraq and didn’t spend $12 billion/month in Iraq, maybe people would still be flooding into Las Vegas, buying up homes left & right, meaning new homes needing to be built left & right, and all those homes would all need brand spankin’ new plumbing.  Instead, record numbers of your neighbors are facing foreclosure.  Your vote counts, don’t waste it.  Oops, side-tracked, watch Charles Alexander.