Something magical

Something magical happened today. For me, this last week and a half has been filled with magical events, starting with the Obama victory last Tuesday night. That was amazing. Living in Chicago during this time is something that I cannot easily put into words.  I am not a Chicago native, and while I love this city, it is easy for me to pick out its faults.  But on November 4, 2008 those faults faded away. There were no problems with the millions of people in Grant Park. There were no reports of violence or craziness. As I watched the events on tv, my usually disruptive neighbors were unusually quiet. There was an occasional beeping horn or cheer but it as a fairly quiet night. The next morning was more of that. There was a comfortable silence that took over this great city. A calm that spread through the inhabitants... some relieved because they finally felt as though their vote counted and some just happy that the present regime is living its final days. Cheers of hopefulness filled the majority of the American population... until Prop 8 passed. 

For those of you who do not know, Prop 8 is an amendment to the California state constitution defining marriage as a unity of a man and a woman.  In essence, the state of California (and three other states in the country) will not recognize a marriage of a same sex couple.  I was bummed. Some of my friends were bummed and some liberal tv personalities were bummed. In California Prop 8 passed by a slim margin (52% to 48%) and while last month it was absolutely legal to get married in California if you were a same sex couple, those rules no longer apply.  There are tons of people who disagree with same sex marriage but today- something magical happened. There was a protest that started at the same time all over the country, where Gay, Lesbian, Straight, Blacks, Whites, everyone got together to protest the idea that Prop 8 stands for. I applaud them and happily took part. 

I am not for any law that is going to prohibit people from living life that they see as normal. As long as their lifestyle is not interfering with the lives of others, why is it any of my business what they do?  Gay marriage is not the norm, but that does not mean that it is something to be prohibited. Until the Loving v. Virginia, the marriages of Blacks and Whites were against the law. Was that right? No. Was it the law? Yes.  To deny a person the right to marry simply because their partner is the same sex makes no sense.  I firmly believe that people do it to advance a bias that is unacceptable. I heard tons of people today that said that 'God does not want to recognize same sex marriage.' When did you become God? When did he start speaking through you? When have you started to feel responsible for the souls of all sinners? Was it after you figured that you were a sinner, but their sin was worse? The last time I checked the Bible teaches that you should love your neighbor as yourself. According to my memory the Bible also says that we ALL sin and fall short of the glory, which means that the sin that I commit is just as bad as the sin that my neighbor commits. We both have fallen short of a mark set by God, mine is no less because I am heterosexual. My neighbors is no more because he is homosexual. The Bible also says (can you tell that I am a Deacon's kid??) that we will all be judged individually... therefore I should make better use of my time. I have so many other things to worry about than thinking about what my neighbor does in his bedroom, or who is getting married. If all parties are adults, why do I care? I don't and no one else should either. If laws like Prop 8 were freely practiced I could not have openly dated my last 6 boyfriends, none of whom were Black. Does that seem fair?

November 4, 2008 is a day that will forever be a contradiction. On that day, we elected our first (of many?) African American Presidents... and we told another significant portion of our population that what they do in their bedrooms was more important than what the rights they deserve. We should all try to remember a time when we were unjustly unable to exercise on of our rights... and keep that in mind the next time we want to limit the rights of others.   

Election Day

I voted this morning!! I got my free tall Thanksgiving Blend at Starbucks... now I am waiting for this evening, waiting for results... praying that Americans got it right! 

Please vote- your life(style) depends on it. :)

Happy Election Day. Moximillion220

Election, behavior of your neighbors.

Dear Reader:

I live in one of the best cities in America. Chicago, Illinois is a diverse, midwestern city that offers a "down home" feel in a big city atmosphere. It offers anything that you want or need. There are great parks, the lakefront, cultural events... just everything that makes a city great.  Chicago has long been known as the Windy City, but it is also known as a city of neighborhoods.  Neighborhoods are sometimes close knit, with neighbors being bound by ethnicity or socio-economic status. I give this description of the city as an introduction to something that I read in the Chicago Tribune today.  Below is a verbatim transcript of what I read:

"Shirley Nagel passed out candy Friday, but only to those who shared her support for Republican presidential candidate John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin.  When asked about the children who were turned away empty-handed and crying, she said: "Oh well. Everybody has a choice."

Ok- ridiculous. Ridiculous for many reasons, one of which is children cannot vote.  Also, using these strong armed tactics against children will probably not change their parents' minds. This lady is insane, and this is just one act of many of an overreaching political hand this season.  It is one thing to post the reasons that you disagree with a candidate, the reasons you are voting for a candidate, even the reasons why you think that one candidate is remarkably better than the other; but to penalize small children for their stance on an election where they have no say??? That is crazy. 

Shirley is half right... everyone (age 18 and over) has a choice, and her behavior, as well as the behavior of the racists; the people who are voting based on what their friends think; the person voting but does not know anything about the candidates; the nonvoters; the complainers, etc.- All these people should make you want to get out on Tuesday and make sure that your vote is counted.  I sincerely don't care who you vote for. If Ralph Nader speaks to your wants and needs, then get out there and cast a ballot for Nader.  If John McCain represents what you want in a candidate- vote for him. If Barack speaks to your needs, vote for him.  Educate yourself on the people running, pick whoever you feel comfortable with. My only plea is that you vote!!  Get out there and let these politicians know that we, as the American public, care about the state of our country. Let them know that we realize that WE determine what happens to our country and that THEY have a job because of US. 

Realize the power that you have and make the politicians respect you. No matter who you choose, VOTE!

Sarah is Crying

I ventured to the Chicago Tribune's website late last night and read the interview with S. Palin about the $150,000 that was spent on her appearance- starting with the RNC until now. Wow, what would I look like if I had $150,000 disposable cash to spend on my appearance? I digress. 

In her interview with the Trib Sarah says "It is kind of hard to be criticized for something when all the facts are not out there..." I agree. We should stop that. First, I would recommend that the McCain campaign stop criticizing Barack Obama with half truths and then I would consider caring about Sarah's hurt feelings... But again, I digress.  She admits that she has been wearing high priced clothing, but says at the end of the campaign they will be given away or auctioned off for charity. Most clothes have not been worn... so Sarah says.

Sarah, who was joined at the interview by her husband and their overly publicized baby Trig, says that she is concerned because the American public (reporters included) seem to care more about her wardrobe and appearance than her policies.  Hmmm? Let's think about this for just one minute. Sarah Palin, who has been avoiding the press for the last few months, now wants to cry that there is a double standard and we should listen to her policies??? What policies? This chick doesn't even know what the Bush Doctrine is... and if she did it wouldn't matter because until this week she has not been granting interviews (I would hardly consider the earlier travesties with Katie C. interviews...)

Now that the negative attacks against Obama/Biden are not working and the polls are suggesting that the American public does not want to hear the terrorist rhetoric, the Muslim rhetoric or anything about Bill Ayers... Now that the GOP has had time to properly coach her on what they stand for... NOW she wants to talk about policy? This charade is so infuriating.  Why does the GOP think that women are so foolish that they will fall for this moron? 

She hates the double standard and would like to think that she has more to bring to the table than just a pretty face, but in the midst of the interview she starts to cry. She does not want the media to look at her private life, but she wants to put her children in the public eye for her own gain.  She does not want to give interviews, but she wants the media to make sure the American public knows her policies.  She once told Hilary that she needed to plow through the double standard (video is included under the month of September in this very blog) but she wants everyone to know that the double standard exists and it is not fair.  Woman, make up your mind!! The GOP has Palin out there looking like a psycho. You cannot be everything to everyone. Pick a stance and go with it. I am even more concerned because somehow the GOP thought that bringing this chick on the ballot was going to fly with American women.  Of all the QUALIFIED republican women out there, they came up with Sarah Palin?  As an Independent who is voting Democrat I can admit (and I do) that there are some very bright, greatly qualified republican women out there. Somehow the GOP thought that Palin was the cream of the crop. Does that speak volumes about the GOP, or about what they think about the standards and the intelligence of their constituency? 

Election Fights and more silliness

I believe that this is the most important election in the History of America.  I am not typing that because it has become the "press release" for both parties. I am not typing it because it sounds good, or because no matter who takes office, some historical feat will be laid to rest. I am saying that this election is the most important in American history because I have lost "friends" because of my stance on this election.  Before going forward, I should say that I know I will not lose any REAL friends over my political beliefs, so this entry is simply about how ridiculous people are being, not about hurt feelings or friend loss.  Nothing contained here has adversely affected me, but I do find it amusing, therefore worthy of a mention.

So, the first "friend" that I lost was MB. MB and I were friends on a social networking site. He is convinced that Barack Obama is a terrorist and part of the so called Chicago machine- both of which he left on my "page" on this social networking site.  I, being the lovely instigator that I am, disagreed with him AND challenged him to give me some facts. Unable to do that, he decided to call me immature for commenting on Bristol Palin, and also told me that I was drinking Barack's "kool-aid"... Needless to say, he was so upset and his little feelings were so hurt that he "de-friended" me. I have to admit that I laughed. Since the de-friending MB has sent me a couple of messages to my personal email address, to which I have of course said that if he wants to share views with me he can do it on my wall, in the open, where everyone can see. If not, there really is no reason to send me anything... so he sends me nothing!

Another "friend" that I lost was MV. Same social website. MV was bold... what happens with bold men? I give them a chance to be bold, then shatter the dream. MV was no different. He left me a message, where all of my friends on the site could see. It said: "lets give lazy people welfare check j. no way in hell should obama become president!!... you have disturbed a republican." That is it... I edited my name out, but you get his point.  He then goes on to say that Obama is a Muslim with terrorist connects (his exact words), Obama voters are scavengers, and that this is not a robin hood movie (talking about this 'redistribution' of wealth that John McCain is harping on...). Now, let's see... could we see that this was about to get ugly? Yeah. I could see it coming.  Again, this took place on my wall. Everyone can see it, so I have to respond... and I did. It was not fun for MV.  I don't care if you disagree with me... well, I do, but you better be able to back your statements up- especially if they are public.  So here is what went down. I challenged MV, of course! How do you know that Obama is a muslim? Does it matter? (Of course not) Has Obama actually told you about some mass 'redistribution' or are you just repeating what you heard at a McCain rally?  How am I a scavenger? Show me, tell me, Explain to me... What did I get? Nothing. I pointed out some things in my manner... which is not always nice and he didn't like it. I believe that the last thing he wrote was that I lost a caring, intelligent and trustworthy friend. Really? Did I? I don't think so. I think that he lost an argument and he can't handle it. Here's the deal: All I want it for my friends to vote. I have tons of friends who are Republicans... just like I have friends who are Michigan fans. Do I make fun of them? YES. Do they deserve it? YES. Does that mean that I want them to mirror me exactly? NO.

I think that voting is important, even if you don't vote for my guy. BUT before you come to me and bring me some crazy nonsense about why I should vote for your person, be able to EXPLAIN to me why you are voting for that person. Simple enough, right? Don't tell me some stupid shit like you are voting for Barack because he is Black... that is absurd. At least have some portion of policy that you agree with, not just his skin color. Don't tell me that you are voting for McCain because he is a vet. Tell me something else that excites you about his policy and what he brings to the table.  Be able to articulate why you favor your party, politician, etc. Not just some rhetoric that you heard on a commercial. We have the power to choose who is going to lead this country out of what can be said to be deplorable conditions.  I think we owe it to ourselves to be informed. 

And for those two young men, MB and MV, perfect those debating skills before you challenge a credible foe. I like to make boys cry! :)  

The McCain-Palin Mob

WHY ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE FROM OHIO?? I am so ashamed.
I have no problem with believing in your party. I believe in Barack. I love his ideals and what he stands for BUT I will NOT make as ass out of myself by denying that I know about the other party running. I will not embarrass myself and pretend like my candidate is the best thing since sliced bread. I will say that Barack Obama is the candidate that best represents what I am looking for. The people in this video cannot even say that. They are embarrassments to the state and I am sickened that these people have some say in the Presidency.
Please be able to tell WHY you are backing a candidate- take a note kids, don't be like the adults in this video...
They make Ohioans look like crazy people.

Misconceptions of Obama

Seriously, being an Ohioan by birth, this video makes me sad. Every Ohioan should look at this video and it should make them cringe. Really? Obama thinks that whites are trash?? When did he say that? I know where St. Clairsville is and it is scary that these people actually show their faces and say those words. I think that in the old days they called gatherings like this klan meetings.
Should be a sad day in Ohio and we should come out in massive numbers to prove this small faction of Ohioans wrong. Shame! SMH.

Really???

This is just one of those articles that makes you want to slap someone.  This guy is a winner...

www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/10/obamas_muslim_rumor_creator_ex.html

Town Hall Debate- Did he just say that?

Ok- I have not commented directly on a debate, Presidential or Vice Presidential, until tonight. I feel like I have to. No secrets here. I am speaking from a biased point of view. You can scroll down and see that I am no republican. I think that W. is a moron, who made it to office simply because of the Christian conservatives and who his father is.  I think that the GOP does not look out for the interests of the vast majority; those of us who are in middle America; those of us who have to work more than one job to pay bills, a mortgage, college tuition, car payments, etc.  In my heart of hearts, I do not think that the republicans care if I make it or not, or if I loose my house to foreclosure... I take that back, if it were going to hurt them financially, then they MIGHT care.  

With that said, I do not agree with all Democrats either. I think that both parties have a tendency to get to Washington and forget what got them there. So, I am gladly an Independent. I have voted for republicans before, sure I will do it again- never for President, but I digress.

Tonight, John McCain referred to Barack Obama as "that one"... whoa. Do I even have to explain why that was inappropriate? Do I even have to tell anyone why that kind of talk (whether it was a slip or not) is unacceptable in a PRESIDENTIAL debate? What would be the reaction if Barack said the exact same thing?? I am not one to automatically pull out the race card, but really, "that one" is something that I would envision was said when buying slaves on the auction block. I am truly offended by McCain's choice of words and believe that he should issue an apology.  The complete disregard that I felt when he said that cannot be described. As a politician, you HAVE to know when your words will be hurtful; when they will be inappropriate; when they will be seen in a bad light.  If I can't trust John McCain in a town hall meeting debate, how can I be sure he won't have a slip of the tongue in a diplomatic meeting with another country? Feel free to comment... 

What the election means...

I am not going to post a blog about who I think won the first Presidential Debate last night.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you have gathered that I am an Obama fan. Stating that I think he dominated the debate last night would be redundant. So I won't comment on the debate winner. I will, however, comment on what was said.  I think that it is important for us to remember that when we have two senators speaking about the wars that we are involved in as a nation, they are not talking about a war of words. They are not talking about us sending over bombs- they are talking about sending your neighbors children, your friends... your children, overseas, to lay everything on the line.  I support our troops. I appreciate their sacrifice and everything that they give so that I can be free to sit here in Chicago, at my computer, and blog about what is going on in our country. With that said, I think they need to come home. I think that we are needlessly spending money and sacrificing our young men and women for a war that Bush conned us into.  The following article is about two young men from Illinois who paid the ultimate price in this two-front war. I think we should bring back our troops so that no other family will have to endure the sorry of these two families... 19 and 21, these two men hardly got to see what life has to offer. I am praying for their loved ones and for their units...

Services will be held this morning for two Chicago-area soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Family and friends will gather to remember Pfc. Leonard Gulczynski, a 19-year-old Army engineer from Carol Stream who died from injuries sustained in a Humvee accident in Iraq earlier this month. Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 1415 Lies Road in Carol Stream.

In Melrose Park, Spec. Joshua Harris will be remembered at his old high school. Harris, 21, a member of the Illinois National Guard, was killed after his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Sept. 17. Services are set for 10:30 a.m. at Walther Lutheran High School, 900 Chicago Ave. in Melrose Park.

Harris was posthumously promoted to sergeant. He died while serving alongside Sgt. Jason Vazquez, 24, of Chicago, who also was in the vehicle.

Services for Vazquez, a Cook County corrections officer who was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, were held Friday.

Welcome Back

Hey all... I have been away for a little while.  I took a little trip to Washington, D.C. and have now returned to continue my job search and comment on the world! If I could somehow get paid for blogging.... I would be Perez Hilton- living the high life!! :)

On this day of remembrance

As I think back to this date seven years ago, I can see very clearly where I was and what I was doing. When the events of September 11, 2001 began to unfold, I was sitting on my very small couch (loveseat) in my very small living room, in my very small rented house in Lansing, Michigan. September 11, 2001 was the beginning of my second week of law school. I woke up early that morning to look over my Property I homework (because if you have ever taken a property course you know that once is never enough). I turned on the TV for background noise and an hour later it happened.



Words cannot express the feelings that ran through my body that day. The panic stricken phone calls to my parent's house; the calls to my friends; the excessive news watching. I have never seen something like that before. In every movie you could ever find the depiction of NYC and its inhabitants is always the same: the city never sleeps, it will eat you alive, so will the people... To look up and see those people running in the street and crying; firefighters and police running into buildings; people hugging in the street or trekking across the Brooklyn Bridge... that sticks with you. That stuck with me. The aftermath of posters of missing people and searches sticks with me also. September 11th will never (should never) leave out consciousness. We should never forget that we are susceptible. We should never forget those we lost. We should never forget the bravery that was shown on that day and the weeks and months to follow. We should never confuse things that are happening now- most notably the war- with the things that happened on that day. On that day we all grew up a bit; there was a feeling lost that morning that we will never get back.



I remember so clearly on September 12, 2001 there was a news anchor reporting on the happenings of the day before. He said that September 11th was going to be written into history and on our minds like Pearl Harbor and the assiassination of JFK. We would always be able to look back and remember what we were doing and how our lives were affected by this terrorism. He was right. With that said, I am going to enjoy this pleasant fall day. I am going to call my parents and tell them I love them. I am going to go home and bake treats for my dogs and give them extra hugs and kisses, because as Horace says "Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think." It is later than you think.

When fellow Republicans will not endorse you...

What are Johnny boy and crazy ass Sarah going to do??



Paul says he turned down appeal to endorse McCain
By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago
Republican Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas lawmaker who attracted a devoted following in the GOP primaries, said Wednesday he rejected an appeal to endorse John McCain's presidential bid.
Paul said the request came from Phil Gramm, the former McCain adviser and ex-senator whom the campaign jettisoned after he said the country was a "nation of whiners" about the economy. Gramm defeated Paul in the Republican primary for the Senate in 1984.
Speaking to reporters at a news conference, Paul said Gramm called him this week and told him, "You need to endorse McCain." The Texas congressman said he refused.
"The idea was that he would do less harm than the other candidate," Paul said.
Paul won no primaries in the Republican nomination contest but developed a strong following on the Internet.
He appeared at a news conference with three third-party candidates: independent Ralph Nader; former Georgia Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party candidate; and Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate. Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, was invited but said at his own news conference later that he declined because Paul didn't endorse one candidate.
"We need today, now, 55 days before this election, bold, focused, specific leadership and that is not the amorphous kind that says any of the above or none of the above," Barr said.
Barr said he had asked Paul to join him as his running mate on the Libertarian Party ticket while his current running mate, Wayne Root would step aside. "We don't anticopate that he will," Barr said.
Earlier, Paul called the presidential elections a charade and said voters are faced with the "lesser of two evils."
The majority of Americans, about 60 percent, are unhappy with their choices in the race, Paul said. He urged the three third-party candidates to bring all their supporters together to vote against the "establishment candidates."
Paul, 73, a former doctor, ran for president as the Libertarian candidate in 1988. He is unopposed in the November race for his congressional seat.
Nader derided media focus on what he called "lipstickgate," referring to the bickering between the McCain and Barack Obama campaigns over whether a phrase used by Obama was a sexist comment against Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Nader, a consumer protection advocate, acknowledged differences among the third-party candidates such as government regulation of health and safety standards. But he added that he shares Paul's support for more opportunity in the political process for third-party candidates.

Where are your children?

Let me preface this blog entry. This does not apply to all parents and children- however... if you see shades of you and your children in this blog, I take no responsibility for that!


Ok, maybe I am old fashioned. It could possibly be me... I doubt it. It could be I am pissed off because parents now-a-days give no discipline to these crazy ass kids running around. The subject of children have been on my mind lately and it was not until I had a concrete example that I wanted to comment. Examples came to me on Friday, Sunday and Monday. All of these examples leaves me asking: do you know where your children are? Do you know what they are doing? Are they acting like they have sense? What kind of upbringing have you instilled in them? Where are your children???



Friday I came home from work, let the dogs out and fed them- separately because I have two fatties that like to eat everyone's food, but that is neither here nor there. While I was in the midst of feeding the dogs and let them out again (so there is less of a possiblity of having to spend Friday night mopping the floor) there came a screech from outside like a small child caught in an oversized blender. For those of you who don't know, I purchased a corner house on the south side of Chicago. Often, to my dismay, the neighborhood kids think it is fun and exciting to hang out on my front lawn, crash through my bushes and push each other into my house. They think it is funny until I get fed up and become the crazy neighborhood lady and start correcting their bad behavior from my perch in the living room. I have done it on MANY occasions and am not afraid to do it again. Friday was different. School started from Chicago Public Schools last Tuesday, so the neighborhood gets quiet earlier- which I like, so Friday, I just let the noise happen. A couple times I sat on my perch and opened the blinds and was amazed at what I saw: kids sitting in the middle of the street, talking on their cell phones; kids hitting each other with sticks; kids with no jackets on- even though it was 55 degrees out; kids pulling each other into the street and children dancing in the street as cars approached. Now, all of you who actually know me, know that I am not against having a good time, BUT...
WTF, where were their parents????

When growing up in Columbus (Ohio- which is not even close to what goes down on the southside of Chicago) my sister and I had to be on the porch when the street lights came on. Please, I don't want to even talk about what happened if my parents actually looked on the porch and we weren't there. Yet, at 10:30 on a Friday, I looked out my windown at the screaming kids and I knew they didnt belong to my neighbors. They stayed out until 11:30.

Sunday, there was more of the same- they called it a night at an early 9:45, but the noise factor was the same. So I just started to think that I live down the block from some bad ass kids, with even worse parents. Monday showed me that it was not just my neighborhood.

I ride the train downtown (could you imagine me and my sassy mouth stuck in rush hour twice a day? Yeah, me either). Generally I am surrounded by businessmen and women. Monday, however, was different. There were kids on our train (school is back in session). They were horrid. There was crying from the small ones (along with pleading from the parents- begging them to behave). There were curse words coming from the big ones... ok, I have the mouth of a dirty sailor, but even I will hold off until I am not surrounded by old ladies and people I don't know. Seriously, where are your children? For the parents of the small ones: all I can say is my parents never pled with me to behave. They told me to behave and they said it once. There was no way M&A were taking back talk, temper tantrums or any other ridiculous behavior. Noone wanted to be a part of that. My parents had simple rules, one of which was you will NOT embarrass the family while in public. Even my sister, who KNOWS that she is a drama queen would not have tantrums outside the house. There is NO WAY that is going to fly. Hell, I am 30 and I still wouldn't do it.

For the parents of the big ones: you need to get your children under control. Yes, I do know that you cannot control your kids 24 hours a day, but the amount of disrespect that these kids were showing leads me to believe that it is not occasional; instead it is habit. Friends or not, relaxed environment or not, your kids should not run the house. You are the parent.

I am very opinionated (as if you could not tell from my daily posts) and I think that the character of a person starts at home. Parents are responsible for training a child to be productive members of society. Every once in a while a child will stray- I get that, but just letting your kids run amuk is nuts. I look around and I am scared. Not about one of them hurting me for correcting their bad asses out my front window, instead I am afraid of what the future will bring. What will happen when all these self absorbed people enter the workforce? College? Parenthood? There should be time for correcting you child. There should be time for making sure they help out their fellow man. There should be time to make sure that they give back to their community. You have to teach them discipline. Why? Because, as my friends and I are starting to find out, life is not always fair. It is not always a party and you don't always get your way. Sometimes you have to work twice as hard to get half as much... sometimes you have to give yourself a pep talk to get out of bed and go to work, sometimes you want to shout- and you may be justified, but you just CAN'T. What are your kids going to do during those times? Throw a tantrum? In order for us to have a productive society, we have to have productive children... and in order to have that we need involved parents, who teach their children right from wrong, charity, humility, grace and to love their neighbor. So again, I ask, where are your children?

Some of us need help.

So, I came across this article today... Let me just say that it is thinking like the elderly woman included in this piece that will send America on a permanent decline. I guess that I always knew that it would be increasingly hard for me to "make it" because I am both Black and Female, but who the hell are these bumkins? I mean, really, the people who think that RACE alone would disqualify a candidate are almost beyond redemption. The idea alone is absolutely assinine. Now, do I know some stereotypical Black people? Absolutely! Do I know some stereotypical White people? Absolutely. Listen: there are a reason why stereotypes are persistent. There ARE people who fit the bill, but then there are some of us who are so well BEYOND what you think we are. Barack Obama is one of those people. I would like to think that I am also. He should be the next President of the United States. There is only one reason that Barack will not win this election: close minded people like those listed in this article. This should make the people of Northeast Philadelphia embarrassed.


Biden gets mixed welcome in Northeast Local Dem leaders say race is issue for many voters
September 6, 2008 - Philadelphia Daily News

Dave Davies

Sep. 6, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- DEMOCRATIC vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden went stumping for votes yesterday in Northeast Philadelphia, where Democrats need to earn the love of Democrats who voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the April primary.
He worked a diner, gave a rousing speech on bread-and-butter issues at a union hall, and reeled off a memorable line tying the Republican candidate to the unpopular team in the White House.
"My friend John McCain and George Bush are joined at the hip," Biden said. "And we need a hip replacement very, very badly."
So how is the ticket doing with the Northeast's white working and middle-class voters?
Mike McAleer, the veteran Democratic ward leader of the 66th ward in the far Northeast, said Obama and Biden haven't closed the deal yet.
"The Dunkin' Donut crowd tells me that we've got everything going for us but Obama," McAleer said. "They can't give me a direct answer. Do I have them right now in the 66th ward? No. But I got 60 days to get them."
Asked what the problem is with Obama, McAleer paused and said: "It's his color . . . I tell them he's half white and half black. He's got a better perspective for everything in this country."
Joe Dougherty, business manager for Ironworkers Local 401, which hosted Biden's morning event, also said race is an issue for many Democrats.
"I hear it in the neighborhood, and I hear it in the union," Dougherty said. "But I remind them (Obama's) mother was white. He sees all sides, and he could be just what we need to bring this country together."
Biden talked to the crowd of about 200 senior citizens and union members about lower taxes, trade agreements that protect American jobs, and ending what he called the Republicans' "war on unions."
Later, Biden and Gov. Rendell worked the lunchtime crowd at The Dining Car, a neighborhood spot on Frankford Avenue.
Biden smiled, laughed, shook hands and sometimes hugged diners or slid into booths next to them. Sometimes he felt the love coming back, and sometimes he didn't.
Charles Daukas said he'd vote for the Obama-Biden team.
"Put it this way, if Hillary was running I would have really went hard for it," Daukas said. "But I'm a Democrat."
In a corner booth, Biden sat down and, after a moment's conversation, planted a kiss on the forehead of Carolyn Bauer, age 89. Bauer explained afterward it wasn't such a friendly encounter.
"I told him I'm not going to vote for him," Bauer said. "Anybody who runs with a guy with a name like that is not going to get my vote. It'd be disgusting to get a man named Barack Obama as president of the United States. No way. I mean it . . . I'm going to vote for McCain and the lady."
"[Obama's] a Muslim," Bauer added. "He pretends to be a Christian, and he isn't, he's a Muslim."
Obama has attended Christian churches for years, and his children are baptized.
After his stops in Northeast Philadelphia, Biden attended a rally in Langhorne.

Oh Sarah, get that foot out of your mouth...

LOL. Sarah Palin has done more than upset me with her lies... she has upset the Community Organizers across the country. They want an apology... rightly so. Let's see if she jumps off that pedestal and gives them one. ** At the end of this article are the truths that I posted yesterday. I have omitted them for space, but feel free to visit the site, or scroll down.**


http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur46797.cfm
*Numerous lines in Gov. Sarah Palin's speech at the GOP convention Wednesday night have been exposed as lies by various media outlets. But one of her quips struck a nerve that has galvanized grassroots organizations across the country to respond en masse.
During the convention on Wednesday, the former mayor of Wasilla (population 7,000) took a jab at Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama with the line: “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.”
Her sentiments were reinforced in two earlier speeches on the convention floor Wednesday in St. Paul.
• Former Governor George Pataki said: “[Barack Obama] was a community organizer. What in God’s name is a community organizer? I don’t even know if that’s a job.”
• Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said: “On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer. What? [Laughter]…I said, OK, OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume.”
In the wee hours of the following morning, Obama's campaign sent an e-mail to supporters objecting – among other things – to the attacks against community organizers. It read:
Let's clarify something for them right now.
Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.
And it's no surprise that, after eight years of George Bush, millions of people have found that by coming together in their local communities they can change the course of history. That promise is what our campaign has been about from the beginning.
Throughout our history, ordinary people have made good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom up. Community organizing is the foundation of the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, labor rights, and the 40-hour workweek. And it's happening today in church basements and community centers and living rooms across America.
Also on Thursday, a coalition of community organizers across the country launched the Web site OrganizersFightBack. (http://organizersfightback.wordpress.com/) to demand an apology from Gov. Palin and to "defend their work organizing Americans who have been left behind by unemployment, lack of health insurance and the national housing crisis."
• “Community organizers work in neighborhoods that have been hit hardest by the failing economy,” said John Raskin, founder of Community Organizers of America and a community organizer on the West Side of Manhattan. “The last thing we need is for Republican officials to mock us on television when we’re trying to rebuild the neighborhoods they have destroyed. Maybe if everyone had more houses than they can count, we wouldn’t need community organizers. But I work with people who are getting evicted from their only home. If John McCain and the Republicans understood that, maybe they wouldn’t be so quick to make fun of community organizers like me.”
• David Gonzalez of the New York Times has posted a column, Bronx Organizers React to G.O.P. Punchlines, featuring the work of two past local community organizers still active in the neighborhoods.
• Also, this entry on the Huffington Post features the Center for Community Change's official response to the remarks.

Unemployment at 6.1%...

For all of you who think that politics is politics and has nothing to do with your everyday life... The following article is the reason why I will always research the records of those running for office, and vote accordingly. I will never tell anyone else how to vote, but I will always voice my opinion so my fellow citizens can make an educated choice. I am not directly blaming anyone for the unemployment rate... ok, I am, but he is not running for office.
I had a republican friend remind me that the economy usually flourishes in times of war. That is very true. WWII helped us out of the Great Depression... but then that would beg the question, what is happening now? We are in the depths of a war and our economy is tanking. Could it be because we are spending TONS of money on the Iraq war ($406.2 Billion through December 2007)- 70% of people polled think so.
$406.2 Billion? Think about that. That does not even include what 2008 has cost. That does not include the loss of American lives. I am grateful for the sacrifice that the members of our Armed Forces makes for the country every year... that is not what this blog is about- I do support the job that our troops do. I just think that President Bush and his cronies are making all of pay for a bad decision- and it seems as though we will be paying for a long time. This soapbox sermon could be revisited! :)

To back up this article I have found the follow links. Read up: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
http://www.miseryindex.us/URbymonth.asp
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/18/poll.iraq.economy/index.html


The nation's unemployment rate zoomed to a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August as employers slashed 84,000 jobs, dramatic proof of the mounting damage a deeply troubled economy is inflicting on workers and businesses alike.The Labor Department's report, released Friday, showed the increasing toll the housing, credit and financial crises are taking on the economy.The report was sure to rattle Wall Street again.
All the major stock indexes tumbled into bear territory Thursday as investors lost hope of a late-year recovery. With the employment situation deteriorating, there's growing worry that consumers will recoil, throwing the economy into a tailspin later this year or early next year.The jobless rate jumped to 6.1 percent in August, from 5.7 percent in July. And, employers cut payrolls for the eighth month in a row.
Job losses in June and July turned out to be much deeper. The economy lost a whopping 100,000 jobs in June and another 60,000 in July, according to revised figures. Previously, the government reported job losses at 51,000 in each of those months.The latest snapshot was worse than economists were forecasting. They were predicting payrolls would drop by around 75,000 in August and the jobless rate to tick up a notch, to 5.8 percent. The grim news comes as the race for the White House kicks into high gear. The economy's troubles are Americans' top worry.
Wachovia Corp., Ford Motor Co., Tyson Foods Inc. and Alcoa Inc. were among the companies announcing job cuts in August. GMAC Financial Services this week said it would lay off 5,000 workers.Job losses in August were widespread. Factories cut 61,000 jobs, construction firms eliminated 8,000 jobs, retailers axed 20,000 slots, professional and business services slashed 53,000 positions and leisure and hospitality got rid of 4,000. Those losses swamped employment gains in the government, education and health.Job losses at all private employers -- not including government -- came to 101,000 in August.
The government said workers age 25 and older accounted for all the increase in unemployment in August.
Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

So I was NOT the only one!!

Ahhh, to be right! Below is an article from the AP, describing the fantasy land that Sarah and the Republicans occupy.


Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention
By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press WriterWed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.

Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."

THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."

THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.

Just to dispell the rumors...

Just so we can all put aside the rumors- I have no problem writing about what I see is wrong with every portion of politics... even Dems. This post (and many more to follow) is proof. This post is about Kwame Kilpatrick, soon to be ex mayor of the city of Detroit. Hopefully we have all watched this situation unfold and took notes, so that it never has to be repeated again. Mayor of the 11th largest city in the country pleading guilty to obstruction... and having been found guilty of perjury. Here's the deal America: it really does not matter to me what politicians do in the bedrooms- as I have stated before, I would appreciate it if they stayed out of my personal proclivities also- but if you are caught, you are caught. DON'T LIE ABOUT IT. In a day and age when a short, cute, Black, former Ohioian can get online and leave her life and thoughts on a blog for all to see, there is a HUGE possibility that someone will find out about your affair. No matter how careful you think you are, people are nosy. There is always a possibility that someone is going to put your business out there. Now, politicians are people- they are not above reproach, BUT you have to have common sense. If you don't want to deal with public opinion, politics is not the game for you. If you don't want to deal with the consequences then don't leave the confines of your marriage for some easy a** on the side. If you don't want to have to explain then don't start something that would lead you towards a press conference. Simple rules, huh? You would think!
Well, good old Kwame started an affair with his former top aide, Christine Beatty. They left text messages, and receipts for anyone to find. Then they both denied it... under oath. For those of you who were wondering, that is perjury! Fast forward a year, today Kwame is stepping down. I must admit that I am not upset. If you cannot keep yourself together enough not to eff your top aide, then you deserve to be in office. I don't feel bad for Kwame. He should think with his big head and not the little one. Both Kwame and Christine should be ashamed of all the crap they put their families and the city of Detroit through. He deserves to lose his office and she deserves to lose her job. Lying never pays...

From the AP:

DETROIT (AP) _ Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has agreed to plead guilty to obstruction charges and will step down after more than six years leading the nation's 11th-largest city.The plea deal was announced during a court hearing Thursday and brings to an end a seven-months-long sex scandal that led to felony charges against Kilpatrick and plunged the city, region and state into political chaos.As part of the plea deal, the 38-year-old Democrat is expected to serve jail time.The married mayor and former top aide Christine Beatty were charged in March with perjury, misconduct and obstruction of justice. They're accused of lying under oath about an affair and their roles in the firing of a deputy police chief. Beatty did not plead guilty and next will appear in court on Sept. 11.

Palin Speech, RNC 9/3/08

Ok, I think that we all know that I am not voting for McCain Palin. No secrets here. With that said I decided that to be fully informed I had to watch and listen to what Palin would say tonight. Let me say this: Sarah Palin is a cute lady. She seems to carry herself well, and I think my male friends would think that she fills out a suit well. Nice hair. Looks fantastic for having a four month old kid.. With that said, I HATED her speech. There was no substance. She spent way too much time badmouthing her opponents and talking about her family- the same family that she doesn't want anyone else to talk about. I actually caught her in lies... She said that the women of the country could count on her and have a "friend" in Washington if they had a disabled child. She may not have been outright lying... I think she meant it, if you are a woman like her. Someone who has health benefits, because she certainly is not supplying benefits. You would also have to be straight, because she does not support same sex unions. You have to be married- conservatives like marriage, go to church, not even considered abortion EVER and not need any manufacturing job (because the conservatives like to send those out of the country). Need proof? Look at her record and the record of this administration. Palin has taken money away from an Alaska program for unwed moms (you know, kids like her daughter, Bristol). As covered before she does not believe in same sex unions or benefits of any kind. The only abortion that she can handle is when the mother's life is in danger- no exceptions.

How can American women look at Sarah and believe that she can be a friend? A friend who doesn't care what the Earth that we turn over to our children will look like... Again, look at her record: she does not believe that global warming is a result of human behavior. How can women listen to what she does not say (because I didn't hear a plan in all that Obama bashing) and think that she is the best thing for our country. The GOP's slogan is country first. I think that there is no room on the GOP ticket for country first because they are oh so busy tryng to steal the Dems thunder.

In her speech Sarah said that the only candidate that has truly served the American public is John McCain. She was referring to his military service, of course. Now, I understand that he was a POW and he was in the military... but that alone is not going to make him a great President. There have been great Presidents that have not served in the military, Clinton, FDR, John Adams, John Quincy Adams- just to name a few. His military service means that he MADE a sacrifice... not that he is or will continue to make one. Military service does not mean that you should be President, just like no military background doesn't mean that you can't be President. Having a special needs child does not mean that you should ascend to the VP office, neither does making your knocked up 17 year old get married, or promising to drill for oil in your home state. It sounds good, but how will she pull it off? Does she think that not being as eloquent as Barack will allow her to say anything because no one will be listening??

Palin Video

OMG, there IS something that Sarah Palin and I agree on...

Trust me, the things that Sarah Palin and I agree on are limited. In fact, I think that it is safe to say that we agree on ONE thing, and that ONE thing will be illuminated in this blog. I will add the video as soon as I make this entry. In the video, soon to be posted, Sarah is talking about Hillary Clinton. She is commenting on Hillary's complaint that she is under the microscope and receives more negative press because she is a woman. Sarah Palin says that Hillary does herself a disservice by even mentioning that she gets more criticism. She says that Hillary has to know what you are getting into and have to "plow through it." It does not do women who want to progress the country any good to complain about the extra attention... they just have to do better, push on etc. 

LOL. This video was obviously made before Barack Obama gained the nomination, obviously before Sarah Palin was nominated for VP... and OBVIOUSLY before it was announced that her unwed, 17 year old is pregnant. I bet she wishes she could take it back... but here's the deal: I agree with her. I think that women need to be ready for extra criticism; they need to be able to "plow through" as Sarah puts it. With that said I am sure that Sarah will be able to "plow through" my blog if she is reading it!

There has been much said about Bristol Palin, the 17 year old, unwed, pregnant daughter of Sarah and Todd Palin. So I figure that I might as well throw in my two cents, so here goes. Many of my conservative friends have jumped on the "it shouldn't matter" bandwagon when it comes to Bristol.  Even Barack Obama says that children should not be included in the race for the White House. I respectfully disagree. I think that if the shoe was on the other foot, the Republicans would use the fact that Barack's 17 year old daughter was unwed and pregnant to show that he was unfit for the White House. I could just picture that the argument would go something like "he can't even run his own house proficiently, how can we expect him to run a country?" We have heard it before... circa the Clinton Era. Remember? He couldn't be discreet in his personal life and was deemed unable to run the country effectively by the conservatives.  During his TRIAL no one considered Chelsea's feelings. What did she think about the extensive coverage? What did her classmates say? What did she have to endure? No one knows because no one bothered to ask. That was nothing of her own doing. Back then it was just known as the game of politics and it didn't matter who got hurt. Should it matter now?

There is a specific reason why Bristol's pregnancy matters. Her mother has built her entire career worrying about someone else's bedroom. Illustration: Sarah Palin is SUPER pro-life. She doesn't care if you get raped or are a victim of incest. The only time you can get an abortion in her book is if the mother's life is in danger. She also does not believe in same sex marriage. She, in fact has opposed benefits for same sex couples and supported a constitutional ban on same sex marriage. Here is the biggie: Sarah Palin only supports abstinence only sexual education in schools. Seems to me that she spends a lot of time nosing around other people's bedrooms, yet is obviously missing out on what goes on in the bedrooms in her home. Obviously, abstinence only teaching does not work. Not for the Palin family, not for the state of Alaska (which has the highest rate of chlamydia) and not for America as a whole. I will be the first to admit that teen pregnancy is real and a problem in America. Bristol is not the first unwed teenager to get pregnant. But not everyone has a mom that preaches family values and builds a career on telling other people what is morally right. See, Sarah has in fact, put the spotlight on her own family. She is the reason that there is so much to "plow through" on this topic. 

I laugh at the people who ask why does it even matter. It matters because Sarah is running for office. When you run for office, your life is under a microscope. In the video, Palin acknowledges it. She basically says that it is par for the course. Why should it be different for her family? That is right, it shouldn't be. If the Palin family wants privacy, Sarah should drop out of the race. When you are a political family there are certain things that you have to deal with- I believe they call that "paying the cost, so you can be the boss." I don't feel sorry for her, celebrities, actors, or anyone else who lives life in the spotlight for their job. John Edwards is no longer in the Presidential race. Guess what? His life is still being examined and commented on. Conservatives would have you believe now that Scooter Libby should be pardoned, things that happen in Minnesota airport bathrooms shouldn't be talked about, affairs are only things that Democrats have, sex on the job doesn't happen in the GOP, teen pregnancy has no bearing on this Presidential race... does it?? According to Sarah Palin all this scrutiny should be expected... She and her family are just going to rise above it and "plow through"...

Michelle Obama Keynote Address at DNC

The family that campaigns together...
Seeing as how this blog is about current events, I have decided to reflect on the DNC happenings of this past week. Above is the video of Michelle Obama at the DNC. She is amazing. Now, no matter what your political leanings are this speech is wonderful. She speaks of respect, hard work and children; raising a family when making ends meet just doesn't seem possible... The American dream.
I have to tell you, my blogging audience, I have a leaning towards the Democratic party. I have no problem admitting that I will vote for Barack Obama this fall. Even though I am Black, he will not receive my vote because he is Black. Even though I am female, he will not receive my vote because he is Pro-Choice. I am voting for Barack because he, and his wife, embody what I think politics in America should resemble.
Listen to the hopefulness in Michelle's voice, listen to the words of empowerment- not just for other Black women, but women in general. Listen to the pride that she expresses when speaking of her family, and her work. Michelle seems to have taken grasp of the American Dream. That is some idealism that I can grab onto. Like Barack said himself in 2004, it is the Audacity of Hope that America is built on.
Some of my friends have told me that I am wearing rose colored glasses, and that the world is not ready for Barack and Michelle's brand of idealism. To that I respond: If not now, when? There is nothing wrong with a little idealism. That is what made this country. People come here everyday to catch a piece of the American Dream, some quality education, the ability to raise a family with the freedoms outlined in the Constitution. Yeah, it is a bit like a PBS after school special, but isn't about time for something like that? Who wants to hear gloom and doom all the time? Life is not all bad. There is not a black cloud hanging over ALL the time. That is just not real. Granted, everything is not going to be sugar and spice all the time either. I realize that too. But I would take politics seasoned with hope over politics peppered with cynicism any day. I will take the positive outlook over the negative. I will take a liberal, rose colored, idealist view. I will continue to fight the good fight for under represented minorities, the unemployed, the rights of gays, lesbians and transgendered people. I will fight for equal pay for equal work, women's rights, healthcare for everyone and educating our youth effectively. I will take on the responsibility of looking out for my fellow man and woman, because I realize that while the American Dream is ASSISTED by hard work and determination, it is impossible without the help of others who have achieved it before. I will raise my hands and say Yes I Can... Yes We Can... Yes We Can...

Def Poetry - Julian Curry... Miss Mox's reflection on the "n" word...

Anyone who knows me, or has spoken to me knows that I DETEST the "n" word. I don't repeat it in song, in conversation or in jest. I think that you can NEVER expect this hurtful word to go away if you use it on a regular basis. Men and women (not just blacks, either) fought and died so that we did NOT have to face the "n" word- at least not overtly; we can get an education; have an unlimited journey that is no longer stifled by the fact that our skin tones are a bit darker. Yet, here we are in 2008, using a word that evokes such hate.
To my surprise, there are "poets" out there who have embraced the word, while they claim to fight towards an ever elusive equality. How will the equality ever become a reality when you spend time calling your friends a word that has brought so much damage to the psyche of the people that you are claiming to love?
These "poets" are so quick to condemn interracial love, higher education, and those they believe have betrayed the "black experience", those who have risen above a line that they have drawn in the sand, but rush to identify their beloved people as the "n" word. They can say it because they are black, right? But then there is an attitude that cannot be matched if a White person says it, an Asian, anyone other than the "chosen few".. the Blacks that "keep it real."
What exactly are you teaching the children coming after you? The double standard that you protest, the one that "keeps a Black man (or woman) down", that horrible double standard that has been enacted to keep you away from the American Dream... THAT double standard is ok, when you (and only you and people who look like you) say this word? Alright Johnny, if mommy says this word it is ok, but if the white guy down the street says it, be upset- he is trying to belittle you. Yep Johnny, it is ok to listen to music where the "n" word is prevalent... Don't worry about it Johnny, it is a term of endearment for Black people... NO, IT IS NOT!
Never is it ok for anyone, OF ANY RACE, to use the "n" word. It should be erased from the language. I don't want White people to use the word- as much as I don't want to walk down the streets of southside Chicago and hear the word being used by adolescent Black kids, thinking that they are cool. "n" is not cool- it is the biggest fairy tale ever sold. There is no embracing this word, or the way of life that goes with it. Comments?
- Jumping off the soap box... J

The Cure-Friday I'm In Love

It is Friday... I'm in love! I love the Cure and this song is a great way to start off one of the last Friday's of the summer season. Throw your head back and smile... it is later than you think! :) Have a great weekend. J

Mollie Angleheart - Psychotic Bitch

TRUTH!!

Pearl Jam - Thumbing My Way

Pearl Jam-Love Boat Captain

Daily Selections

Whoa. Two great songs from the Riot Act cd... PJ is in Chicago giving a concert that I cant go to tonight... but I will see them on Sunday, so I am trying not to be too bummed...

THUMBING MY WAY

i have not been home since you left long ago i'm thumbing my way back to heaven counting steps, walking backwards on the road i'm counting my way back to heaven i can't be free with what's locked inside of me if there was a key, you took it in your handthere's no wrong or right, but i'm sure there's good and bad the questions linger overhead no matter how cold the winter, there's a springtime ahead i'm thumbing my way back to heaven i wish that i could hold you i wish that i had thinking 'bout heaven i let go of a rope, thinking that's what held me back and in time i've realized, it's now wrapped around my neck i can't see what's next, from this lonely overpass hang my head and count my steps, as another car goes past all the rusted signs we ignore throughout our lives choosing the shiny ones instead i turned my back, now there's no turning back no matter how cold the winter, there's a springtime ahead i smile, but who am i kidding? i'm just walking the miles, every once in a while i'll get a ride i'm thumbing my way back to heaven thumbing my way back to heaven i'm thumbing my way back to heaven...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S1Rh0MQSdA

LOVE BOAT CAPTAIN... every time I hear this song I think of Rob Cash...

Is this just another day,... this god forgotten place?First comes love, then comes pain. Let the games begin,...Questions rise and answers fall,... insurmountable.Love boat captainTake the reigns and steer us towards the clear,... here.It's already been sung, but it can't be said enough.All you need is loveIs this just another phase? Earthquakes making waves,...Trying to shake the cancer off? Stupid human beings,...Once you hold the hand of love,.. it's all surmountable.Hold me, and make it the truth,...That when all is lost there will be you,...Cause to the universe I don't mean a thingAnd there's just one word I stil believeAnd it'sIt's an art to live with pain,... mix the light into grey,..Lost 9 friends we'll never know,.. 2 years ago todayAnd if our lives became too long, would it add to our regret?And the young, they can lose hope cause they can't see beyond today,...The wisdom that the old can't give awayHey,...Constant recoil...Sometimes lifeDon't leave you alone.Hold me, and make it the truth,...That when all is lost there will be you.Cause to the universe I don't mean a thingAnd there's just one word that I still believe and it'sLove,... love. love. love. love.Love boat captainTake the reigns,.. steer us towards the clear.I know it's already been sung,... can't be said enough.Love is all you need,.. all you need is love,..Love,.. love,...Love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ItYVn2jcGU

Pretty sentimental day... maybe more later. Rock on, lovers!

Pearl Jam - Soon Forget

A simple song filled with important words

The lyrics of this short song are powerful and should be thought of everytime your day seems to take a turn south... there are more important things going on. Second song of the day: SOON FORGET. Oh, Eddie is beautiful in this video...

"Soon Forget"
sorry is the fool who trades his soul for a corvette
thinks he'll get the girl, he'll only get the mechanic
what's missing? he's living a day he'll soon forget
that's one more time around, the sun is going down
the moon is out, but he's drunk and shouting,
putting people down he's pissing,
he's living a day he'll soon forget c
ounts his money every morning
the only thing that keeps him horny
locked in a giant house, that's alarming
the townsfolk, they all laugh
sorry is the fool who trades his love for high-rise rent
seems the more you make, equals the loneliness you get
and it's fitting, he's barely living, a day he'll soon forget
that's one more time around, there is not a sound
he's lying dead clutching benjamins, never put the money down
he's stiffening, we're all whistling
a man we'll soon forget

The countdown continues...

The song of the day (well, the first posted song today) is beautiful. In college my favorite line was "caught a bolt of lightning, cursed the day he let it go..." Still love it to this day. I swear... life story! So first posting today is NOTHINGMAN.

"Nothingman"once divided...nothing left to subtract...
some words when spoken...can't be taken back...
walks on his own...with thoughts he can't help thinking...
future's above...but in the past he's slow and sinking...
caught a bolt 'a lightnin'...cursed the day he let it go...
nothingman... nothingman... isn't it something?
nothingman...
she once believed...in every story he had to tell...
one day she stiffened...took the other side...
empty stares...from each corner of a shared prison cell...
one just escapes...one's left inside the well...
and he who forgets...will be destined to remember...
nothingman... nothingman... isn't it something?
nothingman...
oh, she don't want him...oh, she won't feed him...
after he's flown away...
oh, into the sun...ah, into the sun...burn...burn...
nothingman... nothingman...
isn't it something?
nothingman...nothingman...
coulda' been something...nothingman...oh...ohh...ohh...

Pearl Jam - Nothingman

Pearl Jam - Worldwide Suicide Official Clip

Smiley day!!

Here I was thinking that I was going to have to pay $165 for a three day pass to see Pearl Jam, OH but I just found out that they are selling one day passes for $80. Can you SEE the smile on my face?????

Today's selection: WORLD WIDE SUICIDE

"World Wide Suicide"
I felt the earth on Monday. It moved beneath my feet. In the form of a morning paper. Laid out for me to see. Saw his face in a corner picture. I recognized the name. Could not stop staring at the. Face I'd never see again. It's a shame to awake in a world of pain What does it mean when a war has taken over It's the same everyday in a hell manmade What can be saved, and who will be left to hold her? The whole world...World over. It's a worldwide suicide. Medals on a wooden mantle. Next to a handsome face. That the president took for granted. Writing checks that others pay. And in all the madness. Thought becomes numb and naive. So much to talk about. Nothing for to say. It's the same everyday and the wave won't break Tell you to pray, while the devils on their shoulder Laying claim to the take that our soldiers save Does not equate, and the truth's already out there The whole world,... World over. It's a worldwide suicide. The whole world,... World over. It's a worldwide suicide. Looking in the eyes of the fallen You got to know there's another, another, another, another Another way It's a shame to awake in a world of pain What does it mean when a war has taken over It's the same everyday and the wave won't break Tell you to pray, while the devils on their shoulder The whole world,... World over. It's a worldwide suicide. The whole world,... World over. It's a worldwide suicide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLJ7C6-bYKg

Pearl Jam-Even Flow

Pearl Jam - Given To Fly - SVT

Pearl Jam - Nothing As It Seems

To the fans! :)

To the fans:

Sorry, I took a few days off. Someone said you are not supposed to work on vacation!! Kidding, but I was out of town and could not (maybe did not want to) get to a computer to post some stuff, so today will be a triple header. First at bat is EVEN FLOW.

"Even Flow"
Freezin', rests his head on a pillow made of concrete, again
Oh, Feelin' maybe he'll see a little better, set a days, ooh yeah
Oh, hand out, faces that he sees time again ain't that familiar, oh yeah
Oh, dark grin, he can't help, when he's happy looks insane, oh yeah
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away
Someday yet, he'll begin his life againLife again, life again...
Kneelin', looking through the paper though he doesn't know to read, ooh yeah
Oh, prayin', now to something that has never showed him anything
Oh, feelin', understands the weather of the winters on its way
Oh, ceilings, few and far between all the legal halls of shame, yeah
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away
Someday yet, he'll begin his life again
Whispering hands, gently lead him awayHim away, him away...
Yeah!Woo...ah yeah...fuck it up...
Even flow, thoughts arrive like butterflies
Oh, he don't know, so he chases them away
Someday yet, he'll begin his life again, yeah
Oh, whispering hands, gently lead him away
Him away, him away...Yeah!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SPMfr38fCA

Second at bat... (and not on the Ten album) is GIVEN TO FLY...

"Given To Fly"
He could've tuned in, tuned inBut he tuned out
A bad time, nothing could save him
Alone in a corridor, waiting, locked out
He got up outta there, ran for hundreds of miles
He made it to the ocean, had a smoke in a treeT
he wind rose up, set him down on his knee
A wave came crashing like a fist to the jaw
Delivered him wings, "Hey, look at me now"
Arms wide open with the sea as his floor
Oh, power, ohHe's.. flyingWholeHigh.. wide, oh
He floated back down 'cause he wanted to share
His key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere
But first he was stripped and then he was stabbed
By faceless men, well, fuckersHe still stands
And he still gives his love, he just gives it away
The love he receives is the love that is saved
And sometimes is seen a strange spot in the sky
A human being that was given to fly
High.. flyingOh, ohHigh.. flyingOh, ohHe's flyingOh, oh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlcB5vEoP_0

And the final "catch up" video of the day is NOTHING AS IT SEEMS... ( I LOVE this song... but I hope you are still guessing on the favorite, because this is not it!)

"Nothing As It Seems"
don't feel like home, he's a little out...
and all these words elope, it's nothing like your poem
putting in, inputting in, don't feel like methadonea
scratching voice all alone, there's nothing like your baritoneit's
nothing as it seems, the little that he needs, it's home
the little that he sees, is nothing he concedes, it's home
one uninvited chromosome, a blanket like the ozone
it's nothing as it seems, all that he needs, it's home
the little that he frees, is nothing he believes
saving up a sunny day, something maybe two tone
anything of his own, a chip off the cornerstone
who's kidding, rainy day a one way ticket headstone
occupations overthrown, a whisper through a megaphone
it's nothing as it seems, the little that he needs, it's home
the little that he sees, is nothing he concedes, it's home
and all that he frees, a little bittersweet, it's home
it's nothing as it seems, the little that you see, it's home...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB368mlj7aU

Mike McCready is a beast and when my inner musician grows up, I want to play guitar like him!! If you a friend of mine, or an ex boyfriend for that matter, you know that I don't like facial hair, but Eddie with a well kept beard... better than sliced bread for me today!! I will post today's video a little later. Twelve days until greatness in the park. Can't wait.

Pearl Jam - Corduroy (live)

Selection of the Day

How about Corduroy?? This song was the first PJ song I ever heard. It was on a mix tape I got from Christina Brown my sophomore year in high school... so glad that I heard it, it reeled me in... I am still wrapped up in it.

**PS: I am not totally responsible for these lyrics- I find all of them online. I personally think that the words are different, but the only people that know for sure are members of the band, so here we go!

"Corduroy"
The waiting drove me mad... you're finally here and I'm a mess
I take your entrance back... can't let you roam inside my head
I don't want to take what you can give...
I would rather starve than eat your bread...
I would rather run but I can't walk...
Guess I'll lie alone just like before...
I'll take the firmest path... oh, and I must refuse your test
A-push me and I will resist... this behavior's not unique
I don't want to hear from those who know...
They can buy, but can't put on my clothes...
I don't want to limp for them to walk...
Never would have known of me before...I
don't want to be held in your debt...
I'll pay it off in blood, let I be wed...
I'm already cut up and half dead...
I'll end up alone like I began...
Everything has changed... absolutely nothing's changed
"Take my hand, not my picture," spelled my T-shirt
I don't want to take what you can give...
I would rather starve than eat your bread...
All the things that others want for me...
Can't buy what I want because it's free...
Can't buy what I want because it's free...
Can't be what you want because I'm...
Why ain't it supposed to be just fun
Oh, to live and die, let it be done
I figure I'll be damned, all alone like I began...
It's your move now...I thought you were a friend, but I guess I, I guess I hate you..

Pearl Jam -I Am Mine

So it begins...

So as EVERYONE knows, Pearl Jam is going to be at Lolapolooza this year- two weeks from tomorrow the crazy festival begins. I am going to have my own kind of party for the next couple of weeks. I am going to post lyrics and video of PJ songs to show you guys why I am SUCH a fanatic. Getting my ticket tomorrow... some folks are coming up from Ohio to visit and rock out... I could not have planned life better than it is right now.
The best thing is I get to go on a journey back in time. I get to see the transformation of a band that I love- so the ability to fall in love with them all over again is there. Plus, I get to share with my nearest and dearest a special part of my life- music. There is a favorite PJ song. I think that three people on Earth know which song that is- I am not telling, but feel free to guess! Here is a hint: It is not going to be the first song that I put up here!
So here we go, forget all the pop nonsense you hear on the radio. The following is going to be a treat! ... first song will be: I AM MINE. Read the lyrics and stare into Eddie's beautiful face!!

"I Am Mine"
The selfish, they're all standing in line
Faithing and hoping to buy themselves time
Me, I figure as each breath goes by
I only own my mind
The North is to South what the clock is to time
There's east and there's west and there's everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I'll die
The in between is mine I am mine
And the feeling, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There's no need to hide
We're safe tonight
The ocean is full 'cause everyone's crying
The full moon is looking for friends at hightide
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied
I only know my mind- I am mine
And the meaning, it gets left behind
All the innocents lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There's no need to hide
We're safe tonight
And the feelings that get left behind
All the innocents broken with lies
Significance, between the lines(We may need to hide)
And the meanings that get left behind
All the innocents lost at one time
We're all different behind the eyes
There's no need to hide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXISm3JjYU0

A dark day in the United States

Yesterday I was home sick, so I was inundated with news coverage about the Virginia Tech massacre. I am telling you... I fear for what the future holds. Honestly, what kind of people are we becoming? I sit here at this computer and I pray for the families that were touched by this terrible crime. I pray that they band together to make it through this extremely tough time... and I sincerely hope that they are given some respect in the burial of their loved ones. I hope that this instance (and the fact that this Friday is the 8th anniversary of the Columbine massacre) will lead us to reexamine how we live and how we treat each other, what we take for granted and how utterly unimportant some dramatic things are. These are the times when I let unimportant things go and I start to think about what is truly important to me... things like drama from across the country and chickenheads take a back seat, and I think about the important work that I do, my true friends and my family. I think that if we all spent a little more time being thankful for the things that we have, instead of worrying about the things that we dont have we would be a bit better off.
I hope that everyone outh there joins me in the following... say a special prayer to your god of choice, do what you can for your neighbor, be the person that you always wanted to be starting right now... remember what Horace said "Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think."
It is later than you think...

Why are people crazy?

Ok... so I am at work and just got done reading the Chicago Tribune online... relax, I have a meeting shortly, so I am actually preparing for that. Not that this has not dawned on me in my own personal life, but reading the paper today it has become even more crystal clear that people are NUTS... I was reading a story and trying to think about what would make a person do the INSANE actions that this man participated in- I came up with nothing. Here is the story: Chicago police officer, drunk in a bar... bartender cuts him off... he comes behind the bar and procedes to beat the hell out of this little girl. Here is the kicker: all of this is caught on video tape. AND there are people in the bar who are NOT helping this chick out.
Now, you all know that it is one of my crusades to stand up and fight for the defenseless... and myself if you get on my nerves. I think I was more appalled that there were grown men in that bar that watched this chick get her ass beat. Don't get me wrong, the police officer (who was off duty) should not have touched her, but dude, where was her back up... what were those men doing just watching it happen? Some have been on the news. They allege that they knew the attacker was a police officer, so they were apprehensive about getting involved. What does that say about us as a society? What does that tell you about those men?
We all have our tendencies, but come on... not allowing your fellow person to get beat up for cutting someone off at a bar (by the way, had she NOT cut him off and he hurt someone after leaving, the bartender and the bar might be held responsible later) has to be a priority. You have to care... a little. Ok, I hope a lot. You have to care about your fellow man... don't you?

I am reminded about another incident that happened two weeks ago. There was a train derailment. No one was hurt, but the trains were behind schedule. There were a TON of people at the train station. By the time I got on the train (an hour later than usual) it was packed. Figuring that I am young and everyone had been waiting just as long as me, I opted to stand for the ride and let an older person have my seat. I was standing up and I looked around me... there was only two men that were standing, all the rest of the people standing were women. I looked in the two cars and there are young men (my age or younger) sitting down while women and two older gentlemen were standing. THAT IS JUST WRONG. Where are your manners??? Why are we not being taught that in that situation, the thing to do is to at least OFFER your seat to a person that is older than you, or to a lady? Two of my guy friends tried to argue that women have asked for equality and if we are all equals then we should not be looking for an offer of a seat. WTF???? Since when does equality mean that you have to forget manners? I was (ok, I admit... I STILL am) pissed. I swear that manners have taken a backseat and really, that is not ok. I was not even looking for a seat. Really, I could care less if I sit down, but there was not even one offer made to ANY of the older ladies that were standing. No effort at all. Appalling.
If I was riding that train with my parents, they would have MADE me give up my seat to someone else. None of us would have enjoyed a seat as long as an older person was standing.
What ever happened to common courtesy?

Life is like a box of chocolates...

I take this famous... ok, maybe infamous line from Forrest Gump for one simple reason. Life truly is full of the most unexpected, random things. For this reason... and several others, I refuse to be jealous of anyone. You never really know what is going on in that persons life, what burdens they have to bear. I have seen first hand, several times, people know what you want to see and more often than not, they deliver. You don't really get the "real" them, you get what version they think you want to see. There are no flawless people. There are no perfect marriages. Every one struggles with the day to day job of getting up and having some sort of productive life. There is no one to compare your life with. Everyone does things that they regret... and if they have absolutely NO regrets, that is a problem also.
I am not going to use this blog to lay out my shortcomings, although they are numerous. I am also not going to use this blog to lay out other people's flaws. I will note, however, that no one has it easy. Lay off that co-worker that you think always kisses up... maybe he has limited communication skills. Lay off that chick that you think has everything... she could be really lonely. Give yourself some credit. When things are hard for you, know that you will make it through. Everyday is not going to be filled with sunshine... work through the dark times. It is worth it.

Something New

So I have been checking out blogger.com and looking to see what everyone else uses their page for, since I seem more and more incapable... with each passing day... to keep my blog up to date with my workouts and foods I am not supposed to be eating. As I took a stoll across the community, I quickly found that people use this as a serious outlet for their feelings of the day. I WAS going to use it as online evidence of working out. I mean really, I would not lie and say that I worked out on a blog, where truthfully it would take me longer to type up the fake workout than it would for me to actually DO a 30 minute workout. Now I think that I will take my clue from fellow bloggers and write about things as I see them, talk about my day, and generally use this as my own little soap box. I would like to say that I am going to place something inspiring up here everyday, but again, I would be lying. Truth is, my life is not super inspiring everyday. I wake up, take care of my pups, come to work, go home and take care of my pups. Life is simple for me. I will, however, commit to making little thoughts that I have available for review by my peers a couple of times a week. Be prepared... more than likely the updates will have something to do with work, and maybe even a workout or two! I will look for something insipiring... even if it is only inspiring to me! :) (This is a lot more exciting than typing out how exhausted I easily become when on the ellipical machine!) Happy Reading. jdm

Ok, I have figured out why I am so bad at this... too much time on MySpace. I blame everything on MySpace, but it is truly addicting. I am addicted. I am going to attempt to fill this blog with more LOVE, but after long days of tending to the Space that is Mine, I am sometimes hard pressed to find the strength. So, I have done what any good natured young adult would do... I put time to blog on my calendar every other day... now, will this be like do it, do it, do it, or will I look at it like an exercise appointment?? We shall see! :)

Really... I am going to do this!

I have been absolutely horrible about using this blog. Two weeks ago I went to the gym twice... working my way up to the 4 times a week I am supposed to be going. Last week I did not go at all. I am not sure why I have been feeling so apathetic, but I am going to get over it today. I have two reasons that I need to watch what I eat and how much I exercise... 10 year high school reunion at the end of April... College reunion of sorts in San Diego, Memorial Day weekend. I am going to blog at least twice a week. I actually do need this in order to CONSISTANTLY do what I am supposed to! More later this week! J

Slacker! :(

I have been a total slacker for the last couple of weeks. I had to take a week off when I got my teeth pulled (to avoid dry sockets) and then I was sick. That was another week off. I did work out twice last week... but seriously two times is far from the five that I promised myself. I did go to the grocery store and buy "healthy" food... now the issue is going to be making it. This is a struggle every day. I have two and a half months to slim down another 10 pounds, and while that sounds like a small amount... trust me, my eating habots and busy schedule do not lend to the weight loss needed.
I do have two pieces of motivation, 10 year high school reunion at the end of April and a newly planned trip to San Diego in May/June to see an old college buddy. I am sure that I will be on the beach and my friend is a guy... I cannot fail now. So, I am going to suck it up and do what I know I should... Here is to a new beginning in the second month of the year.