Soapbox

Excuse me while I step atop my soapbox.  

Conservatives (I was going to say Mitt Romney and all of his conservative friends, but honestly Mitt changes his stance on issues so fast I have no idea what he even stands for anymore) say they want minimal government.  They say they want the government out of their lives.  They say we shouldn't be forced to have healthcare.  They say the government shouldn't give handouts.  They say the government shouldn't force wealthy Americans to pay their fair share because somehow the wealthier the wealthy get the better off the poor will eventually become (because, you know, the wealthy are going to spend all of their wealth on things that are made in China therefore helping the poor in this country...makes a whole lot of sense, right?).

However, they also want to deny access to birth control.  They want to deny members of our so-called free society the right to marry.  They want to deny parents the right to parent in their own home by blocking porn (maybe they forgot that not all that long ago they were complaining that Michelle Obama was trying to take over their roles as parents by suggesting they should feed their children fruits and veggies instead of Twinkies?).  They also want to make it increasingly more difficult for the poor, the elderly, and minorities to vote.

So here's the thing.  If you want to play the "small government" card, if you want to call yourself a conservative, do it!  But that will also mean you will need to kindly remove yourself from my bedroom, my medicine cabinet, and my vagina.  You will need to refrain from dictating what filters I need to have on my computer.  And while you're at it, you should probably stop trying to shrink programs that help (minimally) sustain and support people while growing programs that discriminate.  

Either be conservative or don't.  But don't try to remove government from the places you don't want it while inserting it places where it seems to fit some crazy moral code you have created where one cell is considered human and must be protected at all costs while full-grown humans are cast aside, discriminated against, and denied basic human rights.

Now stepping off my soapbox.

How NOT to recruit volunteers...

A few days ago I received a call from someone for the Barack Obama campaign. Just so you know, I am all about President Obama, I’ll be voting for him, and I have donated to his campaign. At some point in the distant past I MAY have said I was interested in volunteering. But if I did it in the past 6 to 12 months, I don't remember doing so. Anyway, so I get a phone call the other day:

Danette (D): Hello?

Obama Campaign Organizer (O): This is Blah Blah with the Barack Obama campaign. I am the organizer for your district.

D: Oh! Great!

O: Several months ago you said you would like to volunteer. I was wondering if you would like to grab a cup of coffee to talk about volunteering (he also had a short spiel about how important it is that President Obama gets re-elected).

D: Great! I totally agree! But here’s the thing. I’m currently working full time, am just starting my last 5 classes of grad school, and am in an internship. I would LOVE to volunteer for the Obama campaign starting in July but I just can’t help out right now. Is there any way you could call me in July? (just so you know, I was completely serious. I actually would LOVE to volunteer anytime after graduation)

O: Well Danette, there are lots of ways to volunteer that don’t take much time at all. Why don’t we meet for coffee now and we can discuss ways you can be involved that don’t take much time.

D: I really can’t right now. But like I said, in July if you need help with knocking on doors, fundraising, phone calls, or licking envelopes, I’m your girl.

O: But Danette, we need to get organized now. I would love to meet with you for coffee and discuss ways in which you can be involved…

Click. I hung up.

I felt bad doing so, but seriously. If you have someone who is saying they will help out in a couple of months take that for what it is and move on. Don’t be obnoxious and continue to invite someone who doesn’t drink coffee to come meet you for a cup when she already said she doesn’t have time.

Jon Stewart with Mike Huckabee

Thanks to Justin for this -

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

VOTE

I am urging everyone to go out and 

VOTE 

tomorrow.  

I don't care which candidates you are supporting 

or what issues are important to you - 

just get out to the polls tomorrow 

and let your voice be heard.

Great Article

I read this article online today and thought I would share.  It was an editorial from The Christian Science Montior.

My wife made me canvass for Obama; 

here's what I learned

By Jonathan Curley

Charlotte, N.C. – There has been a lot of speculation that Barack Obama might win the election due to his better "ground game" and superior campaign organization.

I had the chance to view that organization up close this month when I canvassed for him. I'm not sure I learned much about his chances, but I learned a lot about myself and about this election.

Let me make it clear: I'm pretty conservative. I grew up in the suburbs. I voted for George H.W. Bush twice, and his son once. I was disappointed when Bill Clinton won, and disappointed he couldn't run again.

I encouraged my son to join the military. I was proud of him in Afghanistan, and happy when he came home, and angry when he was recalled because of the invasion of Iraq. I'm white, 55, I live in the South and I'm definitely going to get a bigger tax bill if Obama wins.

I am the dreaded swing voter.

So you can imagine my surprise when my wife suggested we spend a Saturday morning canvassing for Obama. I have never canvassed for any candidate. But I did, of course, what most middle-aged married men do: what I was told.

At the Obama headquarters, we stood in a group to receive our instructions. I wasn't the oldest, but close, and the youngest was maybe in high school. I watched a campaign organizer match up a young black man who looked to be college age with a white guy about my age to canvas together. It should not have been a big thing, but the beauty of the image did not escape me.

Instead of walking the tree-lined streets near our home, my wife and I were instructed to canvass a housing project. A middle-aged white couple with clipboards could not look more out of place in this predominantly black neighborhood.

We knocked on doors and voices from behind carefully locked doors shouted, "Who is it?"

"We're from the Obama campaign," we'd answer. And just like that doors opened and folks with wide smiles came out on the porch to talk.

Grandmothers kept one hand on their grandchildren and made sure they had all the information they needed for their son or daughter to vote for the first time.

Young people came to the door rubbing sleep from their eyes to find out where they could vote early, to make sure their vote got counted.

We knocked on every door we could find and checked off every name on our list. We did our job, but Obama may not have been the one who got the most out of the day's work.

I learned in just those three hours that this election is not about what we think of as the "big things."

It's not about taxes. I'm pretty sure mine are going to go up no matter who is elected.

It's not about foreign policy. I think we'll figure out a way to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan no matter which party controls the White House, mostly because the people who live there don't want us there anymore.

I don't see either of the candidates as having all the answers.

I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hopeand the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways.

My wife and I went out last weekend to knock on more doors. But this time, not because it was her idea. I don't know what it's going to do for the Obama campaign, but it's doing a lot for me.

Pictoral Proof

Pictoral proof that SA actually does have Obama cookies.  Now the question is just what is the ratio and why are the Obama ones so hard to come by???

Who is Barack Obama?

A touching look behind the scenes of the Democratic National Convention.

Prop 8

Proposition 8 is an issue that will be voted on in November in California. I wasn’t going to talk about it, but I am disturbed by the news I have been hearing about it lately.

Proposition 8 would basically turn over a decision made by the voter-elected judges of the California Supreme Court which ruled that according to the Constitution marriage is a basic human right to all people.

Why am I upset? A couple of reasons – both extremely personal for me.

The first is that I’m a lesbian. The decision that is made in November will affect my life. Yes, it’s in California and I’m not, but it could continue a precedent of ignorance and discrimination. As most gay people go, I’m fairly laid back about this issue. I don’t care if anyone calls what Kristin and I had last year a commitment ceremony, a union, or a marriage. I know what it was, and that is what is important to me.

I do care, however, that we don’t share any of the same rights that heterosexual couples share. I am just as committed to Kristin as any straight person is to his or her spouse. We were married (or committed or unionized or whatever) last year. We live together. I do the dishes, she scoops the cat poop. We sleep in on Sundays and write silly love notes to each other. Our paychecks are deposited into a shared account. We plan to buy a house, raise a family (which will include children, if we are so blessed), and grow old together. We have the same hopes and dreams for our lives and future as any straight couple has. We are just people. Just plain, ordinary people. This proposition is basically saying it doesn’t matter. Because I don’t fit into this certain mold, I am not worthy of being treated as an equal – and that disturbs me.

The second reason this is so disturbing to me is the Mormon Church and its active role in getting this proposition passed. I know they are not accepting of me and others like me. I have known that my whole life. What disturbs me is that they can use millions of members’ tithe dollars to support this, still be tax exempt (seriously?!?), and threaten members' memberships if they question the Church's involvement.

What is it about me that scares the Mormon Church? What is it about me that is so bad, wrong, and defiled that they feel they need to step in and defend an entire state from me?

The Church has always preached loving acceptance of your neighbor, but all that their support of this proposition does is show discrimination and hate. It flies in the face of everything I ever learned sitting within the hallowed walls of the building I worshipped in week after week growing up. They are preaching love and acceptance of those, and only those, who are willing to follow their rules and live by their laws.

I have thought, perhaps naively, that somehow the Church would change. That over time they would come to see and understand that homosexuals are not out to ruin families or destroy communities. But today I realized this change won’t be coming. I don’t think they will ever understand that I’m okay just the way I am and that I am a person worthy of all of the rights and privileges they enjoy.

One last thing I would add: How quickly they forget.

How quickly they forget about the persecution their ancestors endured a mere 150 years ago. How quickly they forget how early Mormons were driven out of their homes and denied their own basic rights. How quickly they forget that all those early members wanted was to be left in peace to live their lives in the way they saw fit. How quickly they have gone from being the persecuted to the persecutor.

I have done nothing to them. The marriage to my wife has absolutely no effect on the Church, its leaders, or its members. I am not here to recruit their children, break up their marriages, or ruin their economy. I am simply trying to be left in peace and to live my life in the way I see fit.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10662315

http://tinyurl.com/4zcpvb

VP Debate

I have never watched a debate before this year.  Call me stupid, call me ignorant, call me whatever you want to call me, but the whole thing just never seemed all that important to me.  I hadn’t even ever voted before the last presidential election.  I didn’t think my vote really counted for anything (not sure that it does now either, but that’s a discussion for another day), and none of the candidates ever got me really excited. 

This year has obviously been different.  I have been a strong Obama supporter since long before he announced his candidacy.  I find myself watching the polls and the debates not to help make my decision but to cheer on my team and to hear more about the issues that are discussed – I want to see how each side handles issues that are important to me (like the economy, gay rights, and the war in Iraq – uh, at what point did I get so old that issues actually matter to me?!?).  At this point there is nothing that could make me vote for McCain, but I actually want to know about and understand what’s going on.

I was nervous about Sarah Palin and how she might do last night.  There had been so much talk running up to the debate about how awful she was that expectations were very low.  I worried that perhaps she had played down her other interviews in order to appear stellar at the debate.  I worried that she would come across as a normal American that everyone would fall in love with and everything would be downhill from here.  I was worried Biden would come across too strongly or be judged too harshly against her.

As it was, I had little to worry about.  The debate was interesting.  Sarah did do better than most expected her to, but I was pleased to find my worries about her playing herself down were unfounded.  I also felt like she was very demeaning to the office of VP – talking like a down-home girl didn’t get her anywhere with me, sending a shout out to a 3^rd grade class, while cute, isn’t what I’m looking for in someone in that position.  I was annoyed by the fact that she blatantly said she wouldn’t answer some questions – that she would rather just talk straight with the American people.  Well, last time I checked that’s what campaigning is for.  Debates are to discuss the issues brought up by the moderator.  I think it was disrespectful to the moderator as well as to the public to ignore some of the questions and continue to pound on the few things she knows about.

Biden didn’t do perfectly, either.  I thought at times he came across as too political, but for the most part I felt like I was listening to a father figure explain things and redirect things in a calm and reassuring manner.  He did answer the gay marriage question a little too quickly for my tastes, though.  I mean, I get that they can’t come out and say they completely support gay marriage.  I understand their position and have understood Obama’s position from the beginning.  I’m okay with that, but Biden could have at least pretended to think about it for a split second before answering :)

Overall I liked the debate and am glad I watched it.  If you didn’t see it, I would urge you to watch  it via YouTube or other outlet.  And if you aren’t register to vote, get registered.  It’s too important not to (even if you’re planning to vote for McCain :)).

Hmm...

(Click to make it bigger!)

Quote from Joan Rivers

Just had to share:

"[Sarah Palin's] against premarital sex -- talk to her daughter. She's against abortion. She's against women's choice. She's against everything I stand for...It's all right because God forgave [daughter Bristol.] God should have handed her a condom."

Funny Cartoon

I love this and had to share... (click on it to make it bigger)

Yes We Can...

For well over a year I have been a supporter of Barack Obama for president. I was a supporter before he ever announced his candidacy. Back then I loved his passion for people and for service to our country. I loved his candor and his openness. I loved his dedication to his faith and his family. That was a year ago. I still admire and support him for all of those reasons and so many more.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear him speak in person. I heard that he would be coming to Minneapolis for a rally, and immediately logged on to his site and requested a ticket. I encouraged Kristin to do the same (okay, so I practically forced her). We were supposed to go see him several months ago when he was here, but Kristin was sick that day and we didn’t make it, so I was adamant that I would go to see him this time – with or without Kristin. This time he was coming to the Target Center – which holds 22,000 people. I was a little shocked that they decided to have it there – 22,000 is a lot of people. The doors opened at 1:30, so we decided if we were there by 1:45 we’d be fine. We arrived shortly before 2 and were directed to walk down the street to join the end of the line. As we walked we looked up at the skyway – every one we saw was full of people waiting in line. We decided against going into the warm skyway – figuring the line would be shorter outside in the cold. So we walked. One block – the line wrapped around the building. Two blocks – the line went over a bridge. Three blocks, four, five. It went down a side street and back up the other side. When we were sure it couldn’t possibly go any further, it turned and kept going. Well over a mile later, we finally found the end.

We stood in the same spot for awhile. The wind whipped past us and the cold started to set in. Many people talked about whether to give up, walk the mile plus back, and just go home to watch it on tv or youtube later. Just when I was sure we or someone around us would make that decision the line would move a bit and slowly we made our way back up the path we had just come down. Eventually the Target Center came into view and slowly it was closer and closer.

After about two hours in the cold (no coat!) we made it into the Target Center. Our fingers were stiff and toes were numb with the cold, but we were there in the building. We were immediately directed to head upstairs. We were some of the last to arrive and were seated up high in the “nosebleed” section. That was okay with me. I didn’t need to see every pore on his face – just wanted to hear him and what he had to say to those of us here in the frozen tundra of Minnesota.
I know this is going to sound sappy, but when he was announced and came walking out and the amazing crowd of 20,000+ people erupted into cheers and applause tears came to my eyes, and I was completely overwhelmed with pride for our state, our country, and for this man that brought so many people from so many different backgrounds together. Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, old, young, fat, thin, rich, poor, democrat, republican, gay, straight…all brought together by this one incredible man.

His speech was amazing – he touched on things important to the nation like security and health care as well as things important to Minnesotans like Paul Wellstone. He has done extremely well in the primaries and caucuses and continues to gain momentum each day.

Why do I like Obama more than Clinton? His fresh look on how to get things done, his hopeful yet honest outlook on the future of this country, his solutions to the problems our country faces, his lack of “real” Washington political experience, and most of all, his ability to bring so many people from all different backgrounds together. Barack Obama is the first candidate of any kind to get donations from me. He is the first candidate I’ve gone to see in person. He is the first candidate that has truly inspired me.

No matter how the election turns out, I know he will change the world. As we were walking to find the end of the line that day a few weeks ago, two older men were walking ahead of us. One turned to the other after walking for over ½ mile and said “this is what change is.” Amen, my friend.