Well crap.
I had really good intentions to spend the evening stitching (still working on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), but that mostly didn't happen due to the fact that I've spent the night reading, thinking, blogging (elsewhere), discussing in forums, and smoking while I think about the Presidential election.
And while I know that only about five people even read this blog (counting my partner!), I'm going to post what I'm thinking about and writing about anyway. I'm not apologizing or disclaiming-- because it's my blog and I can do what I want-- you don't have to read it. But honestly-- the fact are in-- some of my work is political because I'm a political person. I love reading and talking about politics, and presidential elections make me wildly crazy in both good and bad ways. So I've got a lot to think about.
First, I'm going to hit you with a link about how wicked sketchy Sarah Palin is, which someone just posted in the childfree community over on livejournal. And while we're doing links, here's Paul Begala on how McCain is out of his mind.Second, I wrote this earlier tonight. It was originally posted to facebook, then my livejournal.
To my friends who identify as republican, or lean that way. We are at a critical juncture in America, and I feel like I want to write something about it. I live in St. Paul, MN now, where the Republican National Convention will be happening next week, and it's a very strange feeling to hear so much about GOP stuff because St. Paul has a democratic mayor (as does Mpls, where I work and many of our friends live), and most of my friends are very progressive-- more to the left than the average democrat. There is no one party I can vote for and truly vote my beliefs and conscience. I am a feminist who believes fundamentally in the right of a woman to make choices about her own reproductive life. I am a queer person who believes fundamentally in the myriad of rights brought about by same sex marriage/unions. These two big identity issues put me on the democrat side of things. I also fundamentally believe in the right to possess firearms because I grew up in a household where I was taught from a young age that guns are dangerous and I wasn't to touch them until I was older and properly trained. I also believe that there are many issues that our federal government should butt out of and leave up to states, counties, and municipalities. These beliefs bring me down on a more libertarian place in the political spectrum. When I cast a vote for president in November, I plan to cast that vote for Barack Obama. I'm telling you this because I believe in the power of hearing what other people feel in the depths of their hearts, not just what the pundits on television are yelling about. I intend to cast a vote for Sen. Obama because I believe that his commitment to working families of all races is crucial for the future. I believe that together, with the Cabinet, many other advisors, and the Congress/Senate, there can be positive changes made in our society that can and will benefit people in many ways. The republican regime that is in power right now has done nothing but serve the superrich-- not even the rich have benefited as much as they were promised by Bush & Company, and in the past 8 years, we have seen nothing but the federal goverment increase in size, not decrease as traditional republicans favor, and the national debt has skyrocketed because they are spending more than $300million each day. That's $237,083 each minute-- and what do we have to show for it? Thousands of human lives, ended. Yes, Saddam Hussein is dead--but Iraq is faced with an entire set of problems now, and many of our own problems here at home are not being addressed. Veterans benefits, for one-- GWB has cut veteran's benefits, at a time when his administration is creating more veterans. That makes no sense to me. Education has been gutted around the country "thanks" to No Child Left Behind. I could go on and on about the ways I believe our country is weaker and suffering because of the past eight years. I believe that John McCain and Sarah Palin will not advance anything for most citizens of this country. McCain is so wealthy that he doesn't even know how many homes his family owns (seven), and Palin is so inflexible in her ideology surrounding reproductive choice that she believes that even survivors of rape and incest should be denied the right to an abortion if they want one. Let that sink in for a minute-- the governor of Alaska, who before being elected governor was the mayor of a town smaller than the universities I attended, believes that she has the right to tell me and the other millions of women in this country that if we are survivors of rape or incest and are impregnated by our violator, that we should not have access to abortion. You may believe that abortion is wrong-- I'll be immature and suggest that you don't have one if you believe it is wrong. Because to me, telling millions of other people what to do is wrong. Failing to educate our nation's young people about safe sex, adequate birth control, and other sexual health issues is wrong. Telling me & my partner, and the millions of other same sex couples in this country that we are second class citizens is wrong. Many people don't realize the number of rights and privileges that we are denied. Some states have made it illegal for gays and lesbians to adopt children. Because we aren't allowed to marry, we aren't guaranteed legal rights to shared property in the event one of us passes away. We can be blocked from visiting each other in the hospital if our families choose to do that, and while husbands and wives make medical decisions for each other every day, I can't do that for my partner without a legal document for medical power of attorney. Our health insurance coverage costs come out of my paycheck AFTER taxes, not before like married couples (and in order to even get domestic partner benefits at my job, I had to provide HR w/ an affidavit swearing our partnership w/ documents to back it up. Opposite sex married couples do not have to do this.) The Grand Old Party is neither grand, nor old. The Republican ideals of years past are no longer the strong interest of the ruling republican party of today. Doesn't anyone else find it strange that many democrats believe in policies that allow people to make choices for themselves and live their lives, where the republicans now believe in telling people how they can live? I don't make a ton of money, and don't want my check taxed so much that I need a second job, and I understand where many of your financial political concerns come from. But I ask you to consider in your heart of hearts, the plight of working class people, people of color, LGBT folks, women who need to have some control over their reproductive rights, ad infinitum. I'm not asking you to vote for Obama, but I am asking you to search your soul before you cast a vote for McCain/Palin. Really consider what you're asking for.
Third, as I have been reading so many articles, blog posts, forum discussions, and had chats w/ various friends tonight, I've been thinking about what really pisses me off about McCain selecting Gov. Palin as his running mate.
My mom is a more-or-less moderate person when it comes to politics. My mom is an amazing woman-- she raised me to believe that I could be anything I wanted when I grew up. She dressed me in frilly dresses and put my waist-length locks in curlers, and I looked like a doll sometimes, but she also had me doing sports and learning piano. My mom encouraged my love of reading and writing, and in the last few years, my mom has finally come to the realization that she's a smart woman. She's so open to opinions that when she reads one side, she says "oh yeah! I see what you're saying!" then she reads the opposing view and says "oh yeah! I see what you're saying too!" But she knows that ultimately, she has to make a choice when it comes to casting her ballot.
I don't know how my mom is leaning right now. Part of it is that I live 715 miles from my parents, so we can't just sit around and talk politics. Also, my mom doesn't like to fight the way that my dad and I do-- she would rather do her research on her own and come to a decision without all the gesticulating and yelling that dad and I do (out of love and passion for the argument--no real disrespect between us).
My mom is part of the demographic that John McCain is courting by selecting Sarah Palin. My mom is a white woman in her 50s who doesn't solidly belong to one party or the other. She is a spiritual seeker, and while she is pro-life, she has complex and nuanced views on other topics. She may or may not like the idea of seeing more women in high levels of government, and she probably believes in pay equality between the sexes. She is caught between her arguing husband (republican) and daughter (far-leftist who votes democrat), and has to choose.
I'm angry about Palin because I resent that McCain and his advisors think that women like my mom would rather vote for a white man who will be the eldest president inaugurated if he wins, and a white woman in her 40s w/ five kids, and very conservative views on topics like creationism, lgbt rights, and abortion rights than vote for an African-American man. (Palin is a member of Feminists for Life (ha!), an organization besides being misnamed, believes that you should not have an abortion even if you were impregnated during rape or incest.)
I belive that I have time to talk with my mom (or email, whatever) about how 4 more years of republican regime will directly impact my life as a dyke. (I prefer the word dyke, but Mom thinks it's hard and crass-- she says gay, which is fine. I'm happy that she says it at all--it was a hard journey.)
I'm angry that this is what the republican party considers the best of the best. And while I would love to see a woman VP/Prez in my lifetime, I don't want one who I view as a misogynist, and I truly believe that's what women like Palin are-- misogynists.
So I guess that's what I have to say right now. There will likely be more of this.
And so this remains x-stitch related, here you go. :)
My mom is a more-or-less moderate person when it comes to politics. My mom is an amazing woman-- she raised me to believe that I could be anything I wanted when I grew up. She dressed me in frilly dresses and put my waist-length locks in curlers, and I looked like a doll sometimes, but she also had me doing sports and learning piano. My mom encouraged my love of reading and writing, and in the last few years, my mom has finally come to the realization that she's a smart woman. She's so open to opinions that when she reads one side, she says "oh yeah! I see what you're saying!" then she reads the opposing view and says "oh yeah! I see what you're saying too!" But she knows that ultimately, she has to make a choice when it comes to casting her ballot.
I don't know how my mom is leaning right now. Part of it is that I live 715 miles from my parents, so we can't just sit around and talk politics. Also, my mom doesn't like to fight the way that my dad and I do-- she would rather do her research on her own and come to a decision without all the gesticulating and yelling that dad and I do (out of love and passion for the argument--no real disrespect between us).
My mom is part of the demographic that John McCain is courting by selecting Sarah Palin. My mom is a white woman in her 50s who doesn't solidly belong to one party or the other. She is a spiritual seeker, and while she is pro-life, she has complex and nuanced views on other topics. She may or may not like the idea of seeing more women in high levels of government, and she probably believes in pay equality between the sexes. She is caught between her arguing husband (republican) and daughter (far-leftist who votes democrat), and has to choose.
I'm angry about Palin because I resent that McCain and his advisors think that women like my mom would rather vote for a white man who will be the eldest president inaugurated if he wins, and a white woman in her 40s w/ five kids, and very conservative views on topics like creationism, lgbt rights, and abortion rights than vote for an African-American man. (Palin is a member of Feminists for Life (ha!), an organization besides being misnamed, believes that you should not have an abortion even if you were impregnated during rape or incest.)
I belive that I have time to talk with my mom (or email, whatever) about how 4 more years of republican regime will directly impact my life as a dyke. (I prefer the word dyke, but Mom thinks it's hard and crass-- she says gay, which is fine. I'm happy that she says it at all--it was a hard journey.)
I'm angry that this is what the republican party considers the best of the best. And while I would love to see a woman VP/Prez in my lifetime, I don't want one who I view as a misogynist, and I truly believe that's what women like Palin are-- misogynists.
So I guess that's what I have to say right now. There will likely be more of this.
And so this remains x-stitch related, here you go. :)
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