Detective Dogwith has been nudging me to uncover this particular Elephant-in-the-Room for awhile, now, and today is the day. This Elephant sits in bank corners, bars, and the family dinner table. It's Money-Hating.
I hate money. There. I said it. If you are a fan of "The Secret", you're likely salivating right now. I look like a prime candidate for your club, don't I? Clearly I must not understand that I am about to generate a whole lotta financial crises for myself just by this one post. After all, if I send out to the Universe the message that I hate money, the Universe will shrug and stop sending it to me. Stay positive, Ameriga, your club would tell me.
Here's positive for you: I positively hate money. I have visions of myself dressed up like Rambo, all sweaty with black stuff in smeared streaks on my face and taught arms - and there's Money, looking much like the Geico commercial, in a stack with googely eyes on top, all tied up in rope and quivering with fear.
I level my bazooka and growl "any last words, Money?"
Now I'm the one salivating. I love that dream. And I'm not alone. In this economy, there's a whole lotta people with fear and loathing of money.
Cash had been King forever, and in the last couple of decades, its throne has been toppled for Credit instead. Now Cash has regained its supremecy like a vengeful god. "How dare you worship Credit over me?!" roareth Lord Money, as it topples banks, devestates the auto and airplane industries, imprisons energy in its towers, and throws homeowners into the dungeons, never to see the light of day again.
Well, this is what you get for not electing me President last November. In my first 100 days, I would have abolished national currency, closed down the treasury, auctioned off Fort Knox, paid down our national debt, and reverted the nation to a barter system. Wouldn't you love to be able to pay back your credit card companies with home-baked goods? or whatever service you happen to be good at?
Sure you would. Because you hate money, too. C'mon, you can admit it. Don't worry - I won't tell the Secret club. I won't even tell the Universe. Go ahead, say it loud - say it proud! "I hate money!" No more shall the Money-Hating Elephant invisibly crowd your family room! Never again shall it take up two barstools or sit between you and your banker! Stick your head out the window and yell "I hate money and I won't take it anymore!" (hmm, wait, that sounds vaguely familiar. *grin* If you're a movie buff, you'll know what I mean.) Okay, let's make this simple. We'll take a poll. Who should be King? Cash, Credit, or Barter?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Healthy Is as the Media Does
Ever see "Jesus Christ: Superstar"? One of the songs asks Jesus why he decided to appear in a time that had no mass communication, suggesting his life would have been spared and more powerful if he had appeared today instead.
Hmm. That makes me picture Jesus as the media mogul that Jonathan Pryce played in the Bond flick, "Tomorrow Never Dies." A rather corrupting role for Jesus. Word of mouth was definitely better.
Mass communication can be just as dangerous as it can be enlightening. Take the Swine Flu, for instance. The media took Mexico's fear about how fast it spread and projected it into countries worldwide - even succeeding in causing behavior change in the U.S. and other "first world" nations.
It's just flu, people. Hand-washing, diet, exercise, vitamins, rest - these are all things that both prevent and help people recover from flu. The young and elderly are more vulnerable, as we know, so they need greater preventive care.
No need to slaughter thousands of pigs. No need to stop buying pork (if that's something you typically buy). No need to stop flying airplanes or close schools or panic in any way. It's just flu.
The media has taken our fear of bioterrorism and pandemics and capitalized on it to sell print, so they can sell more advertising and make money. And they did it successfully. Behavior changed all over the world. People began wearing face masks in public places. Even our Vice President, Joe Biden, said he'd not let his family travel. (I'll bet Obama had some choice words for him after that snafu!)
Overall, we're a pretty healthy country (aside from obesity and a tendancy to murder each other) and we have access to clean water, clean food, clean facilities, and good medical care. We prevent well and we heal well from flu. A pandemic in and of itself could never cripple this country.
But fear can. If the media tells us to be sick and afraid, we will. The Swine flu Elephant-in-a-Room is simply this: we're only as healthy as the media says we are.
Hmm. That makes me picture Jesus as the media mogul that Jonathan Pryce played in the Bond flick, "Tomorrow Never Dies." A rather corrupting role for Jesus. Word of mouth was definitely better.
Mass communication can be just as dangerous as it can be enlightening. Take the Swine Flu, for instance. The media took Mexico's fear about how fast it spread and projected it into countries worldwide - even succeeding in causing behavior change in the U.S. and other "first world" nations.
It's just flu, people. Hand-washing, diet, exercise, vitamins, rest - these are all things that both prevent and help people recover from flu. The young and elderly are more vulnerable, as we know, so they need greater preventive care.
No need to slaughter thousands of pigs. No need to stop buying pork (if that's something you typically buy). No need to stop flying airplanes or close schools or panic in any way. It's just flu.
The media has taken our fear of bioterrorism and pandemics and capitalized on it to sell print, so they can sell more advertising and make money. And they did it successfully. Behavior changed all over the world. People began wearing face masks in public places. Even our Vice President, Joe Biden, said he'd not let his family travel. (I'll bet Obama had some choice words for him after that snafu!)
Overall, we're a pretty healthy country (aside from obesity and a tendancy to murder each other) and we have access to clean water, clean food, clean facilities, and good medical care. We prevent well and we heal well from flu. A pandemic in and of itself could never cripple this country.
But fear can. If the media tells us to be sick and afraid, we will. The Swine flu Elephant-in-a-Room is simply this: we're only as healthy as the media says we are.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Silence, Murder, and Responsibility
This morning's paper reported a father shot his five children and then himself. The mother was not home at the time, and is now quite traumatized.
Yesterday's paper - 13 killed in an immigration center, the gunman shooting himself in the end. This was just three hours away from my home.
In the last 30 days, today's news marks the fifth case of multiple murders in the U.S. The headline in yesterday's paper was "When Will This Stop?"
I think the recession has hit everyone hard, and people are reacting with more hopelessness than necessary. If there was ever a time that we need to reach out and be kind to strangers, now is that time. A kind word of hope, encouragement, friendship - in these tumultuous times - could save a life.
I understand the urge to murder. Even premeditated. I have imagined committing murder and I have survived attempted murder. My first husband lost it one night, and I ended up in the hospital and him in jail. I was 24 years old. I'm lucky to be here today.
When I was 15, I wanted to commit murder. I imagined every detail of it - getting a big knife from the kitchen in the middle of the night, creeping into my mother's room, and plunging it right into her heart. Not out of anger, or out of fear for myself, but out of duty. I was the oldest of four girls, and she was traumatizing us all - especially my younger two sisters. At that moment, at 15, laying in my bed in the dark and listening to my little sister screaming, I was too frozen and frightened to move, to rescue her. So I imagined murder as my way to rescue her and my other sisters. My sister'sscreams turned to sobs, and my mother's angry tread and bedroom door slam indicated the worst was over. I didn't dare go to my sister yet - I knew what would happen if I did. We were not allowed to comfort each other. I fell asleep, comforted by the thought of matricide. I woke up the next morning and knew I could never do it. And I felt ashamed for not having the courage to murder my own mother.
Telling someone else? like the police, or even a school counselor? Out of the question. At that time, my sisters and I were very clear that we could never beseparated, and reporting our mother meant separate foster homes. Never would we report her. And that bond we forged has existed to this day - you will never find a closer group of sisters - even though we live many miles away from each other. We know now, as adults, that of course we should have reported her. She could have got treatment if we had, and we would have eventually found each other again, or not have beenseparated at all. As an adult, I know there are many options other than murder, and it wasn't lack of courage that made me stop, it was my own humanity.
But I have children of my own, now. And if I should walk in and find someone hurting one of my daughters, I'd probably not think to call the police - the human animal inside me would roar forth and my teeth and nails would be ripping that person apart.
It is likely my childhood has made me more likely to commit a crime of passion than the average person, not that I would, but statistically speaking it's more likely. Perhaps my natural sense of humanity - even in that situation - would step in again and I'd hang onto rational behavior. Hitting the perp over the head and knocking him cold would be more rational than tearing out his ears with my teeth and thrusting my thumbs in his eyes and tearing the flesh from his bones - but not near assatisfying.
See? I understand murder from the perspective of a mountain lion protecting her cubs. Whether my sisters or my own children, I do understand that I have that capacity, and I understand that it is a capacity in all of us. Pain, fear, protection, survival - these can all be the source of passionate or premeditated murder. Yes, yes - we can work on ourselves through faith and counseling and meditation and rebuilding and a host of other healing options, but we don't live in a world that can work if we think to heal only ourselves. We can start there, but we can't stop there.
Our culture in America has become so closed and private. We don't communicate with our neighbors beyond a friendly hello. We feel shame when we fall down, and don't ask for help from even our own family unless we truly have no other choice. Americans honor the self so much that we have lost connection to other humans, to nature, to our spirits. It's one thing to be of a bootstrap mentality - it is honorable to be self-reliant and break your own path. But it's another thing to take that to its extreme and cut ourselves off so much that we don't see what's happening right under our noses, or we wait to ask for help when it is too late.
What happened to me and my sisters is nothing compared to what happened to my mother. I know, now, where her behavior came from. And it just proves my point:
It is not the aggressor that is hurting our country. It is the silence of good people who could have done something about it before it escalated.
Our country was founded on the principle that those who have the ability to take action, have the responsibility to take action. Not vigilante-ism, no Big Brother, no overly-quick accusations, no tattling. That's not what that principle means. Ultimately, it simply means, Love Thy Neighbor.
With murder, there are always as many clues beforehand as afterward. We need to stop ignoring those clues, stop saying "it's not my place to interfere." There is a balance between having some sense ofresponsibility for the people in your community and being a watchdog/tattle-tale. We need to find that balance, be respectful of our neighbors who wish privacy, yet open enough so they know they can always change their mind. Do that - be IN the world as much as OF the world, and our culture will open doors that are alternatives to murder for people who are so lost and in such pain that they can't imagine anything else. And not just for murder. For justice. For the environment. For education. For positive social change.
It is the silence of good people that hurts our country the most.
Yesterday's paper - 13 killed in an immigration center, the gunman shooting himself in the end. This was just three hours away from my home.
In the last 30 days, today's news marks the fifth case of multiple murders in the U.S. The headline in yesterday's paper was "When Will This Stop?"
I think the recession has hit everyone hard, and people are reacting with more hopelessness than necessary. If there was ever a time that we need to reach out and be kind to strangers, now is that time. A kind word of hope, encouragement, friendship - in these tumultuous times - could save a life.
I understand the urge to murder. Even premeditated. I have imagined committing murder and I have survived attempted murder. My first husband lost it one night, and I ended up in the hospital and him in jail. I was 24 years old. I'm lucky to be here today.
When I was 15, I wanted to commit murder. I imagined every detail of it - getting a big knife from the kitchen in the middle of the night, creeping into my mother's room, and plunging it right into her heart. Not out of anger, or out of fear for myself, but out of duty. I was the oldest of four girls, and she was traumatizing us all - especially my younger two sisters. At that moment, at 15, laying in my bed in the dark and listening to my little sister screaming, I was too frozen and frightened to move, to rescue her. So I imagined murder as my way to rescue her and my other sisters. My sister'sscreams turned to sobs, and my mother's angry tread and bedroom door slam indicated the worst was over. I didn't dare go to my sister yet - I knew what would happen if I did. We were not allowed to comfort each other. I fell asleep, comforted by the thought of matricide. I woke up the next morning and knew I could never do it. And I felt ashamed for not having the courage to murder my own mother.
Telling someone else? like the police, or even a school counselor? Out of the question. At that time, my sisters and I were very clear that we could never beseparated, and reporting our mother meant separate foster homes. Never would we report her. And that bond we forged has existed to this day - you will never find a closer group of sisters - even though we live many miles away from each other. We know now, as adults, that of course we should have reported her. She could have got treatment if we had, and we would have eventually found each other again, or not have beenseparated at all. As an adult, I know there are many options other than murder, and it wasn't lack of courage that made me stop, it was my own humanity.
But I have children of my own, now. And if I should walk in and find someone hurting one of my daughters, I'd probably not think to call the police - the human animal inside me would roar forth and my teeth and nails would be ripping that person apart.
It is likely my childhood has made me more likely to commit a crime of passion than the average person, not that I would, but statistically speaking it's more likely. Perhaps my natural sense of humanity - even in that situation - would step in again and I'd hang onto rational behavior. Hitting the perp over the head and knocking him cold would be more rational than tearing out his ears with my teeth and thrusting my thumbs in his eyes and tearing the flesh from his bones - but not near assatisfying.
See? I understand murder from the perspective of a mountain lion protecting her cubs. Whether my sisters or my own children, I do understand that I have that capacity, and I understand that it is a capacity in all of us. Pain, fear, protection, survival - these can all be the source of passionate or premeditated murder. Yes, yes - we can work on ourselves through faith and counseling and meditation and rebuilding and a host of other healing options, but we don't live in a world that can work if we think to heal only ourselves. We can start there, but we can't stop there.
Our culture in America has become so closed and private. We don't communicate with our neighbors beyond a friendly hello. We feel shame when we fall down, and don't ask for help from even our own family unless we truly have no other choice. Americans honor the self so much that we have lost connection to other humans, to nature, to our spirits. It's one thing to be of a bootstrap mentality - it is honorable to be self-reliant and break your own path. But it's another thing to take that to its extreme and cut ourselves off so much that we don't see what's happening right under our noses, or we wait to ask for help when it is too late.
What happened to me and my sisters is nothing compared to what happened to my mother. I know, now, where her behavior came from. And it just proves my point:
It is not the aggressor that is hurting our country. It is the silence of good people who could have done something about it before it escalated.
Our country was founded on the principle that those who have the ability to take action, have the responsibility to take action. Not vigilante-ism, no Big Brother, no overly-quick accusations, no tattling. That's not what that principle means. Ultimately, it simply means, Love Thy Neighbor.
With murder, there are always as many clues beforehand as afterward. We need to stop ignoring those clues, stop saying "it's not my place to interfere." There is a balance between having some sense ofresponsibility for the people in your community and being a watchdog/tattle-tale. We need to find that balance, be respectful of our neighbors who wish privacy, yet open enough so they know they can always change their mind. Do that - be IN the world as much as OF the world, and our culture will open doors that are alternatives to murder for people who are so lost and in such pain that they can't imagine anything else. And not just for murder. For justice. For the environment. For education. For positive social change.
It is the silence of good people that hurts our country the most.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Compassionate Conservatism for W
Here's an elephant in the room: what is going to happen to George Walker Bush in January? Will he go quietly into the night? Will he tour the country making stump speeches for Republican candidates in the years to come? Get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking engagements?
Not likely. George W. Bush stood by and helplessly watched his presidency walk out onto a gang plank. The biggest shock to this country as a result may very well happen after he is out of office.
Here's a man who has led a very difficult silver spoon life. Alcoholism is no joke. On top of that, his presidency has been dogged with one misstep after another, and now, in the waning days of his presidency, he is hated by many and dismissed by the rest. Some say he'll face war crimes. Some say he should have been impeached. Some claim he knew that the twin towers were going to be hit (and worse). Some say he just didn't have enough critical thinking skills to handle the job, and he let arrogant others run the Oval Office into the ground, standing by helplessly.
He has looked like a deer in headlights in front of the press during this economic crisis. Dick Cheney has all but disappeared from view. Oliver Stone has splashed all the painful reminders of W.'s personal life on the big screen for the world to see. The mood of the country is one of palpable relief that a new president - any new president - will take the reins from his helpless fingers.
George W. Bush is constantly being watched right now, by his staff, his wife, the Secret Service. They all know that it is very hard for any human to take the severe public criticism W. is under. It is especially hard for a former alcoholic. He likely feels worthless, numb, angry in lucid moments, frightened, and wishing it all were over.
In the days following the passing of the baton in January, it won't all be over. The criticism will be louder. The new administration will release documents formerly suppressed. Only George W. Bush knows the magnitude of inappropriate presidential actions that will be uncovered from his tenure. The fear, the worthlessness, the wishing for numbness will increase. He may sit at the edge of his bed, unable to get up and get dressed, unable to lay back down, frozen, with a drink back in his shaking hands, wishing it all would just go away.
When the spotlight is gone, when a new president is in place, when his cronies have all departed in their separate directions, the vigilance on George will need to increase, or we could very well see the first suicide of an American president.
We must remember that, for all his failings and however much he deserves his critics, George W. Bush also deserves compassion, however conservative we feel about giving it. His suicide would be a shock this country would not be able to take. The failed presidency is the fault of George W. Bush. His suicide would be the fault of an American public that elected him in the first place, gave this weak man a rope, and dared him to do it.
Not likely. George W. Bush stood by and helplessly watched his presidency walk out onto a gang plank. The biggest shock to this country as a result may very well happen after he is out of office.
Here's a man who has led a very difficult silver spoon life. Alcoholism is no joke. On top of that, his presidency has been dogged with one misstep after another, and now, in the waning days of his presidency, he is hated by many and dismissed by the rest. Some say he'll face war crimes. Some say he should have been impeached. Some claim he knew that the twin towers were going to be hit (and worse). Some say he just didn't have enough critical thinking skills to handle the job, and he let arrogant others run the Oval Office into the ground, standing by helplessly.
He has looked like a deer in headlights in front of the press during this economic crisis. Dick Cheney has all but disappeared from view. Oliver Stone has splashed all the painful reminders of W.'s personal life on the big screen for the world to see. The mood of the country is one of palpable relief that a new president - any new president - will take the reins from his helpless fingers.
George W. Bush is constantly being watched right now, by his staff, his wife, the Secret Service. They all know that it is very hard for any human to take the severe public criticism W. is under. It is especially hard for a former alcoholic. He likely feels worthless, numb, angry in lucid moments, frightened, and wishing it all were over.
In the days following the passing of the baton in January, it won't all be over. The criticism will be louder. The new administration will release documents formerly suppressed. Only George W. Bush knows the magnitude of inappropriate presidential actions that will be uncovered from his tenure. The fear, the worthlessness, the wishing for numbness will increase. He may sit at the edge of his bed, unable to get up and get dressed, unable to lay back down, frozen, with a drink back in his shaking hands, wishing it all would just go away.
When the spotlight is gone, when a new president is in place, when his cronies have all departed in their separate directions, the vigilance on George will need to increase, or we could very well see the first suicide of an American president.
We must remember that, for all his failings and however much he deserves his critics, George W. Bush also deserves compassion, however conservative we feel about giving it. His suicide would be a shock this country would not be able to take. The failed presidency is the fault of George W. Bush. His suicide would be the fault of an American public that elected him in the first place, gave this weak man a rope, and dared him to do it.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Glenn Beck, Bootstrapping, and Smaller Government
As a future President of the United States, I think it is important to listen to the pop culture of the day, so I can stay in tune with the public.
One of the icons, naturally, is Glenn Beck. Surprised? Well, in spite of my liberal leanings, I do have some conservative values. Glenn Beck speaks to those values. I do get offended, frequently, at some of his positions - (more oil drilling? are you kidding? do you really want to defer our energy problems and global warming to your kids to solve?) - but for all his wrong-headedness, there are times when he makes really valid points.
And, he is real. He was talking today about some of the truly tough spots he has been in - alcoholism, foreclosure, losing everything but his name, and even that he felt he had sold at one time.
You have to admire a man who can fall down and pick himself back up again, and be willing to speak about it. He is honest and forthcoming. Wrong on some of his positions, but if he should ever come to me, as President, requesting I seriously consider a policy change, I will certainly give him my full attention. It is not easy to listen to someone with whom you frequently disagree, but when that someone has the courage to make a mistake, admit it, and correct it, then he deserves respect and a fair opportunity to state his case.
Glenn Beck promotes a smaller government. On this, we agree. Our federal government was never intended to be this large. FDR expanded it greatly, creating jobs in a time when our country desperately needed them, but the result has been a dependence on government not just for jobs, but for everything.
America's principles originally were based on a bootstrap mentality. Every person who could work, did work, and raised families and built industry with their own two hands - not depending on government to shoulder their burdens. There was pride in that. Where did that go?
Well, it began with FDR. Not intentionally - he was a bootstrapper himself in many ways. I don't think he realized the long-term consequences of creating bigger government. And every presidency has added to the growing pile of agencies in some way, until now it is so bloated and inefficient that its debt has exceeded its ability to pay it down.
Under an Ameriga Columbus administration, government WILL become smaller. More power will go to the states, and along with it, more tax revenues. Tax revenues should not be taken and spent at the federal level - they should be passed through to the states and localities. Bootstrapping begins at home. For emergencies, we should all pitch in. Yup, for natural disasters, each state should put something in to help the one that's been hit, rather than depending on the feds to rush in to the rescue.
Interstate commerce, treasury, foreign policy, national security, postal services - these are federal. I'll take a close look at every other agency and see how much can be closed down and shifted to state responsibility. Most states have their own departments of health and energy and education, etc. It is duplicative to have them at the national level as well. If anything, the national level of those agencies should be focused on research: how does our education compare to other nations? how can we best support health research? what are our national and global energy projections? That kind of research can support the states to make good decisions on education and health, etc. Federal level agencies are best as clearinghouses of information, not as regulators and mandate enforcers.
I think Glenn Beck would applaud the reorganization and shrinking of federal government, and the corresponding reduction in taxes to everyone as a result. Not that I'm seeking his approval - he is completely wrong on energy policy - but he has made valid points about the way the feds spend taxpayer dollars and the bloated, inefficient nature of our federal government.
I will change all that. Not yet - it's going to be Barack Obama's turn beginning January 2009 - but he can't be President for more than two terms. I'll be here, celebrating and challenging him as the case may be.
Onward and upward,
Ameriga
One of the icons, naturally, is Glenn Beck. Surprised? Well, in spite of my liberal leanings, I do have some conservative values. Glenn Beck speaks to those values. I do get offended, frequently, at some of his positions - (more oil drilling? are you kidding? do you really want to defer our energy problems and global warming to your kids to solve?) - but for all his wrong-headedness, there are times when he makes really valid points.
And, he is real. He was talking today about some of the truly tough spots he has been in - alcoholism, foreclosure, losing everything but his name, and even that he felt he had sold at one time.
You have to admire a man who can fall down and pick himself back up again, and be willing to speak about it. He is honest and forthcoming. Wrong on some of his positions, but if he should ever come to me, as President, requesting I seriously consider a policy change, I will certainly give him my full attention. It is not easy to listen to someone with whom you frequently disagree, but when that someone has the courage to make a mistake, admit it, and correct it, then he deserves respect and a fair opportunity to state his case.
Glenn Beck promotes a smaller government. On this, we agree. Our federal government was never intended to be this large. FDR expanded it greatly, creating jobs in a time when our country desperately needed them, but the result has been a dependence on government not just for jobs, but for everything.
America's principles originally were based on a bootstrap mentality. Every person who could work, did work, and raised families and built industry with their own two hands - not depending on government to shoulder their burdens. There was pride in that. Where did that go?
Well, it began with FDR. Not intentionally - he was a bootstrapper himself in many ways. I don't think he realized the long-term consequences of creating bigger government. And every presidency has added to the growing pile of agencies in some way, until now it is so bloated and inefficient that its debt has exceeded its ability to pay it down.
Under an Ameriga Columbus administration, government WILL become smaller. More power will go to the states, and along with it, more tax revenues. Tax revenues should not be taken and spent at the federal level - they should be passed through to the states and localities. Bootstrapping begins at home. For emergencies, we should all pitch in. Yup, for natural disasters, each state should put something in to help the one that's been hit, rather than depending on the feds to rush in to the rescue.
Interstate commerce, treasury, foreign policy, national security, postal services - these are federal. I'll take a close look at every other agency and see how much can be closed down and shifted to state responsibility. Most states have their own departments of health and energy and education, etc. It is duplicative to have them at the national level as well. If anything, the national level of those agencies should be focused on research: how does our education compare to other nations? how can we best support health research? what are our national and global energy projections? That kind of research can support the states to make good decisions on education and health, etc. Federal level agencies are best as clearinghouses of information, not as regulators and mandate enforcers.
I think Glenn Beck would applaud the reorganization and shrinking of federal government, and the corresponding reduction in taxes to everyone as a result. Not that I'm seeking his approval - he is completely wrong on energy policy - but he has made valid points about the way the feds spend taxpayer dollars and the bloated, inefficient nature of our federal government.
I will change all that. Not yet - it's going to be Barack Obama's turn beginning January 2009 - but he can't be President for more than two terms. I'll be here, celebrating and challenging him as the case may be.
Onward and upward,
Ameriga
Friday, January 4, 2008
America Wins in Iowa!
I am happy to concede Iowa to the two candidates who resoundingly proved yesterday that Americans are awake, empowered, and flat aren't going to take it any longer!
Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama swept aside Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton in spite of money, race, and experience.
What does this mean for Americans? It means that our unfair, unprincipled, failed campaign contribution system cannot impede the power of voters to choose who they believe is the best candidate. Mitt Romney spent and spent and spent in Iowa, but the Evangelicals came out in droves to say God is more important than money.
If they can do it, so can you. So can every voting American. YES, you do have power. YES, your one vote is meaningful and makes a difference.
Campaign finance is not as invisible an elephant in the room as it used to be, so let's take out the other elephant in Iowa - race.
Iowa is over 90% white and the black candidate won the majority of their votes in the Democratic Caucuses, hands down. This is a huge victory for America. It proves that the color of skin is less important than skill, intelligence, passion, experience, ideas, and character. It proves that this black man has what it takes to win in primarily white (although that is quickly changing) America. It proves that Americans have the capacity to accept people for who they are on the inside. I am so relieved to have lost my own candidacy to this important message that I have to pause for a moment and breathe into a paper bag...
Whew! I'm back and breathing again. To lose for lack of money would be frustrating. To lose for the opportunity of a better future for race relations - I am delighted to bow out gracefully for that significant hope.
So, who specifically voted for Obama? He won women and he won voters between 18 and 45 years of age. He didn't take the seniors and won only a handful of babyboomers. It was the youth and sandwich generation (caring for both children and parents), especially those who were too young to fall under the spell of the Clinton era, who carried the day. It was the women who want change, who feel Hillary will be too divisive on Capitol Hill, who carried the day.
And guess what? Both of those demographics exist in large numbers in just about every state in the union. Huckabee's supporters are Evangelicals who believe that religion is the most important issue in the country, and unfortunately for Huckabee, their numbers are small nationwide compared to those who will turn out to vote for jobs, healthcare, Iraq, etc. before religion.
Yesterday set the stage for the very real possibility that Americans will have their first black President ever in 2009.
(quick pause while I dance on the tabletops here at Panera's)
Whew - that felt good. We all should be dancing on tabletops - this is joyous news!
Why is it so important we have a black President? Didn't I just say that the issues are more important than skin color?
Yes, I did. But I ain't stupid enough to ignore the impact of color. Nope - this is huge! Consider this:
Ultimately, America won yesterday. Money lost. Racism lost. The power of the individual voter is real. Your power is real. Congratulations, America! What a way to kick off the New Year!
Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama swept aside Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton in spite of money, race, and experience.
What does this mean for Americans? It means that our unfair, unprincipled, failed campaign contribution system cannot impede the power of voters to choose who they believe is the best candidate. Mitt Romney spent and spent and spent in Iowa, but the Evangelicals came out in droves to say God is more important than money.
If they can do it, so can you. So can every voting American. YES, you do have power. YES, your one vote is meaningful and makes a difference.
Campaign finance is not as invisible an elephant in the room as it used to be, so let's take out the other elephant in Iowa - race.
Iowa is over 90% white and the black candidate won the majority of their votes in the Democratic Caucuses, hands down. This is a huge victory for America. It proves that the color of skin is less important than skill, intelligence, passion, experience, ideas, and character. It proves that this black man has what it takes to win in primarily white (although that is quickly changing) America. It proves that Americans have the capacity to accept people for who they are on the inside. I am so relieved to have lost my own candidacy to this important message that I have to pause for a moment and breathe into a paper bag...
Whew! I'm back and breathing again. To lose for lack of money would be frustrating. To lose for the opportunity of a better future for race relations - I am delighted to bow out gracefully for that significant hope.
So, who specifically voted for Obama? He won women and he won voters between 18 and 45 years of age. He didn't take the seniors and won only a handful of babyboomers. It was the youth and sandwich generation (caring for both children and parents), especially those who were too young to fall under the spell of the Clinton era, who carried the day. It was the women who want change, who feel Hillary will be too divisive on Capitol Hill, who carried the day.
And guess what? Both of those demographics exist in large numbers in just about every state in the union. Huckabee's supporters are Evangelicals who believe that religion is the most important issue in the country, and unfortunately for Huckabee, their numbers are small nationwide compared to those who will turn out to vote for jobs, healthcare, Iraq, etc. before religion.
Yesterday set the stage for the very real possibility that Americans will have their first black President ever in 2009.
(quick pause while I dance on the tabletops here at Panera's)
Whew - that felt good. We all should be dancing on tabletops - this is joyous news!
Why is it so important we have a black President? Didn't I just say that the issues are more important than skin color?
Yes, I did. But I ain't stupid enough to ignore the impact of color. Nope - this is huge! Consider this:
- Foreign Policy: White Presidents have stepped into nations of color to emphasize freedom - Iraq, Pakistan, Korea, etc. - yet haven't fixed the problems of restricted freedoms for our own people of color! The hypocrisy has hurt us badly in the Middle East, no question. A black President will open doors with much more success than Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, or even Colin Powell and Condeleeza Rice in their Secretary of State roles - especially if Obama wins by a landslide, securing the people's mandate. Remember, his parents are from Kenya and Kansas. He bridges better than any other candidate the connection between the U.S. and the world. The impact of an Obama presidency on foreign policy will shake the world with hope and energy.
- Internal National Security: Racism is alive and well in the U.S. No question. Should Obama win the day, I have no doubt security will need to be doubled for him. There are Americans waking up to the news this morning, polishing their shotguns and muttering that only over their dead bodies will a black man lead this country. And if they can't reach Obama, they might turn to their neighbors to vent their spleen. Do you doubt it? Look at our national response to New Orleans compared to California's wildfires. It's shameful. And it's real. Does this mean all people of color should dive for bomb shelters or get gun permits if Obama is elected? No, of course not. I'm not advocating paranoia here. I'm simply exposing the elephant that MUST be discussed openly, without fear, and in a solutions-oriented fashion. Remember, the suitcase bomber can only win in a nation of ostriches.
- Domestic Race Relations: There will be an impact on race relations in this country if Obama is chosen as the Democratic candidate - whether he ultimately wins or loses, there will be a lasting impact. He is a very different candidate than Jesse Jackson. He is not playing the race card. He is not playing the religion or moral/value mandate cards. He is simply a man who truly believes everything he speaks - he feels the needs of this nation to his very bones. He has taken the time to educate himself on the issues, to volunteer, to run for office and serve his country. He's not asking for the "black vote." He's asking for the American vote. He's asking Americans to vote for change, for hope, for faith that they are more than peons in a system - empowering them to take back this country and put it in the hands who can build it best - ourselves. He is calling for personal responsibility without preaching. And personal responsiblity is the key to solving the racial crisis that exists in this country. Indeed, it is the only hope for healing.
Ultimately, America won yesterday. Money lost. Racism lost. The power of the individual voter is real. Your power is real. Congratulations, America! What a way to kick off the New Year!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The Assassination of Hope
I was just crossing into Massachusetts from New York on I-90 to visit my sister and her family when NPR reported the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday.
The snow had given way to rain. Steam rose from the pavement and clung to empty branches and sleeping hills. My 9-year-old daughter was singing a song she and her friends had made up about Christmas that lightly teased their beloved school principal. I must have gasped because she suddenly asked, "Mommy? Are you all right?"
I barely registered her voice. What? What? whispered my mind. Simultaneously, I was sure I hadn't heard the news correctly and I knew with disabling certainty that Bhutto was dead. The windshield wipers beat on, as if all hope hadn't just died.
When the feeling returned to my fingers, I began punching the seek button, because now NPR was reporting that an escaped tiger had climbed up the leg of a 17-year-old who'd been teasing it with his foot. My compassion for that horribly paid price for a lack of common sense paled in comparison to my fervent wish that I was home in front of CNN. What now? What in heaven's name now?
The implications of this courageous woman's death will not be realized for days, perhaps months, but there is no question that her murder is not only a serious blow to democracy in Pakistan and to women's rights in Muslim countries, but to the broader hope of defeating terrorism worldwide. World leaders and candidates for world leadership positions are all quietly reeling from Bhutto's murder.
We know what this means. What's worse, we know we may be forced to helplessly watch the fallout in the coming weeks - fallout that the best guesses of our political advisers cannot even begin to predict. Terrorism won. In the moment life left Benazir Bhutto's body, terrorism won. Again.
Today, we still do no know who is responsible - not that we would this early in the investigation. Musharraf's people announced Bhutto was not killed by bullets or shrapnel, but by accident as her head hit a lever in her vehicle's sunroof - as if this technical detail - even if true - could calm the ensuing riots and deflect the blame being cast at the Pakistani President's head.
The truth is, it doesn't matter who is responsible right now. What matters is the perception of who is responsible. What matters is the way the assassination was carried out.
Yes, a suicide bomber can kill a national political icon. Yes, a suicide bomber can trigger days - perhaps weeks or months - of riots and violence. Yes, a suicide bomber can disrupt free elections. Yes, a suicide bomber can freeze the world and inflict hopelessness.
Was Al Qaeda responsible? Was it Musharraf? Was it a man operating alone on some internal belief - voices in his head, perhaps? Whatever the case, the suicide bomber tactic has repeatedly proven around the world that it cannot lose. And world leaders - for all their sincerest efforts - cannot do a thing about it.
As a presidential candidate, I am acutely aware of the sword's edge President Bush must dance right now. On the one hand, Pakistan - meaning Musharraf - is a key ally in the war on terror. On the other, supporting the democratic process of free elections is a U.S. moral imperative. The U.S. may have to choose between national safety and freedom's ring - the very concern brought up in the CNN Democrat Debate weeks ago - in its next action.
President Bush has spoken with Musharraf and is pushing for Pakistan's January 8 elections to move forward. Hillary Clinton is calling for an independent investigation, stating Musharraf's government has lost all credibility. John Edwards is also calling for an international investigation. Barack Obama is highlighting the connection between Bhutto's murder and the U.S.'s dropping of the ball by shifting focus from the Taliban to Iraq. The lack of a swift, terrible response to the World Trade Center collapse has contributed to the spread of terrorism. Mike Huckabee lost no time in connecting Bhutto's death to illegal immigration. Mitt Romney called for greater support of moderate Islamic leaders as a means to world security. Rudy Giuliani emphasized the need for increased military funding for Iraq and the war on terror. Fred Thompson spoke of a "perfect storm" between democracy and stability, especially given Pakistan's nuclear weapon capacity.
Yes, I know. I'm missing Ron Paul, Bill Richardson, and more - I'll try to get back to the computer later and add the rest of the candidates because I think it is important for voters to know where all the candidates stand on issues of such great import - but for now let's take the elephant out of the room.
No one is safe. Terrorism can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. This is even more true today than it was September 11, 2001.
Bhutto was often heard to say that democratization in Pakistan is "baptized in blood." There was a time when Americans understood that viscerally. Over 200 years ago, our own country was in the midst of a bloody fight for freedom. Today, we keep shopping as if our way of life is not in danger. We find ways to justify Bush's leadership - or lack thereof - in punishing the perpetrators of 9/11. We bury our heads in daily living, hoping our government will keep violence oversees where we can safely watch it on the news.
Imagine being at a picnic in a beautiful grassy meadow - chirping birds, colorful butterflies among wildflowers, the sleepy satisfaction from a simple meal in fresh air - and the shadow of a dark cloud begins to roll out across the grassy expanse. Your red-checked blanket is in bright sunshine, and the gray shadow is spreading all around it. The birds fall silent. The color has disappeared. The shadow is near the blanket, so you pull it in closer, shrinking your space. The air is stifling, your breathing more labored, but you focus on the remaining sunshine, the remnants of your rich repast, the security of your shrinking blanket.
The suicide bomber is here to stay. No fence can keep him out. No policy can prevent the workings of his mind. The ostrich response of the everyday American is giving the suicide bomber greater power.
Bhutto knew she was taking her life in her hands when she returned to Pakistan to fight the good fight. She grew up in a family that knew blood was the price of Democracy - had experienced it first hand. Was Bhutto a saint? No. Maybe. We don't know. As prime minister, her leadership fell under corruption's shadow. We may never know the truth of the mixed insinuations and remarkable heroism of this woman. What we do know, however, is that she was fearless in her pursuit of democracy for her country. Fierce in her defense of her people's right to freedom.
And she paid for it with her life. And Western world leaders - none of whom can begin to comprehend what she and her family lived every single day - unconsciously contributed to her death in their combined failed Middle East policies.
Americans will vote for a new president this year. There is no question that Americans MUST vote for someone who will be able to yield the best of judgment and respect in the world.
We need a person of color as president. We need to erase the face of white greed from the misperceptions of extremists in the world. We need someone to represent the plurality of our nation - the fact that we have a thriving Muslim presence as well as many cultures and ethnicities in our country.
We need to focus beyond foreign policy experience in our choice for president. The next president must have a broad academic understanding of world history, of world religions, of economy, global ecology, of the connections between individuals locally and globally. The next president must be someone who can connect the dots and think outside the foreign policy box when making foreign policy decisions.
We need someone who has first hand experience in living in danger. We need someone who knows, without shadow of doubt, that dying for freedom is no longer the job of a far-away soldier. Our next president - even with a hundred times over more security than Bhutto - will be a target for suicide bombers, one of whom could very well succeed.
I am that candidate.
I am a Latina. I know that we cannot justifiably fight for freedom in foreign countries when we have not yet succeeded in ensuring freedom for our own people - racism in America has serious foreign policy implications. I have survived twenty years of unpredictable violence in my daily life between three and twenty-three years old.
My education is not only in public policy, but in psychology and world religions. Islam is one of many beautiful and richly spiritual religions in the world. As President, I would address the people of the world with a deep understanding of their pluralistic points of view, academically and experientially prepared to bridge differences.
And I am uniquely prepared to die for my country, for the protection of freedom. Between the ages of three and twenty-four years old, I lived a daily life of unpredictable violence in the suburbs of America. Broken bones, fear, intimidation, hunger, attempted strangulation - it is a life unfortunately known by many Americans, but not by recent American leaders. That life is no stranger to me, and I can represent that population of America and the world not as a victim or survivor, but as a brave, intelligent, solutions-oriented leader who holds wisdom like no other.
Having looked death in the eye has shaped me to be the leader that can step fearlessly where angels fear to tread, respecting life when making decisions about war, leading by example, rejuvenating the everyday person to find her own courage - to reach out to neighbors and build a coast-to-coast national community that calls out proudly, intrepidly, unanimously "Responsibility begins with me!"
Terrorists want to assassinate hope. Americans need a leader who will empower them to understand the impact of the world on everyday lives. Hope cannot be assassinated where there are no ostriches.
Vote for Ameriga Columbus as a write-in candidate on your ballot in November.
The snow had given way to rain. Steam rose from the pavement and clung to empty branches and sleeping hills. My 9-year-old daughter was singing a song she and her friends had made up about Christmas that lightly teased their beloved school principal. I must have gasped because she suddenly asked, "Mommy? Are you all right?"
I barely registered her voice. What? What? whispered my mind. Simultaneously, I was sure I hadn't heard the news correctly and I knew with disabling certainty that Bhutto was dead. The windshield wipers beat on, as if all hope hadn't just died.
When the feeling returned to my fingers, I began punching the seek button, because now NPR was reporting that an escaped tiger had climbed up the leg of a 17-year-old who'd been teasing it with his foot. My compassion for that horribly paid price for a lack of common sense paled in comparison to my fervent wish that I was home in front of CNN. What now? What in heaven's name now?
The implications of this courageous woman's death will not be realized for days, perhaps months, but there is no question that her murder is not only a serious blow to democracy in Pakistan and to women's rights in Muslim countries, but to the broader hope of defeating terrorism worldwide. World leaders and candidates for world leadership positions are all quietly reeling from Bhutto's murder.
We know what this means. What's worse, we know we may be forced to helplessly watch the fallout in the coming weeks - fallout that the best guesses of our political advisers cannot even begin to predict. Terrorism won. In the moment life left Benazir Bhutto's body, terrorism won. Again.
Today, we still do no know who is responsible - not that we would this early in the investigation. Musharraf's people announced Bhutto was not killed by bullets or shrapnel, but by accident as her head hit a lever in her vehicle's sunroof - as if this technical detail - even if true - could calm the ensuing riots and deflect the blame being cast at the Pakistani President's head.
The truth is, it doesn't matter who is responsible right now. What matters is the perception of who is responsible. What matters is the way the assassination was carried out.
Yes, a suicide bomber can kill a national political icon. Yes, a suicide bomber can trigger days - perhaps weeks or months - of riots and violence. Yes, a suicide bomber can disrupt free elections. Yes, a suicide bomber can freeze the world and inflict hopelessness.
Was Al Qaeda responsible? Was it Musharraf? Was it a man operating alone on some internal belief - voices in his head, perhaps? Whatever the case, the suicide bomber tactic has repeatedly proven around the world that it cannot lose. And world leaders - for all their sincerest efforts - cannot do a thing about it.
As a presidential candidate, I am acutely aware of the sword's edge President Bush must dance right now. On the one hand, Pakistan - meaning Musharraf - is a key ally in the war on terror. On the other, supporting the democratic process of free elections is a U.S. moral imperative. The U.S. may have to choose between national safety and freedom's ring - the very concern brought up in the CNN Democrat Debate weeks ago - in its next action.
President Bush has spoken with Musharraf and is pushing for Pakistan's January 8 elections to move forward. Hillary Clinton is calling for an independent investigation, stating Musharraf's government has lost all credibility. John Edwards is also calling for an international investigation. Barack Obama is highlighting the connection between Bhutto's murder and the U.S.'s dropping of the ball by shifting focus from the Taliban to Iraq. The lack of a swift, terrible response to the World Trade Center collapse has contributed to the spread of terrorism. Mike Huckabee lost no time in connecting Bhutto's death to illegal immigration. Mitt Romney called for greater support of moderate Islamic leaders as a means to world security. Rudy Giuliani emphasized the need for increased military funding for Iraq and the war on terror. Fred Thompson spoke of a "perfect storm" between democracy and stability, especially given Pakistan's nuclear weapon capacity.
Yes, I know. I'm missing Ron Paul, Bill Richardson, and more - I'll try to get back to the computer later and add the rest of the candidates because I think it is important for voters to know where all the candidates stand on issues of such great import - but for now let's take the elephant out of the room.
No one is safe. Terrorism can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime. This is even more true today than it was September 11, 2001.
Bhutto was often heard to say that democratization in Pakistan is "baptized in blood." There was a time when Americans understood that viscerally. Over 200 years ago, our own country was in the midst of a bloody fight for freedom. Today, we keep shopping as if our way of life is not in danger. We find ways to justify Bush's leadership - or lack thereof - in punishing the perpetrators of 9/11. We bury our heads in daily living, hoping our government will keep violence oversees where we can safely watch it on the news.
Imagine being at a picnic in a beautiful grassy meadow - chirping birds, colorful butterflies among wildflowers, the sleepy satisfaction from a simple meal in fresh air - and the shadow of a dark cloud begins to roll out across the grassy expanse. Your red-checked blanket is in bright sunshine, and the gray shadow is spreading all around it. The birds fall silent. The color has disappeared. The shadow is near the blanket, so you pull it in closer, shrinking your space. The air is stifling, your breathing more labored, but you focus on the remaining sunshine, the remnants of your rich repast, the security of your shrinking blanket.
The suicide bomber is here to stay. No fence can keep him out. No policy can prevent the workings of his mind. The ostrich response of the everyday American is giving the suicide bomber greater power.
Bhutto knew she was taking her life in her hands when she returned to Pakistan to fight the good fight. She grew up in a family that knew blood was the price of Democracy - had experienced it first hand. Was Bhutto a saint? No. Maybe. We don't know. As prime minister, her leadership fell under corruption's shadow. We may never know the truth of the mixed insinuations and remarkable heroism of this woman. What we do know, however, is that she was fearless in her pursuit of democracy for her country. Fierce in her defense of her people's right to freedom.
And she paid for it with her life. And Western world leaders - none of whom can begin to comprehend what she and her family lived every single day - unconsciously contributed to her death in their combined failed Middle East policies.
Americans will vote for a new president this year. There is no question that Americans MUST vote for someone who will be able to yield the best of judgment and respect in the world.
We need a person of color as president. We need to erase the face of white greed from the misperceptions of extremists in the world. We need someone to represent the plurality of our nation - the fact that we have a thriving Muslim presence as well as many cultures and ethnicities in our country.
We need to focus beyond foreign policy experience in our choice for president. The next president must have a broad academic understanding of world history, of world religions, of economy, global ecology, of the connections between individuals locally and globally. The next president must be someone who can connect the dots and think outside the foreign policy box when making foreign policy decisions.
We need someone who has first hand experience in living in danger. We need someone who knows, without shadow of doubt, that dying for freedom is no longer the job of a far-away soldier. Our next president - even with a hundred times over more security than Bhutto - will be a target for suicide bombers, one of whom could very well succeed.
I am that candidate.
I am a Latina. I know that we cannot justifiably fight for freedom in foreign countries when we have not yet succeeded in ensuring freedom for our own people - racism in America has serious foreign policy implications. I have survived twenty years of unpredictable violence in my daily life between three and twenty-three years old.
My education is not only in public policy, but in psychology and world religions. Islam is one of many beautiful and richly spiritual religions in the world. As President, I would address the people of the world with a deep understanding of their pluralistic points of view, academically and experientially prepared to bridge differences.
And I am uniquely prepared to die for my country, for the protection of freedom. Between the ages of three and twenty-four years old, I lived a daily life of unpredictable violence in the suburbs of America. Broken bones, fear, intimidation, hunger, attempted strangulation - it is a life unfortunately known by many Americans, but not by recent American leaders. That life is no stranger to me, and I can represent that population of America and the world not as a victim or survivor, but as a brave, intelligent, solutions-oriented leader who holds wisdom like no other.
Having looked death in the eye has shaped me to be the leader that can step fearlessly where angels fear to tread, respecting life when making decisions about war, leading by example, rejuvenating the everyday person to find her own courage - to reach out to neighbors and build a coast-to-coast national community that calls out proudly, intrepidly, unanimously "Responsibility begins with me!"
Terrorists want to assassinate hope. Americans need a leader who will empower them to understand the impact of the world on everyday lives. Hope cannot be assassinated where there are no ostriches.
Vote for Ameriga Columbus as a write-in candidate on your ballot in November.
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