The Debate Rages On

Texas State Capitol: Photo Courtesy of DRL and his iPhone 3GS.

I'm from Wisconsin.
Wasn't born there,
but I grew up there.
Went to grade school there.
Graduated high school there.

There's a lot happening right now
in my home state.

A local pizza company shut down
regular delivery business
due to the large demand of orders
pouring in
from people all over the world
wanting to send food
to the protestors.

Pretty cool...
when you stop think about it.

I will keep my politics to myself,
but I will say that I am happy
that people who feel their government is doing them a disservice
an injustice
are standing up against it.

Are making sure their voices are heard.

Teaching us all
that we DO matter.
That we can affect change.

These hard working union and state employees
and those who want to stand alongside them
in support
solidarity
and unison,
are being
the change
they wish to see in the world.

If only we could all be so brave...

Cheers,
A

The Shape of Things to Come

I realize that my blog has really turned into a photo album, rather than any sort of forum for discussion or actual blog of my (and my family's) life. I hope to amend this and start posting actual bits of text and information other than photos!! I'll start with the announcement that I'm officially returning to college in April, and will be attending the College of Saint Catherine (St. Kate's) in St Paul. They have a program specifically geared for working adults that will enable me to finish my four year degree in two years and only take class on Friday evenings and every other weekend. I'm hoping to maintain my current GPA so that I'll be offered some sort of (monetary) incentive to stay on there and complete my Master's. We'll see.....

In other news, as if any of you didn't already know, today is the day that Barack Obama will become the 44th President of the United States. It's an occasion marked by joyous pomp and circumstance, and for those of us who are smart enough to be realistic, there is a little bit of trepidation at the shape of things to come. With bailouts, increased spending, tax cuts, stimulus packages, and the overall size of government on the rise and common sense on the decline, I can say that I am somewhat skeptical of what good 'ol Barry O will do for our nation. I'm hopeful, and I'm excited, and I'm genuinely looking to be impressed. Either way, today will be a day to remember.

And I'm so excited to see what Michelle will be wearing.....

And I'd like to go on the record as stating, that I'm over Oprah the way the rest of the nation is over Bush. Seriously. Can we inagurate someone else into the "Most Powerful Woman in the World" seat? I'll start taking suggestions.....

A Right or a Duty?

For the past few weeks I've been urging everyone I know to vote, just vote, regardless of what you know or who you vote for. After reading the latest post over on BMSB I've come to realize that maybe it is better to not vote if the only reason you're voting because you feel you should, or that it's somehow your duty as an American. As Bull Moose points out, the right to vote is just that, a right -- it's is not a duty. And is it really socially responsible to vote so that you can get that free cup of coffee, or the "I Voted" sticker, or announce your voting abilities on the status feed on your facebook page, when you know nothing about who's running and what their being elected would actually mean for you or your family? Or for me and mine?

I think it's amazing that we live in a country where we are each provided the right to vote - the right to have our voice heard by our government - but I think it might be equally important for us all to realize that we have just as much right to not vote. I think it's important that each of us realizes that we do have a voice, and that we can use that voice -- but we need to think about whether or not we even know what we're saying, before we stand to speak.

Happy Voting to All -- or Some.

Equal Opportunity or an Exploitation of the Legal System?

I'm all for equal opportunity - and I support equal rights for all under the law, but this is just ridiculous. I think that worker's requests should be honored under the Civil Rights act "so long as the requests are "reasonable" and do not create "undue hardship" for the employer," but isn't this taking it a bit too far?

Your thoughts?

A Lesson in Sharing

Here's what I loved about McCain's speech last night:

"Let's use the best ideas from both sides. Instead of fighting over who gets the credit, let's try sharing it,"

Hopefully the democracts will listen to that pearl of wisdom from Senator McCain and the government can run with it. The time for bickering and partisanship is through.

Never has the following been more true -- United we Stand, Divided we FAIL.

Now, More Than Ever

I've come to realize that now, more than ever, our children and our children's children need us to make the right choices when it comes to choosing the people who will run our country, set its policies, and pave the roads that our kids will travel down. The choice has become staggeringly clear... that choice is Barack Obama. No. I don't want goverment run healthcare. No, I don't think robbing from Peter (businesses) to pay Paul (the middle-class) is a long term solution. But more so, I don't want Elena being taught that "abstinence is the only way," or that unless you're rich or the owner of a large corporation, "Sorry, you're gonna be taxed up the wazoo and you're gonna like it."

I've found this election year to be particularly trying - I side with the Repulicans much more often than I ever dreamed I would. 4 years ago if you had asked me if I would ever go right I'd have told you that you were crazy. I was starting to really think that this might be the year I leave the Left behind. I've discovered that I am actually more central than I realized and that it's not about picking only one party. I can be a liberal republican (red), or a conservative democrat (blue), or any combination thereof (purple). It doesn't matter. What matters is what's in the best interest for this country, for its citizens, for me, and for my daughter. Sorry John, but the choice ain't you. You're VP pick does "Palin" comparison the two folks on the opposite ticket.

I feel obligated to note that I am proud to have a woman in the running. I am proud that someone finally shattered that infamous glass ceiling. And I cannot stress that regardless of partisan politics, regardless of who you think is most qualified - or in the Presidential race who you you think is least un-qualified - just get out there and vote. We cannot see change, of any kind, if we don't fight for it. Red, Blue, or Purple.

Eat Your Veggies

I get email forwards rather frequently - and most of them are silly, or kitschy, or sentimental. But this one is actually pretty interesting, er fascinating. In college, I was lucky enough to find myself in a nutrition class - I happened to like the professor, had taken a class of hers the previous semester - and she talked me into the course. Turned out - it was one of the greatest and most educational courses of my collegiate career. I don't know that I've retained as much knowledge - in such a whole form - from any other course. So thank you Vickie Smith! I hope all you readers enjoy this as much as I did.

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiatinglines look just like the human eye... and YES, science now shows carrotsgreatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and isred. All o f the res earch shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and areindeed pure heart and blood food.Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape lookslike a bl ood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are alsoprofound heart and blood vitalizing food.A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, uppercerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut arejust like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three(3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, theylook exactly like the human kidneys.Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foodsspecifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls itfrom the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletalneeds of the body.Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target t he health and function of the womband cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today'sresearch shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balanceshormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents c e rvical cancers. Andhow profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocadofrom blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemicalconstituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science hasonly studied and named about 141 of them).Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase themobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcomemale sterility.Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemicindex of diabetics.Olives assist the health and function of the ovariesOranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammaryglands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and themovement of lymph in and out of the breasts.Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions helpclear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears whichwash the epithelial layers of the eyes.
A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and
dangerous free radicals from the body.

Interesting Statistic: Obama has spent 52% of his time in the Senate campaigning for a higher office. Now - I don't particularly care for John McCain - but I don't know that I can, in good conscience, vote for someone who has spent more than half of his time at his current job interviewing for a new position. Hopefully when the whirlwind of excitment surrounding his campaign dies down, America won't be caught licking its wounds and cleaning up debris.

Politickin' me off

I watched the CNN Democratic debate last night. It annoyed me. It made me throw up in my mouth a little. It exasperates me to watch a political debate in which the candidates focus on throwing stones at one another. Am I that crazy to think that it would be much more productive both for our country and their campaigns if the candidates talked about how to fix everything that Bush and his administration have broken? Don't they all agree that Bush is evil incarnate and that the Democrats and the voters of this great nation must do everything in our power to amend the wrongs that have been thrust upon us? I guess that topic got skipped over last night.

It's good to know that Obama voted "present" 100 times and then tried to schmooze his way out of it. It's good to know that Edwards takes money from people who benefit from lobbyists -- but adamantly refuses to allow any lobbying to occur in his cabinet - ever. It's good to know that Hillary is resting on the sucess of her husband and has no capabilities beyond that of a first lady. But it would be better to know WHY I should even give a rats ass about that crap. Seriously. I'm done looking backwards -- that's what got us in this predicament in the first place. It's time to look forward. It's time for change. It's time for less talk and more action. And it's time to stop focusing political campaigns on the misdeeds of other politicians.

But what do I know....I'm just another constituent.