America, This is Our Moment

Some quotes from Senator Barack Obama's speech 06/03/08.

YES WE CAN, YES WE DID, AND YES WE WILL.

OBAMA 2008, onto Washington, and the White House.

"because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another—a journey that will bring a new and better day to America"

"So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.

So it was for the greatest generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.

So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom's cause.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder, and more just.
And so it must be for us.

America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love. "

The political reality

As I watch the current race for the Whitehouse, I find myself, shocked, appalled, and even disgusted by what is going on, even as a major in political studies, I am finding this current situation to be stupid. When is America and American voters going to get their heads out of their asses and pay attention? When can we have a campaign that is about issues, ideas, policy, not about the petty bullshit that a tabloid media and the intellectually lacking people who thrive on it push down our throats? Senator Clinton is still in the Democratic race for the nomination, despite trailing in money, pledged delegates, popular vote, and loosing super delegates by the day, and no mathematically possibly way to catch up. Her claim is that she, not Senator Obama can win in November, well Senator Clinton after the hatchet job you, your husband, and your daughter (who yes, you have pimped out on the campaign trail) have done, no wonder he is going to have a tough fight in November. Senator Clinton has had the nerve to say shame on Barrack Obama, well senator, SHAME ON YOU. You have made this race not about issues, but about Race, Gender, who can where a flag pin and call themselves a patriot, and who can sell out their friends the quickest. Do I agree with what Senator Obama’s former pastor has said, NO, I do not, but I also don’t think that you can judge Obama based upon it. I have friends who are racist, I have friends who have done some really stupid and wrong things, but they are still my friends, they know I do not always approve of what they say or do, and I most certainly do not always think the way they do. This race has accused Senator Obama of being a Muslim because of his name, hinting he may be a terrorist agent trying to infiltrate the government. Others will not even listen because he is black. Well people, NONE OF IT FUCKING MATTERS. It’s not about if your black or white, male or female, Christian or Muslim, Wealthy or Poor, what matters is what the next person to hold the Presidential Office will do to fix what has gone so terribly wrong over the last 8 years, what they next President will do to ensure a safe future. Everyone seems to want to know that, but it’s not the policy speeches that get attention, it’s not the ideas that get debates, it’s the tabloid garbage that is discussed around the water cooler so to speak. Senator Obama was correct when he spoke of American voters. People have become apathetic , and they cling to whatever they can that makes them feel safe and comfortable, guns, religion, “family values”, whatever it may be, and anything that comes along and challenges that apathetic security blanket is attacked, no attention is paid that the grass may be greener on the other side, and that the world could be a better place, we have all become to disinterested to care, to scared to dare to find out. Hopefully, some day we can have campaigns that focus on issues, and not what a candidate had for breakfast, or what an old friend of relative did, but unfortunately that day is not today, and by November millions upon millions will spent destroying the records and reputations of both candidates. Imagine what a campaign would look like if those millions got spent educating voters on issues, and ideas, that is real politics.

Im back,

Ok,

So I have not totally forgotten about the blog, I do still look in on things, but life has been so damn chaotic lately I just haven’t had the chance to do anything other than classes, work, class, and study for finals. There have been a few developments. I was turned down for my internship, but a week after I got that letter I was called and offered it. Therefore, I am rushing paperwork through to do the internship this summer, so YAY for me on that one. Finals sucked, I think I might have even failed one of them, but I think my grades where high enough to pull me through with a C overall for the class, just as long as I never have to see that class again I will be happy. So there is brief update, I will be posting another post soon, getting back to some of my philosophical, political, subject matter and out of the personal realm for a while. So get ready, the soapbox is back, and I am about to climb on up.

BW

Humanity erased

I have been reading this story about a young woman from Alton Illinois who was tortured and killed by another woman and her children (story here http://www.lincolncourier.com/story.asp?SID=27344&SEC=8). Matt from Debriefing the Boys has also commented on this, and brought into it a discussion of the death penalty, and the evilness of some people. I have worked in the criminal courts for over two years. While I cannot disclose some of what I have seen, I can say some it can make your skin crawl, and some of it can turn you blood cold. Its true the majority of my day is simple crap, misdemeanors for underage drinking and drug position, but every so often is one of those cases that can make you question at what point someone stops being human and becomes simply unadulterated evil. Now as far as the death penalty goes, I don’t really know where I stand on it. On one hand I understand that killing someone wont undo their crimes, and I know that for the most part it is not a deterrent to crime, but on the other hand do we out to the victims to make sure the criminal never gets the chance to do it again, should taxpayers have to cloth, feed, and shelter these people like from Alton who have shed their humanity and savagely tortured human being. The people in Alton held a woman locked in a basement, they used her for target practice with their BB guns, they burned her cloths, they would not feed her, so why as a society do we owe those who did these unthinkable things to this innocent young mother, who was also pregnant, any better. These monsters murdered a 29-year-old woman, took the chance at life of her unborn child, and took her from the life of her 1-year-old child who was also treated in horrible conditions. Now as far as some further commentary on the Death Penalty, I find that those who oppose it the most are Catholics and evangelicals. Now just some notes on hypocrisy here, the bible does say an eye for an eye, and the golden rule says do unto others what you would have them do unto you. No apparently, it is ok to not obey that part of the bible, as well as countless others, but it is ok to discriminate against gays and lesbians because the bible says it is a sin. Rest assured I am not making a gay rights argument out of this, I am just providing some insight. So in short, do these people he did this deserve to die, my answer is yes they deserve to die when and if they are found to be guilty of their crimes, did Timothy McVeigh deserve to die, my answer yes he deserved to die for his crimes. I know this is going to make me hated by some if not almost all of my blogger friends, but it is my opinion. I think the Death penalty should be left as an option for certain heinous crimes, but that it should be done only in extreme circumstances, and that there should be a mandatory requirement for solid forensic evidence and an examination of all that evidence on automatic appeal of any death penalty conviction to ensure we are not executing innocent people wrongly convicted. Comment away.

I'm listening

I was born in Oklahoma, and half my family still lives there. Most of my moms side of the family (the ones in oklahoma) still dont know that I am gay because they would react just like this bitch. I am sorry to say it, but I am ashamed of where I came from. And its stuff like this that makes me vow never to go back.

World News

Now as many of my regular readers know, I am very interested in the Olympics, but I can’t help but be concerned by the actions of the Chinese government. Leading up to the Olympics they have committed acts that be describes as nothing short of human rights violations to make sure that while they eyes of the world are on Beijing the cracks and failures of the Chinese society don’t show. Now I by no means a tree hugger, or a huge environmentalist or animal rights activist, but I read this (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=528694&in_page_id=1811), and it actually made me cry. I have been raised around cats, I had my own cat that passed away in 2004, then when I moved into my own place I adopted two kitties, sisters, who lived with me until I had to move, but I found them a good and safe home. I have never had any tolerance for people who abuse animals. Cats, and dogs, can be very gentle and loving animals, they provide companionship, friendship, and even love. There is proof that when an elderly person has a pet they do better mentally and physically than those without. I think the IOC, the world press, human and animal rights activists alike need to take a long hard look at Beijing 2008, and make sure that in the awarding of future Olympic games, that the games are not carried out at a premium price on human and animal rights.

Fall from Grace

Ok, So I am about to stir up a shit storm with this one, but I can’t resist.
Earlier today I was perusing the news and ran across this gem of an article http://www.dailynews.com/ci_8482917?source=rss_viewed on one of my news feeds. It basically (for those who didn’t go read it) is about a 17 year old foster child in California that wants to join the Marines through early enlistment, well the judge who is opposed to the Iraq war said she was against the war and against the army and refused to let the teen enlist. Last month, Berkley California tried to kick the marines out of town calling them murderers. Now say what you will about the war in Iraq, I know almost everyone is opposed to it, myself included, but there is a definite difference between the men and women who serve this country as a member of the armed forces, and those who make the decision to send them into war. I have several friends who proudly wear their uniforms, who have served tours in Iraq and other places, and I am so sick of people disrespecting the troops for just following orders. And for those who say the soldiers are committing atrocities, yes there have been some unfortunate incidents, but by and large, who are we to judge the actions of a soldier in a hostile foreign country, where you don’t know when the next bomb will go off, where the next round of gunfire will come from. It’s easy for people to sit in their comfortable living rooms, or the offices, sipping their Starbucks, or riding in their nice cars to judge the actions of someone who is sleeping in the dirt, wearing clothes that haven’t been washed in weeks, or that still has the blood of their friend who got the ride home in a pine wood box on them. I don’t care if you support the war or if you don’t. The men and women fighting this war are every bit as much the victim. You want names to blame for the war in Iraq, George W Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleza Rice, those are who you blame, and guess what America, you had your chance 4 years ago to rectify the problem, instead you elected Bush with over 50% of the vote, something even the great Bill Clinton didn’t manage to do in either presidential election. After Katrina people complained that their wasn’t enough national guard troops left to help in the event of disasters at home, the same arguments after tornadoes devastated the Midwest. It’s hypocritical, bullshit that this damned ingrates will sit there and call our soldiers trash and murderers, yet they are the first to bitch when someone in a uniform isn’t there to help them. No matter what has transpired with the Iraq war, the treatment of the soldiers who are just following orders, which is what we train them to do, is absolutely disgraceful. There was a time in this country when a person wearing the uniform was treated with honor and respect, unfortunately, those days are gone. I didn’t use to believe it, but the more crap like this I see truly makes me believe the morality of this country is a thing of the past.

Tragedy Strikes Home

There is no explanation or reasoning that bring comfort to those affected by tragedy tonight. Tonight the thoughts of many are with the students, faculty, family, friends, and loved ones of the Northern Illinois University. The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels tonight.
BW

The Obligation of a Generation

With a presidential election less than ten months away, as a nation we are faced with history in the making. No matter who is nominated, you are going to have a first, the first African American President, the first woman President, the oldest president ever. No matter what choice America makes in the primaries and ultimately in November, one thing is certain, we are watching history unfold in real time. As a generation the events happening around us signify one thing, our time is approaching. We have seen the effects of failed policies. We have seen the failure of those elected to lead to do so. We did not have a defining event for our generation such as World War II for our grandparents or Vietnam for our parents. Our generation had 9/11 and a war on terror that has led to a quagmire in Iraq and a failed economy at home. It is our generation who must now answer the call and start to prepare ourselves for our day, when it will be our responsibility to lead and to repair the damage done before us. It is the obligation of each generation to leave behind a legacy to the next, what that legacy is varies greatly. In today’s world what was applicable sixty years ago isn’t applicable today, that doesn’t make it wrong, it doesn’t necessarily make it right, it does make it part of our collective history thought. The responsibility of the subsequent generations is to look at those policies and determine based upon them what to do next, to make adjustments along the way. Unfortunately, many of our generation do not feel the need to be involved, they think it is someone else’s problem to fix, but those days are running out. For the first time in recent memory the under thirty generation is inspired. The man who has sparked that inspiration is a man who little more than four years ago was a State Senator in the Illinois General Assembly, and who two years before that was not even known on the national scene. Senator Barack Obama has inspired a generation who for the last several years has been uninspired; who have been along for the ride hoping things would work out before it was their turn to make the hard decisions. I have listened to mother talk about being a teenager and listening to JFK inspire her generation and RFK after him, both men who inspired the uninspired whose lives were cut tragically short. I can say I have been a republican voter my entire life, but for the first time ever, I have a candidate who excites me, inspires me, lets me believe that hope and change are not impossible ideas. Our generation might not have World War II or Vietnam, we might not have JFK or RFK, but we have Obama. It is time to excite the unexcited, inspire the uninspired, give hope to the hopeless, change to the unchangeable, and to lead a generation to its place in history. I’m not going to tell you who to vote for; I’m not going to debate records or who’s more experienced. I am going to ask you to vote for the candidate who inspired you, the candidate who you think can and will lead this nation to be more than it is, to achieve more than it believes possible. In 1961 Kennedy said this nation would land a man on the moon before the end of the decade, people thought he was crazy for such an assertion, but this nation committed itself and in 1969 we landed a man on the moon. As Kennedy said, we do not choose to do these things we choose to do them because they are hard. Every time in this nation’s history when we have measured our capacity to meet a challenge we realize that capacity may well be limitless, and we reach for the stars.

BW

Inspiration for the uninspired, excitement for the unexcited, hope for the hopeless, change fothe unchangeable and a limitless capacity to meet any challenge and overcome any obstacle.

BW

Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of the United States
1901-1909

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
35th President of the United States
1961-1963

Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY)
Democratic Candidate for President of the United States
Assassinated June 5 1968