30 October 2008
What scares Republicans this Halloween?
Not all manifestations of pride in one's identity can be justifiably attributed to bigotry or chauvinism. If one has been marginalized by a population which has at the nature of its commonality a factor beyond the control of the participant, sometimes an identity-based action is part of becoming incorporated into a greater definition.
Of course, one refers to spectacular African-American turnout in favor of Senator Barack Obama. As the Civil Rights movement was predominated by, but not exclusive to African-Americans marginalized under the excesses of Jim Crow, the Obama campaign has managed to include Americans of all ancestries, while effectively addressing egregious, flagrant impositions upon the basic human dignity of African-Americans.
The most egregious of which has been the partitioning of the body of population descended from slaves and sub-Saharan Africa, with hyphens and loaded rhetoric, on all sides of the political spectrum. The accomplishment of an Obama candidacy has been the realization that the American identity is descended from Africa as well as Europe, and the experience of those descended from the more southerly continent is as purely American (and defining of America) as that of those who stepped off the ships arriving from Europe.
The economy has tanked for all Americans. The ideal of home ownership and productive employment have been subverted by corporate bodies unburdened by accountability for their anti-consumer actions. The concentration of Anmerican wealth is falling rapidly into a few sets of hands.
An African-American population with obstacles, be they real or imagined, to the same economic leverage available to Americans of European descent, functions as the early harbinger of financial torment. The chaos seen in African-American areas of Cleveland and Detroit three and four years ago has now metastisized into a national concern.
Ironically, the skill sets required to live in an environment of limited resources, opportunities, and leverage suit those who have these abilities in an atmosphere of financial turmoil. The neighborhood hustler, who always understood the importance of cash is better equipped than the MBA whose day-to-day liquidity was heavily leveraged. By necessity, African-Americans have required broader skill sets to live abundantly than their compatriots of European descent, owing to the relatively large authority accrued to persons overtly or covertly hostile to non-whites.
No African-American has come away from this presidential campaign without an extraordinary appreciation for the talent, sacrifice, and compromise required for Senator Obama to reach nomination. Should Mr. Obama be successful in his quest, while walls may remain, significant barriers to black Americans being realized as just plain Americans will be obliterated.
The purveyors of discrimination who have taken their sanctuary within the body of the Party of Abraham Lincoln will be among the earliest to be discredited. They are under the religion that American voters are likely to remain apathetic, regardless of their ancestry, as opposed to acting upon their own self interest.
The hope is that the American of European descent will become livid about the undocumented person who became productive by living off that refused by others, and disregard the citizen who constructed byzantine contracts and dysfunctional mechanisms which have looted his employment and savings. The proceeds were split between unethical entities in business and government alike.
The faith is that Americans of African ancestry will be too unmotivated to see that realization as Americans in full, and the social leverage commensurate with that status, is in their best interests. The faith exists that the black community is too discouraged to ever struggle again for actualization of the rights articulated and implied by the fourteenth amendment.
And the charity begins at home, making every cent liquid in anticipation of a modest increase in the Capital Gains tax...
Apparently, African-Americans did not get the memo about being apathetic. In states with large African-American populations, from 25 to 35% in some southeastern states, African-Americans have responded overwhelmingly and enthusiastically to the Obama candidacy. In the case of Georgia, once the reddest of the red states, African-Americans account for 35% of early voters, with estimates of support well over 95%.
Putting that another way, should these numbers remain consistent, Senator McCain will require 70% support from voters who are not black to have any chance at winning Georgia. North Carolina is demographically similar to the Peach State, and not safely in McCain's corner. Despite polling which indicates otherwise, no southern state is out of reach for Obama, and there is a very real possibility that Louisiana and Arkansas may go Obama's way as well.
Just when you though it was safe to turn on the news, Black people and liberals are about to take over the country. Somebody needs to get some magnets on Nixon's body, and some copper wire around it, because Tricky is going to spin fast enough in his grave to light up El Lay and Vegas.
THE GOATEE c.1971-2008
The Goatee, a symbol of macho ruggedness for over thirty years, succumbed to injuries sustained by multiple assaults by pretentious dorks.
The death came late Tuesday, when the ten-thousandth photo of Todd Palin's Goatee was published in the North Country Rummage Sale Finder and Penny Hoarder, of Beekmantown, NY.
The Goatee was preceded in death by the Mullet haircut, and Overpriced Sunglasses on a cord worn about the neck. It is survived by single-occupant gas guzzlers and Conservative Talk Radio as stupid fads popular with middle-aged white men.
Services have not been scheduled as of press time.
Of course, one refers to spectacular African-American turnout in favor of Senator Barack Obama. As the Civil Rights movement was predominated by, but not exclusive to African-Americans marginalized under the excesses of Jim Crow, the Obama campaign has managed to include Americans of all ancestries, while effectively addressing egregious, flagrant impositions upon the basic human dignity of African-Americans.
The most egregious of which has been the partitioning of the body of population descended from slaves and sub-Saharan Africa, with hyphens and loaded rhetoric, on all sides of the political spectrum. The accomplishment of an Obama candidacy has been the realization that the American identity is descended from Africa as well as Europe, and the experience of those descended from the more southerly continent is as purely American (and defining of America) as that of those who stepped off the ships arriving from Europe.
The economy has tanked for all Americans. The ideal of home ownership and productive employment have been subverted by corporate bodies unburdened by accountability for their anti-consumer actions. The concentration of Anmerican wealth is falling rapidly into a few sets of hands.
An African-American population with obstacles, be they real or imagined, to the same economic leverage available to Americans of European descent, functions as the early harbinger of financial torment. The chaos seen in African-American areas of Cleveland and Detroit three and four years ago has now metastisized into a national concern.
Ironically, the skill sets required to live in an environment of limited resources, opportunities, and leverage suit those who have these abilities in an atmosphere of financial turmoil. The neighborhood hustler, who always understood the importance of cash is better equipped than the MBA whose day-to-day liquidity was heavily leveraged. By necessity, African-Americans have required broader skill sets to live abundantly than their compatriots of European descent, owing to the relatively large authority accrued to persons overtly or covertly hostile to non-whites.
No African-American has come away from this presidential campaign without an extraordinary appreciation for the talent, sacrifice, and compromise required for Senator Obama to reach nomination. Should Mr. Obama be successful in his quest, while walls may remain, significant barriers to black Americans being realized as just plain Americans will be obliterated.
The purveyors of discrimination who have taken their sanctuary within the body of the Party of Abraham Lincoln will be among the earliest to be discredited. They are under the religion that American voters are likely to remain apathetic, regardless of their ancestry, as opposed to acting upon their own self interest.
The hope is that the American of European descent will become livid about the undocumented person who became productive by living off that refused by others, and disregard the citizen who constructed byzantine contracts and dysfunctional mechanisms which have looted his employment and savings. The proceeds were split between unethical entities in business and government alike.
The faith is that Americans of African ancestry will be too unmotivated to see that realization as Americans in full, and the social leverage commensurate with that status, is in their best interests. The faith exists that the black community is too discouraged to ever struggle again for actualization of the rights articulated and implied by the fourteenth amendment.
And the charity begins at home, making every cent liquid in anticipation of a modest increase in the Capital Gains tax...
Apparently, African-Americans did not get the memo about being apathetic. In states with large African-American populations, from 25 to 35% in some southeastern states, African-Americans have responded overwhelmingly and enthusiastically to the Obama candidacy. In the case of Georgia, once the reddest of the red states, African-Americans account for 35% of early voters, with estimates of support well over 95%.
Putting that another way, should these numbers remain consistent, Senator McCain will require 70% support from voters who are not black to have any chance at winning Georgia. North Carolina is demographically similar to the Peach State, and not safely in McCain's corner. Despite polling which indicates otherwise, no southern state is out of reach for Obama, and there is a very real possibility that Louisiana and Arkansas may go Obama's way as well.
Just when you though it was safe to turn on the news, Black people and liberals are about to take over the country. Somebody needs to get some magnets on Nixon's body, and some copper wire around it, because Tricky is going to spin fast enough in his grave to light up El Lay and Vegas.
THE GOATEE c.1971-2008
The Goatee, a symbol of macho ruggedness for over thirty years, succumbed to injuries sustained by multiple assaults by pretentious dorks.
The death came late Tuesday, when the ten-thousandth photo of Todd Palin's Goatee was published in the North Country Rummage Sale Finder and Penny Hoarder, of Beekmantown, NY.
The Goatee was preceded in death by the Mullet haircut, and Overpriced Sunglasses on a cord worn about the neck. It is survived by single-occupant gas guzzlers and Conservative Talk Radio as stupid fads popular with middle-aged white men.
Services have not been scheduled as of press time.
25 October 2008
Wandering Gentoon
Now that your Wandering Gentile has figured out how to place his political cartoons on the post, expect to see a lot more of them.
Longer posts to follow soon.
Gil a/k/a The Wandering Gentile.
13 October 2008
Friendly Fire
This just in from Richmond: Sarah "I can see the Milky Way at night so I must be a confectioner" Palin just opened up on HER OWN SUPPORTERS at a rally.
As the great author once said, the difference between fact and fiction is that fiction has to make sense. One is unsure if this is sufficient evidence, but there is a compelling argument to be made about a campaign's defensive posture when the Vice-Presidential candidate mistakes supporters for protesters. Good grief, if Governor Palin is seeing protesters without knowing that they're there, what else is she seeing?
One fact of life: one seldom hears about the image of Jesus appearing on food outside of Latin America, or billboards in Atlanta. This suggests that while He may be showing up in some guy's Moo Goo Gai Pan, the observer is not necessarily so attuned to Christ as to notice His appearance in the observer's dinner.
Relating this to Governor Palin, if she is seeing protesters who are not there, then she is obviously concerned and reactive. This relates directly to the campaign's characterizations of Senator Obama with half-truths and innuendo, and Governor Palin's role. She opened the personal salvo about Obama's relationships without offering anything in the realm of policy.
The Republican Vice-Presidential candidate has made extensive crticism of Senator Obama's relationships and suggested that his discretion in not making his disputes public somehow proves poor judgement. However, Governor Palin's record indicates a pattern of very public and spectacularly petty confrontations which exhibit an imperious character. This character is also consistent with the failures of tact and diplomacy which have become the trademark of the Bush administation.
The imperious nature of Palin's governance, combined with the exposure of scandals which would have been gossip limited to an infinitessimal community in a remote state, plays upon her mindset. Whether or not she believes that she is wrong, she has begun some recognition that her views are less than consistent with the opinion of the mainstream. By moving to a campaign rooted in attempts to defeat Senator Obama by assaults upon the man's private life, Governor Palin must accept that she is now vulnerable to similar affronts.
Senator McCain has chosen to stay out of this fray. In fact, when a supporter expressed several hateful and baseless statements regarding the Democratic candidate, McCain showed a bit of the candidate which moderates and independents found so appealing. Indeed, by refusing to embrace a far-right monologue of paranoia and race-baiting, McCain the man, if not the candidacy, probably charted the best correction of course that his party could wish for.
It may not save Republican chances in 2008, but it may assure that the Republican party still exists in 2012. While one finds a profound question with Senator McCain's decisions in the campaign, one suspects a stewardship which guides his party away from the divisions and ideological exclusion that hallmarks the era of Gingrich and Bush.
The base which had time and inclination to vote based upon an agenda of controlling the behavior of others in times of prosperity now finds itself decimated by the policies of deregulation which have eradicated all of the gains and part of the principal promised by adherence to the tactics and strategies of the Republicans over the last twelve years.
To translate the last few paragraphs for those who are still under the illusion that Republicans are fit to lead: they can dish it out but they can't take it. They want you to worry more about a gay wedding than what's left of your 401(k), and then they want you to think that a candidate who has a plan to change the economy's direction (allowing a middle class voter to prosper) is actually going to be worse for you than the people who wiped out your savings.
With 48 hours until the last debate, this is where Obama is going to stick it in the Republican party, and one suspects that Senator McCain is going to give the opening.
1. The economy looks like what would happen if somebody got drunk and decided to rebuild a transmission on the kitchen table. The drunk individual would be devoid of talent, experience, a service manual or replacement parts. Does the transmission's owner say A.) Screw this, pack up all of the parts on a sheet and carry them over to Aamco, who presumably knows what they're doing, or B.) listen to the drunk who says "Hey, I took it apart. I can put it back together..." while he's opening another beer?
2. If Ayres gets brought up during the debate, look for Obama's vapor trail going after the Keating Five. Although one suspects that the Keating Five is a great name for a retro British Invasion style band, they are an extremely bad memory for Senator McCain. The perfect response would be brief, along the lines of "Senator McCain was involved with Charles Keating, and not only did not renounce his unethical behavior, but was cooperating in an event which cost Americans billions. Now if we are going to talk about our associations, let's get it on and bring up events in which we participated."
3. Obama isn't going to need a game changer. If one likes sports analogies, he just has to keep the ball out of McCain's hands. If one likes Football, as defined by North Americans, what Obama is looking for is a long, clock-eating downfield drive which will put him two scores ahead with no time to play. He's up by seven, 7:30 to go in the 4th quarter, 1st and 10 on his own 20.
In other words, he's winning, and in a good place, but there is time left for things to go very badly. However, McCain is out of time outs, and if the Republicans do not firmly have the ball by the two minute warning, it's going to be all Obama.
4. McCain not only needs a game changer, the more he tries to force a turnover the less prepared his team looks. There was no provision for the possibility of things not going their way. The Republicans did not anticipate the economic downturn (crashing and burning, really). There was no provision for a resurgent Russia on the international stage, nor was there any consideration that countries like Iran and Venezuela may collaborate to drive up crude prices.
Should Obama's team choose to dig in on the McCain team's lack of foresight, scarcity of vision, and frickin' myopia and start hammering, McCain is going to look like he just took on Muhammad Ali in his prime.
In 48 hours, the Obama campaign has a chance to put this away. This looks as if it is going to be very enjoyable for Democrats to watch.
From my lips to God's ear.
As the great author once said, the difference between fact and fiction is that fiction has to make sense. One is unsure if this is sufficient evidence, but there is a compelling argument to be made about a campaign's defensive posture when the Vice-Presidential candidate mistakes supporters for protesters. Good grief, if Governor Palin is seeing protesters without knowing that they're there, what else is she seeing?
One fact of life: one seldom hears about the image of Jesus appearing on food outside of Latin America, or billboards in Atlanta. This suggests that while He may be showing up in some guy's Moo Goo Gai Pan, the observer is not necessarily so attuned to Christ as to notice His appearance in the observer's dinner.
Relating this to Governor Palin, if she is seeing protesters who are not there, then she is obviously concerned and reactive. This relates directly to the campaign's characterizations of Senator Obama with half-truths and innuendo, and Governor Palin's role. She opened the personal salvo about Obama's relationships without offering anything in the realm of policy.
The Republican Vice-Presidential candidate has made extensive crticism of Senator Obama's relationships and suggested that his discretion in not making his disputes public somehow proves poor judgement. However, Governor Palin's record indicates a pattern of very public and spectacularly petty confrontations which exhibit an imperious character. This character is also consistent with the failures of tact and diplomacy which have become the trademark of the Bush administation.
The imperious nature of Palin's governance, combined with the exposure of scandals which would have been gossip limited to an infinitessimal community in a remote state, plays upon her mindset. Whether or not she believes that she is wrong, she has begun some recognition that her views are less than consistent with the opinion of the mainstream. By moving to a campaign rooted in attempts to defeat Senator Obama by assaults upon the man's private life, Governor Palin must accept that she is now vulnerable to similar affronts.
Senator McCain has chosen to stay out of this fray. In fact, when a supporter expressed several hateful and baseless statements regarding the Democratic candidate, McCain showed a bit of the candidate which moderates and independents found so appealing. Indeed, by refusing to embrace a far-right monologue of paranoia and race-baiting, McCain the man, if not the candidacy, probably charted the best correction of course that his party could wish for.
It may not save Republican chances in 2008, but it may assure that the Republican party still exists in 2012. While one finds a profound question with Senator McCain's decisions in the campaign, one suspects a stewardship which guides his party away from the divisions and ideological exclusion that hallmarks the era of Gingrich and Bush.
The base which had time and inclination to vote based upon an agenda of controlling the behavior of others in times of prosperity now finds itself decimated by the policies of deregulation which have eradicated all of the gains and part of the principal promised by adherence to the tactics and strategies of the Republicans over the last twelve years.
To translate the last few paragraphs for those who are still under the illusion that Republicans are fit to lead: they can dish it out but they can't take it. They want you to worry more about a gay wedding than what's left of your 401(k), and then they want you to think that a candidate who has a plan to change the economy's direction (allowing a middle class voter to prosper) is actually going to be worse for you than the people who wiped out your savings.
With 48 hours until the last debate, this is where Obama is going to stick it in the Republican party, and one suspects that Senator McCain is going to give the opening.
1. The economy looks like what would happen if somebody got drunk and decided to rebuild a transmission on the kitchen table. The drunk individual would be devoid of talent, experience, a service manual or replacement parts. Does the transmission's owner say A.) Screw this, pack up all of the parts on a sheet and carry them over to Aamco, who presumably knows what they're doing, or B.) listen to the drunk who says "Hey, I took it apart. I can put it back together..." while he's opening another beer?
2. If Ayres gets brought up during the debate, look for Obama's vapor trail going after the Keating Five. Although one suspects that the Keating Five is a great name for a retro British Invasion style band, they are an extremely bad memory for Senator McCain. The perfect response would be brief, along the lines of "Senator McCain was involved with Charles Keating, and not only did not renounce his unethical behavior, but was cooperating in an event which cost Americans billions. Now if we are going to talk about our associations, let's get it on and bring up events in which we participated."
3. Obama isn't going to need a game changer. If one likes sports analogies, he just has to keep the ball out of McCain's hands. If one likes Football, as defined by North Americans, what Obama is looking for is a long, clock-eating downfield drive which will put him two scores ahead with no time to play. He's up by seven, 7:30 to go in the 4th quarter, 1st and 10 on his own 20.
In other words, he's winning, and in a good place, but there is time left for things to go very badly. However, McCain is out of time outs, and if the Republicans do not firmly have the ball by the two minute warning, it's going to be all Obama.
4. McCain not only needs a game changer, the more he tries to force a turnover the less prepared his team looks. There was no provision for the possibility of things not going their way. The Republicans did not anticipate the economic downturn (crashing and burning, really). There was no provision for a resurgent Russia on the international stage, nor was there any consideration that countries like Iran and Venezuela may collaborate to drive up crude prices.
Should Obama's team choose to dig in on the McCain team's lack of foresight, scarcity of vision, and frickin' myopia and start hammering, McCain is going to look like he just took on Muhammad Ali in his prime.
In 48 hours, the Obama campaign has a chance to put this away. This looks as if it is going to be very enjoyable for Democrats to watch.
From my lips to God's ear.
09 October 2008
Don't Count Georgia Out, Barack.
Just a couple of short words for our friends who suspect that Georgia may be out of reach for the Obama campaign...
Hang on.
A quick perusal of Georgia voter registrations from the Secretary of State's office coughed up some interesting numbers.
Should turnout in the African-American community remain as high as it was during the primary, with similar proportions going for Senator Obama, that would give Obama between 1.5-1.6 million votes.
In 2004 Bush took Georgia with 1.9 million votes. Should turnout remain constant around 77% of all registered voters in the state of Georgia, the threshold for winning the state would be about 2.4-2.5 million votes.
Here is what people refer to as a "holy $#!+!" moment. If historical models are consistent among white voters, and black voters remain consistent with the primary, Obama only needs about a quarter of the white vote to win Georgia.
For our friends away from the deep south, there is a very real possibility that the Peach State, heart of the Confederacy and (occasionally) painted as a hotbed of white supremacy, may actually send fifteen electoral votes for a black man.
In fact, while that possibility may seem remote to some white observers, only a fool would bet on Georgia staying reliably red in this election cycle. It will not take much for people in middle class homes in the Atlanta and Savannah suburbs, enlisted people in Columbus, Augusta, and Hinesville, and a few halfback seniors (halfbacks being Yankees who moved to Florida, missed having seasons, and went halfway back home) to see that the effect that the Republican administration has had on their investments is effectively a tax paid to people who are unaccountable and cannot be voted out of office.
Add on top of that the modest white liberal population around metropolitan Atlanta, and one can see that there is a possibility that Georgia goes blue with North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia.
John McCain, your bus is here. Destination: Phoenix.
And Governor Palin, you are about to improve your foreign policy experience, because it's a loong walk back to Alaska across Canada. Maybe you shouldn't have sold the plane on eBay, huh?
Hang on.
A quick perusal of Georgia voter registrations from the Secretary of State's office coughed up some interesting numbers.
Should turnout in the African-American community remain as high as it was during the primary, with similar proportions going for Senator Obama, that would give Obama between 1.5-1.6 million votes.
In 2004 Bush took Georgia with 1.9 million votes. Should turnout remain constant around 77% of all registered voters in the state of Georgia, the threshold for winning the state would be about 2.4-2.5 million votes.
Here is what people refer to as a "holy $#!+!" moment. If historical models are consistent among white voters, and black voters remain consistent with the primary, Obama only needs about a quarter of the white vote to win Georgia.
For our friends away from the deep south, there is a very real possibility that the Peach State, heart of the Confederacy and (occasionally) painted as a hotbed of white supremacy, may actually send fifteen electoral votes for a black man.
In fact, while that possibility may seem remote to some white observers, only a fool would bet on Georgia staying reliably red in this election cycle. It will not take much for people in middle class homes in the Atlanta and Savannah suburbs, enlisted people in Columbus, Augusta, and Hinesville, and a few halfback seniors (halfbacks being Yankees who moved to Florida, missed having seasons, and went halfway back home) to see that the effect that the Republican administration has had on their investments is effectively a tax paid to people who are unaccountable and cannot be voted out of office.
Add on top of that the modest white liberal population around metropolitan Atlanta, and one can see that there is a possibility that Georgia goes blue with North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia.
John McCain, your bus is here. Destination: Phoenix.
And Governor Palin, you are about to improve your foreign policy experience, because it's a loong walk back to Alaska across Canada. Maybe you shouldn't have sold the plane on eBay, huh?
08 October 2008
As McCain Fades Away
While not counting chickens before they are hatched, an Obama supporter should be inclined to a bit of optimism after last night's debate. Senator McCain offered yet another spectacular portrayal of the walking undead, as he creaks and groans his way toward the inevitable.
It is not necessary to gild how bad the Republican campaign has become; the Senator from Arizona knows. It would be a challenge for George W. Bush to not know. Rove is apoplectic, and even the Republican party's traditional friends on Wall Street appear to be choosing apathy over action in droves.
The Republicans have had their juju come back on them in the form of outspoken supporters advocating assassination in public fora, while maintaining silence in light of such offensive and gratuitously divisive displays.
Is it possible that after Governor Palin's support of inquiry into Obama's relationship with Wright and Ayres, and suggestions that Senator Obama, Michelle Obama, and progressives in general, hate america, that Palin is throwing stones in her glass house?
If one feels that guilt by association is justification for not voting for Obama, then it should be quite good enough for a ticket which includes Sarah Palin.
While Reverend Wright has been vilified for his inflamatory "God damn America" speech, there has been little accountability for Pastors Paul Riley and Ed Kalnins of the Wasilla Assembly of God, and their sermons suggesting that the salvation of Democrats was in question. The last that I know of, the Bible has not mentioned the Democratic Party specifically, and the Republicans have just as many points of working contrary to scripture (partcularly when it comes to issues of compassion and social justice) as the Democrats.
Too many who have based their social conservatism upon Scripture, just as those who have allied their calls for economic justice with a Christian subtext, suffer from disconnects between scripture and political efficacy. These are questions which need to be answered privately, while reflecting in one's closet, as St. Paul instructs one to pray and worship privately.
Should one look hard enough, Governor Palin has no real room to talk about domestic terrorists, nor Michelle Obama, given her husband's membership in the Alaskan Independence Party. This secessionist group has ties to the KKK, Minutemen, and has endorsed the Constitution party candidate, himself no paragon of tolerance or inclusion.
The advocacy of secession puts the Alaskan Independence Party in direct conflict with article III of the Constitution, by adhering to the idea that the United States should be broken up.
Finally, the Republican campaign has tacitly recognized the support of conservative radio hosts, specifically Sean Hannity. One is justified in questioning the value of his opinion when one considers his relationship with neo-Nazi Hal Turner of North Bergen, NJ.
But one really does not wish to throw these points back in the face of the Republicans. One merely should watch them hew close to their talking points as their policies crumble beneath the clay feet of their moribund governance. And one waits for the questions about the motives of the Alaskan Independence party directed to Governor Palin.
But one will not be holding his breath.
It is not necessary to gild how bad the Republican campaign has become; the Senator from Arizona knows. It would be a challenge for George W. Bush to not know. Rove is apoplectic, and even the Republican party's traditional friends on Wall Street appear to be choosing apathy over action in droves.
The Republicans have had their juju come back on them in the form of outspoken supporters advocating assassination in public fora, while maintaining silence in light of such offensive and gratuitously divisive displays.
Is it possible that after Governor Palin's support of inquiry into Obama's relationship with Wright and Ayres, and suggestions that Senator Obama, Michelle Obama, and progressives in general, hate america, that Palin is throwing stones in her glass house?
If one feels that guilt by association is justification for not voting for Obama, then it should be quite good enough for a ticket which includes Sarah Palin.
While Reverend Wright has been vilified for his inflamatory "God damn America" speech, there has been little accountability for Pastors Paul Riley and Ed Kalnins of the Wasilla Assembly of God, and their sermons suggesting that the salvation of Democrats was in question. The last that I know of, the Bible has not mentioned the Democratic Party specifically, and the Republicans have just as many points of working contrary to scripture (partcularly when it comes to issues of compassion and social justice) as the Democrats.
Too many who have based their social conservatism upon Scripture, just as those who have allied their calls for economic justice with a Christian subtext, suffer from disconnects between scripture and political efficacy. These are questions which need to be answered privately, while reflecting in one's closet, as St. Paul instructs one to pray and worship privately.
Should one look hard enough, Governor Palin has no real room to talk about domestic terrorists, nor Michelle Obama, given her husband's membership in the Alaskan Independence Party. This secessionist group has ties to the KKK, Minutemen, and has endorsed the Constitution party candidate, himself no paragon of tolerance or inclusion.
The advocacy of secession puts the Alaskan Independence Party in direct conflict with article III of the Constitution, by adhering to the idea that the United States should be broken up.
Finally, the Republican campaign has tacitly recognized the support of conservative radio hosts, specifically Sean Hannity. One is justified in questioning the value of his opinion when one considers his relationship with neo-Nazi Hal Turner of North Bergen, NJ.
But one really does not wish to throw these points back in the face of the Republicans. One merely should watch them hew close to their talking points as their policies crumble beneath the clay feet of their moribund governance. And one waits for the questions about the motives of the Alaskan Independence party directed to Governor Palin.
But one will not be holding his breath.
07 October 2008
Yipe! It's a Bad Day
Tuesday: Stepdaughter's birthday and field trip. Day 5 of relatively self-inflicted unemployment.
My back feels as if someone is jabbing an ice pick in the bottom of it, provoking your Wandering Gentile to yelp, much like Scooby Doo when frightened. I was sitting in the foyer of Cooter Holler Elementary School, in the Atlanta suburb of Wolfboro, and noticing a tapestry which purported to have all of the Latin American countries celebrating their independence in September.
Mexico. No surprise there, Cooter Holler is predominately populated by children of Mexican ancestry or birth. September 16 was the last time I was in Laredo, and I spent a good amount of time parked on my behind in Laredo.
Guatemala. El Salvador. Honduras. Nicaragua. Chile. All present and acounted for.
No, Got Dang It, that ain't the entire list.
15 de septiembre, Costa Rica. Nope, the tapestry did not even have a provision for Costa Rica. It went straight from Nicaragua to Colombia. One would suspect that the Panamanians might be a little bit miffed, too. On the other hand, well, John McCain's birthplace (the Canal Zone, and the only nominee of a major party not to be born in an actual state! Ever!) is not there, either.
One wonders if Governor Palin had anything to do with this map. It seems unlikely, being that the correct number of countries is on the tapestry, however in the wrong places.
There was a big chunk of the Amazon basin bordered by Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. There was another country between Ecuador and Peru (Ecru? Peor? Pookie? Peekaboo?). And there was a third country somewhere else, sort of like a misplaced Bolivia, hopefully with a history of (comparatively) well-treated indigineous peoples, a middle class, high literacy, high levels of home ownership, and a well checked government.
Oh, wait. Snap! That country already exists, and it's called Costa Rica. No, they couldn't have left off one of the little armpit countries, places so devoid of hope and opportunity that looking to Castro's Cuba for possibilities becomes a very real option. There was no consideration that anyone would ever notice.
And one suspects, no one did until a couple of days ago when someone else noticed Costa Rica's absence. Of course, it would not be the first time. Costa Rica totally dropped off Spain's radar until they declared independence in 1821. The conversation may be imagined as such,
"Your Royal Noisomeness, Costa Rica also delared their independence."
"You mean We still owned it? Why wasn't I told?"
No, I wound up spending 45 minutes waiting to chaperone a field trip, looking at this facockta tapestry that put countries where the maker pleased, and the map of the US had Chicago where Bismarck ought to be, Lake Ontario dipping down to Tioga County, Pennsylvania, and the tip of Texas cut off from Eagle Pass to Corpus Crispy.
So I calmed down, after annoying my wife about what was wrong with the geography on the tapestry for 45 minutes, something for which I may not be forgiven soon. We got on the bus.
For purposes of respecting my stepdaugter's privacy, she will be referred to as Sasha Ortiz. It seems appropriate, as the real hijastra's real big papi is Dominican.
Now, I had never chaperoned a field trip in my life, and keeping up with five energetic eight-and-nine-year-olds had never really been much of a life goal. In fact I wasn't really aware that I would be chaperoning a group of third graders until it was too late to jump back in the Pornstar Minivan, go to QT and buy cheese taquitos. No, I was locked down.
I was the hog committed to crispy bacon. And, to be fair, the kids were totally cool. It doesn't hurt that I don't like most grown-ups much, either.
But we got that perverse sense of presumptuous politeness which is only found in places where people like Mrs. Palin. As the children were being parceled out amongst one little girl's aunt, one father, my wife and me, we were introduced by our presumed surnames.
Teacher got Miss Martinez right, and Mr. Claxton as well. However, when she got to Mrs Wandering Gentile, my wife suddenly became Mrs. Ortiz.
There were two problems with that. First of all, the real Mr. Ortiz had enamored my wife under an assumed name. Second of all, they had never married. Mrs. Wandering Gentile was never at any time in the past Mrs. Ortiz. Nor was Mr. Ortiz an Ortiz at all. Thus, hijastra la menor a/k/a Sasha is listed as Sasha Ortiz, but the name is an illusion of sorts.
That bothers me, because she is a lovely child who deserves an identity that was not speculative. However, I am kind of fond of the idea that she is the first of a real Ortiz line, so one must be somewhat ambivalent.
Of course, what came next tickled me. Because I was introduced as Mr. Ortiz.
And one of the few places where one may find a six-foot-tall, blue-eyed, Mr. Ortiz being completely ordinary does not exist at all on the tapestry in the foyer at Cooter Holler Elementary School in Wolfboro, GA.
My back feels as if someone is jabbing an ice pick in the bottom of it, provoking your Wandering Gentile to yelp, much like Scooby Doo when frightened. I was sitting in the foyer of Cooter Holler Elementary School, in the Atlanta suburb of Wolfboro, and noticing a tapestry which purported to have all of the Latin American countries celebrating their independence in September.
Mexico. No surprise there, Cooter Holler is predominately populated by children of Mexican ancestry or birth. September 16 was the last time I was in Laredo, and I spent a good amount of time parked on my behind in Laredo.
Guatemala. El Salvador. Honduras. Nicaragua. Chile. All present and acounted for.
No, Got Dang It, that ain't the entire list.
15 de septiembre, Costa Rica. Nope, the tapestry did not even have a provision for Costa Rica. It went straight from Nicaragua to Colombia. One would suspect that the Panamanians might be a little bit miffed, too. On the other hand, well, John McCain's birthplace (the Canal Zone, and the only nominee of a major party not to be born in an actual state! Ever!) is not there, either.
One wonders if Governor Palin had anything to do with this map. It seems unlikely, being that the correct number of countries is on the tapestry, however in the wrong places.
There was a big chunk of the Amazon basin bordered by Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. There was another country between Ecuador and Peru (Ecru? Peor? Pookie? Peekaboo?). And there was a third country somewhere else, sort of like a misplaced Bolivia, hopefully with a history of (comparatively) well-treated indigineous peoples, a middle class, high literacy, high levels of home ownership, and a well checked government.
Oh, wait. Snap! That country already exists, and it's called Costa Rica. No, they couldn't have left off one of the little armpit countries, places so devoid of hope and opportunity that looking to Castro's Cuba for possibilities becomes a very real option. There was no consideration that anyone would ever notice.
And one suspects, no one did until a couple of days ago when someone else noticed Costa Rica's absence. Of course, it would not be the first time. Costa Rica totally dropped off Spain's radar until they declared independence in 1821. The conversation may be imagined as such,
"Your Royal Noisomeness, Costa Rica also delared their independence."
"You mean We still owned it? Why wasn't I told?"
No, I wound up spending 45 minutes waiting to chaperone a field trip, looking at this facockta tapestry that put countries where the maker pleased, and the map of the US had Chicago where Bismarck ought to be, Lake Ontario dipping down to Tioga County, Pennsylvania, and the tip of Texas cut off from Eagle Pass to Corpus Crispy.
So I calmed down, after annoying my wife about what was wrong with the geography on the tapestry for 45 minutes, something for which I may not be forgiven soon. We got on the bus.
For purposes of respecting my stepdaugter's privacy, she will be referred to as Sasha Ortiz. It seems appropriate, as the real hijastra's real big papi is Dominican.
Now, I had never chaperoned a field trip in my life, and keeping up with five energetic eight-and-nine-year-olds had never really been much of a life goal. In fact I wasn't really aware that I would be chaperoning a group of third graders until it was too late to jump back in the Pornstar Minivan, go to QT and buy cheese taquitos. No, I was locked down.
I was the hog committed to crispy bacon. And, to be fair, the kids were totally cool. It doesn't hurt that I don't like most grown-ups much, either.
But we got that perverse sense of presumptuous politeness which is only found in places where people like Mrs. Palin. As the children were being parceled out amongst one little girl's aunt, one father, my wife and me, we were introduced by our presumed surnames.
Teacher got Miss Martinez right, and Mr. Claxton as well. However, when she got to Mrs Wandering Gentile, my wife suddenly became Mrs. Ortiz.
There were two problems with that. First of all, the real Mr. Ortiz had enamored my wife under an assumed name. Second of all, they had never married. Mrs. Wandering Gentile was never at any time in the past Mrs. Ortiz. Nor was Mr. Ortiz an Ortiz at all. Thus, hijastra la menor a/k/a Sasha is listed as Sasha Ortiz, but the name is an illusion of sorts.
That bothers me, because she is a lovely child who deserves an identity that was not speculative. However, I am kind of fond of the idea that she is the first of a real Ortiz line, so one must be somewhat ambivalent.
Of course, what came next tickled me. Because I was introduced as Mr. Ortiz.
And one of the few places where one may find a six-foot-tall, blue-eyed, Mr. Ortiz being completely ordinary does not exist at all on the tapestry in the foyer at Cooter Holler Elementary School in Wolfboro, GA.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
