On Crackers and Six Packs...

Real America... Pro-America America... Real Virginia... Hockey Moms, Walmart Moms, Joe Six-Packs...

I think it's important to understand what is really meant by these things...what our Republican candidates are talking about.

The McCain campaign would have us believe they mean "real people" who aren't rich and famous and who are humble, hard-workers who care about their families, God, and Country (not necessarily in that order). The mainstream media--not Fox, of course--critically takes them to task for this stuff but the media suggests these terms mean "Republicans" or "just people who agree with McCain and Palin."

What isn't being said much is what we're really talking about...what they really mean when they use those catchphrases.

Let me backtrack. I'm a "country girl" without a pasture. Raised in suburbia on John Denver music and my grandparent's FM country radio, I managed to absorb a fair amount of affinity for rural life and rural pleasures. Camping, fishing, boating, off-road vehicles...cold beer and pot luck. Love it.

AT the same time, I went to college. I took women's studies and multicultural classes. I became properly guilty for the sins of my Caucasian ancestors and my snooty city friends made sure to taunt my country nature into hiding. For a time, I wore chunky black shoes, squarish black eyeglasses, and clipped my short hair with funky black accessories. I went around with a pinched expression and lamented about oppression.

But then we moved to Montana. Oh how free I felt there! Free to be me! Free to let my inner "redneck woman" out of her corral. Yee haw! I bought a cow hat and ate steak. I felt something unusual... but I couldn't name it.

Across the country, "redneck" became cool. Songs, comedy routines, movies, TV... began to celebrate what had previously been a derogatory term. I started thinking about it... 'cause I felt it too... felt the urge to be more "redneck"... to own my own redneckedness.

And then I understood why... Pride and cultural identity. You see, my whole Gen-X life I've been told and I believed that it's bad and evil to be proud of my ethnicity. White pride??? Gasp!!! I mean, that's racist!!! Break out the hoods and shave your evil head. While all around me it was OK and even celebrated to "honor diversity." My schools and workplaces had celebrations for African-Americans, Latinos, various Asian cultures... celebrate diversity! The argument was that our primary culture...our primary celebrations were all about White people to begin with so we had to add celebrations for other ethnicities and downplay or eliminate any celebration of our own White culture.

Only, the thing is, that approach isn't really working very well because you have a whole lot of people who have had to act for a long time (for some of us our whole lives) like they were guilty, ashamed or embarrassed about who they really are. White culture had been oppressed. To put it bluntly, I believe the "redneck" craze is simply a safe and marginally politically correct (or at least lighter-hearted) way for Whites to be proud of White culture (which, I admit totally tweaks my guilt and shame button just writing that sentence).

We can hear a person say they are "proud to be a redneck" because we picture Larry the Cable Guy or Jeff Foxworthy... or Gretchen Wilson who "cleans up real nice." It's a silly and benign way to say we're proud of our--frankly--White culture without also suggesting that other cultures are bad. Of course we have to be sort of goofy and self-effacing about it.

Oprah Winfrey can say directly and with passion, "I'm proud to be a Black woman," and I never think she's saying, "I'm better than you because I'm Black." But if I heard Gretchen Wilson say, "I'm proud to be a White woman," I'd have a completely different impression of her words and intent. Now, Gretchen can say "redneck woman," and I'm all, "Hell yeah!" Why? Because I know what she means by it and what she doesn't mean. I'm both fond (shit, I can't even bring myself to say "proud") of my White girl (if you add "girl" it doesn't sound so bad, does it...?) culture and also appreciative and welcoming to other cultures. AT THE SAME TIME WITHOUT VALUING ONE OVER THE OTHER.

Now, are there Whites who are proud of their own culture AND racist fucktards? Oh yeah... we've seen them aplenty recently.

Which brings me back to what we are really talking about. The McCain/Palin campaign is bursting with cute phrases like "Joe Sixpack," "Hockey Mom," "Small-town America," "Real America," etc. Like "redneck" I swear this is code for White. The next time you hear Palin say this stuff, in your head... or even out loud... insert "White." I think that's what she really means and that's who she's really talking to...OK, specifically "White Heterosexist Christians."

And by talking this way, she's freed the racist fucktards to feel their oats...to crawl out of their bunkers and embrace the new lingo... embrace a candidate (mostly Palin, I gotta say) who frees them to be proud of something they've been pissed off by having to hide for so long. I also frees them to show their stupid fears about the "other;" in this case a brilliant mixed race presidential candidate and all those freaks who support him. Ooooo...sccccaaarrryyyy...

My husband overheard a right wing radio show yesterday discussing how electing Obama will change America (for the worse). They lamented that our "American Culture" will be lost... and that Obama threatens our American identity. The thing those boneheads don't understand... is that our American culture has already changed! If they'd take their fearful heads out of their fearful butts and get to know America--all of America--they'd see that we are truly a multicultural community.

Obama is not responsible for changing our country to a more diverse culture--our evolution to a more diverse culture is responsible for making it possible for Obama to be our leader. Our country has already changed. What the fearful conservatives need to understand is that they can have their culture, religion and tradition without clinging to it in fear or living with the delusion that they represent "True Americans." We can embrace the change and still be whoever we want to be... Americans united and diverse Americans. We can "celebrate diversity" with the inclusion of us "rednecks."

Talk about elitism! How dare Palin and her fellow conservative wacks presume to say who is and who is not a "True American." This is absolutely appalling! As I recall, Hitler had some ideals about who was and who was not a true German (or worthy human being, for that matter). Palin-heads hope to woo people who may think, "Oh, I want to be a True American too! Apparently, if I want to be that, I need to vote for McCain/Palin..." You know, they might grab a few people that way...

However, guess what? All that does is unite the rest of us in patriotism and invite the rest of us to take a stand. The rest of us know and love America as a land of diversity and we embrace the changes and new identities. We're uniting in something pretty magical, hopeful and compelling... something that isn't about hate or fear, but about redefining for the better what it means to be American. We're uniting under a mission of inclusion... and we have to make room for White cultures too in our diversity celebrations.

But right now, we're in the midst of a cultural war. Started somewhat by the presence of a "man of color" on the ticket but really ignited by Palin and McCain's campaign of fear and propaganda. It sickens me.

When Obama supporters talk about Hope and Change. We are talking about inclusion, kindness, altruism... We are talking about not hating each other for being different than we are but rather appreciating both our sameness and our differentness. We're talking about uniting... One Nation... Indivisible... With Liberty and Justice for All.

That's the reason we began to love Obama in the first place. He was the first candidate to recognize the pain of our separation and to suggest we don't have to hate each other. What a concept. What a mission.

Yet, having said that, I admit I nearly deleted this post prior to publishing it. I'm frankly so intimidated by broaching this subject that I nearly did not. But I feel it needs to be said.

On Race and Resumes...

I'm frankly appalled (though not terribly surprised) at what human sludge McCain (and especially Palin) have dredged up to support them.

But, sludge aside, ask yourself if Obama would ever be our potential president if he had McCain's resume... Would he have even been a senator if he'd had McCain's resume, education and personal history?

Think about it...

The following was posted on "Don't Get Me Started." It's an excellent illumination of how race, unfortunately, matters in our culture. Certainly the recent hate fests... um McCain/Palin rallies have been rife with it. These two yahoos are playing to the lowest common denominators of our US society and doing little to stop it. McCain's recent "attempts to quell" the racism and hate? Oh please... Where is his backbone? Those aren't strong statements he's making; they are just drops in a big old bucket of fear mongering.

How Racism Works (or Doesn't Work)

Received this from CT Gen and it makes some very simple, but very telling points...

~~~~~~~~~~

This is How Racism Works

What if John McCain were a former editor of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said 'I do' to?

What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?

What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama were a member of the Keating-5?

What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

You are The Boss... which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, 2 wars, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.

Educational Background:

Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations; Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. In Political Science; Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester; North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study; University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism; Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester; University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire ?

PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter...

~~~~~~~~~~

Makes you think, huh?

On Little Men and Compensating for Something...

Here's an interesting biography article from Rolling Stone about John McCain; worth reading no matter which way you'd like to vote.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23316912/makebelieve_maverick/print

On Healing and Hope...

I couldn't begin to express my feelings as well as this guy does:

Obama Will Be One of the Greatest (and Most Loved) American Presidents

By Frank Schaeffer

Posted October 8, 2008 | 02:45 PM (EST)

Great presidents are made great by horrible circumstances combined with character, temperament and intelligence. Like firemen, cops, doctors or soldiers, presidents need a crisis to shine.

Obama is one of the most intelligent presidential aspirants to ever step forward in American history. The likes of his intellectual capabilities have not been surpassed in public life since the Founding Fathers put pen to paper. His personal character is also solid gold. Take heart, America: we have the leader for our times.

I say this as a white, former life-long Republican. I say this as the proud father of a Marine. I say this as just another American watching his pension evaporate along with the stock market! I speak as someone who knows it's time to forget party loyalty, ideology and pride and put the country first. I say this as someone happy to be called a fool for going out on a limb and declaring that, 1) Obama will win, and 2) he is going to be amongst the greatest of American presidents.

Obama is our last best chance. He's worth laying it all on the line for.

This is a man who in the age of greed took the high road of community service. This is the good father and husband. This is the humble servant. This is the patient teacher. This is the scholar statesman. This is the man of deep Christian faith.

Good stories about Obama abound; from his personal relationship with his Secret Service agents (he invites them into his home to watch sports, and shoots hoops with them) to the story about how, more than twenty years ago, while standing in the check-in line at an airport, Obama paid a $100 baggage surcharge for a stranger who was broke and stuck. (Obama was virtually penniless himself in those days.) Years later after he became a senator, that stranger recognized Obama's picture and wrote to him to thank him. She received a kindly note back from the senator. (The story only surfaced because the person, who lives in Norway, told a local newspaper after Obama ran for the presidency. The paper published a photograph of this lady proudly displaying Senator Obama's letter.)

Where many leaders are two-faced; publicly kindly but privately feared and/or hated by people closest to them, Obama is consistent in the way he treats people, consistently kind and personally humble. He lives by the code that those who lead must serve. He believes that. He lives it. He lived it long before he was in the public eye.

Obama puts service ahead of ideology. He also knows that to win politically you need to be tough. He can be. He has been. This is a man who does what works, rather than scoring ideological points. In other words he is the quintessential non-ideological pragmatic American. He will (thank God!) disappoint ideologues and purists of the left and the right.

Obama has a reservoir of personal physical courage that is unmatched in presidential history. Why unmatched? Because as the first black contender for the presidency who will win, Obama, and all the rest of us, know that he is in great physical danger from the seemingly unlimited reserve of unhinged racial hatred, and just plain unhinged ignorant hatred, that swirls in the bowels of our wounded and sinful country. By stepping forward to lead, Obama has literally put his life on the line for all of us in a way no white candidate ever has had to do. (And we all know how dangerous the presidency has been even for white presidents.)

Nice stories or even unparalleled courage isn't the only point. The greater point about Obama is that the midst of our worldwide financial meltdown, an expanding (and losing) war in Afghanistan, trying to extricate our country from a wrong and stupidly mistaken ruinously expensive war in Iraq, our mounting and crushing national debt, awaiting the next (and inevitable) al Qaeda attack on our homeland, watching our schools decline to Third World levels of incompetence, facing a general loss of confidence in the government that has been exacerbated by the Republicans doing all they can to undermine our government's capabilities and programs... President Obama will take on the leadership of our country at a make or break time of historic proportions. He faces not one but dozens of crisis, each big enough to define any presidency in better times.

As luck, fate or divine grace would have it (depending on one's personal theology) Obama is blessedly, dare I say uniquely, well-suited to our dire circumstances. Obama is a person with hands-on community service experience, deep connections to top economic advisers from the renowned University of Chicago where he taught law, and a middle-class background that gives him an abiding knowledgeable empathy with the rest of us. As the son of a single mother, who has worked his way up with merit and brains, recipient of top-notch academic scholarships, the peer-selected editor of the Harvard Law Review and, in three giant political steps to state office, national office and now the presidency, Obama clearly has the wit and drive to lead.

Obama is the sober voice of reason at a time of unreason. He is the fellow keeping his head while all around him are panicking. He is the healing presence at a time of national division and strife. He is also new enough to the political process so that he doesn't suffer from the terminally jaded cynicism, the seen-it-all-before syndrome afflicting most politicians in Washington. In that regard we Americans lucked out. It's as if having despaired of our political process we picked a name from the phone book to lead us and that person turned out to be a very man we needed.

Obama brings a healing and uplifting spiritual quality to our politics at the very time when our worst enemy is fear. For eight years we've been ruled by a stunted fear-filled mediocrity of a little liar who has expanded his power on the basis of creating fear in others. Fearless Obama is the cure. He speaks a litany of hope rather than a litany of terror.

As we have watched Obama respond in a quiet reasoned manner to crisis after crisis, in both the way he has responded after being attacked and lied about in the 2008 campaign season, to his reasoned response to our multiplying national crises, what we see is the spirit of a trusted family doctor with a great bedside manner. Obama is perfectly suited to hold our hand and lead us through some very tough times. The word panic is not in the Obama dictionary.

America is fighting its "Armageddon" in one fearful heart at a time. A brilliant leader with the mild manner of an old-time matter-of-fact country doctor soothing a frightened child is just what we need. The fact that our "doctor" is a black man leading a hitherto white-ruled nation out of the mess of its own making is all the sweeter and raises the Obama story to that of moral allegory.

Obama brings a moral clarity to his leadership reserved for those who have had to work for everything they've gotten and had to do twice as well as the person standing next to them because of the color of their skin. His experience of succeeding in spite of his color, social background and prejudice could have been embittering or one that fostered a spiritual rebirth of forgiveness and enlightenment. Obama radiates the calm inner peace of the spirit of forgiveness.

Speaking as a believing Christian I see the hand of a merciful God in Obama's candidacy. The biblical metaphors abound. The stone the builder rejected is become the cornerstone... the last shall be first... he that would gain his life must first lose it... the meek shall inherit the earth...

For my secular friends I'll allow that we may have just been extraordinarily lucky! Either way America wins.

Only a brilliant man, with the spirit of a preacher and the humble heart of a kindly family doctor can lead us now. We are afraid, out of ideas, and worst of all out of hope. Obama is the cure. And we Americans have it in us to rise to the occasion. We will. We're about to enter one of the most frightening periods of American history. Our country has rarely faced more uncertainty. This is the time for greatness. We have a great leader. We must be a great people backing him, fighting for him, sacrificing for a cause greater than ourselves.

A hundred years from now Obama's portrait will be placed next to that of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Long before that we'll be telling our children and grandchildren that we stepped out in faith and voted for a young black man who stood up and led our country back from the brink of an abyss. We'll tell them about the power of love, faith and hope. We'll tell them about the power of creativity combined with humility and intellectual brilliance. We'll tell them that President Obama gave us the gift of regaining our faith in our country. We'll tell them that we all stood up and pitched in and won the day. We'll tell them that President Obama restored our standing in the world. We'll tell them that by the time he left office our schools were on the mend, our economy booming, that we'd become a nation filled with green energy alternatives and were leading the world away from dependence on carbon-based destruction. We'll tell them that because of President Obama's example and leadership the integrity of the family was restored, divorce rates went down, more fathers took responsibility for their children, and abortion rates fell dramatically as women, families and children were cared for through compassionate social programs that worked. We'll tell them about how the gap closed between the middle class and the super rich, how we won health care for all, how crime rates fell, how bad wars were brought to an honorable conclusion. We'll tell them that when we were attacked again by al Qaeda, how reason prevailed and the response was smart, tough, measured and effective, and our civil rights were protected even in times of crisis...

We'll tell them that we were part of the inexplicably blessed miracle that happened to our country those many years ago in 2008 when a young black man was sent by God, fate or luck to save our country. We'll tell them that it's good to live in America where anything is possible. Yes we will.

Frank Schaeffer is the author of CRAZY FOR GOD-How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back. Now in paperback.

On Choices and Inspiration...

My favorite blog to read is Linda Sharp’s “Don’t Get Me Started.” In addition to some hilarious entertainment commentary, she recently added a political section and she does a fantastic job of linking to an array of timely videos (like SNL’s Tina Fey’s Palin skits) and other sources.

Here’s the link to her political blog:

http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/dont_get_me_started_on_po/

Recently, her commentators clashed over what Obama supporters like about him and it led to me examining my own preference for him as my president.

Why I Like Obama

I can’t say that I agree with him on everything. He’s probably more left-leaning than I tend to be…I’m moderate, after all. So why is it that for the first time in my life I’m actually excited about a presidential candidate?

My first reason is that he’s the first candidate who actually tells me what I want to hear. As I listen to political speeches and interviews, I have a sense of where I think a candidate should go… of what they could say to impact me (and others in my Gen-X and after generations). In most cases, Obama tags these expectations perfectly.

It’s as if John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change” song now has an answer.

It's not that we don't care,We just know that the fight ain't fair…

When I see Obama, I feel like…OK, now we have a horse in the race. Why? Because he seems to get just how disgusted we all are with the Red-Blue un-Civil War. Our country is weak exactly because of the liberal-conservative clash. Our internal pissing match is our biggest security risk and it has led to a serious morale problem. Obama was the first candidate to truly speak to it and to speak to it in a way that let us know he gets it.

Hillary didn’t do it because she’s still pretty entrenched in Dems vs Repubs. McCain and Palin try… by throwing out soundbites about “partisan politics” (it seems to work for Obama, so lather rinse and repeat) but it doesn’t ring true. Obama gets it and I believe him when he says he’ll work on that problem.

My second reason is that Obama motivates people. He has an intrinsic charisma and an aura of wisdom that soothes and encourages others. JFK and Bobby had it… MLK had it and Obama has it. A good leader doesn’t do everything himself… He delegates and motivates those around him to pitch in and contribute. A president who inspires others (“Ask not what your country can do for you…but what you can do for your country…”) to work together as one will accomplish so much more, will strengthen our nation as a whole, and will bring about a sense of unity and pride that we’ve needed for decades now. Obama has the potential to be a truly great and beloved leader. Everyone jokes about his “Hope” platform, but really, wouldn’t you rather be hopeful than cynical? Wouldn’t you rather collaborate with hopeful people than cynical people? Neighborly rather than dog-eat-dog?

My third reason is that Obama is a spectacular figurehead. As the first bi-racial president, his presence will send a message that race is no longer an absolute barrier. He will be in a position to freely investigate and candidly talk about race relations and to help all people move forward and heal. He is youthful but wise and so he’s able to excite and engage a wider range of citizens…much like JFK did.

His presence will send a message to the world that the US is, perhaps, a different place than everyone had thought. The world is watching our election precisely because of Obama and if you think about it, the US will be a different country under Obama than it is under Bush or would be under McCain. Obama’s leadership presence at the helm will affect all sorts of systemic and perceptual changes that I believe will help our country evolve out of the quagmire we’ve been in for so long now. I believe our allies would be more committed and our enemies, perhaps, a little disarmed by him.

Conservatives argue that it doesn’t matter what the World thinks of the US…we’ll do whatever we darned well please. But, Hello…knock knock knock… we need allies. We are a stronger and more secure nation with allies. We need a president who can play well with others…who can be diplomatic and strategic.

Did it ever occur to anyone that Obama’s comments about speaking with our enemies could be strategic? Could be more about what they hear and perceive—what ambivalent nations hear and perceive—than what he actually does? I think Obama is a crafty strategist who understands that what he says and how he says it has a powerful systemic impact…even now, as he’s just a presidential candidate. He’s not just speaking for just the US to hear…he’s also speaking to the World.

So that’s why I voted for him in the primary and continue to support him now. I get what you’re trying to do, Barack, and I support you.

One could argue that Palin is also youthful, charismatic and a different figurehead. I admit that her presence is doing some interesting things for gender relations and women in general along with forcing traditional conservative misogynists/sexists to drink and distribute some seriously feminist Kool-Aid.

At the same time, she isn’t inspirational or soothing. There is nothing about her that gives me hope for our nation’s healing. She doesn’t seem terribly wise and she exudes a rather clueless narcissism. She has not in any way demonstrated any ability to self-reflect or be real with us. Her image is cut-and-paste rhetoric…she’s a fashion doll with a soundtrack… A pretty Star Trek android who blows circuits when the questions don’t match her pre-prepared and coached answers. She has not an ounce of global thinking and has demonstrated no capacity at all for understanding diverse perspectives. She’s a great character, but a great president? Nope. No way.

Then there’s McCain. I feel like I’ve covered this, but briefly he’s just too obnoxious. I personally don’t want a “maverick” as my president. I don’t want a guy who just seems to like being contrary just so he can call himself a maverick. He also hasn’t demonstrated how he’s any different in thought or practice than the current administration. How does he differ from Bush? We don’t know because he just keeps saying that he’s a maverick. He says he’ll “reform Washington” but never follows that up with a picture of what that reform would look like. He’s just too off-putting, impulsive, and weird and I don’t believe he’ll improve our nation in any way. In fact, I believe his impulsive nature is a security risk and I don’t see any wisdom in him at all. I don’t trust him to carefully navigate our country and keep us safe.

Oh, I’ll be glad when this is all over… or terrified. Time will tell.

On Puppy Love and Cognitive Dissonance Also...

This whole Sarah Palin thing is pretty fascinating, from a sociological and psychological perspective. (Terrifying from a political and pragmatic perspective, but I'll set that aside for now)

I've known many conservatives... die hard, Limbaugh, praise Jesus or go to hell, gays are the spawn of Satan conservatives... Every single one of them--even the female ones--have traditionally insisted that women should not govern our country. Heck, most of them wouldn't even hire a woman to manage an office department.

These are the same folks who spent hours criticizing Hillary Clinton and using any number of sexist and colorful commentary on her female shortcomings. It was clear that not only didn't they agree with her politically/philosophically but they also couldn't stomach the idea of a woman holding the highest office in the land. Before Sarah Palin's introduction to their psyche, I could have asked any one of them, "Do you think a woman could be a good president?" and I absolutely know not a one of them would have said "Yes, sure." They would have said, "No way. Women are too emotional. Women aren't as smart. Women have PMS so, man, having them near the red button??? Yikes. Women are hens. Women are irrational... Etc."

They thought they knew themselves well. They were proud of their confidence in their beliefs that, of course, only men should be president.

Then John McCain had to throw them for a fruit loop and introduce Sarah Palin to their brains. Now, these conservatives--especially the male die-hards--are in love. I read a few message boards for some of my family's outdoor interests and many of the contributors are conservatives. They rhapsodize about how "hot" she is, post pictures of her leaning seductively on machinery, talk about how she's so smart and spunky... She is nectar to their mid-life crisis'.

It matters not to them that she becomes largely incoherent when interviewed. That's just the press bulling her, after all... that mean old Katie Couric. How dare she ask those tough questions like, "What do you read?" Our little Alaska flower shouldn't be picked on like that. Besides, she's hot. I'm not sure I could have ever imagined conservative men using "she's hot" as a reason to vote for a potential president. It boggles my mind.

Who says you can't use sex to sell? Palin is the Republican pin-up-girl and the fellas are swooning hook, line and sinker.

Why is this happening to our conservative men? The answer is cognitive dissonance. (From Wikipedia: In psychology, cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling or stress caused by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a fundamental cognitive drive to reduce this dissonance by modifying an existing belief, or rejecting one of the contradictory ideas.).

Essentially, conservatives who always staunchly believed a woman should not be president now have a forced choice. They must vote for the McCain/Palin conservative ticket (of course, the Obama/Biden ticket is just not an option for a slew of reasons). However, because Palin is female and thus contradicts their well-established notions of who should/should not be president... this naturally creates some serious internal contradictions. They somehow have to find a way to relieve the psychological discomfort.

So you have men who would have cut off their left testicle before they'd see a bird-brained woman be president--now, having to talk themselves into how Palin possibly is a good choice. They are miraculously able to overlook her sketchy education, her folksy sayings, her gibberish answers, her inability to debate (if one considers a debate actually, oh, I don't know, answering questions and taking a side in an argument as opposed to Palin's "debating" which appears to be saying whatever you'd planed or been coached to say no matter what the question was), her working-woman ambition, her pregnant-teen daughter, her tag-along first dude, etc. They are having to justify and overlook things that would have driven them nutty a year ago.

Can you imagine what these conservative men would be saying if Palin were a Democratic VP candidate???? Let's say she's exactly the same woman except she's a Democrat. Heck, she can even have the same ideology...I don't care. But if she was the Democrat VP choice, the conservatives would be making mincemeat out of her. They'd be appalled. If she was a Democrat, they wouldn't have to twist their minds around her deficits...they'd just get to tear her to shreds.

But she's not. So they love her and think she is hot. Good for them.

I do wonder, though, how Palin might affect the evolution of gender politics in our country. We now have legions of men who used to abhor the idea of a woman leader prattling on and on about how great Palin is...how she'd be a fine president... how women can work and be a good mom... Palin's existence is shattering just about every sexist idea these men have ever depended on. Palin and cognitive dissonance are transforming these men into feminists... I wonder how long it'll take for them to figure that out?

On The End of the World as We Know It and Stability...

McCain...

I don't quite understand him. I mean, I hear people rhapsodize about what a great statesman he is and about all of his experience and yet I don't quite understand where he's made a significantly positive impact on our world.

The POW thing... Kudos to him (and the 600 other heroic POWs) for enduring that time and yet I don't consider this a presidential qualification. In fact, as a psychotherapist, I've worked with people who've experienced similarly bad things and I've got to say it doesn't do wonders for one's emotional stability. I wonder how his imprisonment and torture shape him today? Does he have residual and understandable PTSD effects?

Then there is the issue of his temperament in general. Long-standing stories and anecdotes about how volatile and reactive he has always been (even prior to his POW time). I'm uneasy that our president would be emotionally vulnerable like that when he is the one who has power over some serious kick ass, world destroying, weapons.

I admit I hadn't given much thought to McCain until he picked Palin. I figured, well, he's pretty old and doesn't represent my generation's concerns but I wasn't particularly worried about him maybe being president. Then he picked Palin...an impulsive, increasingly absurd, decision that could have serious consequences to the world as we know it. The woman is fluent in gibberish.

Then there's his recent decision to "suspend" his campaign so he could presumably help with the economic crisis. Though Fox News called this brilliant (Fox... fair and balanced? I mean, really, the rest of the Country said WTF...rightfully so. Stop the BS or stop calling yourself fair and balanced) the rest of us just thought he lost his mind or, more accurately, looked to avoid the debate and David Letterman. Then he does come to the debate, leaving us to wonder what, exactly, he possibly contributed to the "crisis" during his "suspension."

Now he has his campaign blaming Obama for McCain's own party voting down the bailout bill. How on earth could Obama have so influenced the Republicans to vote NO when Obama's own party (and I think Obama himself) largely voted YES? On what planet does that make sense?

These stunts are ridiculous, unwise, and impulsive. Do you really want a president who thinks (or doesn't think) like this? I hate to say it, but he just might be worse than GWB and Palin is--as one reporter brilliantly put it--"George Bush in drag."

The more I see McCain, the more I see a petulant little boy. The kind of little boy you dread to see on the playground because he's just sort of a sassy little sh*t. I know he isn't always like this (none of us are just one persona, right?) but he is like this when challenged. He is this smart-ass bully when people disagree with him or challenge his presumed authority... Unfortunately, this is a natural element of the job of President.

McCain takes his work personally. He takes dessenting views personally. He's snotty, rude, snide, impulsive and immature. He can rant all he wants about being a maverick and about jumping party lines, but he doesn't know how to play well with others in the sand pit. He can compair himself to a dozen dead presidents, but they never would have picked Mrs. Cotton-candy Brains as a running mate.

I hear the Right on their worries and beliefs. I know it's tempting to support McCain just because he's the one unfortunate choice on the Republican ticket. I was similarly tempted by John Kerry--a candidate I couldn't wrap my brain around because he was such an arrogant jerkwad but who was the only choice for folks who are of Democratic mind. It totally sucks to have such a poor choice for your party. Maybe you could all revolt? Demand another choice? Impeach McCain/Palin before they ever have the chance to destroy our country...?

But the thing is, with McCain/Palin, I don't believe we are safer. I don't believe they'll take the time and reflection to make good decisions. I don't believe a vote for McCain/Palin is a vote for stability...it's a crap shoot on two people who seem unable to "put country first."

If you were hiring a manager for your company and you wanted someone you could depend on, trust and who could inspire and motivate your staff... If you wanted someone who could partner with other organizations, customers, and vendors... Someone who had the "people-skills" to collaborate at all levels and manage divergent agendas... Someone intelligent; intellectually and emotionally... Would you hire McCain or Palin?

On Pull-Strings and Zeros...

I, like many Americans, have been paying close attention to this campaign and also our economic clusterf$%k. I admit I have very few words to describe how I feel about it all... Perhaps this sums it up nicely:

WTF!?!?!

Oh my God... where to begin? First of all, Palin and McCain: has our country ever had a more absurd, clueless, ridiculous and whacked presidential ticket? Ever?

When the McCain campaign announced Palin (who?) as his VP pick and I watched that intitial first appearance of the two, it seemed to me that McCain was pretty much trying not to stare at her butt and he smacked of some cute little nursing home womanizer who--at any moment--would reach out and get his hand slapped before talking about his weather-predicting gout. Something about the two of them standing together just looked seriously wrong. It was as if her presence and contrast shrunk him, aged him, and rendered him a goofy caricature of his former self. I thought, Oh Man, this is just going to be a disaster.

Then I watched her convention speech and found myself a bit surprised. She did a fairly good job (for a snarky wench), I'd say, and had me wondering if maybe McCain knew what he was doing.

Then I saw the Gibson interview... the Hannity interview and a slice of the Couric interview...

OMG

I hadn't quite anticipated just how clueless Palin really is. Now, politicians give pat answers and cleverly worm their way around difficult questions...we're used to that. Palin, on the other hand, behaves as if she's been programed with a script. It's...it's as if she's one of those dolls with the pull-cord on her back and a limited menu of statements that she blurts out of her fixed vacant smile whether they match the interview question or not.

Occasionally, she's like one of those androids on Star Trek (old school) who get flummoxed and smokey-eared when asked a paradoxical question (except the questions she's being asked are not paradoxical...but rather simple, really).

This person is somehow ready to be "a heartbeat away from the presidency"??? Really??? The woman can't even answer to Katie Couric without becoming a pile of silly goo. Oh, honey, your ego is writing checks your brain can't cash.

The bottom line is that Palin is in way over her head. She's been isolated in a culture that does not represent most of America, her education is weak, and while she can snap at people like a Pomeranian she has no bite. Palin is small potatoes and no where near ready to lead our country. I won't even get into how freaky it would be to have the leader of the free world believe that "the end of days" is a good thing... she'd run our world into ruin happily if it meant a faster track to rapture. I'm frankly terrified for what her possible presidency would mean for the world as we know it.

So, OK... Yikes.

Then we have this "financial crisis." Of course, no actual useful information is given to the American people about what's going on. We get the rough impression that the sky is falling due to the mortgage debacle (Question: Who's idea was it to issue impossible mortgages to people who couldn't ultimately afford them???? Answer: The rich bastards who will profit from our tax dollars and be kept floating in their affluence even as the middle class are becoming unemployed, homeless, and forever indebted in order to save the world...)

Is it just me, or was the mortgage thing ultimately just a pyramid scheme? I mean, really. And now the rest of us get to shoulder the burden of helping...um... who, exactly? "The economy"? Stupid, overextended home-buyers? Greedy, predatory lenders? Rich CEOs who still feel they're entitled to their bonuses?

I know... why don't we let those banks fail and give 700,000,000,000 to the American taxpayers? I figure that's roughly $5,000 per taxpayer. Then we'll buy stuff, thus stimulating the economy... OK, OK... I know, I know... silly me. Instead, lets just bail out the greedy f#%krs so they can live to see another day of profit, plan for their company-paid vacations, and hunt for their next trophy wife. It's on me.

Funny... you can bet they'll do plenty of lay-offs... They'll lay off the folks making 24-50k who have not had the luxury of saving millions of dollars in their bank accounts, who do not own 8 houses, and who will have to go without health care (or pay $500 a month for their COBRA insurance...with their unemployment insurance...uh...yeah). Yay. Do you think those people will see a dime of the 700,000,000,000? Ah, well, see they'll benefit because the economy will improve and the executives who f%#d up in the first place will buy stuff, thus stimulating the economy...

Wait... I think that made Palin's ears smoke.

It's a war zone in our suburban neighborhood tonight. Those are not Oregon fireworks I hear out there and I'm jealous... It's nights like tonight when I miss Montana and mongo fireworks aplenty.

In about a half hour, we'll convene in our street to light our little stash of fireworks. I already finished off the smoke bombs and I'm sure the neighbors appreciate the gobs of green and orange smoke I sent into their garage. Oh well, our neighbor is an albino cat lady who won't talk to us anymore because of a strange cat event 2 years ago... No time to get into that now. Her husband plays surf guitar and I could not identify him in a line-up. Like the mysterious neighbor on "Home Improvement," I've never actually looked upon his face straight-on.

We have a funny little street. Our homes are mid-century ranch style... very dull but functional. I would love to make ours seriously atomic, but lack the funds to really go for it. Our neighbors are generally nice and keep to themselves... typical for our Northwest culture.

Still, on nights like tonight, we all end up out there together. We wouldn't want to miss all the grand Oregon fireworks and the chance to live vicariously through other neighbors' fireworks. Though, I confess, Oregon fireworks are rather....ah... yawn.

Pretty much all Oregon fireworks have one of two characteristics. Either, A. they emit puffs of smoke or B. they emit showers of sparks. In fact, just about every firework package says, "Caution, emits showers of sparks." If we're really lucky, they make noise. Yep. That's it. Yee haw. Oregonians can't be trusted with anything more exciting. We also can't be trusted to pump our own gas or sell/buy liquor in grocery stores. Thank goodness we're kept in check like that or we just might have a crisis on our hands.

In Montana, we had freaking mortars. Somebody down the street has those too...I covet them.

So Happy 4th everyone! Our thoughts are with the soldiers who are spending this holiday away from their families. Hopefully, they can come home soon.

Of course our thoughts are also on our vacation... leaving for Lake Shasta in the morning. We have a week of serious practice and training for our favorite water sports: floating with a beverage and flopping off the back of our boat like sealions. I think we're ready.

Have fun and don't burn anyone's house down.

On Grannies and Thieves...

I’ve worked in Adult Protective Services for over 3.5 years and now work in Victims’ Services. My dad is a retired police commander. I’ve seen “the dark side of humanity” more times than I care to admit and know how to spot abusers and exploiters.

Unfortunately, having that experience and insight doesn’t mean I’m immune to the effects of such people. Sometimes such people are so good at what they do that, even if you know in your gut they are up to no good, you can’t prove it and have little power to do anything about it.

Which brings me to Karen Oviatt. Karen is a middle-aged deaf woman who somehow found her way to my (also deaf) great-grandmother, "Grammie". A couple years ago, Grammie lived in an assisted living facility, and for many years seemed to enjoy living there. However, once she became friends with Karen, Grammie’s satisfaction with her living situation and her relationships with her family began to change.

It first became apparent to our family when Grammie began to have conflicts with her son. I gathered that the son had been suspicious of Grammie’s new bosom friend, Karen, and made attempts to intervene. Since Karen had paid some pretty nice attention to Grammie and Grammie considered Karen a very close and exciting new friend, the son’s interference was regarded as unwelcome and intrusive. Grammie eventually accused the son of abuse and filed a restraining order against him which I understand he challenged and I was told it was dismissed.

I worked in the county Grammie lived in, and helped many an elder person obtain restraining orders, and know how the courts generally favor the elder… so for that order to be dropped, there had to be some fair evidence that the son was not abusive. I regard this scenario as the first attempt to isolate Grammie from her family. Karen, as the "savior friend," helped "protect" Grammie from her "evil son;" alienating the son and his family from Grammie.

It also caused my grandmother, Nan, to ally with Grammie and Karen against the son. Grammie and Karen played on Nan’s sympathies and had Nan fairly convinced that she needed to save them from the "evil son." Both Grammie and Nan have always been highly responsive to anyone who paid extra attention to them and told them what they wanted to hear, and Karen was very good at that. It was a perfect fit and positioned Karen to eventually benefit from the situation.

The assisted living facility was reportedly not fond of Karen for reasons I do not know (I've heard rumors, but I can't confirm them...so I'll stick to what my own family has experienced). But family members reported that Karen was not welcome there and since Karen was Grammie’s new best friend, Grammie found this pretty frustrating. Grammie then moved out of the facility and in with Karen to a small, low-income, apartment.

Nan, my grandmother, began to give them money. She felt sorry for Grammie and couldn’t say no when asked. The next thing we heard, Karen and Grammie were trying to recoup some property Grammie had, ages ago, given to another daughter and so they hired an attorney and claimed Grammie had been tricked at the time. (Incidentally, they have no case for this and there is even a letter written by Grammie way back that suggests Grammie willingly gave up the property...For that matter, Grammie had been living on Medicaid--on thousands of dollars of tax payer money--for years so any property she recovered should by rights pay back the Medicaid dollars) Yet, somehow, with the whiff of financial gain in the air, it became Grammie and Karen’s mission to prove that the daughter stole the property. So, this accomplished two things… One, it alienated yet another child of Grammie’s and, two, it caused Nan to give them even more money.

Incidentally, there has been this vacillation between suggesting Grammie was duped by the daughter--due to her age/vulnerability--and yet supposedly of sound enough mind to accurately judge Karen's character. To my way of thinking, it can't be both ways. Either Grammie is not of sound mind and easily taken advantage of (equally vulnerable to her family and Karen) or she's sharp and able to make her own (bad) decisions. Anyway...

Nan was pretty much willing to believe that both of her siblings were terrible… it made Nan feel self-righteous and altruistic at a time when she needed to feel relevant. She expressed concern to me that she was probably giving them too much money and that she "should watch it" so she would have enough to live on; but she also told me that she just couldn’t say no. Then, she had some health issues, and Karen and Grammie stayed with her to help her recover. She felt pretty indebted to them.

Eventually, after Karen had ample opportunity to scope out Nan's home filled with semi-valuables, to learn that Nan can’t say “no,” and that Nan had some $$; Grammie suddenly hating living in the apartment and asked Nan if she and Karen could move in with her.

Nan couldn’t say “no,” and so the duo moved in about 6 months ago. Nan wasn’t entirely happy with the arrangement and still expressed concerns to me about the costs… Nan paid for cable and internet service (two things she didn't use herself), a separate phone line (that Nan didn't use for herself), and other things in addition to food and utilities. Nan knew Grammie and Karen subsisted on Social Security so she felt she had to help out. In fairness, it was her choice to do so.

I always wondered why Karen had latched on to great-grandma… a woman who had very little income and no assets. (Now, until Karen arrived, Grannie was a great lady... a role-model for many family members so it made sense that she'd attract friends... yet something just didn't smell right) Until they moved in with Nan, a woman who had some $$ and significant assets. (Lightbulb) I was not happy with the arrangement and expressed concerns that Karen might be exploiting them, but this fell on…forgive me…deaf ears.

Nan became suddenly ill in March and died a week later; three months after Karen and Grammie moved in. Within days of her death, Karen began going through Nan’s things and setting things aside that “Nan said” she could have. Considering that Nan always assumed Grammie would die before Nan, it seemed highly unlikely that Nan would do the “when I die, you can have such-and-such,” routine with Karen...someone who was not a family member. Plus, how invasive and strange for this Karen to feel entitled to our Nan's life like that...?

Karen also, like Gríma Wormtongue, convinced Grammie that she could not trust her other family members. Karen hovered around and made nasty faces at us all through the time we were trying to cope with Nan’s death; interfering with our family’s grief process and further alienating Grammie from us. In hindsight, we should have emptied out the house of Nan’s possessions (we suspected Karen would steal and had been stealing from the house) but we hesitated because we didn’t want to upset Grammie.

Incidentally, Nan had a very clear and recently updated will that left her assets and possessions to specific family members (not Karen). In regards to Grammie and Karen living in Nan's home, we explored the feasibility of them continuing to live there but so distrusted and disliked Karen by this time that none of us believed it was a good idea to subsidize her. Alternatives were presented to Grammie for her to live with or near other family members--without Karen in tow. But this just made the two mad at us.

In the end, Grammie opted to move away with Karen and, as I’d suspected would happen, they stole the bulk of Nan’s possessions (things willed by her to other family members) from the house when they moved. I never figured Grammie to be that kind of person...who could justify stealing from her descendants. I wonder what it is about Karen that caused Grammie to compromise her morals like that... They even managed to engage the moving help of local LDS kids and some other friends who would probably be shocked to find out they were accomplices.

Grammie still thinks Karen is wonderful and, at 99 years of age, with Karen’s influence, she has managed to become alienated from just about every member of her pretty large family. I suspect, once Grammie dies (or, hopefully, figures out that Karen has tricked her), Karen will move on to another elder, another family, and make her sad way through the world.

The worst part isn’t the stealing; stuff is just stuff and we can remember Nan other ways. The worst part is that we couldn’t just come together as a family and do what we needed to do. There was always Karen; lurking, scheming, lying, and interfering. The worst part is that, at the end of 99 year old Grammie’s life, she has only stolen property and a thief to show for it. The worst part is how Grammie was so influenced by Karen Oviatt that she somehow justifies stealing from her family (a family that has never stolen from her) and is willing to do anything Karen wants.

I write this for two reasons. One, to vent my frustrations (I'm human and this has been so frustrating); and two because I suspect that Karen Oviatt (and others like her) will be on the prowl for her next victims someday soon. Maybe someone will do as I did, and Google her name, and maybe they’ll find this story and maybe they can keep Karen from latching onto one of their vulnerable family members.

Just remember...she's very good at this and very patient. It took her years to get close enough to these women to be in a position to steal from my family and in the meantime, she's been able to live off of them. She presents as very simple, naive, and cooperative...It was difficult to know what she was up to until it was too late. If a stranger shows undue interest in an elder or disabled person, there is almost always a deception.

Thanks for listening. :-)

On Job Bliss and Global Cooling...

I have not blogged for some time. This is primarily due to the fact that I have changed jobs and actually have work to do that is enjoyable, engaging and not pointless and so, unlike my last job, I do not spend my work time (ah, lunches and breaks, Big Brother) blogging to escape the harsh realities of a truly terrible job.

Yes, I have a new job and no longer wish to fling myself off of a bridge. My soul is no longer eroding and I feel--maybe for the first time in my life--like I'm on "the trail of a true human being." (to paraphrase Dances with Wolves... I think and feel through movie quotes). But, oh, my last job... my last job was pure, unadulterated misery.

In my last job, I learned all about government waste. I learned that the most incompetent employees will be retained if they are union. I learned that salaried bosses (at least those who work for large, county agencies in cities associated with rain and roses) get paid for their whole day even if they only show up for 2 hours and spend the rest of the day at their kids' soccer games or in their private practice. I learned that in some work cultures, a normally great employee will shrivel up and die.

I don't regret it, though. If I hadn't endured 2.5 years of job hell, I wouldn't have the utmost appreciation for the job I have now or the wisdom to make my current work place great for others. Now I'm in a position to affect how other people feel about their work and I'm absolutely committed to doing what I can to help others do what they're good at and enjoy working. How cool is that?

For the first time in my life I can honestly utter the statement, "I can't complain," or "I have no complaints." No, wait, I take that back... If I have any complaint it's about the weather. It's @#%^*# cold here! Cold and rainy. And it's JUNE. All the hype about global warming and we here in, um, Wetland, are freezing our butts off. We've had one of the coldest and non-sunshiney springs I can remember, last summer was one of the coolest ever, and all I want is warm...no, HOT...weather. So I don't believe in global warming. I'm even inclined to hope for it. There... I said it.

But otherwise, things are good. I'll be looking for blogging opportunities on my spare time. I just know there are ironic, stupid, absurd, humorous things out there... if only I pay attention.

On Lapel Pins and Patriots...

Headline:

“Conservatives say Obama lacks patriotism…”

Apparently this is due to Obama not wearing a cheesy American flag lapel pin and/or not putting his hand over his heart during our national anthem. Obviously he hates America.

But here’s the thing. But what Hillary, McCain, Bush, et. al. don’t get is this: Obama actually generates patriotism. I mean, look at the voter turn out. I’m sure Hilary will take some credit for this; though will continue to be completely unaware of just how disturbed many of us are by her and how this uneasiness propels some to vote.

Obama generates hope, motivates action, and has built up a momentum like no other candidate has accomplished since the 1960s. Those of us gen-xrs (and younger) who have been largely apathetic since… well, our whole lives, are actually voting and paying attention. We feel we finally have a horse in the race who understands our lethargy, is empathetic with our disgust of the partisan fighting, and who knows exactly what we want. We’re excited about the possibility of having a leader who says something different about America, about who we are as a nation… as a people.

I can’t speak for others, but Obama makes me feel patriotic. I get what his wife said, though she was bitterly criticized for it, about for the first time feeling proud to be American. For our generation (her generation) that’s true. Yes, yes, our grandparents endured World Wars and had some great presidents, our parents had JFK (until he was killed), but our generation has never experienced anything but bonehead leaders who hate each other and global disdain for us. We’ve been a little ashamed of how things have been going our whole lives.

Now we have Obama, who gets it. Hilary hasn’t a clue, McCain is so understandably far out of touch with us that it’s absurd, but the O has managed to unify our nation. That’s patriotism. He’s a true patriot. The man doesn’t have to wear a pin, or go through the motions. He embodies what is good about America. He embodies what is good about all of us. He simply is patriotism.