I thought I would feel like a million bucks if the day came where Obama was elected President. From the start it seemed impossible. His name, skin color and opponents were formidable foes. Yet, somehow, he overcame the odds to win the election with a wide lead in electoral votes and popular vote.
I cried when the announcement came and said to my 12 year old son, "Watch close because this is history" and pumped my fist in celebration when Obama gave his acceptance speech. My son, who deals with his own issues being of mixed race, stared and smiled and had hope for the future. I went to bed with a smile on my face that I thought would take days to erase.
But the next morning would shed light on how far we really haven't come. It started on the usual networking sites. "They are disappointed but know God will show them the way. They want to know why no one (but Fox, go figure) is reporting he is a Muslim." The list goes on and on and as the day progressed, the more disheartened I became. I saw friends rip each other apart in ways they never had during the election. My local newspaper hosts comments on their articles and several nasty comments were made about not being able to call it the "White" House anymore. And then the news started trickling out about the same-sex marriage bans failing to be overturned in at least 4 states and one state now mandating that LGBT couples not be allowed to be able to foster children in their homes.
As my spirit went lower all I could think about was the voters who answered the call for change. We worked so hard during the last several months to spread the word that change was the only way. It was time to rid our government of that good ol' boy mentality and finally get to work. Volunteers dedicated hours of their time to knocking on doors and making phone calls to undecided voters. People never involved in politics in any way dontated their hard earned dollars and struck up dialogues about why we were voting for Obama. All of that work paid off in the end. Right?
The truth is that we are right where we were a week ago. We still have a majority of the population that believes they can decide who has rights and who doesn't. Crazy me for thinking that is what the constitution is for but apparently you are not covered under it unless the people say so. Why are constitutional bans on human rights even on ballots? Shouldn't that be up to the Supreme Court? I don't know about you but I didn't study law in college and I'm pretty sure the majority of the other voters didn't either so I hardly think it is up to us whether to amend the constitution or not.
Change was in the air and I truly believed it was going to happen. I have never been more sad to have been wrong. I thought Americans were finally going to stand up not just for themselves but others who have been ignored for far too long. It is so disappointing to see how far we can go only to take a huge leap back. This is not progress. This is not change.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Imagine if you will.....
I am overwhelmed at the moment with schoolwork and trying to find a job but read an e-mail recently that has me thinking even harder about the upcoming election. Obama has been my pick since the beginning and I am so happy to see how far he has come but I am still afraid. Afraid this election will come too close and have it stolen from us. Again. Afraid of what a McCain/Palin administration will do to us as a society and how much more it will take away. Steps that have taken our conservative society decades to make will be undone in a flash. So if you are still undecided or unsure, here are some things to think about.
Imagine if you will.....
...what it would feel like to have your child ripped from your arms by the government because you did not give birth to this child and the government does not recognize your rights to raise this child if something happens to your same-sex partner. Or what it would feel like to be turned away because you are not considered family and not allowed to see your partner in the hospital.
...how it would feel to have people come into your house and determine what you can keep or what you will have to give up of your belongings. This is because the government does not recognize same-sex relationships the way they do a marriage between a man and woman so if your same-sex partner dies without a will, their family has the right to come in and take things believed to be their belongings.
...being raped and then finding out you are pregant or told your baby will be born with severe birth defects or told your own life is at stake due to a high-risk pregnancy and then being able to do nothing about ending the pregnancy.
...hearing someone campaigning for the highest office in our country say that though they don't believe you have rights, they will tolerate you. What confidence would you have in their being your leader?
...entering the military to fight for your country but having to hide who you are and making the ultimate sacrifice only to have your partner denied any benefits after your death including receiving the flag your casket was draped in?
Whether you are affected by these issues or not, how can you stand in judgement of someone whose life does? What makes you the decider of how others live their lives? Even if you don't agree with these issues it is not your right to take them away from someone else.
Over 400 years ago the English settlers came here to escape religious persecution. They understood that it was unfair to be forced to practice a religion they did not believe in and made sure to write the Constitution to ensure the separation of religion and state. Yet here we sit all these decades later still waiting for that to be true. I don't advocate taking away your right to freedom of religion and I should be given the same right to live my life as I chose and not how your religion says I should.
All it takes is for a voice to speak up at the right time. Now is the right time. Please, please, please get out and vote on November 4th and consider which candidate wants to bring us together regardless of our skin color, religion or sexual preference. Also there is a HUGE fight going on in California that needs help. Now is the time for uniting. Kinda like our name, huh?
Imagine if you will.....
...what it would feel like to have your child ripped from your arms by the government because you did not give birth to this child and the government does not recognize your rights to raise this child if something happens to your same-sex partner. Or what it would feel like to be turned away because you are not considered family and not allowed to see your partner in the hospital.
...how it would feel to have people come into your house and determine what you can keep or what you will have to give up of your belongings. This is because the government does not recognize same-sex relationships the way they do a marriage between a man and woman so if your same-sex partner dies without a will, their family has the right to come in and take things believed to be their belongings.
...being raped and then finding out you are pregant or told your baby will be born with severe birth defects or told your own life is at stake due to a high-risk pregnancy and then being able to do nothing about ending the pregnancy.
...hearing someone campaigning for the highest office in our country say that though they don't believe you have rights, they will tolerate you. What confidence would you have in their being your leader?
...entering the military to fight for your country but having to hide who you are and making the ultimate sacrifice only to have your partner denied any benefits after your death including receiving the flag your casket was draped in?
Whether you are affected by these issues or not, how can you stand in judgement of someone whose life does? What makes you the decider of how others live their lives? Even if you don't agree with these issues it is not your right to take them away from someone else.
Over 400 years ago the English settlers came here to escape religious persecution. They understood that it was unfair to be forced to practice a religion they did not believe in and made sure to write the Constitution to ensure the separation of religion and state. Yet here we sit all these decades later still waiting for that to be true. I don't advocate taking away your right to freedom of religion and I should be given the same right to live my life as I chose and not how your religion says I should.
All it takes is for a voice to speak up at the right time. Now is the right time. Please, please, please get out and vote on November 4th and consider which candidate wants to bring us together regardless of our skin color, religion or sexual preference. Also there is a HUGE fight going on in California that needs help. Now is the time for uniting. Kinda like our name, huh?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Taking it down a notch
I know my recent blog posts have been fringed with anger and/or frustration. Please know how much I appreciate those that come back in spite of it. It has been a rough couple of months but even I am tired of thinking about them so I can't even imagine how tired everyone else is of hearing about it.
On to lighter fare. Maybe I should do a small update on other areas of my life.
-We met a cool couple and have been hanging out with them a lot. It's cool because we usually aren't the type of people that venture out of our circle of friends. They have a daughter about our son's age and their youngest daughter is two years younger than ours.
-Did I mention we got a new dog? Her name is Missy and she is the cutest and sweetest pup. Our friend is a vet at an emergency animal hospital and Missy was brought in because she swallowed a rope toy (warning for all pet owners) and it was lodged in her intestines. She had to have surgery that cost $2,000 and the 18 year old couple that brought her in didn't want to pay for it. So they surrendered her and our friend called us. It seemed like fate cause my cocker spaniel growing up was named Missy.
-Work is ok. I'm not having the fun I once was but the pace has gotten very hectic and everyone is stressed. One of the major projects I worked on was approved so we are making some big changes to our 401(k) plan. I got a special note from the Sr. VP's of HR and Compensation thanking me for all the work. -I have barely exercised all summer and it has finally caught up to me. Now I'm getting up at 4:50am during the week to work out. I thought I would hate it but I'm actually enjoying the quiet time and not rushing around like crazy cause I hit the snooze one time too many.
-I'm training for the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January. This will be my third time doing it. It is to raise money for an organization that means a lot to me. I have to raise $1,000 before mid-December since the organization pays my entry fee for the marathon.
-We got a new car. Ok, not we but my husband did. It is a Pontiac G8. He got it in July and I have yet to drive it.
-My brother is coming to visit for Christmas. I am so excited since he hasn't been to visit me since I was pregnant with my son 13 years ago and we were living in Texas.
-We are closing the pool on October 10th. It can't come soon enough. Our electric bills went up $150 a month when it opened.
I think that is it. Hope I don't get that far behind on updating again........
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Ever have one of those months????
I am so not going to miss the month of September. It has been hectic beyond belief and I need some downtime without having company or visitors. My mom left a few weeks ago after spending a staggering 8.5 weeks with us over the summer. She did it to help with our son and all the problems we had with him but it was seriously time for her to go home. I appreciated the help enormously but her opinions and judgements were getting to be too much.
Of course my mood is not helped by all the news about the economy being in the dump and the ridiculous accusations the McCain clan is hurling at Obama. I am seriously ready to wake up November 5th and see how it ended. Today I was doing some mindless surfing on the 'net to avoid work when I came upon this on Huffington Post:
Of course my mood is not helped by all the news about the economy being in the dump and the ridiculous accusations the McCain clan is hurling at Obama. I am seriously ready to wake up November 5th and see how it ended. Today I was doing some mindless surfing on the 'net to avoid work when I came upon this on Huffington Post:
Talk about making me perk up!! I got so excited to think that this is going to be over soon and we stand a real chance at making some huge changes in this country. There have been many points where I have wanted the Obama camp to call McCain out on his double standards, outright lies, and make a bigger issue about his personal life (hello, 1st Mrs. McCain) but that isn't how Obama wants to win this campaign. I think recent events are helping undecided voters see how they are truly different and that Obama is the one who is going to change things not this faux "Maverick".
I'm crossing my fingers and toes that this is actually how it turns out.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Jumping in the Fray
I am not one to shy away from political topics or religious discussions. I truly believe if your beliefs are strong enough that hearing someone else's thoughts and opinions will have no bearing on yours. Hearing someone else's beliefs has no bearing on mine as they weren’t born overnight and I think deeply about an issue before I develop my own opinion.
I love to hear others opinions on an array of beliefs because it is interesting to me that you can be so similar in some ways but polar opposites on others. Usually I harbor no ill feelings toward someone on the other side of my belief as the world would be boring if we all had the same thoughts and feelings. However, the things that are coming out of the mouths of Republicans these past few weeks are making my stomach ache. I don’t understand why politics play any part in some of the areas they are swerving into like drunken sailors on shore leave.
Where does politics belong in deciding the right to same sex marriage, abortion and promoting the NRA? Nowhere in my mind. Those are religious and personal beliefs and have nothing to do with how the government should be run and used. It makes me sick that politicians use those beliefs to play us against each other and the Republican side tries to divide us rather than bring us together as a nation. It reminds me of when my brother and I shared a bedroom when we were growing up. We couldn’t stand to be in the same place as each other sometimes so we would draw the line down the middle of the room and neither of us was allowed on the others “side”. Now imagine if my mother had encouraged that divisiveness instead of talking to each of us and trying to work through our problems with each other.
John McCain honestly believes he is going to trick women voters into voting for him because of his pick of a woman for the Vice President. This choice alone defines him as a politician. He believes us naive enough that we will blindly cast our precious vote for 4 more years of the catastrophic Bush Administration. And if I am stupid enough to do that, how can I miss the fact that this woman is against the most fundamental rights I have as a woman? To me the only difference between her and McCain is which door they use to go into the bathroom.
I love to hear others opinions on an array of beliefs because it is interesting to me that you can be so similar in some ways but polar opposites on others. Usually I harbor no ill feelings toward someone on the other side of my belief as the world would be boring if we all had the same thoughts and feelings. However, the things that are coming out of the mouths of Republicans these past few weeks are making my stomach ache. I don’t understand why politics play any part in some of the areas they are swerving into like drunken sailors on shore leave.
Where does politics belong in deciding the right to same sex marriage, abortion and promoting the NRA? Nowhere in my mind. Those are religious and personal beliefs and have nothing to do with how the government should be run and used. It makes me sick that politicians use those beliefs to play us against each other and the Republican side tries to divide us rather than bring us together as a nation. It reminds me of when my brother and I shared a bedroom when we were growing up. We couldn’t stand to be in the same place as each other sometimes so we would draw the line down the middle of the room and neither of us was allowed on the others “side”. Now imagine if my mother had encouraged that divisiveness instead of talking to each of us and trying to work through our problems with each other.
John McCain honestly believes he is going to trick women voters into voting for him because of his pick of a woman for the Vice President. This choice alone defines him as a politician. He believes us naive enough that we will blindly cast our precious vote for 4 more years of the catastrophic Bush Administration. And if I am stupid enough to do that, how can I miss the fact that this woman is against the most fundamental rights I have as a woman? To me the only difference between her and McCain is which door they use to go into the bathroom.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
The Mother of All Blues
I need a moment to unwind from a trip to visit my mother in Missouri for a week. Prior to us going there, she had been here in Maryland for almost 6 weeks keeping an eye on the boy child. We got along great while she was here but something changed when we got to Missouri.
The plan was to surprise her with my brother coming to visit with me and then end the trip with a surprise 60th birthday party for her. I thought she would be so happy that my brother is doing so well and really has grown and matured since she saw him 3 years ago. What I witnessed amazed me.
We hadn't been there an hour before she pulled out her mental honey-do list and started ticking off things she would love for my brother to accomplish while he was there. His work schedule had changed since we made our original plans so he wasn't going to be able to stay the whole week with us so he had to act quick! She had a LOT of projects for him.
The projects. Oh, they weren't minor. They were sealing her roof to prevent a leak from continuing, tearing out (and rebuilding) a wall on the outside of her house, and various other projects. She is so passive aggressive that the requests come out something like this, "Gosh, I don't know what is going on with that roof in my pantry. It just started leaking out of nowhere!" when the conversation was about cake or something. She won't come out and ask anything directly but hums and haws until you get tired of tap dancing around the subject and just do it to shut her up.
The thing that really bothered and affected me the hardest was her total inability to relate to him. She was aloof unless it was related to her getting projects finished. He bought the materials for her and she acted like she did us a favor by letting us do things for her. I noticed the first time she told him she loved him was when he was getting frustrated with the project and it seemed forced in order to diffuse a difficult situation.
He has had a problem with drinking since we were teenagers but told us he had quit. He told us about an intense treatment program he completed upon his release from prison. We suspected he drank once when we were there. I didn't ask though our mother brought it up to me. She was all too happy to report to me that when she was cleaning up after we left that she found vodka in one of the water bottles. I wanted to shout that if I had been sober before showing up that I would have falled off the wagon almost immediately.
I guess I came back from the trip more disillusioned about my mother than I was before I left. It hurts to think that a mother could have so little regard for their own child that they only want from them. To use their love and concern to their advantage.
The plan was to surprise her with my brother coming to visit with me and then end the trip with a surprise 60th birthday party for her. I thought she would be so happy that my brother is doing so well and really has grown and matured since she saw him 3 years ago. What I witnessed amazed me.
We hadn't been there an hour before she pulled out her mental honey-do list and started ticking off things she would love for my brother to accomplish while he was there. His work schedule had changed since we made our original plans so he wasn't going to be able to stay the whole week with us so he had to act quick! She had a LOT of projects for him.
The projects. Oh, they weren't minor. They were sealing her roof to prevent a leak from continuing, tearing out (and rebuilding) a wall on the outside of her house, and various other projects. She is so passive aggressive that the requests come out something like this, "Gosh, I don't know what is going on with that roof in my pantry. It just started leaking out of nowhere!" when the conversation was about cake or something. She won't come out and ask anything directly but hums and haws until you get tired of tap dancing around the subject and just do it to shut her up.
The thing that really bothered and affected me the hardest was her total inability to relate to him. She was aloof unless it was related to her getting projects finished. He bought the materials for her and she acted like she did us a favor by letting us do things for her. I noticed the first time she told him she loved him was when he was getting frustrated with the project and it seemed forced in order to diffuse a difficult situation.
He has had a problem with drinking since we were teenagers but told us he had quit. He told us about an intense treatment program he completed upon his release from prison. We suspected he drank once when we were there. I didn't ask though our mother brought it up to me. She was all too happy to report to me that when she was cleaning up after we left that she found vodka in one of the water bottles. I wanted to shout that if I had been sober before showing up that I would have falled off the wagon almost immediately.
I guess I came back from the trip more disillusioned about my mother than I was before I left. It hurts to think that a mother could have so little regard for their own child that they only want from them. To use their love and concern to their advantage.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Update on the Homefront
After a few appointments and interviews, the doctor at Children's Hospital thinks our son has Asperger's. It is tough to think that there really is something wrong with him that he won't outgrow but at least it gives us something to work with and he is healthy otherwise.
I am in the midst of planning my mother's 60th birthday party in Missouri. From Maryland. Can I tell you how much fun that is? I am trying to hunt down her friends whom I haven't seen or heard from in years all without her catching on. She is staying with us right now to watch our son so it is difficult to say the least. The best part is the place that is going to wind up doing the catering doesn't have menus or set prices. Hey, what can I say. It is a tiny dot on the map and things are much slower there.
My brother is going to drive down from Kansas City with me when I fly to Missouri. I am so excited because I haven't seen him in 3 years. I'm not so sure my Mom is going to be as excited so I am keeping it as a "surprise".
I burned my face and shoulders on Saturday for like the millionth time this summer. I know better but somehow always forget to put on sunscreen. My face is going to be like a baseball mitt by the time I turn 40.
I think that is about it. Sorry I haven't been back around since my last post but I appreciate the support and comments. It is great to know you are here when I can get back into a regular reading/commenting mode.
I am in the midst of planning my mother's 60th birthday party in Missouri. From Maryland. Can I tell you how much fun that is? I am trying to hunt down her friends whom I haven't seen or heard from in years all without her catching on. She is staying with us right now to watch our son so it is difficult to say the least. The best part is the place that is going to wind up doing the catering doesn't have menus or set prices. Hey, what can I say. It is a tiny dot on the map and things are much slower there.
My brother is going to drive down from Kansas City with me when I fly to Missouri. I am so excited because I haven't seen him in 3 years. I'm not so sure my Mom is going to be as excited so I am keeping it as a "surprise".
I burned my face and shoulders on Saturday for like the millionth time this summer. I know better but somehow always forget to put on sunscreen. My face is going to be like a baseball mitt by the time I turn 40.
I think that is about it. Sorry I haven't been back around since my last post but I appreciate the support and comments. It is great to know you are here when I can get back into a regular reading/commenting mode.
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