I'm going to take my father's comment in a positive light (see gabyjones comment to 11/5/08 post). I take it to mean I have similar qualities to Upton Sinclair, Al Gore, Barbara Erinreich, and Nellie Bly. I stand proud in that company.
You can view a definition of "muckraker" here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muckraker See, not too bad :)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
SOAPBOX ALERT!
some thoughts on my President-elect...
of course, i'm excited about last night's results (see post on 2/4/08 "The Underdog"). yes, i'm totally biased. and i admit that i may not have seen the same strong qualities in a republican as i see in obama. because, in the end, obama is not about a set of environmental policies, he is not about bringing change to washington, he is not about ending war. he is fundamentally about leading a change of the vision we have for and of ourselves as americans. with that shift of vision, all the other platform details and crap in washington will slowly begin to change. we will demand it. and that is why his presidency will be different.
there are always people who want to spend more time blaming than putting their energies into more productive things. nobody with those tactics have ever been visionaries or spurred great things. in all honesty, my support of obama is not really based on his platform.
the energy spurred by obama, the record voter turnouts, the galvanization of the apathetic, the hope on people's faces this morning, are not about him being a democrat. it is his subtext that energizes. our system of democracy has been so bastardized by corporations (taking protections under the Constitution as if they are individuals - e.g. claiming right to free speech), it has become meaningless to the individual. we are living in an environment (financially, ecologically, spiritually) that is simply out of scale with human nature, human needs, the human soul.
obama's subtext is something that is difficult to find a soundbite for. but, simply put, he understands the world on a human scale. he understands that $250,000/year is a LOT of money to the majority of Americans.
no matter his politics, he is a visionary. i would go so far as to say we have not had a visionary in the presidency in my lifetime. and he is a great leader. he knows how to get people on his side. how many red states went blue, for chrissake? and he is able to express his vision; he does not have to rely too heavily on staff writers. i think that's a big part of why his subtext comes through.
honestly, when i look at his platform, i'm not all that in line with some of the details. he's far too right for me. his energy policy is short sighted, like them all. but, i feel calmer with him at the helm. i am SO sick of henny penny scare tactics and juvenile solutions equating to shopping. fear does not build a strong country.
i'm excited to have him as our president, but also a bit scared. i am always a bit scared when my hopes are high. our country is a huge vessel at sea, navigating a glacier field. large vessels respond slowly to a new course. it may be a while before we notice the effects of the new captain at the helm. and there's always those small-minded among us who threaten mutiny even when steered into certain disaster.
can't wait for innaguration!
of course, i'm excited about last night's results (see post on 2/4/08 "The Underdog"). yes, i'm totally biased. and i admit that i may not have seen the same strong qualities in a republican as i see in obama. because, in the end, obama is not about a set of environmental policies, he is not about bringing change to washington, he is not about ending war. he is fundamentally about leading a change of the vision we have for and of ourselves as americans. with that shift of vision, all the other platform details and crap in washington will slowly begin to change. we will demand it. and that is why his presidency will be different.
there are always people who want to spend more time blaming than putting their energies into more productive things. nobody with those tactics have ever been visionaries or spurred great things. in all honesty, my support of obama is not really based on his platform.
the energy spurred by obama, the record voter turnouts, the galvanization of the apathetic, the hope on people's faces this morning, are not about him being a democrat. it is his subtext that energizes. our system of democracy has been so bastardized by corporations (taking protections under the Constitution as if they are individuals - e.g. claiming right to free speech), it has become meaningless to the individual. we are living in an environment (financially, ecologically, spiritually) that is simply out of scale with human nature, human needs, the human soul.
obama's subtext is something that is difficult to find a soundbite for. but, simply put, he understands the world on a human scale. he understands that $250,000/year is a LOT of money to the majority of Americans.
no matter his politics, he is a visionary. i would go so far as to say we have not had a visionary in the presidency in my lifetime. and he is a great leader. he knows how to get people on his side. how many red states went blue, for chrissake? and he is able to express his vision; he does not have to rely too heavily on staff writers. i think that's a big part of why his subtext comes through.
honestly, when i look at his platform, i'm not all that in line with some of the details. he's far too right for me. his energy policy is short sighted, like them all. but, i feel calmer with him at the helm. i am SO sick of henny penny scare tactics and juvenile solutions equating to shopping. fear does not build a strong country.
i'm excited to have him as our president, but also a bit scared. i am always a bit scared when my hopes are high. our country is a huge vessel at sea, navigating a glacier field. large vessels respond slowly to a new course. it may be a while before we notice the effects of the new captain at the helm. and there's always those small-minded among us who threaten mutiny even when steered into certain disaster.
can't wait for innaguration!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Like Breakfast for Dinner
Tonight, we gathered at the home of friends, sat around the television and waited. While we waited, we had the 4-year old's favorite dinner - breakfast! Yummy!
We watched as polygons plastered across a section of the North American Continent were symbolically colored red and blue. There was even an ice rink in New York with the same design. There was a lot of disconcerting red for quite some time. The magic "270" seemed unachievable for over an excruciating hour. Then, after dinner was over and the west coast polls were closed, the announcement was made. We danced in the living room. We celebrated the dawning of a new day.
We cheered as President-Elect Obama gave his acceptance speech shortly thereafter.
Breakfast for dinner was always a childhood treat for me too. This election night is kind of like breakfast for dinner. Nutritionally sound, exciting for its novelty, and oh-so-satisfying!
There is a lot of hard work ahead. I'm fortunate to be well fed! :)
We watched as polygons plastered across a section of the North American Continent were symbolically colored red and blue. There was even an ice rink in New York with the same design. There was a lot of disconcerting red for quite some time. The magic "270" seemed unachievable for over an excruciating hour. Then, after dinner was over and the west coast polls were closed, the announcement was made. We danced in the living room. We celebrated the dawning of a new day.
We cheered as President-Elect Obama gave his acceptance speech shortly thereafter.
Breakfast for dinner was always a childhood treat for me too. This election night is kind of like breakfast for dinner. Nutritionally sound, exciting for its novelty, and oh-so-satisfying!
There is a lot of hard work ahead. I'm fortunate to be well fed! :)
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