$64 Million Question: What is wrong with Policticians?

Came across this little gem from the Associated Press today:

“President Bush has no qualms about raising campaign cash for Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) despite the Republican's widely assailed quip in which he called a rival campaign worker of Indian descent a "macaca."

In recent days, Allen has faced a barrage of criticism since he used the word to describe Virginia native S.R. Sidarth, a 20-year-old University of Virginia senior who was video taping a campaign event for Allen's Democratic challenger Jim Webb.”

If some of you out there missed Senator Allen’s intelligent remark (meant sarcastically here) then I advise you to take a look here.

Do the American people need divisiveness? Or should I say any more divisiveness as a nation? Politicians loss sight of the people they are supposed to be representing. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or choose not to affiliate yourself due to the shame of our so-called multi-party system shouldn’t the main focus be the welfare of the American people as a whole? Shouldn’t the focus be on education, eliminating hunger and homelessness and finding peaceful solutions to conflict so our children don’t have to make the sacrifices that their fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and uncles have had to make? Yep, I am an idealist.

Why? Even with turmoil continuing in Israel, Iraq, and Darfur do I choose to be positive? I know I can make a difference. I know that together humanity can overcome poor environmental goals, dependence on oil and non-renewable resources, we can bring food to people in need both here and abroad, and put an end to this political stupidity that we have been stuck in for so long. Stop focusing on the bottom line, the almighty dollar, because what we are losing is beyond any price…our dignity, our self-respect, and our humanity.

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The education of Megastein

So I bought a designer shirt a couple months ago at Ross for $5.99. The cotton was soft and worn feeling and the front was emblazoned with the brand name, “Von Dutch”. After wearing the shirt several times my roommate, The Brown One noticed it and expressed her shock and surprise that I would wear a “Von Dutch” item. Thinking she was referring to the fact that I rarely espouse name brands that are popular and/or expensive I asked, “Why wouldn’t I?” She revealed that Kenny Howard, the motorcycle mechanic whose heirs had begun the Von Dutch brand was a well known anti-semite.

I looked up Von Dutch on Wikipedia and found the following: “According to an article in the Orange County Weekly "He was quite a racist; didn’t like anybody. He had all the trappings of being a neo-Nazi. He could not tolerate black people," said Robert Williams, whose friendship with Dutch cooled over time, but never ended.” I also read a biography written by a friend of his for 38 years celebrates his artistic talent and non-conformist beliefs. No doubt he was a nice guy, I have friends whose parents are racist and homophobic and they are as nice as anyone you’d meet on the street, but that doesn’t mean I want to support their ignorant philosopies. Thanks for the enlightenment dear roommate.

Book Review: Shark Trouble by Peter Benchley (Audiobook)

I live about a mile from the ocean, well within walking distance. It is something I take for granted, just a fact of my everday life, but Shark Trouble has changed my view of the vast blue that crashes against the coast. Not only has Shark Trouble changed my view on the sea, but it has affected the way I view the animals in it and the impact the oceans of the world have on the Earth and all the life on this teeny blue planet. For this author, the man responsible for birthing Jaws on an already frightened and ignorant public to become such an avid shark conversationalist and advocate of educating the public on the raping of our oceans is dramatic enough to write a book about.

When authors read their own books it creates an unforgettable performance, cohesion between the performer and the work that is not always there in other circumstances. Most memorable of all was hearing Stephen King read Bag of Bones with a perfectly brilliant Maine accent that made me laugh and sent chills up my spine all at once. Because they are the characters they create and because they know the reaction that they would like to elicit from the audience authors who record their books to tape embody the story and that’s what you heard during this audiobook. Benchley’s passion and love of the ocean were not only evident, but articulate. His humor, warmth, and wonder is in every chapter of this compelling, educational, and eminently readable non-fiction book. If I wanted to learn to scuba dive before reading Shark Trouble, I want to do it even more now that I know the otherworldly quality of our ocean’s inhabitants. Benchley tells of first hand accounts of encounters with a variety of shark species, rays, and whales that highlight the utter alienness of the sea. There are plenty of horror stories of real shark encounters contained in the text, but Benchley highlights that these attacks are often the result of natural shark behavior patterns and not the menacing, man-eating shark madness that overtook the media in the summer of 2001.

If you love the ocean, if you cherish it’s many residents and want to learn more then this is a perfect read.

Writing on Request

Less then a year ago I sent out a request to family and friends to send me a piece of writing on whatever topic they choose. My goal was to find out more about my loved ones through their use of the written word. Well, I found out something about my family and friends since then, they seem to regard writing as a chore. Or maybe they are uncomfortable revealing information in a form that can be misinterpreted or limited in the sense that it shows only one of many aspects of themselves.

Or maybe they don’t have an affinity for the written word the way that I do. Several friends sent stories that they had created for other venues which were nice to receive since it gave me new insight into them and let me hear what their personal, stream of consciousness sounds like. One friend, Suki, who I have known since High School shared the following poem she had written shortly before the birth of her first child.

Tiny quarter-sized, doe-eyed flower bud
Floating weightless in a warm garden pond
New ears sense my heart close by, and my
Singing, singing of a seven-week old bond

From the moment I knew you were there
I loved you

Sweet angel blessing, I waited five years for my
Sunflower, iris bulb, maple tree baby, so deep
In my dreams, little wish-on-a-star bebe,
Morning and night, I sing and I weep

From the moment I knew you were there
I loved you

Little blossoming cloud in a bubble in the sky,
One day you'll be born, grow up, move away -
I will guide your sails 'til your own ship you steer
To far away worlds; your own dreams lead the way.

You will find your own twin soul, endless stars love -
You will grow your own peace to which you will belong -
I won't be there to rock you, to kiss you, to sing,
But miracle baby, remember my song

The moment I knew you were there,
I loved you.

It’s true that when it comes to Birthday gifts I usually like homemade better then store bought. For past celebrations I have requested favorite recipes and homemade CDs that reflect the taste of the sender. I guess last year my expectation of people was a bit out of line with reality. Of course looking back on my request I feel like it was more a wish to bring people closer that was poorly expressed. Something to work on for this year.

Personal Hero: Billy Joel

Billy Joel understands my pain. Not one song can cheer me up when I have the blues the way that Billy’s songs can. His appreciation of the human experience is evident in “This is the Time to Remember” and his awareness of the plight of others can be heard in “Allentown”(one of my personal favorites, I love the way the beginning of the song starts with the whistle and strong downbeat). His sense of humor is evident in “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and his spirituality glows in “River of Dreams”. If possible, in my lifetime I would like to see Billy Joel in concert (he was recently in LA and Blondie and Karaoke Queen saw him and said he was incredible) and maybe experience some of his tremendous energy up close and personal.

“You’re only Human (Second Wind)” could probably be my theme song. The music is whimsical, but the topic serious and there are more time then I can count where I have been at the end of my proverbial rope and something whispers in my ear,
” Sometimes you just want to lay down and die
That emotion can be so strong
But hold on
Till that old second wind comes along”
and I have to smile to myself because I know it’s true. Joel has been through much worse things then I have, he understands that you cannot be at your best 100% of the time and that part of being human is having the hope that things will get better. That just around the corner the clouds will lift, everything won’t be so horrible or so serious, and if you are patient, the bad times will pass. If you are ever feeling bad, having a day where you just can’t seem to accomplish what needs to be done, or having trouble finding your focus, or feeling stable put on this song and you won’t feel quite so alone. Heck put on most any Billy Joel song and just the music will put you in a better frame of mind, never mind the lyrics.

“I Go to Extremes” is a song that could be biographically about me. I'll leave it to you dear reader to seek out the song and figure out why I think it applies to me.

Post Secret

The post secret site interests me so much. There is something so freeing and appealing about writing down your most intimate thoughts and having them broadcast to thousands via the internet. Many people who send in secrets are people I can see aspects of my own secret life in. They share thoughts of loneliness, love, anger, alienation, joy, and most important, at least to me, hope. The people who write these postcards are courageous; they are sending a small part of themselves out into the universe to let others know they are not alone.

The secrets I would share might include the following:

“I accidentally scrapped my bumper yesterday and am too ashamed to tell anyone.”
“I put a candy bar in my pocket while carrying a bunch of other items at the grocery store and accidentally left the store without paying for it. This was 8 years ago and I still feel guilty.”
“Sometimes I don’t let people merge in front of me if they don’t use their blinker. Sometimes I don’t use mine and get angry when people won’t let me in.”
“I have a crush on the Vlasic Pickle spokesman, he’s an animated stork.”
“When I get migraine headaches, I secretly suspect death would be less painful.”
“My first boyfriend left me because I wouldn’t have sex with him. He ended up sleeping with a girl I thought was my good friend. I prayed every night that she would get pregnant and they would have to get married.”
“I am no longer friends with my childhood best friend and I don’t really understand why. It’s still a source of sadness, regret, and strangely, relief.”

What secrets would you send out for the world to see?

A Touch of Melancholia

Since returning from our trip to East Coast I have been suffering a visit from my old friend negativity. I am upset about the state of the world, the fighting in Israel, continued death and destruction in Iraq, stupid anti-semetic drunk actors, and starving and homeless in my own neighborhood. My feelings about myself are also rather bleak. I’m back on Weight Watchers trying to lose the weight that took almost a year to lose the first time…again. My migraines were back last week with a vengeance and an entire day was wasted in sleep (my favorite pastime, yes, but I prefer to choose when).

On the upside I have been dieting and getting some exercise (which is better then the none that I had been doing). I have also been catching up on some books I have been meaning to read for awhile (life is short, books are abundant! I hope they have libraries in heaven). Overall the state of my mind is one of feeling a lingering sadness over my own powerlessness to make the world a better place on a large scale. Realistically, there is a lot I am already doing, but with the recent crisis it doesn’t feel very effective. I am an armchair activist and this is a source of frustration for me because I become absolutely paralyzed when I think about all the things I could and should be doing for future generations.

I have not felt like writing lately because everything that is typed onto my screen strikes me as being so insignificant to the news from Darfur, Israel, and Iraq. So, dear reader, please be patient with me and I will turn this attitude around and get in a better state of mind to entertain and enlighten you.