Friday, August 29, 2008

Me and Obama

Okay, here goes...

Me and Obama. We're like this, you know?

I, like many of you tuned in to watch history last night. From the "Obama Bio" to his final "God bless the United States of America" millions were rapt.

Personally I was glad to see and hear a few things in particular. First, I was happy that he told middle America what he had planned. What the specifics of his plan for this country involves. He addressed many of the fears that most fence-sitters seem to be worried about. He met these accusations head on and that shows to me that is how he will meet the challenges that befall a President.

Secondly, I was elated that he didn't beat Dr. King to a pulp. In fact, I think he was the only person yesterday, myself included, to not mention Dr. King. If he had, it would have appeared forced and unreal.

But what did sound real, and made me happier than anything, was the genuine passion that could be heard in his voice as he spoke. From time to time, he did sound like Dr. King, but he never sounded fake and he never sounded like he was reading from a teleprompter.

Finally, and more selfishly, I would like to point out that he too chose the same lines from Dr. King's 1963 speech that I chose to highlight yesterday. Perhaps he is trying to appeal to my demographic; middle-class, white America. Sure he is. Every candidate that has ever tossed their hat into the political ring has tried to appeal to white, middle America. But I think the point he was trying to drive home was about coming together, all races and creeds (like peas and carrots), and moving forward. "...inextricably bound... We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

Beautiful, sweet beautiful history.

"The American Promise" - Obama's Complete Acceptance Speech - DNC 2008


Thursday, August 28, 2008

45 Years Later

Okay, here goes...

How many of you out there have waited 45 years for anything? Odds are less than half of you. I haven't. My odometer will roll over 31 in late November. And I don't really even have a firm grasp on more than maybe 18 of those years. So to say that someone has waited 45 years for something is foreign to me. But the fact that I have those 18 remember-able years as a basis I can realize the weight of those 45 years. Does that make sense?

Anyway, why am I going on about waiting 45 years? Well, there are a lot of people that have waited 45 years for tonight. And when I say 45 years, I really mean a lifetime. Many have died, some of old age or illness, and many of painful, horrific deaths at the hands of those who hated them for no other reason than they were told they were supposed to. But here we are today, on the cusp of history. Something will happen tonight that will be a first. Many thousands, millions of us will stare agape in the soft blue light of our televisions and witness something so positive, so life (and death) affirming that has not been witnessed perhaps since the moon landing.

So, what happened 45 years ago?



Today marks the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Those inspirational words have resonated throughout the conscious of America since 1963. And tonight, Barack Obama will be the first black American to accept the nomination of Candidate for President of a major party.

And as King said, "1963 is not an end, but a beginning." I think that is a fitting quote for 2008 as well.

As a white man, I cannot fully appreciate what these 45 years, these lifetimes, have truly meant. But as Dr. King said, "For many of our white brothers, as evidence by them being present here today, have come to realize their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."

As black Americans said yesterday (taken from CNN.com):

"I was overcome by joy," said Henry March, a civil rights attorney. "This is one of most significant events in American history."

"I think about all the suffering, all the pain all the hurt of so many people," said Rep. John Lewis. "What you see happening here tonight (8/27) is the down payment of the fulfillment of dream of Martin Luther King," he said. "Just a few short years ago in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, many people of color could not even register to vote and now, these people are voting for an African-American."

"I wanted to be on the floor, not only as a Democrat, as an American, but clearly as an African-American. When I was a little girl, I never thought I'd see this day. I never thought I'd see a viable female candidate, viable minority candidate get this far," CNN contributor and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile said.

"It was an amazing moment -- not for African-Americans -- for Americans," CNN contributor Roland Martin said.

I encourage anyone who reads this to make sure to watch Obama's speech tonight, it shouldn't be hard to find; just turn on the TV.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Suggestion Box

Okay, here goes...

(warning... I drop the f-bomb and another 4-letter word today. Sorry Mom.)

I thought it might be fun to periodically dedicate a day to air my complaints about the world at large.

Jumping right in, my first rant is on Democrats. Now, let's take a step back first, just like any good Democrat. While I consider myself an Independent, I have never voted on the Republican side of the ballot; even when a Republican was running unopposed. My opinions on the big issues like abortion, foreign policy, insurance, taxes, etc. typically fall towards the left (some further than others). However, I see it as short-sighted and narrow-minded to align one's self with only one political party.

However, I do respect the Republican party, if for nothing else, for its ability to come together. You never see the Republican party bickering amongst themselves. Maybe this is because they all think alike? I doubt it. Perhaps it's all those secret fraternities and clubs that we hear about from scandal to scandal. Or are they are all so narrow and set in their beliefs that they all just fall in line? Maybe. But I think it is because they recognize the fact that they all have to come together to defeat a common enemy; just like the military. Maybe that is why Republicans are always the first ones to shout 'War!' It has to be tied in there somehow.

Then on the other side of the aisle, you have Democrats who are too busy pouting and sniffling saying that since Hillary wasn't picked as the Presidential Candidate they aren't sure whether they'll vote for Obama. Are you kidding me!?



"A protest vote."

Are you fucking kidding me!?!?! Let's us break down Ms. Ruccia's arguement, shall we? She has been a life-time Democrat. I'm with her so far. Not my approach, but I can sympothize. She believed the Party would "promote and protect" her issues. As a feminist, I will assume that women's rights and equality are high on her list of issues she wants promoted and protected. Now, I'm no woman, but I think the Democratic Party has and will continue to have, even with that damn Obama guy, a better record on promoting and protecting women's rights.

Let's continue. "Sexism against Hillary Clinton..." You mean like the racism against Obama? This is politics. If you don't have tough enough skin to put up with all the 'isms' (sexism, racism, age-ism, class-ism, etc.) stay off the stump. And she's mad the "Party didn't stand up to stop it". I believe the most influential and strongest person in the world should be able to stand alone and not have their hand held by anyone else, let alone their Party. Perhaps this is what she means by "promote and protect"?

She feels, "dooped" by the Party. I feel dooped by the fact that the roads in my local interstate are falling apart, the education system throughout the country is well below par and the War in Iraq are all bankrupt thanks to the billion-dollar Republican War-time tax breaks.

It is tough for her to say whether she would have stayed with the Party had Obama picked Hillary for VP. Bullshit. First, these two candidates are Alpha's. Hillary would not have been able to function in a Beta capacity. Secondly, Ms. Ruccia, and her cohorts, wouldn't seething if Hillary had to ride shotgun to Obama.

Now, getting the Clintons out of there. Of course the Party wanted to distance itself from the Clintons. If there is one person that Republicans can use as a lightning rod to brew up bad blood, it is Bill Clinton. While I love the guy, he shouldn't be roaming the halls of the White House anymore. He is a disctaction and should only rear his head to say, "I like Obama" (or whoever is running on the Democratic ticket) and then disappear until the next time he's needed.

Finally, she and apparently everyone else at her "Fair Politics" club are worried about Obama's experience. What sort of experience did Bush have when he took office? What sort of experience did George Washington have when he took office? In my opinion, the only person that is experienced enough to handle a presidency is someone running for re-election. Maybe a Vice-President, but only if they have had a lot of hands-on time. No one is prepared for the Office of the President of the United States of America.

Getting back on track...

Don't get me started on those wacko Independents who think a vote for Nadar or some other Third Party loser is taking a stand against a tyrannical 2-party system. If the last few elections have proved anything it's that a non-Democratic Party vote is a vote for Republican. That and money, privilege and influence can buy anything; including the best seat in the Oval Office.

Okay, I could Ramble on till the troops come home but I'll end that tirade there. I think that went well. Hopefully I'll do better with this little feature than I have with other promised additions. If anyone reads this, keep me on task. Yell at me if I haven't produced an new rants.

Friday, August 22, 2008

I Got A Feelin', I Feelin' I Can't Hide

Okay, here goes...

Man, I am in a good mood today and let me tell you why. First off, I had a good day yesterday. And we all know that if you have a good day today, the chances of tomorrow being good are that much more improved. Aubry and I took in a Tides, AAA baseball, game last night with a coworker and her fiance. We didn't even have to pay to get in since our friends had scored some free tickets. And even though the team usually stinks, they won last night! Aubry's favorite player even hit a homerun. Thanks Tike Redman! Check out the super-in-depth story here! Well, we all had a drunken good time.

Then I woke up this morning in a grand mood. I always seem to be in a better mood and frame of mind when I wake up next to Aubry. And on top of that, the weather has been awesome over the past few days and it is only looking better for the next 5-days. Take a look!

AccuWeather.com: 5-Day Forecast5

Friday, Aug 22
High: 82 °F RealFeel®: 83 °F
Sunshine and patchy clouds

Friday Night, Aug 22
Low: 69 °F RealFeel®: 68 °F

Saturday, Aug 23
High: 80 °F RealFeel®: 85 °F
Mostly sunny

Saturday Night, Aug 23
Low: 71 °F RealFeel®: 72 °F

Sunday, Aug 24
High: 83 °F RealFeel®: 93 °F
Partly sunny

Sunday Night, Aug 24
Low: 72 °F RealFeel®: 76 °F

Monday, Aug 25
High: 87 °F RealFeel®: 91 °F
Periods of clouds and sun

Monday Night, Aug 25
Low: 72 °F RealFeel®: 76 °F

Tuesday, Aug 26
High: 82 °F RealFeel®: 88 °F
Clouds and sunshine with a shower possible

Tuesday Night, Aug 26
Low: 72 °F RealFeel®: 76 °F
Plenty of clouds with thunderstorms


Man, that's tasty! So, here I am, chomping at the bit for the weekend to start.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Mileage

Okay, here goes...

Well, my nifty new computer for my bike seems to have shit the bed. Hopefully I just need to reset it and all will start working again. I estimate that I've put in about 30 miles so far this month. Not a huge amount, but I don't really ride except to commute. And that is only around 5 miles round trip.

Anyway, that's it.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Ugh

Okay, here goes...

I'm sitting here with a pounding headache. Ugh. I can soldier on with just about any ailment, I have dealth with a fair amount of physical pain in my day but there is something about a headache that just sits me on my arse.

Here's a quick update on things that are happening soon:


My parents are coming up on Thursday for visit. (Note: not my real parents)










I'm getting cable today. I'll probably be staring numbly at the TV a lot for awhile. Not something I'm proud of, just a reality.










I'm getting back into trying to do some writing. I have a few stories that I add to whenever the mood strikes me.








I should open my first batch of homebrew in about a week. I bottled it yesterday.







That's it... I need to lay down.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

It's Lonely

Okay, here goes...

I really don't want this to turn into a College Football blog, or even a Georgia Bulldog blog, but I did want to pass this along. You see, that's my alma mater with the #1 next to it. Do you know how long it has been since those two things were published next to one another? Try 1980. But as any good Bulldog fan will tell you, they'll just screw it up anyway.

Oh, and just in case you're curious... here's the countdown to kickoff.




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