Check the Door

Moving on.

2009-05-04T02:17:00.000-07:00

I've packed my proverbial blogger bag to new terrain. Here are the blogging aparatuses you can find me:

News/Opinion Blog (a more frequently updated version of this blog.)
Fashion/More Personal Blog
Tumblr
Consumerist tumblr (mostly fashion finds)
Twitter

I hope to see you around!

Right/Left Discourse in America

2009-03-06T01:05:00.001-08:00

I'm pretty bad at keeping this "blogging" habit, aren't I? Good thing I don't have any readers, or maybe it's because of... Ponder that one. (It's probably more the latter.) Also, I rather dislike Blogger, especially its logo.

"There is no red state America; there is no blue state of America; there is the United States of America"

I just watched Right America Feeling Wronged, the new documentary by Alexandra Pelosi that aired on HBO. She followed the McCain/Palin Campaign throughout the season and put together this little documentary showcasing the feelings of the crowds. It always strikes me how groups don't see themselves in others. The McCain/Palin crowds were under fire for their fervor and hatred, but Obama crowds were probably more enthusiastic in their fervor of a candidate. It's (generally) true that Obama crowds were more positive than McCain crowds, but what about Kerry crowds? At a time when so many people said they were voting against Bush and not for Kerry, that hatred was seen in liberal crowds. The gloom and doom of another's win is there in supporters of all politicians. It's mostly exaggerated claims fueled by mindless fear, but it's still there. On both sides.

The whole discourse would be benefitted if people just understood that mostly, we're alike. Our policy differences are definitely real and there, sometimes intellectually and sometimes mindlessly, but an approach that ignores all the similarities, that claims claimless ill-intent, that makes up fraugulent information to make their case is no approach. But of course it's a two-way endeavor. We've seen it try and fail because one side is being stubborn and more interested in their side's gain than compromising to get anything done. This democratic system is awful slow.

Forty Four.

2009-01-25T01:45:00.001-08:00

It has been an exciting couple weeks. I got back from DC mid-week and have been catching up on a couple days of missing class. I have to say, being in the Mall during the swearing in was literally awesome and completely worth the early wake-up call, cold, and massive crowds.

Something has been bothering me was Obama's title of the first "Global President", and the use of Shakira in some of the events. I know that America is the BIG-WORLD-LEADER, but it seems to me the world is just trying to take pride and credit for when America does something they deem good and ignoring and shunning all things they think America does wrong. I don't approve. I don't think you get to pick and choose who you are. I may not be a Bush supporter, but I will respect the office. I think respect was forgotten a few years ago, which is disappointing. I read somewhere that Bush became the leader for his base and that Obama has opened up the Presidency to lead the whole country, but that doesn't excuse rudeness.

Maybe I'm being too protective of my Presidents, but they are mine. As much as I think President Bush did what he believed was right, that doesn't mean I will pardon his behavior or think he shouldn't be punished. As much as I am proud and excited for Obama to flex his diplomatic muscle and listen to foreign nations, I don't think he is or should be the World's President. Political enthusiasm is refreshing and will hopefully last. Also, service.

Up next I'll try to tackle religion.

Awkward ; Confident

2008-12-22T01:16:00.000-08:00

It's the awkward boy's time to play, and I find nothing wrong with this. I am enjoying every second. But while discussing this little change of trend, my friend told me he hated it. I found this fact a bit humorous since he's not the most suave guy I've ever met.

Here's the thing, being awkward doesn't mean you're not confident, it just means that you're not the smoothest talker, that you don't always say the right thing, do the right thing, but that you're genuine in heart. It means that you might trip sometimes, you might have too much word vomit, and you are humble about yourself. Confidence seemed to border on arrogance in his analysis (even though to me arrogance comes into a cyclical view of confidence when there is little private confidence and too much public confidence -- why do you need to show it off if you know?)

"Awkward" is more sincere to me than any "confident" guy. Doing your thing regardless of the social connotation. Even if Michael Cera's character in Juno says he "tries really hard" to be as cool as he is, you have an inkling that's just for show.

This is me. I don't want to try hard to be good enough. I don't want to hide what I like to be deemed acceptable. I want to be able to trip and laugh it off. I want to say too much, say too little, and have that be okay too. I'm plenty awkward. Social settings make me nervous, and I say too much when I'm one-on-one. I watch <i>Doctor Who</i>, am trying to write code, I have multiple email accounts because I like to categorize things. I can't recognize 90% of the Top 40 Billboard charts, but can probably name most of Obama's cabinet. I'm awkward. I like myself. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Blogging.

2008-12-21T01:15:00.001-08:00

I have a private blog account at another service that I write it about once a day. I think it's the fact that blogging, for me, is about other people reading it, and ironically, my private account is read by more than any public blog of mine. I have a paper journal for any truly private thoughts, or even just the ones too mundane for anyone to care about, or too personal that it doesn't matter. So I don't use my time to figure out what to write that is coherent and on a theme.

By private, I mean it must be "friended" to be able to look at most of the posts. In that sense, it almost guarantees those readers, while here, nothing is read and it all falls to the dust of the vast internet.

That's why I never post here.

Right now I am microblogging like crazy. twitter and tumblr. It's addicting.

A change.

2008-12-10T01:34:00.001-08:00

Late night thoughts are the only ones that truly make me feel listened to. The silence makes everything louder, even if it's in my head.

I've been having issues falling asleep. I'm not sure what it is, possibly the cups and cups of tea I drink in the evenings just because it comforts me, the way the warm, subtle taste seeps into my body. I've been drinking caffeine at night since I can remember, so I doubt that's the reason. Maybe my head is just so full of things to do and things to say. I'm not sure.

I started a tumblr and I kind of love it. I wish I was following more. But looking around, I also feel this desire to be more original than linking other people's words and thoughts, even if I share them. Even if this little bit of humanity we've built of ones and zeroes is a shared connection.

Found I Wrote This For You and think it's a wonderfully, heartbreakingly lovely idea. I was going to do the picture a day for 2009, and just fell in love with this idea. Whispered secrets accompanying photographs of my mundane existence. It might not be huge, but some nights my heart is so full and there is no release.

I feel like I carry my past in ways that most people shrug off. Not that my past is grand or even extraordinary in any way, but it's mine. My laughter and tears. My loves. My heartbreaks.

Someone wrote about how they live for the future and never really think about the past. I feel I balance the two well enough, and leave my present someplace unspoken. That's probably not the best decision to make; to live my past, dream about my future, and forget my present.

I think it's just the idea of sharing myself with faces I recognize that scares me the most. The anonymous visitor I do fine with; the stranger on the street, but the idea of someone who actually knows me, to know me? That frightens me the most. I hide in my caveats of the internet and try not to connect them too much.

Two thousand nine is fast approaching, and with it, my idea of myself. I've always separated the different parts of my life. New and old. Family and friends. Nothing mixed, and when they did, I felt lost and abandoned. Judged.

Maybe it'll be okay for someone to understand a hint of me without me knowing them. It's a little scary, but hopefully worth it, and maybe even necessary since the last few months of two thousand nine will be spent abroad, and away from anything familiar and comforting.

Hope and change

2008-11-03T00:20:00.001-08:00

I was going to switch over to a different blog with a friend. Maybe I still will, but I read this article and had to write something.

I've learned that this election is about the heart of America. It's about the young people who are losing hope and the old people who have been forgotten. It's about those who have worked all their lives and never fully realized the promise of America, but see that promise for their grandchildren in Barack Obama. The poor see a chance, when they often have few. I saw hope in the eyes and faces in those doorways. source

I often roll my eyes at Obama's use of "change" and "hope" but this one article by an independent, white, middle-aged male voter is starting to resonate. As much as this politico is skeptical about this newfound political climate, maybe this inspiration and hope will fundamentally change the way some people see the political process, learn more and stay involved beyond November 4th. Often many of these new politically active only have a loose grip on the issues and care much more about character than policies, but they're not mutually exclusive.

Just about a day and a half left before this will be over [and about a week before the counting will be about over].

I'm still skeptical about "change" because hearing incumbents use that term is a bit insincere. It's not about change, it's about progressing this nation, it's about specific ideas and world views, but those are too long to fit on a bumbersticker sometimes. It also works better.

Alaska.

2008-10-14T01:28:00.001-07:00

I tried to do the changing of the blogging, but I can't. I will continue my ramble and hopefully open up a more thematic blog sometime in the future. For now: Alaska.

What annoys me about Alaska isn't that it sees itself as Libertarian, but that it does so while wanting and receiving more money per head from federal tax money to pay for their earmarked projects. And at the same time having their governor run as Vice President with a big portion of their platform for stopping earmarks.

Ridiculous. Hypocritical. And infuriating.

This isn't working for me.

2008-10-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Apparently I am awful at this blogging deal.

The tide is increasingly turning for a great Obama victory. More conservatives are endorsing him, including Christopher Buckley and David Brooks is denouncing Palin [though he's probably secure in the McCain column]. And really, I have issues with McCain's campaign this year, but he's not as a bad as many other people. Just - he best stay in office the whole time because Palin is both not experienced enough nor does she have the right judgment to be in that seat.

The University of Washington also say that Polls may underestimate Obama's support by 3 to 4 percent, researchers say. A reverse Bradley Effect in most of the country!

And hey, Design for Obama is a nifty site, even though posters and designs don't vote nor do they sway voter's minds. Art and feeling like you matter goes a long way.

TV round-up 2

2008-10-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

I missed Friday's miscellaneous post! I'm still learning.

Monday
How I Met Your Mother
Not one of the better episodes of this show. It dragged through most, but redeemed itself at the very end bit. Regis was funny. Barney was pretty funny too. The bank thing, annoying, but better than the dreadful journey finding a burger. And not letting Robin eat was just cruel. I felt bad. There were just a couple things that were over the top, including Marshall going out in his boxers. The boxer-radius was fine, but eh.

Heroes
Oh, show, you just keep making silly decisions, but entertaining one. The Sylar storyline is very much intriguing. I just think he's fascinating and I hope the writers play up the contradictions and flawed human side of him instead of blaming his issues on being evil - that's boring.

The Haitian is back! Rock.

Mohinder is dumb. Arrogance is unbecoming.

Nikki was a clone! Holy. Hell.

Linderman is insane.

Why is this show so crazy?

Wednesday
Pushing Daisies
Show! You're back! And as awesome as ever. I don't really have much to say, I just love this show to pieces. Ned and Chuck in their underwear is pure adorable. Ned doing anything for Chuck is cute [although I am cautious of the consequences. He's messing with the natural ecology!]. The mystery of the week was both gross and cool. Olive is more woman than I know what to do with, and her poor materialism fit her character, although disappointed me. I still love her. And I cannot wait to find out about Emerson's daughter! This is going to be an amazing season!

Friday Night Lights

Matt barely got any time at all this episode. I will try to disregard this.

Love the Taylors. Everything about them is just good, even when they're not the best. Principal Taylor! Coach! I love that this show is socially commenting on the lack of academic funds and the explosive amount going to sports. It's a mighty fine topic of discussion, especially since it's glaringly obvious when we compare American test scores to Chinese/Europeans. This is why I love this show. It's full of lessons and entertainment!

It was bizarre to see all the new sets. Kind of sad that everything is at such a smaller scale. I hope you do well show!

Project Runway
What is there to say? Obvious editing is a bit obnoxious, but I will live. This season has been full of boring or obnoxious characters. :( But finale this week!

Thursday
The Vice-Presidential Debate

Less than expected, but Palin did exceed my exceptions and Biden didn't quite. Gladly, Biden still won the independent seal of approval, which I am thankful for.

Best line: "The past is a prologue to the future."

Best Moment: Biden talking about his family and choking up, while not giving room for criticism.

I was a little surprised Palin didn't win more independents over. I obviously have a high opinion of them. She didn't answer most of the questions at all, but instead steered (and badly) the discussion to what she was told to talk about. She spoke vaguely, but managed to convey normal, American values well. She didn't stumble or take too many pauses. Her constant "aw shucks" attitude was grating to me, but I'm sure speaks to her base. You could tell she wanted to stay in the vague realm because she doesn't know national or international affairs well enough.

Biden showed how well-versed he is on a number of topics, and in good shape to advise Obama in a rational and knowledgeable way; especially to the concerns of the majority of Americans [middle-class]. I was disappointed he wasn't allowed to be as confrontational as he could have, but I understand [this is where my disappointment was]. There was no way he could manage to correct the fallacies of Palin in anything other than ideological frames for various reasons. Biden could have done better as far as a debate, but possibly at the cost of sounding condescending [even if it is just correcting McClellen/McKiernan] and turning off independent votes. His "He's not a Maverick" argument was quite persuasive.

Saturday
Film: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

I have a soft spot for dear Mr. Cera, and really, this movie didn't disappoint. I didn't go in with high expectations. I think Juno was better than most teen movies, but still only slightly better than mediocre as far as movies go. I think I do like Nick & Norah better than Juno, if we are to compare this new "indie/young hipster" genre [which I don't agree exists, and just commercial appeal to the masses through the figmentation of uniqueness and individualism]. Still, the movie was sweet and charming. There were a couple forced scenes, but overall the interactions between the characters were genuine enough for Hollywood standards. It was trying to build a new glamour. A shift from teen-queen sparkle beauty to a more low-key indie-scene. I prefer it to the former anyway.

And it doesn't hurt that Norah and I are similar in too many ways.

It's always something.

2008-09-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

It's so maddening to try to shrink down the culmination of the past week's news, but since the topic of the moment is the bail-out and the financial disaster, I suppose I will try to distill any shred of frustration.

First, I am not an economics expert (obviously). I try to understand it, but some things are harder to grasp, such as the complete vulnerability and abritraric nature of a market. Honestly, it usually doesn't make any sense since it's based on something completely abstract, consumer confidence. Or at least, how confident people who sell and trade think consumers feel.

And so we get to the failed bail-out vote in the House, a 778 point drop in the Dow Jones, and sitting on the edge of a crisis (or have we already fallen?).

I will say that people need boundaries. I think this is true with children and adults. I wish I could say that people left to their own advice will make the best decisions, but ultimately without any sort of guidelines, they fall into the same trap as children: pleasure outweighs any possible pain. So, here we sit in this mess made by billionaires because of risky investment and the ultimate goal of more money (honestly, once you reach a certain point of money, any more seems just frivolous and a waste). And while most Americans seem to think they should not have to pay for a few bad decisions made in a place they could only imagine, the result would probably be worse to do nothing. The free market/free enterprise/complete capitalism is an ideal that exists only in theory (quite like Communism). The real world does not have perfect information which is required for consumers to make proper decisions to reward "good" businesses (with their business) and punish "bad" business (with their stopping business). Which is where government comes in, where regulation is needed, to curb greed, lies, and the pursuit of money to the cost of consumer welfare.

The bill wasn't perfect, but it was a step.

The month before an election is probably the worst time for something like this to happen, because it calls for risky moves. There are no purely good decisions at this point. The American financial system is bleeding and we need to try to stop the blood from gushing out.

And now we wait until a plan does pass. Senate is voting on Tuesday, and will probably pass it, then off to the House again. Hopefully something will be done this time.

There was obviously always a lot more to talk about, but I'll just leave it there.

Formalizing television

2008-09-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

I figured, as a way to formalize my rented cyber property, I would adopt a Monday, Wednesday, Friday posting-by-5-west coast time schedule wherein I will share my television thoughts on Monday, news/political thoughts on Wednesday, and any topic(s) of my choosing Friday. Hopefully this will work out and I will be able to sort through my mangled brain operations enough to properly share my thoughts.

And it's late, but I will do my first week-in-television recap.

Monday
How I Met Your Mother; What a grossly underrated, underviewed show. As far as the premiere of its fourth season, I loved it. I still don't love Barney, arguably the fan favorite of the group. I hate how he manages to glorify his playboy way of life and it's perfectly okay. I don't find his arrogance charming. I loved his fake story to Lily about the Robin date and thought that was perfect, then he's Barney again. Which is what makes everyone love him, but not me. And that's okay. I adore Ted. Stella is moving toward iffy [I still don't think she's the mom, but what do I know? -- STAR WARS]. Robin is my hero. Marshall was full fluff and awesome comedy relief. And other things.

Heroes; Um, what? Which is pretty much how I feel about this show every week. After [somewhat] digesting the first two episodes, which aired back-to-back. Mostly, it solidified my opinion that it's pretty much a loosely thought out story that is similar to crack. I know it's bad for me, but I come back to it every week, and mostly laugh at myself. It's hard not to watch when Hiro is there being adorable and self-righteous, Peter is being moody and angry at everyone, Angela is just being badass, and the whole future of Earth rests in the hands of some incapable evolved peoples.

Chuck; I know it's not officially from last week, but since it aired on NBC tonight, I will write a little bit. The episode was underwhelming, but good. It gives me reason to want my show back, and I am feeling the Chuck/Sarah for the first time. AND CASEY having a heart! But this is the only time they can do the "the new intersect blew up!" excuse. Also, FULCRUM IS BACK. I am stoked for more, but again, not the best episode. [I didn't like the pilot that much on first watch either, it was episode two that hooked me.]

Thursday
The Office; If you know anything about me, it may be that I am slightly obsessed with this mockumentary. It will probably be the longest review of every week.

So, I wasn't dying of happiness? I don't know why, and I need to watch it again, hopefully tonight but my download is super slow so probably tomorrow, BUT. I don't know. I just - maybe there was something weird about this summer and September so far. I'm happy they're engaged - finally, and it was adorable. I'm glad they did it so Jim didn't plan on having the cameras see it. SO THANKFUL. It was my wish that it be on camera without their knowledge, though I wanted to see Chez Halpert, I will live. It was adorable he chose such a ordinary place to do it. I love Jim for being amazing and finally giving in, and just - it was cute. It was very much them. Kind of spontaneous, but still really much boring (in the best way possible -- they make the boring extraordinary, or something -- but this is a commentary on "ordinary" people).

I thought I'd share my unpopular opinion.

Computer!Pam, probably my favorite Pam talking head ever. Awesome. Thought it was out of character for Jim to first start initiating webchatting. I definitely picture them doing it at home, then Michael finding out about it and forcing Pam to webchat with him and the whole office.

They would never had made Pam an RA. Just saying. Funny bit, but... no.

I enjoyed Holly and Michael more this episode, to be honest. I love Holly. I love that she's a "dork" (I hate the term "dork", I think it connotates inferiority while "nerd" and "geek" are superior in a way). I hate that Michael is a dumbass, but if anyone can teach him, it's Holly. Also, the office told her out on Kevin. Classy.

And if no one noticed, they slipped in a scene (the lunch scene) where Michael shaved his goatee, before he announces he shaved his goatee, and in between scenes where he had a goatee. Check it editor! (I love you, but I love catching continuality). Also, what's up with Meredith's red face in the beginning of the episode? Strange shit is going down at Dunder-Mifflin.

Angela, just break up with Andy. He is being an absolute dollface, but it's just really sad to watch. It's painful. And sleeping around with Dwight on the side is really unbecoming. And I am just - UGH. I really like Angela as a character, and I loved that she was subtley hypocritical, but not it's just lame and over-the-top. Also, Rainn's belly is kind of gross. And Andy is really sweet. And Angela needs to get back together with Dwight in a proper way.

OH KELLY. Really. AND TOBY. I loves him. :( Life hates him so much.

This wasn't my favorite episode by far. I didn't really feel it. It definitely passed quickly and I enjoyed it, but not one of my favorites.

Friday
Presidential Debate; Foreign Policy; This debate almost played out as a comedy. I thought both sides made good points [but let's not kid ourselves and pretend I didn't have a slant]. I am ecstatic that more of the independent population perceived Obama as the winner in every topic (from economy to Iraq to general composure). McCain did throw the curve ball with his comment about North Koreans' height versus South Koreans' height, which he should have explained better, although the point escapes me other than South Korea has better infrastructure, which no one is disagreeing with.

All-in-all, I felt Obama made a better stand on his issues, despite the laugh-worthy back-and-forth that ultimately results during debates. McCain sounded quite patronizing constantly spilling "what Barack doesn't understand" a few too many times.

And this week I get to look forward to Pushing Daisies to add to my line-up! And if I watch anything new to me [I started the Psych pilot this weekend and I have a list a mile long], I will be sure to also type a little bit about that.

Bumbershoot 2008

2008-09-02T17:28:00.001-07:00

I went to Bumbershoot and it was a lot of fun. Three days full of good music and wandering around the Seattle Center, smelling good foods and looking through fun "shops" and feeling cool.

So, here is one picture for every show I saw. If you want me to upload more pictures of a specific artist, feel free to ask. I will try my best. You can also check out this Flickr group.

Saturday, Aug. 29.
New Faces -- My friend is from the same town as these guys, and she was friends with the lead. This band is surprisingly young, but make fun, rambunctious rock to dance to. One of my favorite new finds.

I would have seen Barcelona if I had noticed. :(!

Lucinda Williams

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down -- One of my favorite artists, and I love her live shows. It's just energetic, and she was funny and talented.

Band of Horses -- HIGHLIGHT. They were just really good live, and there was a cute proposal. Being in the middle of a big crowd when you're my height isn't ideal, but it was still a great show.

M. Ward -- Yes, I missed Beck for M. Ward. But it was worth it. When the wind brushed the trees nearby, it added this amazing element to M. Ward's music. It was like falling in love over and over.

Sunday, Aug. 31.
Tyrone Wells -- The friend I went with this day knew him, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I would have seen The Blakes in this spot, but I couldn't find it in time. I have a bad sense of direction and got separated from my people.

T.I. -- We just dropped by for a couple songs [and to refill our water].

Howling Rain -- Another "we were there" band. I'm sad I missed The Shackeltons who played before them.

The Whigs

Jakob Dylan -- Yes, please.

Ingrid Michaelson -- One of my favorite shows! She is just too witty and cute and funny. Seriously. And her music is pretty and fun and love.

Tapes 'n Tapes

MONDAY, SEPT. 01.
The Noise (with Smoosh) -- They replaced Chester French, who I really wanted to see (but knew they cancelled). The Noise were pretty good, and it was a pleasant surprise to see Smoosh there. See below for their fun stage antics!

Kristen Ward -- She replaced Joshua Morrison last minutes and I didn't know, so I saw her on accident. It was a good acoustic set.

The Physics -- One of the random shows I saw a snippit of. I am very glad I found them because Northwest Rap makes me so happy, especially their shows.

Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles -- One of my favorites of this festival. They were incredible live, and the crowd was one of my favorites too.

Bedouin Soundclash -- My friend knew them, and they were really good. A raegge/rock hybrid, sort of? And the lead is incredibly attractive

X Levitation Cult -- I don't recommend them. We were just resting at that stage.

Arthur and Yu

Death Cab closing out an amazing festival.

NON-MUSIC
Strange Fruit was a performance group who leaned and balanced on a stick in clown garb. It was quite an impressive sight.

The Noise had some friends join their performance.

2008-08-07T00:15:00.001-07:00

Some things don't change.

2008-08-05T16:31:00.001-07:00

"People vote based on emotions and images instead of a strong analysis of the deeply complex issues."

Dear America,
Please let go of off-shore drilling. It won't work the way you want and then you will complain some more. Stop making politicians pander to a silly notion that will not fix anything just because they want to make it to the White House and do some good. It hurts my head and my heart.
-me

One of the many articles on gas/oil.

"The great opportunity this year for less scrupulous Republican strategists is that Obama is both black and a Columbia-Harvard-educated former professor who lived in the intellectually rarified precincts of Hyde Park in Chicago, Manhattan's Upper West Side and Cambridge, Mass. They can go after him subtly on race and overtly on elitism." The Unavoidable Issue

Obama in Berlin

2008-07-24T15:33:00.001-07:00

That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.

The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.
...
Those are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. Those aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of those aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of those aspirations that all free people - everywhere - became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of those aspirations that a new generation - our generation - must make our mark on history.

People of Berlin - and people of the world - the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. Let us build on our common history, and seize our common destiny, and once again engage in that noble struggle to bring justice and peace to our world.

video ; transcript

Not his best speech, but I'm a sucker for historical references and his style. He talked about Iraq about a week ago too. I've just been busy with work and summer.

News. Half energy related.

2008-07-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

Shockingly, California uses more gas than China.

A little bisexuality never hurts anyone, it's all fluid.

I'm critical of heavy intelligence protection laws because I see them more as selfish than protecting, and the GOP/RNC threatening legal action against Cafe Press is a little ridiculous.

Rendering public opinion irrelevant. Really interesting, read it.

When a person is addicted to crack cocaine, his problem is not that the price of crack is going up. His problem is what that crack addiction is doing to his whole body. The cure is not cheaper crack, which would only perpetuate the addiction and all the problems it is creating. The cure is to break the addiction.

Ditto for us. Our cure is not cheaper gasoline, but a clean energy system. And the key to building that is to keep the price of gasoline and coal — our crack — higher, not lower, so consumers are moved to break their addiction to these dirty fuels and inventors are moved to create clean alternatives.

I understand why consumers think we have a gasoline price problem — because they are immediately hurt by higher gas prices and the pump is where most people touch our energy system. They tend not to see the bigger picture. But that is why you have a president: to explain that and lay out a response. 9/11 and 4/11

I do enjoy Thomas Friedman quite a lot.

I love fruit.

2008-07-16T01:58:00.000-07:00

Pretty useless post, but I had to share this little link [thanks to Pop URLs, one of my favorite sites]. It is a list of Top Ten Must-Eat Exotic Fruits. I have tried all but two, kumquat and African Cucumber -- two that I regularly see at the grocery store. After looking at this list I have been craving mangosteen. It is absolutely delicious and I miss it so. Really, the taste of most of these here do not compare to their amazing freshness in more tropical areas of the world. I ate most of them in Vietnam when I was visiting family.

I could probably live off fruit, my favorite foods could be a list of fruit. Natures dessert.

Concert post - The Fratellis

2008-07-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

We went to Neumo's with no tickets to our name, but we did make it in. And after waiting three hours [late much?], we finally got to go in!

19 June 2008.

Civil Twilight. They were good. My friend and I were discussing what kinds of sex we should have while listening to each of their songs. It works really well. And they're from South Africa.

FRATELLIS!
By the end of Civil Twilight I was second row behind this super super short girl [seriously, less than 4'6"], so awesomeness! And I was stage left [or is it right?] where the lead singer was! So, amazing spot! The singer didn't look at the crowd when he was singing, so that was a little disappointing since I had perfect "look into my eyes" spot, but the music was amazing! And he has a wedding ring, which is amazingly adorable on rock stars. And their accents are just flailable in general. We lucked out.

Patriotism

2008-07-03T19:34:00.001-07:00

Because it was eloquent and intelligent, and points back to our history as a nation, here is Barack Obama's speech on patriotism.

transcript.

It can be boiled down to this quote he used: "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." -Mark Twain

And American patriotism is known for being about dissent and perfecting a imperfect place. It's about fighting for those core values written in the founding documents, even though they were not made into action from the start.

Leftover links.

2008-07-01T14:42:00.001-07:00

Do angry Clinton women love McCain? and why they shouldn't.

The Experience Issue

RIP Tim Russert

2008-06-13T22:14:00.001-07:00

Tim Russert dies at 58.

Honestly, I am shocked. And saddened. This man breathed life into political journalism. And I feel upset that he's going to miss the rest of this incredible election year, that his dad and rest of his family has to deal with this. He was just so lively, and was able to put aside his own political beliefs in interviews and be a journalist. He had so much more to offer, but if I could live just half of his life, it would be fulfilling. He was a tough interviewer, but he was still respectful.

Tim Russert, you will be missed.

ETA: Some articles about him. Some of them make me tear up. :(

He was loving this election by Joe Klein.
Asserting Tim Russert's Legacy by Howard Fineman.

Speech! Speech!

2008-06-06T21:44:00.001-07:00

We know what we must do. It is to achieve true justice among our fellow citizens. The question is not what programs we should seek to enact. The question is whether we can find in our own midst and in our own hearts that leadership of humane purpose that will recognize the terrible truths of our existence.

We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of others. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge.

Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanquish it with a program, nor with a resolution.

But we can perhaps remember, if only for a time, that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek, as do we, nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and in happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

Surely, this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely, we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men, and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our own hearts brothers and countrymen once again.
--Robert Kennedy, April 5, 1968.

A little bit of what?

2008-06-03T23:22:00.001-07:00

I really like this profile on Barack Obama, Democratic nominee for President.

And my friend was discussing her argument about abortion, and a few days later read Doctor Recalls Abortion Complications before Roe vs. Wade. The biggest issue concerning the issue is the fact that it occurs regardless or legality and the protection and safety of those involved should be accounted for, as well as the lives some of the children would be forced to live. It's more than just choice versus life.

Sasquatch 2008 1 of 3

2008-06-03T00:36:00.000-07:00
I will changing up the topics and format of this blog because it's getting a little dry. Right now, I would love to share with you my experience with the Sasquatch Music Festival.

Sasquatch Music Festival 2008; Day One; Friday May 24

Dengue Fever. Beirut. Ozomalti. The New Pornographers. [RAINN WILSON.] The Fleet Foxes. MIA. Modest Mouse. ~~REM~~

at the Gorge Amitheatre in George, Washington
[Quincy, Washington, but George sounds so much better.]
[Yes, it was even more gorgeous in person.]

Getting thereAfter a three and a half hour drive, we set up camp at the campgrounds, which was just a gigantic field with cars and tents set up really close to each other.

Dengue Fever
We were setting up camp when Fleet Foxes played [they were first on the mainstage] and just made our way around the festival; figuring out where all the stages were, where the food was, eating, and other exciting adventures. And we caught a little bit of Dengue Fever, a band from LA that uses Cambodian influences in their music. You can sort of see them in this picture.

[last.fm]

Beirut
When Beirut started, we got up to the floor to watch. We just sat in the back and enjoyed the music, which was amazing. I listened to them before, but watching them play live was jaw-dropping from all the talent of Zach Condon and I found my love for them [instead of just like]. So good.

Eastern European inspired pop-folk treats [last.fm]

OzomatliI have one song from Ozomatli, so we went up to the lawn to watch them. They were really good!

No picture :(

hip-hop, funky, worldly, Spanish rock [last.fm]

The New PornographersSecond time in a year I have seen The New Pornographers, and I was getting food for part of it, but you know, it's okay. Not as good as last time, and then at the end, AC said “Looks like someone famous is next, I don't know who!”

rock power pop [last.fm]

RAINN WILSON
Okay, this was a major surprise. We wondered off for a bit, then when I was walking back to watch The National on the mainstage, I hear “my name is Rainn” from the speakers and was a little confused, so I continued my trek when I got a good look at the stage and noticed it was RAINN WILSON on stage. He announced The National's bus broke down so they won't be playing then, but Fleet Foxes was going to! [win-lose-win!] Then it was Rainn stalling for a bit, talking about foxes and other funny stuff. I was SUPER PSYCHED when I noticed it was Rainn and pretty much ran down to the floor and my friend laughed at me. IT'S ALL GOOD. He was there because they were promoting The Rocker like crazy!

Fleet Foxes
I got some of Fleet Foxes' music about a week or two before the festival on the whim [I didn't know they were playing, but some people were pimping it out]. I really liked it, so it was a big treat to have them play twice and for me to see make the second show! Their guitarist is a cutie, also. They were wonderful.

folk-rock [last.fm]

MIA
Best show of the festival, at least it was my favorite was M.I.A. It was in the pit for this and it was just AMAZING. Breathtaking FUN and glee and dancing and gunshots on the speakers and LOTS OF PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO GET ON STAGE and moshing and OMGSUCHAGOODTIME. I wish you guys could have been there with me! I also wish I had tried to have gotten on stage [second biggest disappointment of the festival, you find out about the first in the Saturday post]. I can't describe the amount of awesome that was happening during that show.

global grungy female hip-hop-electronic-dance [last.fm]

Modest Mouse
I will admit to not liking Modest Mouse all that much, even though “Float On” was the anthem of my sophomore year of high school. We also had to leave in the middle of this show [and no re-entry this year – BOO] to put up the rain fly because we forgot and it was starting to rain harder [it kind of rained for a few seconds throughout the day, but it was still really hot and warm most of it].

[last.fm]

REMI didn't get to see REM [BIG SAD!] because of the rain and not wanting our stuff to get soaked. :-/ But my friend took some pictures.

taken by Kellen]
[last.fm]

And the Clinton Machine keeps going

2008-05-21T22:17:00.001-07:00

I dislike Clinton bashing since a lot of it is personal and plain rude. I don't agree that she wouldn't make a good president [well, I have a couple issues...] but lately she has been grasping at straws and if it wasn't hurting the party before, it is now. And this does not make this girl happy.

The Problem with Clinton's Popular Vote Math. Short, but informative read, especially with the assertion Clinton is trying to hammer into the media and Americans.
Clinton $20 million in debt

As Obama closes in on 2026 delegates.

I'll try to do a proper blog post [no links?] on my feelings as this little fight is drawing to a close [fingers crossed] later this week. Hope everyone's summer is off to a good start!

Well, it's close to Tuesday.

2008-05-21T01:30:00.001-07:00

There have been major news breaking out worldwide, especially in US politics. It's all very exciting, some of it very sad, so I will just link you and not do any commentary right now.

California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban (This was a good day, and there are a lot of critics to this decision, but it makes me a proud native Californian -- born and raised for two months!)
The Health care Divide
Who's the Real Appeaser?
The Fall of Conservatism
Choices to Make on Immigration Policy [Shoutout to last semester's class.]
Senator Kennedy has a Malignant Brain Tumor [You have no idea how sad this makes me.]
Forging a New Future for America ; Obama speech
Clinton's Kentucky Victory Speech

McCain/Schrute ticket?

2008-05-09T22:14:00.001-07:00

Obviously, it's finals time, so therefore I don't do anything productive. :-| Just wanted to share some McCain thoughts.

He announced his running mate on the Daily Show as Dwight Schrute, a character from The Office. This was without any question from Jon, so McCain was planning this all night, trying to win the young vote? Not sure, but it's not going to vote. Just because we watch the same show doesn't mean we believe in the same things. And listening to him talk, I don't hate the man. I wouldn't vote for him for a many number of issues [Iraq, his ineptitude anything related to the economy, his changing stance on torture, his desire for right-leaning judges, the list is very long]. I don't necessarily trust him, but I do trust his word more than some other politicians.

EDITED TO ADD:
Complete, original list of demands

HAPPY TUESDAY...

2008-05-07T02:30:00.001-07:00

Technically it's Wednesday, but I wanted to at least mention the two primaries of Tuesday: Indiana and North Carolina.

The news is decidedly on Obama's side on this [New York Times, ABC News].

Clinton barely won Indiana [51 v. 49; +2 delegates], while Obama won 56 v. 42 [1% no preference and 1% for Gravel] in North Carolina. So, hopefully, we are seeing this race start to wind down, which will be good for everyone involved or not.

Also see: Annoyingly, ridiculously, why Clinton won't quit now, but Obama has proven himself under pressure, and why voting for McCain would be awful.

WHCD - they'll let anyone in.

2008-05-05T00:47:00.001-07:00

There is something wrong when Obama Girl went to the White House Correspondents Dinner. Being famous on the internet doesn't equal being famous, or having enough prestige to be invited to such an event. She didn't even vote.. (But a favorite of mine, BJ Novak, actor and writer from The Office went too!)

Clinton and Controversy

2008-05-02T14:35:00.001-07:00

Joe Andrews switches to Obama -- The title "Clinton Destroying Party, Lacks Principle" on the Huffington Post is just asinine. This a very good [albeit a little long] letter about his switch over. Definitely worth a read if you're for Obama or Clinton. There were some things I felt were contradictory, but nothing was incinerating and he balances the line pretty well.

Not to be McGossip, but Barbara Walters had an affair with [then married] Senator Edward Brooke in the 1970's. I did not see that coming at all.

And honestly, most respectable candidates would have stepped down by now, in light of the math, and the "will of the voters" that Clinton likes to talk about. Would she make a better president than McCain? Yes, but that doesn't mean this continuing fight against the numbers for the fact. Even her supporters must see this strain on the system by now. This cynicism of the party. [Clinton May be Hopeful but Obama Rolls On]. She can't win the popular vote, the delegate count, or the number of states. Let's rally together now, please? We're going to be forced to in a few months anyway.

So what?

2008-04-17T16:38:00.001-07:00

Oh, Michael Grunwald, you hit the nail in the head with this one. Maybe that has caused my lack of devotion to the news cycle the past couple weeks [I was also outside camping out for a week, then was overcome with attention on The Office's return - which is airing a new episode tonight at nine!] Obama's comments were misinterpreted, and then shown true in last night's "debate", where the first half hour was devoted to unsubstantial issues because that's what America's interested in. It's just ridiculous, the media spin, lately. I can barely stand it, and therefore I haven't been following it.

So what?

Sensational.

2008-04-15T23:47:00.001-07:00

I was there. The Dalai Lama is in Seattle for five days and doing speaking events for Seeds of Compassion and I went to one of the events. It was very cool to hear him talk. Read the article, it outlines the talk well. I would post pictures, but no cameras allowed and my cell phone pictures weren't very good.

Apparently Obama is in hot water about his "You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them... And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." He gets more criticism on his "misspeaks" than Clinton does, maybe the Clinton machine is just better at exploiting it. I don't know, and I don't really disagree with his statement as a whole. People in small towns that are anti-gun control and religious will, of course. Hopefully let's not let the backlash take over this time.

I guess I just see it as so sensationalized and ridiculous. I don't watch much media much at school, so I'm not being bombarded and it's not all around. It's not a big deal to me, and it shouldn't be to others. The media has twisted his words slightly. Then there's Clinton who is now saying she's a gun-toting, God fearing lady. [She's for gun control.]

I wouldn't be surprised if any of the presidential candidates didn't think they were better than the people they're running for. Why think you can be president if you're just like a normal citizen? I hate the games and the ploy of running for office. And I hate it even more when they insult and degrade another candidate for standing up a little bit for their opinions and truth.

Iraq and Pennsylvania

2008-04-07T15:34:00.001-07:00

A Responsible Plan to get out of Iraq.

I've heard the argument before, but I thought Clinton Fatigue Driving Pressure to Quit was an interesting, if not perfect, thought. I don't think it's sexism that's getting Clinton down, at least not with the super delegates.

Obama's polling is up in Pennsylvania, so there is hope!

I thought this article was a little odd, but it's a nice thought. Not sure how true it is, maybe he's just better at playing the game as others.

The War's Expiration Date:
Instead, U.S. military intervention is authorized under the second prong of the 2002 resolution. This authorizes the president to "enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq." This has allowed the Bush administration to satisfy American law by obtaining a series of resolutions authorizing the United States to serve as the head of the multinational force in Iraq.

But here's the rub. The most recent U.N. resolution expires on Dec. 31, and the administration has announced that it will not seek one for 2009. Instead, it is now negotiating a bilateral agreement with the Iraqi government to replace the U.N. mandate.

Watch the Democratic Congress bend over again for the Bush Administration's wants.

Always something to say

2008-04-01T16:19:00.000-07:00
How Will Hillary's Bosnia Whopper Play in the Media? A criticism of the amount of power the media has on elections. They get to choose what to make a big deal of (Reverend Wright's comments), and what to ignore (McCain's Iran/al-Quaida thrice misspeak, Clinton's hyperbolic choice of words) and what will make a bigger impact on the final story of this "three man" race.

I like seeing all sides of an argument if they're presented in a tasteful and reasonable way. Is Obama the Right Choice? is a very interesting article from America Conservative. It's always refreshing to see reasonable journalism from the right. The Republicans know how to manipulate, this much is true, but if you go back to true conservative platform, it's really not that bad. I don't agree with all, but I can understand most of them.

Seeing as McCain will be 72 by January 2009, Where's Our Discussion on Age?

White America's Blind Spot

Hillary Clinton has many admirable qualities, but candor and openness and transparency and a commitment to well-established fact have not been notable among them.

"Hillary values context; she does see the big picture. Hers, in fact, is not the mind of a conventional politician," I wrote in A Woman In Charge. "But when it comes to herself, she sees with something less than candor and lucidity. She sees, like so many others, what she wants to see."
Hillary Clinton: Truth or Consequence

Not to say it's inherently bad, it's just there.

[H]ow a candidate campaigns is a strong reflection on how that candidate governs. For example, we could tell from the 2000 election that George Bush would govern through a series of power grabs, Orwellian language, and with a total disregard for popular opinion. Barack Obama, by contrast, is campaigning through unprecedented national grassroots organizing, speeches that are becoming the stuff of legend, and the manifestation of a new political coalition that moves us away from the political alignment of 1968-2004. Too often, I have heard from the Clinton campaign and its surrogates about states and demographic groups that don't matter. Such statements are a stark reminder of a recent version of the Democratic Party that takes its base for granted, and only campaigns in a select few swing districts. We need a Democratic Party that organizes and governs based on Barack Obama and Howard Dean's campaign styles, rather than one that is based on Hillary Clinton's and Terry McAuliffe's.
Daily KOS, Open Left among the Blue Majority sites to endorse Obama

14% of Republicans, 10% of Democrats think Obama is Muslim which reminds me of a CSPAN caller who said something to the effect of "I can't understand why anyone would vote for him. HIS MIDDLE NAME IS MUHAMMED . HE IS A MUSLIM. Do you know who we're fighting in Iraq? MUSLIMS!" when his middle name is Hussein and he's Christian. And we're also fighting FOR Muslims in Iraq too. Spreading lies and hate isn't good for the country.

Poor Governor Richardson, he had to go and write in the Washington Post defending his endorsement of Obama. Let the man do as he wants and stop attacking him for having his own thoughts.

Oh, and WA State Young Dems convention was fun.

Where I make a few plays.

2008-03-24T01:22:00.001-07:00

Today I endorse Barack Obama for president of the United States. I believe him to be a person of integrity, intelligence and genuine good will. I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides and to return United States to that company of nations committed to human rights. I do not know if his earlier life experience is sufficient for the challenges of the presidency that lie ahead. I doubt we know this about any of the men or women we might select. It likely depends upon the serendipity of the events that cannot be foreseen.

Prominent Republic Endorses Obama

Reading this article is making me think about how I view race. I am neither white or black, and being an Asian, it feels a bit different. I think most of my friends forget or don't really care what I am. I was raised in a predominantly white city, albeit incredibly liberal at times, and go to a predominantly white school [even more white than my high school, which I thought was impossible]. I find it amusing that so many conservatives are commenting that America doesn't need to talk about race because we are past that and they thought Obama was too. It shows their complete ignorance of the issue at hand. Racism does still exist, although in different ways than forty years ago. Just because it is not longer discussed among polite company doesn't mean it's vanished. But the media made way too big a deal of the Wright comments, in my opinion. Many were out of line, but some held some truth. I guess most people were not aware of the Tuskagee Experiment, or a number of other state funded programs. Wright was wrong and paranoid in much of what he was saying in the videos floating around, but some have its grain of truth. [And the US funding state terrorisim is one of them, even if we wish we were the morally righteous of the world - one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter].

I feel like I view race as an outsider most of the time because it's not black and white for me. I stand inbetween this debate only because of words.

Now can we get onto the issues, please?

Also, it would be nice if more people knew that McCain might not know as much about foreign policy as he toots. His comment about Iran training Al-Quaida operatives; both are of different Islamic sects, and that does matter. McCain's Mistake

Bill Clinton: "I think it would be a great thing if we had an election year where you had two people who loved this country and were devoted to the interest of this country. And people could actually ask themselves who is right on these issues, instead of all this other stuff that always seems to intrude itself on our politics." [source]

Funny how his wife's campaign likes to play around with the "other stuff" right now though. Making the campaign about the issues would be easy if both sides would agree to that.

I'm reading Hillary Clinton's book Living History right now and I deeply admire her strength and tenacity, but her campaign has been out of hand and line, especially for a primary. I think she would have made a good president, but right now it's just an unclassy, graceless fight to the bitter end with the numbers heavily, heavily on Obama's side and all the fight is doing is hurting chances for the general election.

Always a time.

2008-03-23T00:32:00.001-07:00

On Obama's Speech

McCain aide circulates Obama/Wright Video is suspended. This might be a surprisingly clean general election if Obama and McCain can control their support. Hopefully.

The Clinton Myth Finally someone is writing about the improbability of a Clinton nomination in a comprehensive way. Maybe the media likes Obama, but they also like drawn-out affairs, good for viewership. Others journalists are jumping on the bandwagon now, let's see how long this will take.

Bill Richardson endorses Obama. I am very upset I didn't choose to go see it since it was in Portland. I could have seen both Richardson and Obama! :(

14 Things Hillary Clinton Knows or Should Know

The Speech.

2008-03-18T16:04:00.001-07:00
Obama's speech on race

Full transcript"

This speech. This speech. It was a breath of fresh air for me, honestly. My support was waning a bit, but not nearly enough to say I wasn't a supporter. And it didn't have to do with Clinton's 3 AM commercial or any of her negative campaigning [funny how during that time my respect for her increased, for very different reasons]. I was trying to figure things out. In any case, reading the comments at various news sites upsets me, so I usually avoid them. After this speech, many anti-Obama's, who were already against him before, just called him a liar, repeatedly.

I think it was brave of him to answer, head on, the topic of race, which he was dodging for most of this primary season. I'm glad to hear him acknowledge its existence and manifestations. That he didn't discount his Reverend in total and tried to explain the anger. I think it's true of the "Black Experience" though I haven't experienced it. It was interesting that he admitted the failings of government welfare.

I don't see anything he said as blatantly contradicting his past statements [but I haven't been following the pastor controversy closely as I felt it was just a media distraction, and same with Ferrero/Clinton], I could be wrong. Still, the general ideas have stayed in tact.

It was eloquent, honest, sincere; it was brilliant and its message was that race is not a simple matter. It cannot be boiled down to a thirty second analysis on the evening news and it has to be confronted before it can be transcended. Some pundits don't think this will be enough to convince "middle America" that Obama is on the right side of this debate; that it may just give more fodder to Clinton and McCain since Obama can "no more disown [Reverend Wright] than [he] can disown the black community" (pundits have also jumped on this particular sentence).

I hope to have more faith in the American people; that they overlook this simplicity and accept racism as it is, on both sides, and understand where Obama is coming from.

I have heard many critics of this candidate call him a liar after this speech, and fail to see where they come to this conclusion, at least as much a liar as most politicians.

There was so much to be talked about in this forty minute speech, but hopefully America and the media will take his advice:

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle -- as we did in the O.J. trial -- or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina -- or as fodder for the nightly news.

We can play Rev. Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words.

We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children.

This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st Century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the emergency room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care, who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life.

This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag.

We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

The economy

2008-03-18T15:54:00.001-07:00

Never do I want to hear again from my conservative friends about how brilliant capitalists are, how much they deserve their seven-figure salaries, and how government should keep its hands off the private economy.
...
So they have stopped investing. The biggest, most respected investment firms threaten to come crashing down. You can't have that. It's just fine to make it harder for the average Joe to file for bankruptcy, as did that wretched bankruptcy bill passed by Congress in 2005 at the request of the credit card industry. But the big guys are "too big to fail" because they could bring us all down with them.
...
Good God, you don't expect these people to trade in their BMWs for Saturns, do you?
...
But if this near meltdown of capitalism doesn't encourage a lot of people to question the principles they have carried in their heads for the last three decades or so, nothing will.
...
But in the enthusiasm for deregulation that took root in the late 1970s, flowered in the Reagan era and reached its apogee in the second Bush years, we forgot the lesson that government needs to keep a careful watch on what capitalists do. Of course, some deregulation can be salutary and the market system is, on balance, a wondrous instrument -- when it works. But the free market is just that: an instrument, not a principle.
...
"We have been saying for so long that government is the enemy," Cohen said. "Government is the enemy until you need a friend." Then he added: "Is the public ready to say: 'Let the private sector handle everything'? Clearly not."

All Wall Street firms should be required to carve Cohen's words into their foundations before they crumble.

E.J. Dionne wrote an article in The Washington Post about Bailing out the Capitalists.

I'm not an economic expert, not even close, but I did disagree slightly to the bailout in my anti-corporation-government relations way. Quite possibly I just don't understand how the rewards corporations reap to governments outweigh all their negative, draining, illegal and immoral actions.

There are dozens of articles out there.

Politics

2008-03-18T13:46:00.001-07:00

Obama Campaign Skewers Clinton E-mail Statement.

People tell me all the time that so-and-so shouldn't be able to say such-and-such for the sake that they don't agree with me and it seems discriminating. I'm one of the few who stands up for the first amendment rights of everyone, regardless of my opinion on the subject. We are approaching a self-policed state and that's a bit scary. Democracy [or a Republic, which we are] can only stand when people are able to voice their opinions without being scared into silence. It doesn't mean we should stop opposing such opinions, but allowing a public discourse on matters isn't harmful to morality or policy.

Monsters, and Racists, and Sexists, Oh My!; The Monster of Identity Politics.

"But prostitution is -- from my vantage point as a woman and a mother -- a particularly unattractive and offensive kind of extramarital activity. I really believe it is none of my business, as a member of the public or the media, if a political or business leader has an affair. I don't sit in judgment of other people's marriages or their private lives. But prostitution isn't just sex. Prostitution objectifies the women who engage in it, dehumanizes sex and sexuality, and turns both into commodities with a price tag.
What I couldn't Teach Elliot Spitzer

Another "Dear Hillary" bit of advice by Chuck Plunkhaun

Obama walks Arrogance Line.
I'm not blind to any imperfection or flaw in my candidate of choice. It's about issues, it's about the comparison of one candidate over the other. I will have no qualms if there's another Clinton on the ballot versus McCain, but that's not the case now.

Clinton wrong about the Ohio comment

Race and war

2008-03-13T19:27:00.000-07:00
Keith Olberman speaks to Hillary Clinton

I'm not fawning over this clip, nor do I agree with everything he says, but it comes down to this: Senator, their words, and your own, are now slowly killing the chances for any Democrat to become president. [transcript]

And this: I'm tired of entitled and privileged assholes trying to spin one black man's success as simultaneously indicative of post-racial politics and an unfair advantage system. Either he's outstanding or he's notwithstanding. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. [source]

There are some articles out that say that race did play a role in Obama's meteoric political rise, but I disagree [and so does Joe Klein]. If so, the role of race paled in comparison to everything else Obama has on him; intelligence, openness while maintaining his values and judgment, charisma, obviously his oratory skills, and more; those are the characteristics that put him where he is today. But then again, maybe I'm just a crazy college kid who doesn't know anything about the real world.

Since there seems to be an increase in people who think we will win The War [USA Today poll; click on Americans' views on what's next in Iraq]: Do I really thing The War is justified? No. There are other reasons, but that is one.

Hodge podge of thoughts.

2008-03-13T00:04:00.001-07:00

Does Experience Matter in a President? - TIME

The body part that had no name. A really good blogpost from a Muslim woman who has to explain female circumcision to her kids because they asked. General discussion of female genitalia in social terms.

The Monster: A Loyal Clinton Soldier Turns in His Badge

The number game hurts my head a little. Some pundits say Hillary has NO CHANCE at collecting the required number of delegates, some say it's Obama who should drop [although the majority think the former]. I think it's silly, really, how these two "facts" can't occur. But we shall see. the SUSA poll gives me hope for the general election at least.

Who's a better General Election Candidate?
"But what if, like me, you know that impairment need not be synonymous with "low quality of life" and that the "pain and suffering" we seek to avoid are largely inflicted not by the physicality of the disability itself but by the negative attitudes of others? Does pre-natal screening still feel like logical scientific progress? Something I am happy to buy into to ensure my first-born is top-notch? Or is it just a covert attempt to purify the human race of folk who don't come up to scratch, veiled in the guise of parental choice?"

"There: I'd made the "individual choice" about my reproductive destiny that the pro-choicer in me believes in. I had decided there was no way I would terminate my pregnancy on a positive diagnosis, so finding out if the baby has Down's was rendered obsolete. Like the colour of its eyes, hair, or sex, I'll wait until it comes screaming into the world to find out. It was an easy decision to arrive at, but a much harder debate to depart from. For it is here, where pro-choice feminism collides with disability rights, that my once black-and-white views suddenly become grey and I'm left struggling with the question of whether abortion is always justifiable, after all. The very fact that the choice to screen exists means that the woman can never win. If you terminate, you are left open to the moral scrutiny of pro-lifers. And if you decline screening, as I have, or continue a pregnancy after a positive diagnosis, you are left wide open to a charge of moral culpability, of burdening society with a disabled child. So who, if anyone, is morally culpable here? For me, the answer lies not in pointing fingers but in questioning the perception of disability as synonymous with undesirability.

It's one thing if a woman is not ready for a baby: I stand by her right to choose in that instance. But is it OK to decide you are ready for a baby, get pregnant by choice and then terminate on the grounds not of your ability to be a parent, but of your desire to be a parent to a particular type of child? As science extends our capabilities to detect more and more conditions in the womb, as it inevitably will, I can't help asking if perhaps we should pause to ask if knowledge is always power. Should we have the right to determine who does and who doesn't get to inhabit the world? For, as my own father put it when I told him I wasn't going to screen his grandchild for Down's syndrome, "I'm so glad there wasn't prenatal screening when we were expecting you." If there had been, perhaps the genetically flawed person, the "glimpse of horror" that is me, would never have existed."
source

Not sure if you heard about the FISA bill that, among other things, give the telecom companies immunity from being put on trial for information they give to the government [you know, illegally...]. The Senate passed it a few weeks ago, but good news! The House has more courage than the Senate because they redrafted the bill to take away the immunity clause! [But watch Bush veto this baby, even though he said it would be too dangerous if it didn't pass.] source

I like a little Caronline all night long.

2008-02-21T11:50:00.000-08:00
Mish-mash of little sentences I found floating around.
-

Too often in this country political debate turns into personal attack. The idea that if someone doesn't agree with you that obviously makes them weak-minded or less intelligent. As if viewing these often shifting policies as fact makes us better for it.

--
Watch it, Democrats. You could still slip up.

--
The media loves to play this card; as did the Clintons during parts of the campaign. John Edwards won the white male vote in South Carolina and now NPR is saying that the white male has no other candidate to run to since, oh Clinton is female and Obama is black. As an Asian female, I don't know where I stand anymore. I suppose I should vote for Clinton since she's female, but I'm also a minority like Obama! OH NOES. Not like anyone is paying the least attention the Asian vote, since it's so small. I think my femaleness trumps my minority status in this case. The same issue that CNN was going on and on about, but just about the black female vote.

When the campaigns have been, more or less, trying to break free from the race or sex stereotypes, it's been hard when the media is focused on it.

I also read an article talking about how demographics have worked so far this campaign because people keep using different ones. That was before Wisconsin, but pundits can still twist the numbers so that it will always work, when if you look closer, it's too lose to hold completely.
--

Politics of the Past
Obama is reaching for Kennedy, the Republicans want to be the next Reagan [and so does Obama in the sense of uniting the country], and even Clinton has reached to Johnson. This election that is taunting "change" sure is friendly with the past. Clinton does so in a more pragmatic way, Obama's is in his words, and the Republicans continue to tout the name of Reagan whenever they can. Some is of the media's doing, but I wonder how much the past looked to the past as well.
--

"[Clinton] is 60. She left Yale Law School at age 25. Evidently she considers everything she has done since school, from her years at Little Rock's Rose law firm to her good fortune with cattle futures, as presidentially relevant experience.

The president who came to office with the most glittering array of experiences had served 10 years in the House of Representatives, then became minister to Russia, then served 10 years in the Senate, then four years as secretary of state (during a war that enlarged the nation by 33 percent), then was minister to Britain. Then, in 1856, James Buchanan was elected president and in just one term secured a strong claim to the rank as America's worst president. Abraham Lincoln, the inexperienced former one-term congressman, had an easy act to follow." [source]
--

Obama's Winning, Suddenly I'm Nervous.

I think it's an interesting argument, and I have to say it should be reported as part of a balanced look at all the candidates. Still, what if's are all apart of the future and you take the risk of voting who you think is best. Best won't be perfect, but I still have trust that although Obama is a politician; his rhetoric is impeccable and his plans left of center; his head and heart work together better than other politicians.

As much as having John McCain in the White House scares me, I think it was unfair of the Times to write such a lofty article about something that possibly happened almost ten years ago. The timing was rather unfortunate; they could have sat on it for a few more months and gotten actual proof. NY Daily News.

McCain likes rather plastic looking blondes, this is old news.
-

Why we should end the "war on terror" and Obama is the only man for the job, if he chooses to accept.

Too bad the majority of America wouldn't "buy" that factual account of our Foreign Policy. :( We're fighting a giant scarecrow but the population is keeping us from fighting the actual monsters lurking worldwide.

There's lots going on.

2008-02-19T16:57:00.001-08:00
With Obama's surge starting to plateau, the Clinton camp has been doing all it can to bring down the first-term senator to get the chance to become the next President of the United States, and it isn't pretty.

First, there was the Patrick "scandal". Clinton's campaign is trying to pain Obama as a plagiarist, when in fact, politicians "steal" lines from each other all the time. Both Clintons have done it, and even worse, Patrick and Obama already discussed the merits of Obama using Patrick's lines and everything was all cleared. Whether or not Obama should have cited him better is really a petty issue at this point.

"Obamania" makes me, as an Obama supporter, feel devalued as a voter. How can it be seen that all Obama supporters are just buying into a "cult of Obama". Placing personality at all as a basis for President is not a new phenomenon; it's a big reason Bush won the seat twice, and all sorts of politicians before that. Would Bill Clinton have been voted in if he were not as charismatic as he is? Probably not, and it can be said about nearly every president elect. There are dozens of reasons I chose Obama over Clinton, his personality is just one.

And even if this article is a little cynical, I like it. When the magic fades his supporters are still there.

The victims of O.C.S. struggle against Obama-myopia, or the inability to see beyond Election Day. But here’s the fascinating thing: They still like him. They know that most of his hope-mongering is vaporous. They know that he knows it’s vaporous.

But the fact that they can share this dream still means something. After the magic fades and reality sets in, they still know something about his soul, and he knows something about theirs. They figure that any new president is going to face gigantic obstacles. At least this candidate seems likely to want to head in the right direction. Obama’s hype comes from exaggerating his powers and his virtues, not faking them.

But this is the sort of thing I came into supporting this campaign with the idea of. Do I like everything he does? Of course not, but like David Brooks said, it's a step in a the correct direction. It will take time to fix decades of built-in problems with government, I'm not foolish.
--

Kosovo is now its own country. Should we rejoice? I'm still trying to figure it out.
--

Today's BIG NEWS: Castro Steps Down. In his place, Rual Castro, Fidel's brother will be president until elections.

And some older articles:
Obama may be inexperienced, but does it matter? A judgment/experience debate

--

An Al Gore person told me, "Now you understand why Al Gore didn't use Bill Clinton in 2000." The bottom line: with the former president it's all about him, and you can't trust him to stay on message. Democrats still love him, but they've had their fill. [source]

--

As for today, Wisconsin has a primary for both parties, Hawaii has a Democratic caucus, and Washington State [woot!] has a primary for both parties where only the Republican primary counts for delegates.

It's a new wave.

2008-02-15T02:02:00.001-08:00

Things are getting a little more negative on the Obama campaign. Not the campaign itself, but the media's interpretation. I think it's fair though, and even though I don't always agree, it makes you take a step back from the pandamonium of the whole Obama candidacy.

I think I like this article from The Economist the best. It doesn't disqualify him, but does give him a critique, which I think is a good thing. We can't have a proper 'democracy' without discussion; this much is true [although public discourse in this nation has been hurt in the past couple decades due to mainstream media's ill-attempts at objective coverage on both sides, but especially "fair and balanced" stations that skew so much to the right, it's laughable].

This is my take: Obama is not perfect. He is not the messiah and whether he is in office a year from now won't change the fact that this country is in a bad place. Things will not change overnight, and he may do things that not all liberals or all people will agree with, but I do think he will do what he thinks is best for the nation and not just himself. I think he will lead with courage and grace and that he will try to mend the broken, ill-will of colleagues on Capitol Hill. I don't think he can even come too close to balancing the budget in four years after the trillions of dollars in debt we are in. The Presidency will be tough, but I think he's tough enough to deal with it. I also think it will be more difficult than most people are taking it.

He has a solid lead right now, and if he can keep it up, than it's good to go, but he has to stay aware and he has to start turning on the power of policy. He can't get too excited. I find it interesting that he seems to be making less friends in the senate than some. Even the divisive Ms. Clinton is on good terms with McCain, whereas Obama doesn't seem to be friendly with either.

Heads up. Hearts out.

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It's the delegates, stupid.

2008-02-13T18:14:00.000-08:00
The Obama camp needs to stay more humble than they are doing right now. Plouffe needs to calm down and let the voters who haven't voted yet decide what they want before he talks his way out of the nomination. This is still the Clinton machine they are up against and they need to wary of that fact. [Plouffe says "she can't catch us"]

Clinton on Michigan, Florida, and Super delegates.

“You can’t care. You have to fight back. Those are the rules,” she said. “A delegate is a delegate is a delegate. On the floor, they all only get one vote.”

She can be as passionate as she wants, but I draw the line at cheating. I draw the line at unfair advantages by keeping her name on the ballot in Michigan and campaigning in Florida. I draw the line at not letting the voters decide in what we consider a democracy, but is actually a Republic.

At this point, she should consider losing with grace. And if not losing, than appearing civil and fair in discussions like these. She will need the votes come November, if she makes it that far.

Nemazee. “How is that possible for the chair of the party to say the people of Pennsylvania or Puerto Rico don’t deserve to have their votes counted, particularly since neither of the two will have prevailed by then?” [source]

Problem is, the people of Puerto Rico don't vote for delegates; the leader usually decides where all 63 delegates of their territory go. Yay democracy!

Established underdog?

2008-02-12T12:36:00.000-08:00
The primary season just keep chugging along; even after Super Tuesday when no one was crowned in the Democratic race [but McCain is pretty much as sure bet for the Republican nomination no matter how loud the Right Wing media is yelling]. Over the weekend Obama won Washington State [8 delegates from my precinct, if you were wondering], Louisiana, Nebraska, and Maine; most by major points.

This lead in momentum is making the Clinton camp call Obama the "establishment" [which is obviously is not in this race], while at the same time criticizing his "inexperience". The two can't go hand-in-hand.

Former aide to John Edwards, Mark Kornblau, said "
[Obama will] be the underdog and the challenger until the day Hillary steps aside." No matter how many states he seems to be winning; until Clinton decides it's over for her, that is when the insurgent overcomes that underdog status.

Quote from Washington Post article

We can change the world

2008-02-09T01:56:00.000-08:00
Angela Davis came to UPS and talked about racism, and the lack of civil rights in this post-civil rights world. She said history is made by many anonymous people, but is remembered as individual struggles of heroic images [Martin Luther King, Jr. in this case].

As I was watching her, I couldn't help but be drawn back to my memory of earlier that day; of seeing Barack Obama speak to a room of 18,000+ supporters, with an estimated 3,000 outside listening in, not twenty feet away from me. She also mentioned the election several times [how could you not? Clinton was just on campus earlier that day, Obama in Seattle that morning, as was Clinton the night before and McCain that afternoon, plus the state caucus was the day after]. Some people do view Obama as the next King; this messiah who will help change the world, and maybe he will. I'm not as idealistic as some, although I am a fervent Obama supporter. I believe he can enact change from the White House more efficiently than any other candidate standing and that he truly believes not just in himself, but in the American people. I don't feel the same about the woman he's running against at this moment.

And maybe he should be focusing more on policies than rhetoric, but he has expanded his policy talk some, and Clinton has also trailed from her message of policy in some places. I do need to exchange notes with my friends who saw Clinton on campus today.

Some things the Obama camp has going for it:
- The fact that the Clintons are reaching into their own pockets to keep funding their campaign and senior aides are going without pay means a big loss in momentum.

- I have no doubt that Obama can win a majority of Clinton supporters ["core" Democratic base, as they are saying in the media], but I have a hard time seeing many Obama supporters [especially independents and "Obama Republicans", I met a few at the rally!] voting for Clinton in a general election, especially against the "moderate" McCain.

- February looks like it should be a knock-out for Obama [crosses fingers] with caucuses [which have favored Obama], and primaries with populations that favor Obama, which only adds to his mass momentum. The longer he is on the scene, the bigger his splash on people.

Articles
He's got Obamaphilia by Joel Stein.
In a way, I agree with this article in the fascination and fan-like devotion to Obama, who is not an actor or a rock star, but a politician. When I first saw "Yes We Can" I thought it was slightly cheesy. His rally felt much more like a concert than a speech. And it was still amazing. If his message of hope and inspiration and reach over the border of mere rhetoric and people feel the power in themselves, I think he would have done his job. It's not just about Obama changing the world, but giving people the reason to help change their world too.

Gregoire endorses Obama
Govenor Christine Gregoire endorses Obama!

Seattle's Key Arena jammed for Barack Obama
I was there. It was amazing. I was second row, standing, facing the stage. Try to find me, because that's what I've been doing.

--

I'm not sure why I ramble on so much about a topic most kids my age get bored of after ten minutes, but I will and I do and I am so very pumped.

His is a campaign not just about change of the system in DC [which should happen, not to kick out anyone who wants to discuss topics with Congress or the Executive branch, but to give each issue an equal amount of time and influence so that people make the best decision for the country instead of riding the coattails of the biggest corporations and industries], but a change in the way people view their government, and through that themselves. A change to seek Americans to go out and be the change you seek in the world [Ghandi] because we are the ones we've been waiting for [Obama, but also Alice Walker before him]. Maybe it' a little cheesy, but that doesn't make it any less inspiring.

As for the Barack Obama rally? He mentioned: the environment, spent a lot of time discussing education, both pre and post-university level [government paying for college, for the win, No Child Left Behind as is, for the lose], health care [having everyone insured who wants to be? Yes please, and with the same benefits as a congressman? YES. I would laugh hysterically if they would say that minimum wage should also be upped to their level. Would never happen, but you know? Maybe they should make less. Weed out the ones there for just power, as also money = power], Iraq, the Constitution [the fact that he used to teach Constitutional Law makes my heart flutter a little], and other things I will mention once I get some pictures to post.

He also hugged me. Or I hugged him. No matter, we hugged.

PS: I have been playing the songs from the rally over and over again in my head, without my permission of course.

The environment is important.

2008-02-06T21:43:00.000-08:00
I care about the environment. I would say that is my number one concern at this moment. I turn off the lights when I'm out of the room, I don't use paper or plastic bags when I can, I try to remember to bring a cup for my coffee [I usually forget :-/], I use environmentally friendly supplies.

So, I wanted to point you to a couple different places. First, Treehugger is a great blog that writes about "green" products and services. Some of them are really cool, and I will occasionally surf through the posts. I found Clean Green Bags from them. They are reusable bags, and since I am assuming you will be buying less than 1000, they only come in green. BUT! you can put any logo or design you want. They're less than a dollar [barely], but very affordable.

A couple other links I found while surfing Daily Kos today was this article rating the presidential candidates on the Environment [none of the Republicans passed - Ron Paul came in first with a whooping 30% followed by McCain with 26%, Huckabee [spelled wrong there] and Romney didn't get a score because they haven't discussed it, and Obama beats Clinton 96% to 90%].

And this funny letter from a Clinton converter [would it be that if they converted FROM Clinton?]. It's short. I suggest you read it.

[This is what I am doing instead of homework. But now I have to go read...]

McCain and Olbermann

2008-02-06T17:31:00.001-08:00
I'm thinking the infighting with the Republicans over the McCain nomination can only help the Democrats at this point. Maybe the conservative media can get McCain to say enough things to make moderates blanch. Possibly everyone can repeat McCain's exaggeration of staying in Iraq for "100 more years" enough times to make people care to not have another "war president". Hopefully people will start calling McCain on all his changing positions, both to the left and to the right, depending on the situation. I know most politicians do this, but his is an extreme case at times to the point that he is now not going to vote for a the immigration bill he helped write.

Especially in light of the Keith Olbermann clip, and now this article a few words should be said about the Protect America Act. [Do you ever wonder who makes us these titles? They're all so misleading.] Olbermann said it best, so you should watch the clip.

Indeed, Mr. Bush.

The primary job of any president is to protect us.

Not just those of us who own Internet and Telephone companies all of us.

And even you, Sir, with your intermittent grasp of reality, even with your ego greater than a 100-percent approval rating... even with your messianic petulance, even you could not truly choose to protect the corporations instead of the people.

I am not talking about ethics here.

I am talking about blame.

...

This is not a choice of protecting the telecoms from prosecution, or protecting the people from terrorists, Sir.

It is a choice of protecting the telecoms from prosecution, or pretending to protect the people from terrorists.

Sorry, Mr. Bush. The eavesdropping provisions of FYCA have obviously had no impact on counter-terrorism, and there is no current or perceived terrorist threat, the thwarting of which could hinge on an e-mail or a phone call going through room 641-A at AT&T in San Francisco next week or next month.

Because if there were, Mr. Bush, and you were to, by your own hand, veto an extension of this eavesdropping, and some terrorist attack were to follow, you would not merely be guilty of siding with the terrorists, you would not merely be guilty of prioritizing the telecoms over the people, you would not merely be guilty of stupidity, you would not merely be guilty of treason but you would be personally, and eternally, responsible.

Whole transcript here

SUPER DUPER TSUNAMI TUESDAY.

2008-02-05T22:31:00.001-08:00

I feel like I should have something to say about this Super Duper Tsunami Tuesday, but I don't really. I think Obama did a good job, and the tv media seems to be doing fine at spinning for both sides, but their websites skew toward Clinton, I think. California and New York, yeah, but who thought she wouldn't win New York? In all earnestly, it was a major tie. Some people are saying Clinton won more delegates, some people are saying Obama will. It's all about spin at this point.

If this day was even a week later, I think Obama would have made a much bigger impact. Alas, time was not on his side, and I think he has a really good chance at these later caucuses and primaries [mine included]. Obama's was the best speech of the night though. Try to argue that. It was a lot bolder speech than he usually has, especially with the hits toward Clinton. I think this is going to help Obama more than it's going to help Clinton. Obama managed to show, yet again, that he's electable, that he's more than just a "black candidate". If there was any doubt in the voters' mind, you can't deny it from the states Obama won tonight.

I would also like to add that I adore Michelle Obama. She is a wonderful woman.

Also, I'm not sure the Democratic party is "divided by race and gender" as this pundit is claiming. Maybe some are preferring Clinton or Obama right now, but I wouldn't say they wouldn't vote for one or the either.

I think Romney is spending way too much money on something that will probably not pan out, and it's a little sad. He'll be fine, probably go back into business. The biggest surprise of the night for me was Huckabee. His winning so many states [especially when McCain is winning many typically democratic states]. Huckabee's win definitely undercut Romney's [and the media's] desire for a two-man race, but this is definitely going to change the equation.

And people complaining that their count didn't count because their state's popular vote went to someone else; if it's not a delegate-take-all, then it's still a good chance your vote did count. Find your local vote numbers. Figure out how many delegates any of the candidates got.

It's not much, or interesting, but I wanted to throw my two cents.

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What does a German know?

2008-01-31T21:57:00.000-08:00
Three Myths of the US Election Campaign [Der Spiegel]

Reading this website, I don't know if it's supposed to be, or maybe it's the translation, but it always comes off and really bias and a little offensive. I still like to hear what Europe is thinking [German paper], and a different perspective is never a bad thing to have [and I love Obama for stating that in tonight's debate].

My biggest issue with the article above, was the writer's talk about how the Constitution was made for a divisive nation. (I also think it's unwise to say that "change" is a new concept in the world of US elections, and although politicians like to play with the word "lobbyist" they mean a certain kind - the kind that give politicians money and other incentives to vote a certain way, but the kind that try to get their points across.)

Democracy thrives on differences of opinion, which translate into differences between parties. Promising to put an end to this ongoing dispute makes about as much sense as a supermarket manager announcing plans to combine the meat and produce departments -- and justifying his decision by saying that the management wants to overcome the decades-long polarization between steak-lovers and vegetarians.

Citizens would be well-advised to demand disagreement and harsh words. The parties must remain partisan if voters are to have a real choice.

I understand where the writer is coming from, but this does not mean that Washington D.C. has to be a hostile environment or that the gridlock must be offensive in order to fix any problems. I think people should be able to trade ideas and to decide on their own what is the best decision for the people, regardless of party lines. It's not too much to ask for politicians to listen to their "enemies" [or even call people not in their party the "enemy"], negotiate for the betterment of the people, and still be passionate about their own causes.

This idea of cooperation is the one thing that makes me not partisan and willing to bend my opinions to the truths I see. I think the world [and politics] would be a better place if that happened more often.

That's the reason I'm running for president of the United States of America.

2008-01-31T21:34:00.000-08:00
The Obama/Clinton SHOWDOWN in Hollywood.

I missed the last twenty minutes to go to a lecture entitled "Winning a Cosmic War: Why We're Losing the War on Terror" by Reza Aslan. [It was a really good lecture too. I want to read his book now.]

But to the debate! Hopefully I'll have more time tomorrow to set it out longer in my blog.

I thought Obama did a wonderful job, as did Clinton, but most especially Obama. Clinton stumbled [at least to me] on her answers to Iraq and immigration. She also had some bad faces, and you could just tell when she was getting angry. She would put on her "Umbridge-smile" and then tried to dissect the argument. A well fought match this time around.

I have only seen about four or five of the seventeen debates, and haven't seem Obama falter too much [except for his "you're likable enough" line], as the pundits like to say. But I don't think he made a bad step in this debate [the first 100 minutes I saw of it]. And he built up his plans with specifics too. Notice that Clinton was much more civil this time around. The atmosphere seemed almost jovial, and her admitting that she might not win at the beginning, but would support Obama if he did was a good change too. Clinton's line about needing a Clinton to clean up a Bushes' presidency really rung false in my ears, and gave me a bad aftertaste. There was just so much said and done, maybe I will think of more.

I would like to point out the amazing difference between the Republican debate [less watched] and the Democratic debate [which the whole world seems to have seen]. Just personally, I watched last night's Republican debate alone in the basement of the dorm. Today I shared the room with about a dozen other watchers. More starking contract was the arena the debate was placed in. The Reagan library, which held, maybe a hundred or two versus the thousands in the Kodak theater. The Republican debate was shot with far less fanfare and hype than the Democratic debate. Honestly, just the setting alone, I thought the Republican's was more "presidential" and dignified. I mean, this is the stage that the Oscars are given out each year. The stage that Hollywood pays tribute to. I found it startling, but on content, I enjoyed the Democratic debate better. The choice of moderators was very strange indeed. Wolf Blitzer was just very antagonistic tonight, especially to Clinton. Anderson Cooper was wonderful, as he always is. Just a civil, charming guy trying to get the facts.

Round-up of January

2008-01-30T23:54:00.000-08:00
January 10, 2008.
You should read these articles and tell me what you think:
Women are Never Front Runners or Sexism vs. Racism; The story of Clinton vs. Barack.

Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?
Change for our Children or Being young sort of sucks sometimes

The Obama/Clinton debacle
In a workplace context, Obama may have reminded women of under qualified hotshots who come along and get the big job with less experience because they're cooler and have more rapport with the boss and are, after all, men. They rallied to one of their own, just as the Clinton campaign hoped all along.
---
The wrong question about Obama has been "Where's the beef?" -- "beef" meaning policy substance. Policy papers in profusion can be ginned up by campaign advisers, of whom Obama has plenty. The right question is whether he is a souffle -- pretty and pleasing, but mostly air and apt to collapse if jostled. Presidential politics is an exhausting, hard, occasionally even cruel vetting process -- necessarily so, given the stakes -- and now that he has been bumped hard we shall see if there is steel beneath the sleek gray suit. source

I don't not like Clinton. I like her, and considered voting for her a few weeks ago, I just think Obama has a better chance in the general election. Whether or not she wants to believe it, she's part of the old regime. As much as people love Bill, that doesn't mean they'll vote for Hillary. She's a polarizing figure, and after so many years of that, I don't think that's what the country needs right now.

And I think that's sort of where I am. I'm a cynic and I don't try to hide that fact. It's not like I have no hope or don't think of possibilities, I just find many popular opinions to be limited and unattainable; maybe that's why I like Barack. Thing is, as high and mighty as the seat of Presidency is, it's not the be all and if the President doesn't abuse his power, it doesn't come with a free pass [I'm looking at you, President Bush]. There are more obstacles to reforming the heath care system than just having a plan, there are more reasons why getting out of Iraq will be extremely difficult, on and on; which is why I take the candidate's positions at face value and not let it be the end reason for my vote because intentions only go so far in D.C. I read in some exit poll that those who voted more on character than platform went to Barack [and visa versa for Clinton] in the Democratic vote. In the end, I think the American people have more power than we exercise and that's sad. Obama seems to be a, yes, uniting figure, but one that can inspire passion in people. It's something desperately lacking today with a crooked administration that a lot of people talk about, but few actually try to do anything about.

As much as Hillary's win gave the camp renewed fervor in the upcoming races, I'm not sure it's enough, although it may be since many of the states are closed [as in independents can't vote], that would help Clinton. Her campaign's tactics right now are also bothering me. Bill's jabs at Obama are more disturbing to me than Hillary's. Negatives don't work for me, and they shouldn't work for anyone. If Obama does win the nomination, Bill and co. will have to backtrack and pretty talk their way out of the insults thrown at Obama. And everyone, Obama included, are playing every card they can; race, sex, hope, experience. They're true. Obama needs to show his true colors with the nitty gritty details and not just messages of hope, which he can. He has a great team behind him, which should help him with that, right now. He's right that words can make a difference, but so do actions.

At the bare numbers, Obama is still up in the delegate count by one. They both got the same number of delegates from New Hampshire, but maybe all Clinton needed was a momentum push.

So maybe I'm a hopeful cynic.

Looks like Karl Rove wants Clinton to be the Democratic nominee. Did anyone also notice Mike Huckabee's little endorsement from gmail? He's the only candidate I've seen at the top of my screen when I check my email.

January 11, 2008.
Even if you ~~hate~~ are only somewhat interested in the election, you should read this article because it's funny, and in its own exaggerated sense, true. And short. Really, you should read it.

January 12, 2008.
This article gives a good outline for my backing Barack over Clinton (it's about Clinton).

January 22, 2008.
01. Republicans are more liberal than you think, but not the ones that write

02. It might be wrong of me, but this German article about Obama/Clinton bothered me.

January 24, 2008.
Sen. Clinton began distorting Obama's record in Monday night's debate and yesterday began airing a television attack that twists a recent Obama statement about former President Ronald Reagan to the point of clear inaccuracy. Bill Clinton, meanwhile, has wrongly accused Obama both of injecting race into the debate and of running a negative campaign against his wife.

They have gone well beyond engaging in tough political jousting while steering the campaign far from the substantive issues. Their tactics are reminiscent of the unproductive, distasteful mudslinging that started with Bill Clinton's election and continued through George W. Bush's reelection.

Sen. Clinton has an obligation to restore her competition with Obama to the level of fairness that has generally prevailed for the past year. And Bill Clinton should heed the counsel of Democratic elders, including Sen. Ted Kennedy, Rep. Rahm Emanuel and former Sen. Tom Daschle, who have called on him to cease fire.
[full article]

As distressing as it is, if she keeps it up and McCain wins the Republican nomination while keeping clean in campaigning, I might have to vote for him over Clinton. Their [the Clintons] strategy is just making me not trust her a lot. Also, with a Democratic majority in Congress and McCain's history of liberal stances I am not fearful of what he would do, although I still prefer Obama.

The extent of the Clinton's need to be in the White House again scares me.

January 30, 2008.
McCain a real Republican or just one of the left?

After watching the debate tonight, I don't think I could vote for McCain, his negative campaigning and smug looks just make me want to scream. Huckabee's "what about me" mini-rants made me giggle, his stance on the social issues did not. I have to admit Paul's constitution rant was a breath of fresh air [I know he's crazy and has been known to be a bigot]. It's one of the reasons I support Obama as much as I do. As a constitutional lawyer, I feel he won't toe the line as much as Bush, or as much as Clinton did/would. It's been a trend that each president tries to get more and more power out of that seat [which was really not intended to be all powerful in the least. I was watching C-SPAN one night and someone I am sure is very read in the constitution said that the presidency is the "head of state, not the head of government. As our country has gotten older, it seems we have forgotten that bit.]

I also wanted to give a shoutout [or HOLLA! as Ellen would say] to John Edwards, for a well fought campaign. His farewell speech. The man is eloquent and has many good ideas for the nation. Even though I don't so much count myself as one of his supporters, I understand the appeal and have many friends who do. I still think he would have made an amazing president, and maybe it's my being warped into the two-person race, or just some petty issues I had with the way he presented himself. I don't feel bad for Guiliani though. I do have a little issue with how skewed our primary system is though.

--

Not sure what this blog will look like after a little bit, but that is the start of my political-blogging future.

Introducing the girl

2008-01-30T23:39:00.000-08:00
I've been regularly journaling since the age of ten, and I still have all my paper journals in my room at home. Some are more cringe-worthy than others, and for a while I kept various internet journals as well. The only one that truly stuck was my LiveJournal, which I use for fan-thoughts; tv shows mostly. Since I am big on compartmentalizing, I figured I should branch out and try more "issue" writing, which I have done at the LiveJournal. It didn't feel big enough with it's ability to block anyone not "friended", hence my move to Blogger [I did once have a blogger for a little bit before I stopped using it.]

I can't promise no talk about entertainment, but I will place my weekly [slighly incoherent] reviews beind locked posts once the AMPTP decide to negotiate in good faith with the WGA again.

It is my hope that what I write here will open up debate, or at the very least, improve my rhetoric. It could be a reaction to an article or an article I found that I thought should be read. Maybe I will pull quotes from sources more reputable than me, or just try to base all these thoughts on the basis of my own thinking. At the very least, it will help me put my views in a spot I can find them easily at a different time.