We are in the last 48 hours of mid-term elections and Politico comes out with a piece on how the Republicans are gearing up for their next "urgent task." Their task, as they see it, is to "begin in earnest as soon as the elections are over: Stop Sarah Palin." Really?
There are a number of things suspect about this. Most importantly is the timing. The idea that this is being floated now is bound to be tied in to the thought of depressing the Tea Party voters. So many elections are so close that the both sides are doubling down. For the Democrats, unfortunately, that can result in voter fraud tweaks, suspect get-out-the-vote promotions, and, of course, planted stories. Whoever let this trial balloon loose simply wants to try to tap into the rage of many conservative voters and ramp their ire up to the point where they do nothing. This is not what is important right now. That's another fight for another day--if it's a fight at all. What's important is for conservatives, Republicans, and Tea Partiers to stay focused and storm the ballot boxes to take back this country the American way. VOTE!
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/44449.html#ixzz143dOlnZO
The fact that prisoners are given better treatment than our military is outrageous and particularly so when it comes to having the ability to cast a vote. I don't care whether someone in the military is right, left or simply squatting in the middle, they, above all others, deserve the right to cast a vote. They, more than anyone else, reap the consequences of our votes and the decisions of those we elect. The fact that even one soldier is unable to vote is disgusting. The fact that this happens over and over and over, from election to election to election, is beyond words. Why has this not been corrected? This is not new. This is an old problem. As Americans we all should be ashamed that this happening. Give a soldier a voice. VOTE!
It's not just Halloween, it's Get-Out-the-Vote Union-style weekend. Like animated Zombies union workers will hit the streets, fill the bleachers, raise the signs, and pump up Obama and the Democrat candidates for one last hurrah. Well, good luck. How many union members support this? You can't tell me union dollars aren't behind all these last-minute efforts to mobilize. Will storming the streets and halls creating a delusion of all-is-well and Obama is king be worthwhile? What ramifications await the union leadership when the final tallies are counted and the amount of money expended is fully realized? Perhaps it won't just be the halls of government where calls for fiscal responsibility are heard.
America's all-consuming passion for celebrity has reached its apex with President Obama. The public does not view him as a politician. He is the face of our nation. He is our hope. He is our future. Most of all, Obama is a celebrity and he has achieved cult status. Like any good rock star, Obama spends most of his time touring and playing to his fans. This week our rock star took center stage in Europe. In doing so, he has solidified his image as an international celebrity. He smiles, he nods, he speaks in vague terms in a soft, easy-going style that disarms and charms. He is the culmination of our culture.
This morning Obama spoke at a town hall meeting. Not in a small economically-hit town, not in a major city embattled in an economic battle that is resulting in a populace fleeing to another part of the country, not even in the district of Columbia. No, our gorgeous president was in his element addressing an audience mainly comprised of young and eager Europeans—with a smattering of Americans who were immediately directed to not to ask any questions. He only wanted to talk to the Europeans. Barely sixty days into his administration President Obama has taken his campaign to the world stage where the troubles in the United States take a back seat to the woes of the world. The United States of America is now the bank and the power that Obama the Rock Star will use to govern globally, and he will use his celebrity status to make it happen.
Obama has a plan and it is working. It is tempting to write him off and think that he is a man with little substance. That would be a mistake. President Obama has a reasoned-out plan for the United State and for the world. Hope is the shield he raises to draw attention away from what is really going on. It is the ultimate shell game. To not see Obama for who and what he is, is dangerous. This is a man who views the presidency as a resume enhancement for his true intention which is to govern globally. He is anything but an empty suit and woe to those who ignore what is happening.
We have a president who knows exactly what he is doing and is sure he is right. We have a Congress with an elected majority who is in sympathy with him and who work in concert to meet his aims. We have a majority of people who are content to drop the reins and have given him his head. As long as Obama is able to feed the people soft words, easy smiles and that false sense of security he so ably conveys, all the while drawing attention and interest away from the detailed implementation of his plans, we will remain in this state. We have a huge infatuated populace and an elected president who exults in their adoration. The two are locked in a dance that, for now, doesn't seem to have any end in sight. The damage that this celebrity president is going to accomplish is huge. The bigger question is can he be stopped?
President Obama arrived in Washington ushered in by a fawning press, an adoring public--minus the 50+ million who didn't vote for him, and a preening, overly ambitious, Congress. Obama and his compadres took their elections as a mandate to go forward on every single thought they ever had about changing the government. In their bones you know they understand that had it not been for the sudden apparent collapse of the economy their electoral victory would be nonexistent. It's obvious in their everyday actions and statements.
Unless you live an un-plugged lifestyle, it's not easy to avoid the nonstop streaming of today's events. The onslaught can easily provoke feelings of helplessness and a sense of being overwhelmed when you hear over and over that the economy is in the tank, the Congress is drunk on spending, and the solutions--if there are any--are, shall we say, just plain nuts. If you're housebound like me, the opportunity to vent and take action is extremely limited. You want to do something. Since I'm a writer, my instinct is to write. The BoatEater blog comes out of this frustration I have with both sides of the aisle and a culture that appears to have turned deaf, dumb, and blind. In a search for like-minded individuals, I found and joined Smart Girl Politics. So this is my "hello, Smart Girls" shout out!
Links: Smart Girl Politics
Technology speeds up our rapid response time and increases our stress rate. Today we operate in full 24/7 mode and some embrace this breakneck lifestyle with all its techno gadgets and ever-increasing level playing field. It all sounds good, feels great. But has anyone noticed we're lost the time to think? We rely on our gut reactions and emotional responses to increasing onslaught of emails, faxes, and networked connections. We've lost the time and are losing the ability to reflect, to weigh the consequences of our actions. Too late, we hit enter, click on send and move on to the next incoming techno-missile. I confess that there are many days when I miss the built-in time offered by snail mail when the back and forth between queries and proposals took days, even weeks, compared to the minutes and even seconds where we reside now. But where is this leading us?