Politics & Dead Men

I hate nothing more that hearing the media cry of “Obama is the new Kennedy!”,  then having the same people who propped the man on the highly mystical pedestal then work on knocking the man back down.  How rude! 

Why is it so important that we compare our modern politicians to the politicians of days gone by?  Politicians that have been mythologized into larger than life characters of the men they once were.  Not real, yet held up as the gold standard.

            Usually they are dead men, who have powerfully connected families that have rested and profited on the accomplishments of these men.  They have built cottage industries of mourning that have become state and national holidays.  Now before the death threats and the angry diatribes start, no where have I diminished the works of these men.  But all men and women must stand on and by their own works. 

            So, why am I irritated by the comparison of modern day politicians to those of days gone by?  Because the men Obama and McCain are being compared to would not be able to withstand the public scrutiny that a politician must be able to stand today.  They were men and women, who were as imperfect as the men and women of today, just with the really good PR that comes with hindsight. 

I’m not interested in the next “I Have A Dream” speech or “Ich bin ein Berliner” of Kennedy fame. I want true and sincere words from the men and women who are running for office.  I want to know what they are thinking without the spit and polish of a media spin doctor.

I don’t want a new Kennedy, Roosevelt, Lincoln, or Regan.  I want the best person for the job. I want someone who is honest and ethical in their dealings, someone who will do the right thing.  I need someone who lives in the present to lead me into the future.

We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet

On the evening of January 27, 2008, the world lost one of its truly great men. His greatness did not come from vast monetary wealth, nor from the accumulation of things; instead, it came from humility, wisdom, kindness, steadfastness, compassion, charity, and a vast love of his fellow man. This man, this humble man, was Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In his long life, he held fast to his compass. That compass was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through the turbulent seas of life, he always saw the clearest path to go because he never let loose of that compass.
He had a way of seeing clearly to the heart of a matter, whether it was popular or not, because the Lord’s way is not always the popular way. Then he would get his point across firmly without raising his voice, but always you knew that a point had been made.

Gordon B. Hinckley was also a man who had a grand sense of humor, never belittling or vile, but truly enjoyed a good and honest laugh and was often seen with a smile on his face.

The world is left bereft without this great light. I am a simple sister in this world, who knew this man from a distance, and I feel the poignant sting of his loss. Though I feel the sting, I take comfort in knowing the Gospel Plan that Families Are Forever. That this man is not truly gone from us, he has simply gone on to greater calling.

When Politics get Personal

I’m sick and tired of listening to the 2008 political candidates try and assassinate each others personal beliefs and hygiene rather than their stands on the actual political issues. Of course, until the actual Republican and Democratic candidates are chosen, the individual politics are so similar, that each candidate is reduced to getting a famous friend (i.e. Obama and Oprah) and/or attacking each others religion (Huckabee and Romney) to name some more notable examples. We are watching sandbox politics at their finest. Pretty soon someone will start throwing sand; it will get in someone eyes and people will start crying. A teacher will have to come in and separate the candidates and call the nurse in to soothe the wounded candidates and distribute lollipops to make them feel better. Then back to the sandbox they go nursing their grudges until a victor is declared (i.e. the party nomination) and then the real back-biting begins.

I’ve had it! Talk to me about what matters to me. I want to know what you, as a candidate, would do with my hard-earned tax dollars. When will our troops come home and how will we help resolve the situation in Iraq (notice I said resolve, not solve). How is the government going to help the average citizen against the criminally minded of the world? How will the government help pay the teachers of the nation better, help our ailing education systems, eradicate poverty, and help us manage our resources better?

I don’t care what religion a person is and I don’t care who are their famous friend’s are, as long as they have a track record of responsible governmental stewardship. They can be purple with pink polka-dots for all I care; I want someone in office who is genuinely concerned about the needs of the people and vote appropriately.

Hugo Chavez's Bid at Kingship -FAILS

Hugo Chavez’s massive ego was heard deflating around the world. His bid to abolish term limits, and place hand-picked regional and local leaders was defeated by enough of a margin to foil his imperialist plans. After nearly ten years of listening to the man embarrass them on the world stage through his ignorant ranting and his ill-advised alliances, the Venezuelans had finally had enough and with the time they had had left used the power of the vote and put a well defined limit on his time left in office. The King of Spain’s well timed ‘Shut Up’ that was heard around the globe was the final insult to a proud nation.

It is not that Chavez didn’t do some good things for his people. He worked hard at redistributing the country’s wealth so that all could enjoy it, but his fatal flaw in all this was the fact that no country can survive alone in today’s global economy. The country that Chavez vilified and reviled the most was and is its greatest investor and customer, the US of A. The old adage, don’t bite the hand that feeds you, applies here. The US of A understands that the entire game of saving face and perception is very important, but Chavez was courting dangerous people in his bid to be the big dog on the block. His courtship of Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been the match made in ego heaven. Makes you wonder who wears the pants in the relationship. Then his love affair with Fidel Castro, if that had continued, would the Venezuelans have ended up in bone crushing poverty, like Cuba? Cut off from the world? Their borders locked down?

Politics is a game that requires finesse, patience, intelligence, team-building skills, ruthlessness, and when all else fails a really big stick. Sure, Venezuela’s oil helps our economy, but we’ve made due without it before and we can do it again. We’ll be inconvenienced. Chavez really can’t hurt us the way he thinks he can. However, if we take our business interests out of the country and others follow, Venezuela will be crippled.

It’s good that democracy makes short work of wanna be kings.

The Difference between Cats & Dogs

Everyday I get home from work and my dog, Q, greets me with his most treasured toy clenched between his teeth and his back half wiggling for all it’s worth in what I call the butt-wiggle of joy. The day I might have had could have been the most miserable on record, but here is a creature who loves me unconditionally, is happy to see me and lifts my spirits. The cat, on the other hand, leisurely strolls out and mews his greeting and continues on his way. If he is feeling generous, he might strop himself along my pant leg, depositing as much hair as possible, to acknowledge my existence then carry on his way.

Dogs by nature are social, communal creatures. In order to be healthy and happy they must be a part of a pack. When other dogs are not available, they will incorporate other creatures in to that pack, such as humans and cats. The reason that dogs and humans get along so well is that we are a pack species too.

We live in a pack society, the family. We are surrounded by others of our kind and live in a societal structure. Someone will always be socially dominant and socially submissive to us, as humans, we term it in a much prettier vocabulary.

Cats too are social, but their society is a far more rigid environment. That is not to say that they can not adapt to the environment that they are in. Cats just like their space. They don’t need to be around people all the time. When we adopted our cat, his nickname became Fang. His method of attention getting was to take a chunk out of whatever appendage was nearby, often drawing blood. But through patience and lots and lots of love he evolved into a pack oriented animal. He still wants us to think that he could care less. But when all is said and done he likes playing with the , loves having his chin scratched, and loves the treats that only I can provide him. My opposable thumbs are useful for something.

I am someone who loves both dogs and cats and expect them both to get along. So the cat and dog have reached and accord. They tolerate each other, because I won’t have it any other way. Though, at times, I’m not so sure the cat isn’t contemplating putting a contract out on me.

The funny thing is in this pack that I have created, the dog, the cat and I have all adopted traits from one another. The dog bats his toys around like a cat, the cat sleeps sprawled like a dog, and I find myself singing in cat to the cat. When one of us is away we miss them. That is what a family is all about. There might be differences in how we think and act, but in the end family is family, no matter what the species.

Reckless Drivers

I’m tired of reckless drivers using the residential roads as their own personal speedways, particularly in the early morning. The posted speed limited is 25 MPH for a very good reason, FOR SAFETY. Every morning I walk my dog in early in the morning and I witness no less than four cars that consistently speed through my neighborhood at speeds greater than the posted speed limit of 25MPH. Oftentimes I find myself dragging my dog onto the grass as cars speed toward me, not slowing down, trying to identify what I am.

I am a safe walker. I wear light colors with reflective stripes, my dog is white and easily seen, and I walk by the curb to maximize my safety. I live in an active neighborhood filled with children, runners, and other dog walkers. Reckless drivers are not only a problem in the early morning, but in other more well lit times. In broad daylight I see the moms in the mini-van with kids in the car, phone to their ears bombing down my road faster than the posted speed limit only to slam on their brakes at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill, because she wasn’t paying attention. If a child, a dog, a teenager on a skateboard/bike, or an adult had suddenly stepped out in front of her, a terrible tragedy would have unfolded.

As I see these reckless drivers in my neighborhood I send up a prayer every time that no harm will come to anyone in their path, and that all four wheels will come off their vehicle to stop them from driving. The damage that a vehicle can do to a human body is horrific. Until you have personally witness this, you have no clue.

Everyday that we get behind the wheel, we are responsible for what we do. We operate a formidable machine that can be of great help in our daily lives and used irresponsibly can cause terrible damage. Please think before you drive.

Unwelcome Guests

So Gisele Bundchen has stated that she wants to be paid, a lot, just not in American Dollars. It must be nice to be able to make such demands. After all, a good portion of her revenue comes from the unwanted American Dollars. She has deigned to date an American, and she lives in the country whose currency she doesn’t want to be paid in. Is it me or is there something terribly wrong with this picture.

America has been good to her its citizenry has paid handsomely for her to live here. Men have paid for the privilege to ogle her. Women have paid for the privilege of wear the lingerie she is paid to sell, in the hopes to look like her. Why would she spit in the face of those who worship her? Because she has absolutely nothing invested here. She will take and take and take then leave.

I can guarantee if I were some famous wealthy international figure who was living in Ms. Bundchen’s native country of Brazil, enjoying the hospitality of the country and made a fuss over what currency I was being paid in, I’d be vilified in the press, escorted to the bordered and tossed out of the country with numerous boot treads imprinted on my derriere.

The reality is that won’t happen to Ms. Bundchen, mainly because her target market (males 14 to dead) are all lining up to change their dollars into whatever currency she is demanding at the moment. But like a sweet looking apple that is rotten at the core, the packaging might be attractive but the first bite will tell all. Ms. Bundchen thinks that she is more important than she is. She is only as hot as the next pretty sweet thing, and will be forgotten in time.

Fie on her! Fie on her and everyone like her. She has abused my hospitality in this country. If she doesn’t like the currency, thereby the things she can get with it (i.e. shelter, food, cars, clothes, etc.) as she lives in this country, then she can trot her derriere out of the United States of America and go live in a country that has the currency she wants to spend.

I’m tired of guests of my country crapping all over us. She may have money but she has no couth, and like all ungrateful and tiresome guests, when their welcome is worn they are shown the door.