Hi, when it comes to the Presidential Election, I am one of those "idiot" undecided voters.
Last time it was so much easier, I had 5 issues that were important for me, and Ralph differed from Bush/Gore. Stopping the war on drugs, legalizing medical marijuana, not increasing the military budget, not pursuing a StarWars missle defense and against the death penalty. I had hoped that Ralph would get 5% of the national vote so the Greens could qualify for federal campaign funds. I did not get my wish.
I do not regret it. People like me did not cost AlGore the election. That boy couldn't win his own state. 'nuff said.
But my, how things can change in four years. Ralph ain't even a contender for my vote this time.
9/11 changed things.
First, the news filter through which I see the world.
the Economist
CATO
the Daily Show
Slate
I watched the presidential debates, and sometimes I read the two local newspapers.
Good things under the Bush watch, that he can have credit for. (Just like Clinton get the "credit" for the good economy.)
Libya, wants to join the congress of nations, is wanting not to be a rogue nation, is opening country to weapons inspectors. I think, for a bit, Ghadafi was a bit concerned about ending up in a prison cell like Sadam Hussein.
When we went to war in Afganistan, Mr. Bush addressed the children of America, and implored them as individuals to donate a dollar each to help the children of Afganistan. That seemed noble and unprecedented. And yes, going in and getting rid of the Taliban, destroying Al-Quada camps, vowing "no distinction between terrorists and those that harbor them" was exactly what was needed.
Sadam is in prison. I thought alot about going to war in Iraq again. Cato was against it. The Economist was for it. I went with UN resolution 1441. From Nov, 2002, the "Council has repeatedly warned Iraq that it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violations of its obligations". I decided to trust Bush & Blair more than Saddam. I wanted some teeth to the "serious consequences" portion. In the 10 previous years Saddam attacked Kurds, fired upon aircraft patrolling the no-fly zone, let his people starve because of embargoes. And I believe he was still trying to get WMD, even if he did not succeed. Saddam in a cell, the world is better.
Bush being bad nobody's perfect.
Spending. So much for the republicans wanting less government spending.
There is this guy, Colin Powell, maybe you should have listened to him a bit more. Yes we quickly stormed Bagdad. Did we think about what came next? Poor planning Mr. Bush.
Change the Constitution to protect the sanctity of marriage from gay people!! Hmmm, where do Rush Limbaugh, Britney Spears and Rudy Giuliani weigh in on the sanctity of marriage?
Steel tarrifs bad. More expensive steel for Americans means it is more expensive to build factories, cars and planes in America.
Halliburton does business with Iran ?? This just looks bad.
"Enemy combatants", come-on, they are prisoners of war and should be given the rights of other prisoners of war. We're trying to be the good guys, follow rules of law, take the high road.
Bad Kerry
Pay for all new programs by taxing the rich. I don't think Robin Hood is a good model for government.
He voted against Gulf War 1, it lacked a "true UN collective security effort." What does this guy want for a coalition??
What is his stand on Iraq War 2 ?? Voted for authorization of force, now, "wrong place, wrong time."
Kerry better
But does his stand on initiating Iraq War 2 matter? We did it (with his help even). Can he deal with the problem? He suggests opening access to other countries, so they will have an interest in supporting the new Iraq. One way to get the French, German & Russian troops there, send in their business men. "Spoils of war" doctrine is bad.
Kerry would bring a new face to the international stage, and I am hoping would be able to ellicit more international help in rebuilding Iraq.
I think that Kerry and a Republican congress would spend less, probably because they would be too busy fighting each other.
Not like my vote is gonna matter. My state will pick their winner by 4%. But I have given this whole thing alot of thought, to "own my vote" as a friend encouraged me to do.
So I own my vote for Mr. Kerry. I hope that if he wins, that he does not let us down.
I wanted a new job, so I could play for a winning team.
Looks like I got what I wanted.
Today for work I went to a victory party for a teammate.
How was your day at work?
What more could I ask for....
a WNBA championship for the Seattle Storm.
WooHoo!!!!
So, I am going to try and not watch any basketball until x-mas, when the NBA will give me Shaq-vs-Kobe on xmas day. No matter who looses, the spectators win. Maybe, hopefully, they will get in a fight. Clash of the Titan-sized Egos.
In the meantime, I have some music for a movie to compose.
:-jon
Anyone else have this problem, biting off more than they can chew ?
I am currently reading:
"Against All Enemies, Inside America's War on Terror" Richard A. Clarke
"Paradigms Lost, Tackling the unanswered mysteries of modern science" John L. Casti.
"The Growth of Physical Science" Sir James Jeans
I wonder if I will finish any of these.
Jesus said, "..unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kindom of heaven." Matthew 18:3
Kids are amazing. They just are so amazed at the world and hungry for knowledge. [I suppose we beat that out of them during their education process.]
Think about it, a baby, learning to walk, she wants to do it so bad, she sees her brother walking around and wants to keep up with him. So she pulls herself up, clinging to the sofa, looks around, lets go with one hand and moves a foot out. So far so, so good, she thinks she has it, lets go with the other hand, she is free standing, swaying a bit back and forth. She tries to take a step, but gravity wins and she falls.
At that point, I would quit. If something hurts, I want to avoid it. But she keeps trying, until finally, she can walk. The dedication to goals, the hunger for knowlege that children have, the energy and courage to try something new. Simply amazing.
Also, I was recently at a funneral for ItsAllAboutMe's grandpa. I am so glad kids were there at the memorial. I got to play with them, because they're kids, they don't really want to be sad, or the really young ones didn't know what was going on. So, I had the excuse of keeping the kids out of the adults hair, but I got to have fun. I think an adults only funneral would be really depressing.
So, to sum up. Kids, energetic about learning and fun to be around during an akward situation.
The next time someone calls me "childish", well I just say "thankyou".
:-jon
I have a new job...
So maybe I won't have the time to blog as frequently as I used to.