Are you f*#@^iing kidding me?

*Warning: rant coming...

That's it.

*I kept my mouth shut when she challenged him to a debate on a flat bed truck in North Carolina (remind anyone else of a lynching?).

*I kept my mouth shut when she used her support of "hard working Americans, white Americans"" to effectively woo the Appalachian racist vote (West Virginia campaign slogan: "Vote for Me; I'm white!").

*I kept my mouth shut --kind of-- when she said that he can't win the working class white vote (except for the fact that African Americans only make up 13.4% of the US population and I assume that other whiteys work and some of them must make up the millions of people that have voted for him).

But today, I've reached my eternal limit for shit Hillary Clinton can throw at the fan to justify her lust for the nomination. In Souix Falls, SD speaking to an editorial board for the Argus-Leader, Sen. Clinton invoked assassination. Uh...yeah.

While defending her right/decision to stay in the race, this is what she said:

'My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.' - MSNBC.com/firstread

B'scuze me? She said what? So..."hey, he could get shot and then I'd win" is her new strategy? WTF? Is this code to her not-so-educated, white friends in the Southern states?

Yes, I may be accused of being hyper sensitive, irrational and neurotic - but I really don't think this is a stretch here. She is an extremely intellegent woman and knows exactly what she is saying and doing.

More from the First Read article:
'In fact, the specter of assassination was first raised in this campaign on January 8, when a Clinton introducer, a retired teacher from New Hampshire, brought it up before Clinton spoke. "If you look back, some people have been comparing one of the other candidates to JFK, and he was a wonderful leader. He gave us a lot of hope," the retired teacher said. "But he was assassinated..."

Couple these Clinton campaign statements with Mike Huckabee's off-color (yes, pun indended) joke at the NRA convention last week about someone shooting at Obama:

"That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him, and he dove for the floor," Huckabee told the NRA convention in Louisville, Kentucky...". -Reuters online

Does anyone think this is funny? Apparently so. You can plainly hear the crowd laughing at his "joke" on the video posted on You Tube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0voovjOeEw)

Why aren't more people outraged at this? Why are they allowed to say such things and then brush it off with no consequences? Obama has been under Secret Service protection since May 2007 because of death threats. This isn't funny.

Haven't we aleady lost too many political leaders to assassination? JFK, RFK, MLK...an attempt on Reagan too. Obama has been compared to all of them.

What are they so afraid of? What could he potentially do that would warrant killing him? Our current president has lied, cheated, broken the law, tortured and killed how many innocent people - and he's ok? What is wrong with this picture? Anyone?

If Clinton somehow gets the nomination, I will take my broken heart to the voting booth, cry, probably puke a little bit in my mouth and vote for her - ONLY because the alternative is more hideous and will no doubt be able to nominate a few cronies to the Supreme Court. Then I will start packing, learning french and the lyrics to "O, Canada". I will not stay in a place that thinks this behavior is acceptable.

I'm so saddened and disgusted with our country right now - what is wrong with us? How did we get here? Do we, as a collective union, really have the capacity and desire to change?

Native Son (sort of)

The New York Times blog "The Caucus" reports that on Monday (May 19, 2008) the Native Americans of the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana adopted Barack Obama into their tribe.

In a private ceremony Obama was dubbed the "One Who Helps People Throughout the Land". His new Crow name is Barack Black Eagle. Cool.

What's more patriotic than that?

Fun Fact

Turtles can breathe through their butts...
ew.

A couple more quotes...

These two are from blogger posts:

"Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in ALL lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors." ~Abraham Lincoln
(posted by AL on 5.19.08 washingtonpost.com)

"If we continue to accumulate only power and not wisdom, we will surely destroy ourselves." ~Carl Sagan
(posted by LightningMan on Daily Kos)

ok, now let's try...

sexism.

In an 11th hour "Hail Mary" attempt (ooh, is that sexist?) to rationalize why she isn't winning, Sen. Clinton has finally called the media out for being sexist. In an interview with Lois Romano of The Washington Post, "Clinton criticized the 'vitriol' from 'misogynists' and said that the race factor was often discussed but not gender".

Well, whose fault is that? It seems to me that this campaign that has been going on for about six years now was the perfect time to address this issue. Sen. Obama reluctantly addressed the race issue that was thrown ad nauseum in his face - to try and start a dialogue of healing. Why didn't you do the same?

HRC: "...I really don't stop to worry about it because there's nothing I can do about it."

Really? You've never stopped to worry about your mistreatment by the media? Your husband and numerous surrogates sure have. Didn't they mention it to you? I seem to remember your campaign complaining after a certain debate last fall that you were being "ganged up on" by the boys and that you "always get the first question". Isn't the polite rule "ladies first"?

So, there's nothing you can do about it? Nice attitude for a person seeking the presidency. Don't you think you are THE perfect person to deal with it? You have 24/7 media coverage, a national -- no, international platform with every man and woman on the planet listening to you...don't you think there is something you could do or say to make a difference or at least bring the problem to the forefront of the political conversation in a good way?

For me personally, (ala Jerry McGuire) she lost me at the "as far as I know" comment tacked on to her response that Obama is not a Muslim. [And, by the way, he's not - just so you "hard working, white" Americans in West Virginia and the rest of Appalachia know.] I think her candidacy has done a great service to all women and is historic and broke through many glass ceilings. A woman was seriously considered in the election for the Presidency of the United States. Think about that -- it's huge. But (there's always a big but...damn, is that sexist too?), for you to be here, at this place in history and NOT take the opportunity to start a discussion on the lingering sexism problems we have in this country is unacceptable. And then, at this last hour, complain about it is...I'm not even sure what that is, but I know I don't like it or agree with it.

And can you please get Geraldine Ferraro to shut her immature pie hole? She is doing more to set back the feminist movement every time she opens her mouth lately than anyone else. Can someone explain to me how after HRC tauted her gun-slinging with her grandpa that referring to her as "Annie Oakley" is sexist? It is a blatant call out to her new panerous claim to like to shoot guns. But sexist? I think not. There have been some real dangerous and misogynistic thinks said about her, but this is not one of them. If you truly want to have a debate about gender politics, then come to the table with something of intelligent substance -- not a lame victim card excuse.

This election season we have seen identity politics played to the extreme. Sadly, I fear there is only more to come in the general election with Karl Rove and his ilk having had ample time to sharpen their attack strategy. The bright side? The cancerous hate that still fills our country - whether it be in the form of racism, sexism, anti-semitism, anti-immigrant sentiment, etc. -- has been exposed. And while it makes me truly sad and a little sick to my stomach, that is the only way for us to decide we are better than that and get past it. Dare I say, grow.

I'm back!

And full of piss and vinegar :) I can't keep my thoughts to myself any longer. And, yes, the majority of them are political.

Expect a number of rant-filled blogs in the days to come. Yee haw!

Not just another cute red head...

Or: Everything I ever needed to know, I learned from Sesame Street.

The idea for this blog started off from reading a clip in Newsweek -- May 12, 2008 issue -- about a newer series and free set of videos via Sesame Street's Elmo (hence the red head comment above). "Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecoming, Changes" has Elmo, along with his Hispanic friend Rosita, discussing the unfortunate issues facing the modern military family. Cool, huh? Way to go SS!

After I read this, I started thinking about what I had learned from watching Sesame Street and how this non-profit has aided in child education over the 39 years it has been on the air. In other words, how it has evolved.

Here are just some of the things I learned when I was a kid (back in the day). I'm sure some of you will remember these...

*The ABC's from Big Bird - (truth be told I still sing that song in the back of my head when I'm filing).
*Counting from Count von Count (or "The Count") - and how to do a fake scary laugh - ah, ah, aaahhhh.
*Depth Perception from Grover - "near...far...", and slapstick which still comes in handy at times.
*How to effectively sneak cookies and reluctantly share from Cookie Monster - and love for the perfect chocolate chip cookie.
*How to get along with an anal-retentive roommate from Ernie - really, I would have smothered Bert in his sleep :)
*Unwavering friendship and true belief in the make believe from Aloysius Snuffleupagus (yes, that is his first name)
*And, the ultimate anticipation of not being able to wait to know how the story ends, again from Grover - "The Monster at the End of This Book" is brilliant.

Now let's take a look at the new world of Sesame Street. First of all, they have an interactive website (http://www.sesameworkshop.org) that incorporates character-driven activities and highlights issues of our time. Many new characters have been introduced including the afore-mentioned Rosita who teaches Spanish words; Zoe, a 3-year-old orange monster that always wears a tutu and is obsessed with ballet; Kami, a 5-year-old South African yellow monster that is HIV-positive and has been orphaned by AIDS; and the newest (I think) Abby Cadabby, a 3-year-old muppet fairy with pink and purple pigtails and a wand. Yes, Sesame Steet has gone global.

The characters have interactive web pages that teach new things: Letter of the Day, Word of the Day, Spanish word of the Day, Number of the Day, Dance Moves, and one even features a dancing, globe-trotting Grover wearing authentic cultural garb. Adding to the collection of classic songs like "C is for Cookie" are the new conscious tunes "A Cookie is a Sometime Food", "I Eat the Colors of the Rainbow" and "Mango Tango".

Seriously, if you're just a big kid like me or have kids of your own, check out the new and evolved Sesame Street website. Better yet, watch it on tv (old school) and never forget that "the most potent muse of all is our own inner child"**.


**quote by Stephen Nachmanovitch