A letter to my dad...."My Final Plea.."

Hi Dad!! So the time has come upon us. Tomorrow is the big day! So if you wouldn’t mind indulging me for the next few minutes while you read this email I would truly appreciate it. This is my final political testament regarding this critical election and I would like you to read this and really take to heart what I am saying. Tomorrow while standing inside the booth, I would like you to genuinely consider the magnitude of your decision. I remember being in elementary school and learning American History; learning about slaves, the underground railroad, immigration struggles, prohibition, women’s rights, the civil rights movement in the 60’s, etc. Of course in grade school I also remember thinking, “jeez, everything has already been done, this country we live in is perfect. We have freedom and rights for all, and we collectively care about our citizens.” I remember thinking, “I wish I grew up in a period of time when I could have made a difference.” I remember wondering to myself, “if I had grown up during the times of slavery, would that have been ok to me? Would I have just accepted it as life? Or would I have been, God willing, an abolitionist fighting for a true and noble cause? Or, if I had grown up when women were to be seen and not heard, would I have spoken out and demanded my right to vote?” I always hoped so. I always felt that I was a person who carried with her a cause. A cause for the greater good. Now that I am an adult and have struggled with my own actualizations of the world, I KNOW I would have been a fighter in those historic times and fought for the freedoms and rights that every citizen is entitled. I have causes and I believe in them. Which brings me to today, or tomorrow if you will. I know that somewhere inside you, you have these same feelings, it’s why you go vote. You feel that it is your civic duty to drudge out to the polls on election day and cast your ballot. You actually get angry when you hear people say they do not vote, and become very emotional when these same people feel they have the right to an opinion. Furthermore, you were very angry with me when I didn’t vote in 96’! In fact, I remember you actually yelling at me and being genuinely disappointed in me that I did not take the matter seriously enough and exercise my right as a citizen. Thus, I know this is deep rooted for you. As much as you bitch about it, you believe in this system and this country. You do care about what happens on this land. I understand that you are somewhat disenfranchised with our current political forum, the lies, corruption, debt and injustices. You have every right to be as does every citizen. However, the unfortunate truth is that this is what we have right now- these are the people that slithered their way in. The only way to end the racket is to vote them out with the understanding that no one is going to be perfect. No one is perfect. On the other hand, what I know is that there is a man running for president that carries with him those same causes I carry with me. The same fight inside to make this place better, for everyone. He is not scary, he is not a terrorist, he is not a Muslim extremist nor a socialist. He is merely a man who has fought his way through ‘real life- good ol’ “American” hardships’ to the US Senate and is now vying for the presidency. This is a man that I believe can really turn around the direction this country is headed. We have had 8 years of some of the worst political decision making in the history of this country. We truly are the laughing stock of the world. We are no longer a power, we are no longer a force, and if we continue to move forward in the current direction we will no longer have allies. We are in trouble. The reason you were against Kerry in 04’-the threat of losing political and financial power in accordance with the rest of the world…well that political and financial power is gone. I knew it would be. Kerry was no threat to our status in the world like so many thought, I knew that. If you don’t think that the power of the presidency is so important, and that the president doesn’t really DO anything, look at the disasters of the last eight years. Look at how poorly Katrina was handled and the loss of life that could have been avoided-Bush’s fault. Look at the war we’re in that has NOTHING to do with 9/11 and is costing us 10 Billion dollars a MONTH!! Bush’s fault. Look at the financial DEBT we’re in (without even considering the current financial crisis!!)-Bush’s fault. The president has a SUBSTANTIAL amount of power and plays a crucial role in the well being of this nation and with it, it’s citizens. Hence, my point to you is simple. Your civic duty does drudge you out to the polls on election day, but your pride prohibits you from casting a consequential ballot. You know the right to vote is profoundly significant yet, you decisively and intentionally vote for someone you know will not win. You’re merely voting for the right to bitch about it later. Realize that is no more patriotic than not voting at all. There is a lot at stake here tomorrow and not to seem so cliché but this is our future. This is my children’s future. Tomorrow is not a day to “throw away your vote.” Make it count, and make it matter. Tomorrow is that day that you’ve been waiting for all your life, the day you can say…”yes I made a difference.” I beg, plead and implore you to please vote Obama tomorrow. Do it for me, Nicole, Caidyn and our babies. It matters, you matter and this IS a big deal. I love you!

My Remarkable Journey to Work

My friends, I want to tell you a little story about my journey to work this morning. As this is typically a dull 15 minutes of my day, I must admit, today the trip is worth mentioning. If you can imagine, I am at a red light sitting in my car patiently waiting for the green. Like all red lights the people gather to a stop just as I had seconds before. As you may expect, I am doing nothing out of the ordinary while stopped; simply daydreaming about my decaf- 1%- iced mocha- w/a splash of non-dairy creamer I’d be making upon my arrival to work. Yes we are that spoiled at work that we can make our own Starbucks extravagance without the burden of paying for it. Then again, this is not the point, my friends. The point is that in the middle of a virtual sip of coco bliss I am startled into reality by the sound of frantic honking coming from behind me. Initially I think, “Holy Shit, my car’s going to blow up, clearly I am being warned!” Consequently I turn to look behind me ready to ascertain the impending doom my car is to endure. My friends, what I see is not a signal of warning, not a Good Samaritan ready to rescue me out of harm’s way. No my friends, what I turn to witness is the woman in the car behind mine violently flicking me off and yelling profanities at me through her windshield. As you can imagine I am dumbstruck with confusion. Evidently the stupefaction is illustrated on my face as the woman clued me in by determinedly gesturing to my bumper sticker which reads “Obama 08’”. With nothing more to do, I modestly smile at her and turn around still awe struck with bewilderment. Whilst the light turning to green, she is sure to strategically drive in the corresponding lane to parade her obscenities once more up close and personal. Now this woman was ANGRY. There was nothing but hate and rage in her face. Amazing, I thought as I broadened my smile as she drove passed. Was it the Obama 08’ sticker alone that enraged her so, or was it that sticker combined with my Darwin Fish? Would she have come at me with a baseball bat had my other “lefty” bumper sticker not been stolen? Granted, it was a bit offensive reading “The only Bush I trust is my Own.” However, is that not my right as an American? Isn’t that what makes this country so great? Her response to a measly bumper sticker makes me question: what she would have done if she knew me? You see my friends, I’m Pro-Choice; Anti-Death Penalty; Pro-Gay Marriage; I don’t own a gun; I don’t believe in God; I’ve had sex before marriage-a lot of it, and good sex too; I’ve had a child out of wedlock and one on the way; I’ve had same-sex relations- and enjoyed it; I believe in women’s rights, human rights, civil rights, even animal rights; I believe in religious freedom and tolerance; and finally I believe obtuse, simple-minded, dim-witted, unintelligent wankers need to shut off FOX News, study some FACTS, and go Bugger off!!!

Is Fact vs. Fiction so hard to Decipher?

This is something that truly upsets me about the American people... 5 minutes ago everyone was on the "I don't know about this Sarah Palin character" bandwagon. Yet last night she delivers a well rehearsed, brilliantly Karl Rove-esque written speech with her cute hairdo and good make up and everyone is in? Ridiculous! Are the people of this land so ignorant and dumb that opinions can so quickly sway by a rally speech? What happened to finding out facts and researching candidates agendas and backgrounds? Have people actually forgotten their disdain and doubt of just a few moments ago? And to these so-called Republicans. You know, the middle class struggling for survival that believe and have believed for decades that this [Republican] party will make life better for them and their families. Yet these very same people are losing their jobs to big business and outsourcing because of the Republican party. In which these politicians put a few more bucks into their pockets and the pockets of their corporate CEO sponsors while neglecting the needs of the everyday struggling citizens who voted them into office. These middle and lower middle class people who refuse to differentiate NON-ISSUES like God, Guns, and Gays from real societal travesties like Health Care, the National Debt and our steadily increasing poverty rate. Which is at 12.7%, according to the US Census 2005. That is 37 million people or 7.9 million families. Folks, God is a myth, your guns aren't going anywhere and being Gay is as natural as picking that dried up booger out of your nose. Newsflash: Religious tolerance can stop wars, Gun Control can save your child's life, and the right to gay marriages wouldn't affect your daily life if it were legal tomorrow any more than it affects your daily life being illegal today. It's time to focus on matters that actually affect you and your life. What's more, I don't think I can endure one more ignorant republican say..."I'm for small government, more rights, and less infringement on my privacy..." Really? have they not been paying attention at all? Republican catch phrases are amongst the most ignorant, non factual, oblivious & self-righteous statements next to a kindergartner's viewpoint on how they get the cream inside a Twinkie. Is the common American this unaware? Have we truly become the "village idiot" of the world? And how does that not send a message? When nearly the ENTIRE world questions your government and their policies, has turned their back on your nation, pulled support and approval of your wars, isn't time to take a second look? It seems to me like seeing one doctor who says you're perfectly healthy while 50 other doctors say with all certainty that you're sick. At what point do you finally face the truth? It's blatantly clear that Republicans are moving backwards, not forwards. Their current philosophy is not perpetuating Jefferson's "That government that governs best governs least." Currently the Republicans are essentially micro-managing the Nation. The powers that be [McCain, Palin, Bush] want to overturn Roe v. Wade because of some archaic fundamental Christian nonsense. They want...I'm sorry, have laws that prohibit gay marriage because somehow everyone else's love life personally effects theirs. They want to dictate and censor FACTS in our PUBLIC school system which will alter the factual teachings in subjects such as SCIENCE, HISTORY and SEX ED in order to keep in accordance of their religious doctrines of Creationism and personal opinion of morality. Finally, Guantanamo Bay in Cuba holds people, U.S. citizens, captive without any rights at all for an indefinite period of time. Git Mo directly contradicts everything the United States stands for as far as freedom and rights. There are no Constitutional Rights there! My fellow Americans, this party campaigns on your fears and mimics your hatred of those different than you. Just as it hasn't in the past, your life will not get better with any Republican in office, in fact, as the trends dictate it's likely to prove even more difficult. The government is bound to grow into more aspects of your personal life, and your civil liberties are liable to be questioned and stripped. Personally I try to research the agendas of the candidates, decipher what's truly important. Propaganda is for the ignorant and weak, is that where you fall?

Thank God Eddie Vedder hasn't lost it

So I'm a child of the 90's. I grew with the Seattle Sound and grunge. It was fabulous. Remember layers, and big baggy clothes? Remember when flannel was dressing up? Oh those really were the days. Too bad high school got in the way of all that. Of course when it did, there was always an escape. Remember being able to lock yourself in your room, away from your parents, away from your "friends", away from homework, and school, and teachers and life. Lying on the floor listening the songs that took you to where you needed to be at that moment. Close your eyes, right now, and remember that feeling of escape, and revive that youthful imagination. The time before your hopes faded and reality woke you from your dreams. Breathe. Take a big long deep breath and remember the smells of your past. The sweetness from your grandparent's house or the bitterness from home; remember these smells? Can you recall the songs that stayed by your side and comforted you through it all? Can you, right now, feel that import and significance those notes & lyrics gave in guiding you on the journey? Just laying there really FEELING the music. The songs that could make you cry & mourn and reminisce yet settle your heart with child-like comfort in unison. Music like that, MATTERS. Thank you Eddie Vedder for allowing me to feel the music through you once again. Pearl Jam & Eddie have never left my heart, and have continued to produce quality music. To me, however, nothing has been as powerful & momentous since Ten. Until now, Eddie Vedder. You have done it once more. Thank you for Hard Sun, I will lay on the floor in my room, door closed, eyes shut, breathing slowly, music blaring, and dream again.

Thank God Eddie Vedder hasn't lost it!

We NEED the BLACK Vote

Hey, anyone who's BLACK...This is important!!! Get out there and go register yourselves to VOTE!! You actually think these po-dunk towns in the midwest are going to elect your boy Obama as president? Why do you think he didn't win Ohio? Realize this, Obama won in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton. He lost Ohio because of all the little towns surrounding the metropolitan areas. Smart White Democrates want him. They want him to be the nominee and they want him to win the presidency! It's the people in the off-set towns that are spoon fed misleading information yet GO to the voting booths that prevent his winnings. The reson they don't want him is simple. It's because he's black. It isn't because he wouldn't be a good leader. It isn't because people don't want affordable health insurance. It is simply because he's BLACK. Please take this into account when you are thinking about not registering to vote. This country is, at it's heart, a white man's country. So much so, that these apathetic small-towned whities would rather see a WOMAN president than a BLACK man!!! Please, I implore you, if you're BLACK and you are not registered to vote, and you'd like to see a change, and you would like to see Obama win this thing, then get up and VOTE. If you feel your little vote wouldn't make a difference, please know that's not true! As it has ALWAYS been, the BLACK vote is essential. I don't understand why today's black youth & even elder black people don't vote. You have lived your life fighting and hoping for equaity, not to mention black history and the enormous struggles of your ancestry, and yet now given your rights that were so brutally faught for, you don't excercise them. It does not make any sense! If you have ever once complained about your civil liberties & then not voted-you're an absolute hypocrit! So, BLACK PEOPLE....Get up off your BLACK ASSES AND GO VOTE!!!!

Clearly this is just for me anyway...

So does anyone have the same problems as me? Do you like options but then find that too many just confuse you and leave you with no choices because you want too many things? Well that's what happens to me. I've also decided that I need to start keeping a journal again. I used to keep a journal and write in it during a job I had. I was a switchboard girl at a company called Tremco. This was before all that fancy voicemail and direct calling and all that. I cannot believe that I am that old. Anywhoo...I would merely answer the phone and connect the incoming caller to the person they wanted to talk to. It was SOOOO overly boring, so I brought in a journal and would write in it in between phone calls. It was the funniest piece of literature I ever read. Clearly I need to start keeping another one of those. Perhaps if I did I would have a movie script by now. Or something. Characters at least. Well, I have those. Have you met me? Is anyone ever overwhelmed with life? Do you ever feel like the vast knowledge of stuff out there is just too much and you're never going to be able to learn what you need just to survive let alone all of it!! I do. There's so much that I want to do, create create create. But I feel I cannot because i don't know all the programs for the computer like Photoshop and InDesign. I am so far behind I just don't know how to catch up. Free services.....That's it!!! That's what the internet needs. If someone offered me free services on how to do Photoshop over the internet I would totally sign up! That's what I should flippin' do. I'll learn PS the hard way, then I'll create an awesome website and teach people how to use it for free & then Google will buy my website for 1.6 billion dollars. I'm set. Life is good.