Is Brown the new Red?
Everybody is all flustered with the election of Scott Brown to the “People’s Seat,” formerly known as “Ted Kennedy’s Seat,” up in the deeply blue Massachusetts. For some reason, I’m just not that impressed. And, why should I be? What do we really know about this guy? He’s going to stop the ridiculousness of Obamacare, for now, but what does this really mean for our country, in the long run? Republicans and conservatives alike need to stop treating him like he is their ” The One.” He’s not. Any Republican getting elected in liberal MA is, well, liberal. Only time will tell us how liberal he is, but robo-calls on his first night as Senator-elect for voters in Arizona to support the liberal John McCain is a bad indication for what the future holds.
He was swept into office claiming that he would be the 41st vote against Obamacare. MA voters are particularly sensitive to this issue as they watch the devastation being wrought by Romneycare, which many key aspects of Obamacare were based on. Medical costs in the Bay State are rising, private insurers are beign squeezed out of the market, and talk of rationing medical services has started. Romneycare also mandates individual citizens buy insurance or face a penalty, which was a major point of contention in Obamacare being recognized, and rightfully so, as grossly unconstitutional. Guess which MA state Senator voted for Romneycare? Yeah, that would be the man who campaigned as “Number 41.” Perhaps he has realized the error of his ways and doesn’t want the mistake he made as a state senator that has hurt the citizens of MA to be made at the federal level and inflicted upon the rest of America. But, without any bold statements admitting this prior mistake, that seems just tad doubtful.
The media and pundits, on every side, are misreading the Tea Party movement. This isn’t a conservative/Republican/liberal/Democrat movement. It’s the movement of average citizens feeling the federal government’s breath on the back their necks and responding with a loud and clear, “Get off me!” A lot of it is the feeling by average citizens, from all political stripes, feeling like they’re being ignored. For many, it is the feeling that these backdoor dealings, payoffs, and dead-of-night shenanigans aren’t in line with what we believe to be the “American way.” We were promised transparency and a new way of running things in Washington. We just didn’t realize that new way would be worse than the old, as is often the way it goes when we let the left conduct their experiments on America.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Brown was elected if for no other reason than to stop Obamacare, upset the political landscape with the unexpected, and put a check on the Democrats previously unchecked power. Politics are my sport of choice and I can appreciate a good upset. No matter how liberal Brown turns out to be, there’s still some satisfaction just in seeing “Teddy’s Seat” go from blue to red. Not that I care for the Republican Party or their big-government spending ways, but I hope the red that seat has turned is more in line with the red of Republicans than that of Stalin and Mao Zedong.
Comments (1)January 19, 2010
GWCRs pull funding of Meghan’s Speech
Looks like the purpose of Miss McCain’s talk was misrepresented:
The GW College Republicans have withdrawn their financial support from Meghan McCain’s upcoming appearance at GW, after claims that the Allied in Pride president was not forthcoming about the topic of McCain’s speech.
Michael Komo, president of Allied in Pride, told The Hatchet last week that McCain would be appearing as the keynote speaker of their annual “Marriage Equality Week” in February, but the CR leadership claims they were not aware of this when they were asked for their financial support. McCain, an outspoken advocate for gay rights, is the daughter of former Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain.
“Our executive board was told that Meghan McCain’s primary focus would be her opinion on what it means to be a Republican,” Rob Noel, CR public relations director, said. “We later discovered through her Twitter and subsequent conversations with the SA and [the Graduate School of Political Management] that she would be giving the keynote address for Marriage Equality Week.”
A link to The Hatchet article was posted to McCain’s Twitter page, prompting McCain to tweet, “Yes, I am the keynote speaker at George Washington University’s “Marriage Equality Week” next month. Can’t wait, very honored to be asked!”
Komo, a Student Association senator, acknowledged that he did not say McCain would be appearing during Marriage Equality Week when he spoke to the CRs at their executive board meeting.
“I didn’t technically say it’s Marriage Equality Week,” Komo said, calling the slip “completely unintentional.”
“I didn’t even know this could be an issue,” he said. “I would never think to disclose or withhold that information.”
The GSPM Student Association was similarly surprised to hear their event, which was meant to be a discussion about the future of the Republican Party, was severely narrowed by Komo’s characterization.
“The first thing we knew about marriage equality was when it was written in The Hatchet,” said Jamie Baker, president of the GSPM SA and also a Student Association senator.
Perhaps this was an innocent mistake, but I doubt it. Whatever. I’m still looking for tickets. Anyone wanna help a sista out?
Comments (0)January 14, 2010
Meghan McCain to speak in DC!!!
Think I can get a picture with her? I sure as heck hope so. Yay:
Meghan McCain, daughter of the former Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, will be the keynote speaker of Allied in Pride’s “Marriage Equality Week.”
At an event called “Redefining Republican: No Labels, No Boxes, No Stereotypes” on Feb. 9, McCain is expected to speak about the future of the Republican party. A columnist for The Daily Beast and author of a forthcoming book, she has written publicly in support of gay marriage.
Now, my goal for the next couple of weeks is to tap into all of my resources to try and score me some of those tickets. Do I know anybody who is currently attending GWU? Time to hit up Facebook and find out. What up, Meghan McCain? I wonder if she plans on stopping by CPAC? Not shocking she wasn’t invited to speak there!
Comments (3)January 12, 2010
Racism isn’t the problem; the double standard is
As the media, pundits, and the rest of America (and, by the rest of America I mean those who even know what is going on and actually care, which probably isn’t too many people) debate whether or not Harry Reid’s statements were racist, I think we’ve all missed the point.
Whether or not Harry Reid’s statements have exposed some deep hidden racism he has inside or whether it is more of a reflection of his age and what was acceptable, culturally, as he grew up, is up for discussion. I don’t know if Harry Reid is a racist. I had this discussion with my friend last night, who just happens to be black (or whatever the preferred politically correct term is these days). The whole light-skinned thing is a problem in the black community, as well as the larger American community.
As a whole, my friend argued, people prefer and feel more comfortable around lighter skin…or so the story goes. So, perhaps Reid wasn’t being racist but just highlighting the reality of the situation. Would Barack Obama had made it as far as he did had he been darker? I tend to think so, but there are plenty of people who could argue this, either way. I’m not here to debate that.
The use of the term “negro” was what I found to be more offensive than the whole light-skinned comment, but, again, this may just be a reflection of his age more than racist intent. Who can keep up with the politically correct terms of the day? Using the term “colored” would probably get a person into some trouble, too, yet the ‘c’ in the NAACP stands for colored and that’s not racist. But, perhaps that’s a case of members of the in-group being able to use words forbidden to members of the out-group…kind of like the N-word? Once again, I don’t know and I don’t care. All three of those words are terms I would never use.
What bothers me about the whole thing is that he gets a pass when we all know that if it were a conservative or a Republican who uttered those same statements he would have been disgraced, forced to step down, and everyone around him labeled a racist through guilt-by-association. And, that is wherein lies the problem with what is going on.
If it came out that John McCain or, better yet, Sarah Palin had made those comments I can only imagine what the public reaction would have been. I can guarantee you that Barack Obama wouldn’t be forgiving either of them so quickly. What if the Cambridge police would have had those statements tied to them? I don’t think their apology for acting that stupidly would have been so easily and readily accepted.
One thing is for sure, I am no racist. People can say what they want about me. You don’t know me or my circumstances. And you know what they say happens when you assume. The color of your skin means absolutely nothing to me. It’s just another physical characteristic, like the color of your eyes or hair. Makes no difference in my judgment of you as a person.
I’m fine with believing that Harry Reid wasn’t trying to be racist when he made those comments or that him making those comments reveals some deeply hidden racism that he’s been trying to hide. And, I’m a little shocked some on the right are so quick to jump on him.
Yes, the double-standard bothers me, too. I know that if these words had come out of any Republican or conservatives mouth that person would be crucified. That is wrong, but two wrongs don’t make a right. It is not right when Republicans and/or conservatives are crucified for innocent comments that are misinterpreted and spun to paint them in a racist light, and it is not right for those same people to do that to the other side.
We all need to grow up and start discussing the real issues, instead of being distracted by this name-calling garbage. We can discuss affirmative action and welfare policies, the health care bill might be a place to start, but let’s take the racism accusations out of the equation. Let’s not be so quick to jump on someone just because we know they would do the same to us if given the opportunity. We used to be a society that tried to raise people up to our level; it seems now all we do is lower ourselves down to theirs.
Comments (0)January 11, 2010
Shocking: Govt. misleads public on body scanners.
Full-body scanners used to violate our privacy and strip us of our dignity when we fly are capable of storing and transmitting images:
A privacy group says the Transportation Security Administration is misleading the public with claims that full-body scanners at airports cannot store or send their graphic images.
The TSA specified in 2008 documents that the machines must have image storage and sending abilities, the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) said.
In the documents, obtained by the privacy group and provided to CNN, the TSA specifies that the body scanners it purchases must have the ability to store and send images when in “test mode.”
That requirement leaves open the possibility the machines — which can see beneath people’s clothing — can be abused by TSA insiders and hacked by outsiders, said EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg.
EPIC, a public-interest group focused on privacy and civil rights, obtained the technical specifications and vendor contracts through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The written requirements also appear to contradict numerous assurances the TSA has given the public about the machines’ privacy protections.
“The machines have zero storage capability,” the TSA Web site says.
A TSA video assures passengers “the system has no way to save, transmit or print the image.”
I wish our government could get a step ahead of the terrorists, rather than always staying five steps behind and enacting reactive policies that won’t do a damn thing to protect us from the next terrorist attack being planned against us. I don’t know why the public is so foolish to believe that full-body scanners are going to prevent anything. Trust me, they are already scheming some other way to blow themselves up and take as many of us with them as they can. These scanners can’t see what’s inside a person, so that would be where I would guess they’ll be carrying the explosives next. Once that happens, is it going to “bend over and spread them” every time we want to fly?
Comments (1)January 8, 2010
Malkin: One of the good guys
In the spirit of no complaints, I just found this over at MichelleMalkin.com:
Sharing an e-mail from reader and fellow Coloradan Jayme, who writes about her congressman, GOP Rep. Mike Coffman. We don’t hear many stories of good guys in Washington these days. Coffman is one of them.
By way of background, Coffman enlisted in the Army at 17, served in the Army Reserve while in college, transferred to the Marines, served on active duty until 1983, served in the Marine Corps Reserve, became a small businessman, served in the Colorado statehouse for two terms, returned to active duty in Iraq during the Gulf War, came back in 1994 and again joined state government, returned to Iraq on active duty in 2005, and then came home again to serve as Colorado Secretary of State before winning congressional office. It’s an extraordinary record of public service — and he has the character to match.
Now, go over and read the letter!
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A Day with No Complaints
So, I realize I haven’t been blogging that much as of late. I guess a part of me just doesn’t have anything left to say. But, that’s a defeatist attitude that I can’t stand. I think I won’t be blogging as often as I used to, but I still want to continue to blog so I hope that you will all bear with me and keep coming back and checking in every now and again.
Since I have finally finished my master’s degree and find myself out of school (well, kind of, I’m still completing a Master’s Certificate in Education program for my job, but I don’t really count that as anything) for the first time since I was about 5-years-old–unless you count pre-school, which means this is the first time I’ve really been without school since I was three!–I’m feeling kind of lost. School has been a huge part of my life and my identity for so long.
Everyone keeps asking, “What’s next?” I’ve talked about this in a previous post. The never-ending chase for the next best thing that inevitably robs you of any opportunity for true happiness. That’s why I have nothing planned next. I promised myself five years of no school once I finished at JHU, and as hard as it is for me to keep that promise to myself (I promised myself three years of freedom after undergrad and started applying to grad programs in less than a year!), I’m going to do it.
I have been so busy with my career and education that I have neglected my personal life. My success has come at a great personal cost. I’m not getting any younger and I owe it to myself to work on building relationships and improving myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. That’s what’s next for me. And, that brings me to the point of my blog post today.
I have been having some issues in my personal life that need to be addressed. My best friend suggested I read a book that should help me. It’s a self-help book of sorts, I suppose. The best part of being out of school is being able to read whatever I want, again (currently, this includes 1776, The One Year Decision-Maker’s Bible, and this other book that shall remain nameless because I’m embarrassed even by the title!). Last night the book that shall remain nameless talked about an exercise some professor runs with his students every year. He challenges them in class one day to go 24 hours without complaining. Not one single complaint.
The next day, when the students return, he has them guess how many people lived up to the challenge. In the 20-40 years (can’t remember exactly and I don’t have the book with me) he has never had anybody who made it the full day without a single complaint. The exercise is good, though, because it makes the students think about what they complain about and how silly it is, which leads them to be happier and complain less.
The book doesn’t ask the reader to take the challenge, but I decided to do it. Today, I’m trying to make it through the day without a single complaint, fully realizing that I will not be able to accomplish this goal. I mean, if you read my blog regularly, what is my blog other than one big complaint? Occasionally I have something positive to say, but it’s mostly complaints and criticisms. Not today, though.
With that in mind, I would like to say that I love this country. I don’t think there is anything we can’t do if we really want to. We can accomplish anything and we can return her to the greatness that catapulted her to the number one spot in the world and allowed her to remain there for all of these years.
The book 1776 is a great book and I think everyone should read it. If you ever think we’re in a fight we can’t win, just remember what George Washington and our Founding Fathers were up against back then. What we face today is nothing compared to what they faced back then. The only difference is that they had the confidence that some of us might be lacking. Today, I am not lacking that confidence. Part of American greatness is accomplishing the impossible, which means for America nothing is impossible. Our sacrifice and determination will be rewarded. Instead of complaining about what sucks about America right now, I challenge all of you to go out and remind people of what makes her great.
Comments (0)January 4, 2010
Big Chill: More evidence of global warming? Wait for it.
I’m not sure how, but I’m sure this proves global warming is real:
Much of the nation awoke to frigid weather Monday as below-freezing temperatures threatened to shatter records across the South.
“We’re seeing freeze warnings not just into Central Florida, but down into the Everglades,” CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano said.
Hard freeze warnings were in effect for much of the Florida Peninsula and the Southeast, according to the National Weather Service. Record lows were expected in the Gulf Coast states and into southern Florida, said CNN meteorologist Sean Morris.
Temperatures in parts of South Carolina got down to 14 on Sunday, Morris said, breaking the record low of 18 set in 1979.
The Big Chill is far from over.
“More arctic air will move in this week,” Morris said. “It will get progressively colder in the Southeast.”
Two things about the whole global warming thing. First, are we really sure it’s happening? I mean, the weathermen can’t predict the weather for today correctly. Are we really placing our faith in people predicting the temperature 100 years from now? I’m just sayin’.
Secondly, even if global warming is really happening, which current weather trends should be creating some serious doubt, are we really sure that it’s caused by humans and carbon emissions? I’m not quite convinced.
Taking those two items into consideration, does anyone else think that, perhaps, we shouldn’t be moving forward with the tax and trade legislation? Once again, I’m just sayin’. How dumb do these politicians really think we are? Like the health care “reform” bill, could this legislation just be another way for them to expand government power? Just a thought.
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