I woke up this morning happy, tired but happy. I stayed up to watch the final results of the election and to hear President O's acceptance speech. What a speech. This is why I fell in love with him four years ago when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention. He is so motivating and inspires such hope.
Before I went to bed, the results of Prop 8 weren't in yet. Prop 8 is a ballot measure in California that would strip away same-sex marriage, which was legalized in May 2008 by the California Supreme Court. It would do so by amending the State Constitution, which in itself is unconstitutional, but anyway...
As of 8:38 a.m. EST, the votes are still being counted, but the discriminatory measure is leading 52%-48%, a difference of just over 350,000 votes. I just cannot believe in the same night that America shows its forward-thinking progress by electing the first African-American President she is capable of writing discrimination into the Constitution, not just in California...
In Arizona voters passed a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage by 238,000 votes. In Arkansas voters passed a measure to ban gay couples from adopting children. And Florida voters also passed a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
What the hell are people afraid of? How on earth does this threaten anyone? Shannan and I got "civil unioned" last year. As long as we live in New Jersey, we will be fine. But if we move to another state, our relationship is not recognized. I would lose all benefits I enjoy (and appreciate) through her union. She would have absolutely no rights in regards to us as a couple. We would not be considered family but "friends."
The idea that the California Supreme Court legalized gay marriage and thousands (?) of couples who got married may now have those marriages nullified is an outrage, a disgrace, and just plain disgusting.
The time has come to get over our prejudices -- prejudices against gays, blacks, Jews, Hispanics, Indians, Muslims, women, aethiests, transsexuals, fat people, ugly people, pretty people, people with earrings in their noses, people with tattoos, anybody who doesn't look like you.
Just get the "F" over it.
I have been in a mild depression since November 2000 when George Bush won the election. Last night i cried. I cried like a baby, feeling the sheer joy of hope and promise that I live in a country that could elect a black man. I was beside myself listening to this VERY INTELLIGENT man address the hundreds of thousands of supporters with dignity and grace and humility. I can hold my head up high and be proud to be an American again. That has been quite challenging over the last eight years. But there is still this nagging ache in my heart for everyone who continues to be oppressed and discriminated against. Please...just get the "F" over it.
J.Bo.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
President Obama
Oh, no, you didn't...
Oh, YES, WE DID!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations to President Barack Obama, and congratulations to me and everyone else who has suffered through eight years of George Bush and the Right Wing Republican Rule!
The biggest irony of the elections...we didn't even need FLORIDA (even though we ultimately got it)!
J.Bo.
Oh, YES, WE DID!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations to President Barack Obama, and congratulations to me and everyone else who has suffered through eight years of George Bush and the Right Wing Republican Rule!
The biggest irony of the elections...we didn't even need FLORIDA (even though we ultimately got it)!
J.Bo.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue
Yesterday was Halloween. Shannan asked (begged) me to watch scary movies Thursday and Friday nights. I've never seen Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween. I resisted. I've never really been into scary movies. My friends tortured me in high school by making me see The Exorcist several times. They would trick me by telling me we were going to see something light like On Golden Pond. To this day, I cannot listen to the music from The Exorcist without cringing.
I have to admit Nightmare on Elm Street was pretty good. I appreciated the campiness, the horrible '80s hairdos and clothing, a pretty Johnny Depp, and the creativeness of a monster killing you in your dreams. Of course, we TiVo'd it from AMC so they cut out all the gore. My kind of version:)
Halloween, on the other hand, was lame. The buildup to the first kill was excruciating. Just kill someone already, will ya? I have to admit I was so distracted by a teenaged Jamie Lee Curtis that I couldn't have cared less about Michael Myer in the "scary" mask. I did get a kick out of the psychiatrist ordering the police chief around. Oh, and of course, the '70s fashion is always fun to watch. I was a little scared at one point and felt the necessity to make sure all the doors were locked. But it only lasted a couple of minutes.
So let's talk about what really scares me. The Presidential election. I'm so certain Barack Obama is not only going to win but it's not even going to be close. What's scary is, what if I'm wrong? Ooh, I shudder at the thought.
Last night, all the neighborhood kids ran door to door collecting their candy, and I couldn't help but get into the election spirit. I offered them an extra piece of candy if the said the magic word. "Please?" "Thank you?" No, not those magic words! I motioned over to my Obama lawn sign, and like music to my ears, they shouted "Obama!" Yes, yes, that's it. Parents and kids alike got into the act. Everybody was getting extra candy at my house. What I found so fascinating was all the kids knew who Obama was. And they were enthusiastic about him. One little girl told me Obama won the election at her school; he's now the President of her school! Wow! That's exciting. Can I come to your school? Who knew in this day and age there would be Red Schools and Blue Schools?
When I was a kid, I couldn't tell you who was running for President! I remember in fifth grade Mr. Caracci, my teacher, asked the class who agreed with Nixon being pardoned? Huh? I'm only 11. What does "pardoned" mean? Oh, that Mr. Caracci; he must have thought we were political science majors in college. This is Cambridge School! When is the nurse going to come visit our classroom with her big dog, Major, a boxer who happened to be our school mascot? That's all I care about. But these kids know who Obama is. I think that's great.
I was a little disappointed, though, that I didn't see one Sarah Palin costume. Oh, well, you can't have everything. I guess the best costume of the night has to go to the little boy dressed as a Whoopie Cushion. Unfortunately, his moment of glory was thwarted by my exclaiming, "Look at the little girl dressed as a Whoopie Cushion!" He corrected me, bowing his head in shame, "I'm a boy." OUCH. Sorry, kid, i can't see anything but your face. I gave him an extra piece of candy. Candy fixes everything. Maybe we should give Congress some candy...just a thought.
Happy Halloween and happy voting. I've never stood in line to vote in my life, but I'm prepared for anything this year. I'm even taking my camera to document myself casting a vote for the first African-American President of the United States of America. God Bless you and God Bless America!
J.Bo.
I have to admit Nightmare on Elm Street was pretty good. I appreciated the campiness, the horrible '80s hairdos and clothing, a pretty Johnny Depp, and the creativeness of a monster killing you in your dreams. Of course, we TiVo'd it from AMC so they cut out all the gore. My kind of version:)
Halloween, on the other hand, was lame. The buildup to the first kill was excruciating. Just kill someone already, will ya? I have to admit I was so distracted by a teenaged Jamie Lee Curtis that I couldn't have cared less about Michael Myer in the "scary" mask. I did get a kick out of the psychiatrist ordering the police chief around. Oh, and of course, the '70s fashion is always fun to watch. I was a little scared at one point and felt the necessity to make sure all the doors were locked. But it only lasted a couple of minutes.
So let's talk about what really scares me. The Presidential election. I'm so certain Barack Obama is not only going to win but it's not even going to be close. What's scary is, what if I'm wrong? Ooh, I shudder at the thought.
Last night, all the neighborhood kids ran door to door collecting their candy, and I couldn't help but get into the election spirit. I offered them an extra piece of candy if the said the magic word. "Please?" "Thank you?" No, not those magic words! I motioned over to my Obama lawn sign, and like music to my ears, they shouted "Obama!" Yes, yes, that's it. Parents and kids alike got into the act. Everybody was getting extra candy at my house. What I found so fascinating was all the kids knew who Obama was. And they were enthusiastic about him. One little girl told me Obama won the election at her school; he's now the President of her school! Wow! That's exciting. Can I come to your school? Who knew in this day and age there would be Red Schools and Blue Schools?
When I was a kid, I couldn't tell you who was running for President! I remember in fifth grade Mr. Caracci, my teacher, asked the class who agreed with Nixon being pardoned? Huh? I'm only 11. What does "pardoned" mean? Oh, that Mr. Caracci; he must have thought we were political science majors in college. This is Cambridge School! When is the nurse going to come visit our classroom with her big dog, Major, a boxer who happened to be our school mascot? That's all I care about. But these kids know who Obama is. I think that's great.
I was a little disappointed, though, that I didn't see one Sarah Palin costume. Oh, well, you can't have everything. I guess the best costume of the night has to go to the little boy dressed as a Whoopie Cushion. Unfortunately, his moment of glory was thwarted by my exclaiming, "Look at the little girl dressed as a Whoopie Cushion!" He corrected me, bowing his head in shame, "I'm a boy." OUCH. Sorry, kid, i can't see anything but your face. I gave him an extra piece of candy. Candy fixes everything. Maybe we should give Congress some candy...just a thought.
Happy Halloween and happy voting. I've never stood in line to vote in my life, but I'm prepared for anything this year. I'm even taking my camera to document myself casting a vote for the first African-American President of the United States of America. God Bless you and God Bless America!
J.Bo.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Pale in Comparison
Oh, what to say about Sarah Palin that hasn't already been said? Why is it hard for me to get past the fact that she could have been sitting next to me in Geometry taking notes about the teacher's Garanimals wardrobe? or cheating on a history test because the teacher was too clueless to see the books on our laps? or writing poems with sexual innuendos in English class because the teacher was a bit obsessed with turning an innocent Washington Monument reference into a phallic symbol? Yes, SP is my age, born in 1964, wore cuordoroys and clogs, probably drank Boone's Farm and Giacobazzi wine. She claims to be a six-pack Joe, but do we really want somebody in the White House who is just like us? George Bush somehow got people to believe he was one of the guys, someone you'd like to have a beer with. He was more like the guy that passed out and we put shaving cream on his hands, drizzled water on his face, and watched him bat it away leaving his face white and foamy. Sarah's more like the girl we hated, the cheerleader, the fake girl that acted like she liked everyone but would talk behind your back and laugh at you.
Ok, so this is not high school. This is real life. She likes to kill animals for fun. She is a crazy, nut-job Christian who was blessed to scare away the evil spirits of witchcraft. She doesn't believe in evolution. She is anti-choice, which is so dangerous at this stage of the game. Bush already loaded up the Supreme Court with a bunch of conservatives. Roe v. Wade is one yahoo away from being overturned. How ironic that her daughter got knocked up before marriage and as a teen. Do you think she had a choice? Do you think that boyfriend had a choice?
The funny thing about SP is she actually thinks she can be Vice President. She doesn't even get it that the Republicans are using her. They picked her because she's a woman, a pretty woman. Who doesn't like looking at a pretty woman who looks like Tina Fey? They didn't realize people actually cared about her views and her intelligence (or lack thereof). It all backfired. Now what we have is an old guy who refuses to release his medical records and a young chick who is power hungry.
So i'm a little biased. Ok, i'm a lot biased. I just can't stand the modern-day Republican Party. I was never fond of them, but it was because of their anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-civil rights stances. But now, thanks to Dubya, the Party has been hijacked by the Christian Right. Actually, the credit has to go to Karl Rove. I don't really think GWB had much to do with any of it. He was as much a puppet as Sarah Palin. Now where are we? The country is a mess. We're involved in two wars. Thousands have died. Osama Bin Laden is laughing his ass off in some cave somewhere. The world hates us. Wall Street is collapsing. Why is anyone surprised? George Bush bankrupted every company he's ever run. I'm just convinced the American people are stupid. I really am. Here we are...an election year. We have this great guy, Barack Obama. He's smart. He's articulate. He's motivating. He's inspiring. He's obviously running the show. I believe he's the guy. This isn't four years ago when, for me, it was John Kerry or anyone but Bush.
I know, I know, Hillary would have been great. I like Hillary, I do. I would have voted for her, of course, but i was secretly rooting for Obama. I'm not so sure Hillary had the ability to bring the country together, like Obama can. But there are those who do not like Obama or do not trust Obama or are just unsure about Obama. Huh? Really? What am i missing? He's perfect for the job. He's Kennedy-like. He's presidential. He's the first (and only) person that has given me any hope since Bill Clinton.
But people have to make up their own minds. So here's my hope for them. I hope they don't vote for McCain because they like Sarah Palin. Or I hope they'll really dig deep and ask themselves why they like Sarah Palin. There have been studies where children are asked if they'd rather eat a banana or a rock with Disney character stickers on them, and they go for the rock every time. Other children choose skinny people over fat people. Although I admit i don't want to look at John McCain's face for four years because it's less than pleasant, it's not the reason I'm not voting for him.
So there's the race thing too. There was an internet test floating around some time ago. You look at pictures of black and white people and choose a "good" and "bad" word associated with each very rapidly. You were scored on your subconscious choices and learned if you had biased tendencies. It proves it's entirely possible someone could look at Obama and not like him because he's black, but they are not consciously aware of it; they can't put their finger on why they don't like him. They repeat things they've heard on FOX News. Whatever. Just dig deeper and be open-minded and honest about your feelings.
The whole Muslim thing makes me nuts too. What if he were a Muslim? Why is that bad exactly? Muslims believe in one God. Hmm, sound familiar? It is also the second largest religion in the world (1.5 billion) next to Christianity (2.1 billion). FWIW, third in line is Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist (1.1 billion). Is it because the 9/11 terrorists were Islamic? Well, Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City Bombing terrorist, was Catholic and a U.S. Marine vet. Dylan Klebold, the Columbine terrorist, was Lutheran and Jewish.
I for one will be glued to my TV Thursday night for the VP debates. I haven't even mentioned Joe Biden. I actually like him a lot. I was very impressed with him when he was running for president during the primaries. So hopefully he'll win the debate hands down (shouldn't be too hard to do) and we can get on with voting for President instead of homecoming queen. FWIW, i am a feminist; unfortunately, Sarah is not. She doesn't represent me and never will. I would love it if someone asked her about the gays. I'm pretty sure she's not gonna be marching in any Pride parades anytime soon.
J.Bo.
Ok, so this is not high school. This is real life. She likes to kill animals for fun. She is a crazy, nut-job Christian who was blessed to scare away the evil spirits of witchcraft. She doesn't believe in evolution. She is anti-choice, which is so dangerous at this stage of the game. Bush already loaded up the Supreme Court with a bunch of conservatives. Roe v. Wade is one yahoo away from being overturned. How ironic that her daughter got knocked up before marriage and as a teen. Do you think she had a choice? Do you think that boyfriend had a choice?
The funny thing about SP is she actually thinks she can be Vice President. She doesn't even get it that the Republicans are using her. They picked her because she's a woman, a pretty woman. Who doesn't like looking at a pretty woman who looks like Tina Fey? They didn't realize people actually cared about her views and her intelligence (or lack thereof). It all backfired. Now what we have is an old guy who refuses to release his medical records and a young chick who is power hungry.
So i'm a little biased. Ok, i'm a lot biased. I just can't stand the modern-day Republican Party. I was never fond of them, but it was because of their anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-civil rights stances. But now, thanks to Dubya, the Party has been hijacked by the Christian Right. Actually, the credit has to go to Karl Rove. I don't really think GWB had much to do with any of it. He was as much a puppet as Sarah Palin. Now where are we? The country is a mess. We're involved in two wars. Thousands have died. Osama Bin Laden is laughing his ass off in some cave somewhere. The world hates us. Wall Street is collapsing. Why is anyone surprised? George Bush bankrupted every company he's ever run. I'm just convinced the American people are stupid. I really am. Here we are...an election year. We have this great guy, Barack Obama. He's smart. He's articulate. He's motivating. He's inspiring. He's obviously running the show. I believe he's the guy. This isn't four years ago when, for me, it was John Kerry or anyone but Bush.
I know, I know, Hillary would have been great. I like Hillary, I do. I would have voted for her, of course, but i was secretly rooting for Obama. I'm not so sure Hillary had the ability to bring the country together, like Obama can. But there are those who do not like Obama or do not trust Obama or are just unsure about Obama. Huh? Really? What am i missing? He's perfect for the job. He's Kennedy-like. He's presidential. He's the first (and only) person that has given me any hope since Bill Clinton.
So there's the race thing too. There was an internet test floating around some time ago. You look at pictures of black and white people and choose a "good" and "bad" word associated with each very rapidly. You were scored on your subconscious choices and learned if you had biased tendencies. It proves it's entirely possible someone could look at Obama and not like him because he's black, but they are not consciously aware of it; they can't put their finger on why they don't like him. They repeat things they've heard on FOX News. Whatever. Just dig deeper and be open-minded and honest about your feelings.
The whole Muslim thing makes me nuts too. What if he were a Muslim? Why is that bad exactly? Muslims believe in one God. Hmm, sound familiar? It is also the second largest religion in the world (1.5 billion) next to Christianity (2.1 billion). FWIW, third in line is Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist (1.1 billion). Is it because the 9/11 terrorists were Islamic? Well, Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City Bombing terrorist, was Catholic and a U.S. Marine vet. Dylan Klebold, the Columbine terrorist, was Lutheran and Jewish.
I for one will be glued to my TV Thursday night for the VP debates. I haven't even mentioned Joe Biden. I actually like him a lot. I was very impressed with him when he was running for president during the primaries. So hopefully he'll win the debate hands down (shouldn't be too hard to do) and we can get on with voting for President instead of homecoming queen. FWIW, i am a feminist; unfortunately, Sarah is not. She doesn't represent me and never will. I would love it if someone asked her about the gays. I'm pretty sure she's not gonna be marching in any Pride parades anytime soon.
J.Bo.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Blogfusion
I never blogged before my cross-country trip. I didn't quite understand how to work this Dashboard Blogger. Instead of creating one blog and adding new posts to it, I created new blogs each time. Now i have four...that's not efficient.
So even though my first blog on the blog called Jenny from the Blog is some dumb rant about O.J., I quite like the Jenny from the Blog title, so i'm going to post all new blogs here instead of in the other three places:
http://njtoutah.blogspot.com/2007/08/we-are-almost-home.html
http://jbojennyontheblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/something-we-all-have-in-common.html
http://jen-vacation.blogspot.com/
Now that i understand i can have all my blogs in one place, i can take it from there. I have a bad habit of doing before reading. i think i can just figure things out as i go, which is true, but sometimes i miss an important step, and then i can't go back. oh, well. live and learn.
J.Bo
So even though my first blog on the blog called Jenny from the Blog is some dumb rant about O.J., I quite like the Jenny from the Blog title, so i'm going to post all new blogs here instead of in the other three places:
http://njtoutah.blogspot.com/2007/08/we-are-almost-home.html
http://jbojennyontheblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/something-we-all-have-in-common.html
http://jen-vacation.blogspot.com/
Now that i understand i can have all my blogs in one place, i can take it from there. I have a bad habit of doing before reading. i think i can just figure things out as i go, which is true, but sometimes i miss an important step, and then i can't go back. oh, well. live and learn.
J.Bo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
