In just a little under two weeks I’ll be standing in a voting booth in the local church casting my ballot in the 2008 Presidential Election. I will exercise my franchise as a citizen of the United States. That I live in Kansas, a solidly “red” state, making my vote for Barack Obama largely symbolic, matters little to me. I firmly believe that if you don’t vote you can’t later complain about the administration.
But what if you can’t vote?
There are three people who will figuratively be with me in that booth on November 4th, Michele, Vera, and Sibylle. Michele was devastated by the election of George W. Bush to President in 2000. The whole ballot mess in Florida, and the intervention of the Supreme Court left a very bad taste in her mouth. His reelection in 2004 added to her dismay with American politics. The only bright spot in the 2004 election process was the speech by a relatively unknown politician from Illinois, Barack Obama. She was electrified by his speech.
She would have both enjoyed and hated the months leading up to the 2008 election. Having both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as potential candidates would have thrilled her. In 2000 she was very outspoken about the underhanded “Rovian” tactics that smeared John McCain so badly. To see him now using similar tactics, often through the same political operatives, would have infuriated her greatly. Michele didn’t do suspense well at times - the constantly shifting poles would have been difficult for her to bear. The attacks on Barack Obama’s character and past associations would have convinced her that the lowest common fears would once again “rig” the election for the Republicans. Until the last vote was certified and Barack Obama had won, she would be convinced that we were doomed for another four years of a Republican administration.
She would have gleefully voted for Barack Obama.
Vera, my sister-in-something, as a German citizen living in this country cannot vote. Her choice of candidate has changed as she has read and learned more about the candidates. In the early going she was supporting John McCain, but in light of his campaign antics, and some less than flattering articles, she has shifted her support solidly to Barack Obama.
Sibylle, my fiancée, is also a German citizen living in the United States, and is also precluded from casting a ballot. She, like me, favors Barack Obama over John McCain. His dismissive attitude toward women’s health and on-going commitment to staying in Iraq do not sit well with her. Were she able to, she would cast her ballot for Barack Obama.
I, like Michele, was energized by Barack Obama’s speech in 2004. I have followed his campaign with interest and hope since he announced his candidacy. I have read his position statements and agree largely with his stated approached to the issues facing America and the world. What I like best about him is that throughout his campaign he hasn’t strayed from his positions, hasn’t overreacted to slurs and accusations. If past performance is the best predictor of future actions, then his calm, focused, intelligent, rational, and humanist approach to his campaign and all the trials and tribulations it brought, tells me that he is the best person to be President of the United States for the next four years.
While I can only cast one vote on November 4th, I feel honored that I can count three others as supporting my action, and hopefully realizing the benefits the promise of Barack Obama brings.
Apple, Inc. today announced their opposition to California Proposition 8, and added $100,000.00 to the campaign against this measure:
Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8. In the time since this announcement I’ve seen several postings referring to, and linking to, this announcement. Like Proposition 8, Apple’s stance against the measure is polarizing. While there are many who are in favor of the stance Apple has taken, there are quite a few people who are opposed. Geek & Mild, for example:
Corporations overtly, covertly, openly, and secretly influence the political process all the time. The whole issue of “money as free speech” is an issue since it gives Corporations a voice in the process they otherwise wouldn’t posses. Corporations are the biggest, and unfortunately, most powerful of the “citizens” involved in the making of new laws, regulations, and standards that shape all of our lives.
I, for one, like Apple’s stance on this issue. I do not like the religious factions in this country shaping our laws and molding our country into a Christian theocracy. One of the founding fathers of the United States, and our first President said,
This week Sibylle and I visited a health club as part of our search for a new gym to work out at this winter. The membership rules stated very clearly that a “couple membership” was open only to
Apple, Inc. is exactly correct in stating that legalized marriage between same-sex partners is a civil rights issue. Unfortunately it is also a politicized issue because it instantly polarizes the electorate. Like abortion, gun control, reproduction education in schools, and immigration laws, same sex marriage is used to move the electorate in one direction or the other.
I support those companies whose products I like and use. I also support those companies whose policies towards their employees and the greater community in which they exist I like. If you don’t like Apple’s stance on Proposition 8, or even that they have a well articulated stance, then I suggest you don’t support them.
When I was growing up I would sometimes watch my father shave in the morning. I was fascinated by the soap and the brush he used to lather his face. As I got older I discovered that the back of the medicine cabinet had a slot in it, labeled “used blades,” or something similar. As he replaced old blades for new, the old blade was deposited through the slot in the cabinet. I asked him once where the blades went. “Just into the space between the studs,” was his answer.
If a blade lasted for a week, he’d have deposited 52 blades each year into the stud space behind the bathroom wall. I don’t know when he switched to cartridge style razors, but I imagine he dropped doubled edged blades into that slot for 15 or 20 years before switching. Which means there are approximately 800 ~ 1000 razor blades in that cavity of the house. And there are similar caches of spent razor blades in houses all over the nation.
The house Sibylle and I live in now hasn’t got a medicine cabinet, there is no slot for me to use for quick and easy disposal of a too-dull-to-shave-effectively but still too-sharp-for-easy-handling blade. I’ll have to get a small jar or something to collect them in so they can be disposed of safely.
Today is my sister’s 46th birthday. She died on Christmas Day 1973 at the age of eleven from leukemia. In the intervening 35 years I’ve come to terms with her death, come to terms with my grief, and my survivor’s guilt. But there is one question I cannot answer: who would she be?
Amy was a straight-A student, she was also extremely willful and often at odds with my mother. She loved horses and the outdoors, but also reading and playing games. Would she, today, be someone I liked, or would have drifted apart like my brother and I? I believe my family would have been profoundly different had she not gotten cancer and died. But then I would have been different as well. I would not be the man I am today.
Life is an equation, a calculus of all that we see and do and are, with results that are sometimes hidden or obscured from our view. Change one part of the equation and unexpected results abound. Change another part with no apparent effect. I don’t have answers, only questions. I can’t ever know who she would have been. I only know who she was, and who she is in my memories.
Happy birthday Amy.
Earlier this evening, on a trip to the local Half Price Bookstore, I picked up a new audiobook to listen to on my daily commute. I prefer unabridged versions of stories, which tend to be lengthier audio recordings. My new one, David Morrell’s The League of Night and Fog, is no exception, weighing in at 10 CDs.
Each CD has between 97 and 99 tracks, with each track lasting between 30 and 60 seconds. I was a bit mystified as to why they would break the narration up into so many little pieces. When I remarked on this to Sibylle she immediately said that way you could find your place faster.
Shortly thereafter, while waiting for one of the CDs to finish importing to iTunes, I read all the text on the box. Including this bit on one end of the box:
Before pausing or stopping your audiobook, note the track number displayed on your CD player. While many newer CD players “bookmark” your position, some players return to the first track at the beginning instead. By knowing the track number of where you stopped listening, you can manually adjust your player to that point (track) in the story to continue listening. There are 97-99 tracks on each CD, each track is 30-60 seconds long - allowing you to find your place without “relistening” to long portions of the story. Ingenious.
I like that Sibylle immediately thought of that as the reason as it hadn’t occurred to me.
NB: The list price on the Amazon link above is outrageous. The box I have gives the price as $29.95, and I paid $14.98 for it. Amazon wants $102.50 for the same title and media.
Last night’s “town hall” style debate between Senators Obama and McCain got me to thinking about what question I would have posed. And about the answer that would satisfy me. Much has been made of the first 100 days of President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration.
From Wikipedia:
I’ve already linked to this endorsement in the Delicious section of my sidebar, but I wanted to draw further attention to what the New Yorker had to say about Senator Barack Obama. On issues ranging from health care, taxation, energy, America’s position in the global community, Iraq, and the future of the judiciary, Senator Obama is the right choice.
Terrific send up of those 419 scams from Africa. Originally seen here.
MY DEAR AMERICAN FRIEND:
I AM NEEDING TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH A TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF GREAT MAGNITUDE.
I AM MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY OF THE REPUBLIC OF AMERICA. MY COUNTRY HAS HAD CRISIS THAT HAS CAUSED NEED FOR LARGE TRANSFER OF FUNDS OF 700 BILLION OF YOUR DOLLARS (US). IF YOU WOULD ASSIST ME IN THIS TRANSFER IT WOULD BE MOST PROFITABLE TO YOU.
I AM WORKING WITH HIGHLY REPUTABLE MR. PHIL GRAM, LOBBYIST FOR UBS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY IF MY POLITICAL PARTY WINS UPCOMING ELECTION, WHICH WE CERTAINLY WILL BECAUSE WE ARE IN CONTROLING OF THE HIGHEST SUPREME COURT. YOU MAY REMEMBER HIM AS A SENATOR AS LEADER OF THE AMERICAN BANKING DEREGULATION MOVEMENT IN THE 1990S.
I AM ALSO WORKING WITH HIGHLY REPUTABLE MR. BARNEY FRANK, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF MASSACHUSETTS, WHO WILL BE MY REPLACEMENT AS MINISTRY OF THE TREASURY IN JANUARY IF OTHER POLITICAL PARTY, LED BY MR. BARACK OBAMA, WIN UPCOMING ELECTION, WHICH HE CERTAINLY WILL BECAUSE HE IS IN CONTROLLING OF VOTING IN ILLINOIS, OHIO, FLORIDA, AND MANY OTHER STATES. MR. BARNEY FRANK IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS OF ALL KINDS, FROM WHOREHOUSE ADMINISTRATION TO HOME LOAN BUSINESS, AND FAITHFULLY TEACHES PRECEPTS OF MR. BARACK OBAMA (“FROM TINY A.C.O.R.N. GROWS GIANT FORECLOSURE OAK!”).
THIS TRANSACTIN IS 100% SAFE. YOU MUST TRUST ME COMPLETELY AND NOT ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRANSACTION. YOU HAVE MY WORD NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE MONEY. THIS IS A MATTER OF GREAT URGENCY. WE NEED YOUR BLANK CHECK. WE NEED THE FUNDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE CANNOT DIRECTLY TRANSFER THESE FUNDS IN THE NAMES OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER SURVEILLANCE. MY FAMILY LAWYER ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD LOOK FOR A RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTH PERSONAGE WHO WILL ACT AS A NEXT OF KIN SO THE FUNDS CAN BE TRANSFERRED.
YOU ARE THAT PERSONAGE.
PLEASE REPLY WITH ALL OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, IRA AND COLLEGE FUND ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND THOSE OF YOUR CHILDREN, GRANDCHILDREN AND THOSE YET UNBORN TO WALLSTREETBAILOUT@ TREASURY. GOV SO THAT WE MAY TRANSFER YOUR COMMISSION FOR THIS TRANSACTION.
AFTER I RECEIVE THIS INFORMATION I WILL RESPOND WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT SAFEGUARDS WE PROMISE WILL BE USED TO PROTECT THE FUNDS AND PRODUCE A LONG-TERM RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR YOU AND THOSE YOU LOVE.
YOURS FAITHFULLY
MINISTER OF TREASURY H. PAULSON
P.S.: YOU CAN REALLY TRUST ME. LOOK AT DOLLAR BILL. MY SIGNATURE IS ON THE MONEY.
Yesterday the $700 Billion bailout of Wall Street was signed by President Bush. Like many Americans I felt scared and uncertain about the financial crisis and the need to do something about it. We won’t know for sometime whether history will see this as an intelligent response to the situation, or a knee-jerk reaction. However, it is done.
We’ve only taken care of half of the problem; many of the home owners who were given sub-prime mortgages still face foreclosure and our economy will continue to suffer as a result. To my way of thinking there were two parties involved in each and every one of the sub-prime mortgages written: the bank and the home owner. The bailout comes to the aid of the banks but not to the people like Addie Polk.
If we are going to pat the banks on the head and say, “There, there, it’s alright,” and then invest up to $700 Billion a year into restoring them to financial stability, then we ought to do the same for the home owners. Both parties sat down at the table and agreed to these mortgages. The banks approved them knowing full well that many if not all of the people they were lending to couldn’t afford the mortgage and would likely end up in foreclosure. Because the financial institution planned on selling off the mortgage they were willing to break or bend their lending rules. Initially the bank profited from this action. Why now, should the home owner, who also initially profited from this arrangement, by the only one who isn’t bailed out?
The argument seems to be that institutions are worth saving. If we allow them to go bankrupt or allow consolidation, we will alter the landscape of the financial industry and that may have long lasting effects on our economy. I guess if you are an individual taxpayer you aren’t as important to our economy as an institution. You are important enough to have to pay for the institutions mistakes, however.
If I sell my used car to another individual, knowing it has a flaw, I can be made to pay for the repair and or return their money. If, however, I sell that same vehicle to a dealer and they don’t notice the problem, they are stuck with it. Since they are considered the expert in the transaction they aren’t protected like an individual. In the case of sub-prime mortgages, the bank was (or should have been) the expert - and yet we bailed them out.
The $700 Billion bailout of Wall Street is a start, it may even be a good start. But it is at best, only a start. We need to restore the individuals too.