AMomTwoBoys

Iiiiitttttt’s aaaaaaa brand new day!

It’s a brand new day!!

It’s a Brand. New. Day!

That’s a song that my sister (and I) used to sing a lot.  And for some reason, it popped into my head in the middle of the night last night.  And it seemed like the perfect title for today’s post.  Because it IS a brand new day in America.  In so many ways.

Black or white, or anywhere in between, we are ALL American’s and we are all proud of our country.

Christian, Agnostic, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh,  Taoist, Wiccan, Scientologist, Atheist, or anything else, we are ALL American’s and we are all proud of our country.

We are not a country, or a world for that matter, of black and white.  We are made up of many colors, and that is how we must view our future.  There is no clear answer to any issue.  There is no simple solution to the problems we face.  We won’t always agree, but we have to be able to see where the other side is coming from.

We have to FORCE ourselves to see beyond our own black and white view of things.  We have to force ourselves to see things from other’s perspectives.  We have to force ourselves to see things in a new light.  We have to get beyond the divisiveness that has succeeded in turning us into two separate groups.  We’ve somehow become an “Us” and a “Them”.

We must come together.  As one unified Nation.  The UNITED States of America.

We’ve been lied to in the past.  It’s left us cynical and unable to trust.  We have good reason to be suspicious of our leaders.  But it’s time to be hopeful.  It’s time to put faith in Barack Obama’s ability and willingness to bring us together.  To allow US to have a voice in what happens to OUR country, to us.

To put faith in the fact that he’s not hellbent on destroying our Nation.  That he will protect our country at all costs.  That he’s not hoping for defeat in Iraq.  He’s not going to ruin Capitalism or turn us into Communists.  We’re better than that, and we must believe it.

I have that faith, do you?

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.  Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.  As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.  - Barack Obama  11/4/2008

*And I’ve never done it before, but because today is about being positive and hopeful, I will, without regret, delete any comment left here that even hints at negativity. You’ve been warned.*

**Part Two, An Open Letter to John McCain, can be found here.  Please sign it, by leaving a comment, if you’re so inclined.**

Dear Senator McCain,

I’ve been critical of you lately. And I say lately because, in 2000, I believed you could make a good President. Although I certainly didn’t agree with you on every issue, you seemed like someone that would do the right thing. That would be honorable and act admirably.

But my view has changed following this election. You ran a nasty, mean spirited campaign. You lied, you schemed, and in the end, you did everything that you said you wouldn’t do.

It didn’t work well enough for you to win the Presidency. But, sadly, you did succeed in dividing this nation. You did succeed in creating a level of fear and hatred that I’ve never before witnessed. And that saddens and terrifies me.

You stood idly by as people called President Elect Barack Obama a terrorist. You stood idly by as your Vice Presidential pick, She-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named-On-This-Blog-(Hopefully)-Ever-Again (SWWNBNOTB(H)EA), linked him to Communism. The only time you spoke out about it was when you were directly faced with ugliness and hatred, and to have stayed silent at that time would have sunk you forever. But that was it. That was the only time you spoke up to stop the madness.

Your silent participation spoke volumes to me. And it infuriates me. It seemed to justify, encourage even, the racism, fear, hate and discrimination that has begun to boil over. You hoped you could use it to your advantage. And it didn’t work. But I’m afraid it’s going to backfire on you. On us. On The United States of America.

I fear for our Country. I fear for President Elect Barack Obama and his family. I fear that your silent participation, and SWWNBNOTB(H)EA’s active participation, in portraying Barack Obama as someone to fear, will drive some nutjob to violence. In the name of God. In the “defense” of our Country.

And I will hold you accountable.

Your concession speech last night was a good first stop to tempering the divide. But it was not enough. You must make it clear to your and SWWNBNOTB(H)EA’s followers that President Elect Barack Obama is NOT a terrorist. That he is no one to fear. That he is capable of defending our Country. That he is a Patriot.

You must stand up and speak out against hatred. You must stand up and speak out against intolerance. You must stand up and SPEAK OUT. You owe it to the American People.

And I hope, as you’ve said time and time again during this campaign, that you really DO know how to fix this economy. And that you really DO know where Osama bin Laden is and how to “get him”. And I hope that you are more than willing to share that information with President Elect Obama.

The fight, of which you spoke so often, isn’t over. It is just beginning. And it’s going to be long. But it will give you the opportunity to redeem yourself.

And WE, the undersigned, will hold you accountable.

**Real names are not required.  This isn’t being submitted anywhere!**

Obama Rally in St. Louis with over 100,000 people

Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama

LA Times Endorses Barack Obama

(first endorsement in 36 years and first endorsement EVER for a Democrat)

Dear McCain Campaign/GOP:

Sarah Palin?  Who?  Wha?  Why?  Huh?

Are you fucking kidding me?!  You’ve based your ENTIRE anti-Obama argument on his apparent lack of experience.  And then you choose HER as your VP nominee?  Doesn’t that blow your argument against Obama out of the water? Where’s the logic in that?  Especially given the…advanced…age of your nominee.  This is a Presidential election like none before.  People need to think long and hard about the very real possibility of the VP taking over the Presidency should McCain get elected.  Is she really someone capable of running the most powerful county in the world?  Uh…no.  She’s just not.

But, you know, whatever.  I find it hard to believe that the majority of Hillary supporters are as dumb as you seem to think and will flock to McCain’s side simply because he picked a woman.  As if it’s the fact that she has a vagina that’s important, and not the ISSUES.

But she sure is purdy.  And apparently that’s the way McCain likes ‘em.

Which is the ONLY reason I can come up with as to why he didn’t pick this chick.  At least she’s got credentials.

*She’s pretty…just, not in the same kind of way.*

And here are some other posts that have some great points on this topic.  I’ll let you read what they have to say because it’s pretty much what I want to say, but with much more insight & better writing.

Soapbox Mom’s Guest Post

Queen of Spain

This one wins for best title but you’ll have to click over to see what it is!

*Images stolen graciously borrowed from Google.

Looks down right YUMM-O-LICIOUS, doesn’t it?

That, my friends, is Santa Maria Tri-Tip. You can find a recipe and tips on how to find it in your area (it’s not known as tri-tip throughout the country, just in our little corner of the world) here. And btw, I don’t smoke mine. Don’t tell anyone around here, because that’s TOTALLY ILLEGAL (kinda) but we just BBQ it on our good ole Gas Grill. Santa Maria is GASPING! Shhh…it’ll be okay. So there’s your recipe.

Now onto a fashion question, which may or may not ignite STRONG debate. And, if I had the time to wait for next week, I’d totally ask Tootsie Farklepants for her advice, but I don’t have that kind of time. I need to know NOW. What are your feelings on Crocs?

A certain family member (who reads this blog, comments, and shall remain nameless) who is currently visiting, was SHOCKED yesterday when my stepmom their spouse and I informed him them that Crocs, while comfortable, are not, necessarily, uh, fashionable. At all. But, that’s just our opinion. What are your feelings? Please leave a comment, or, at the very least, vote in the poll to your right. Your individual poll choice will remain secret, much to my chagrin, as I have NO WAY of figuring out who voted what. Damn. Gracias, amigos/amigas.

Next…please leave the above fashion question at the door. Or, as they would say in Court, strike that from the record, when you begin this next section. Cleared your mind? Okay good…continue on.

Dylan recieved his first Birthday present yesterday from my Dad and Stepmon who are currently visiting. It’s this:

And it’s AWESOME. He’s been busy taking all kinds of pictures, which, after we finally got him to point the camera in the right direction (see self portrait below) he’s starting to master. See for yourself.

DJ did not take this photo, but it was declared his “favorite.” I think it’s my favorite, too. The girls look pretty good. Even considering the use of a massive white nursing bra.

Plus, this means he’ll keep his grubby little paws off my camera. Which may even be used to convince DJ to agree to the purchase of a new camera. Specifically this one:

I’m going to need a lot of luck with that. A LOT.

And finally, Sweetney had this video posted on her site. Cracks me up. I thought about saving it for Make Me Laugh Monday next week, but couldn’t keep it to myself that long. It’s funny. And sad. Scary, really. Kinda brings me back to this post that I wrote a few weeks ago.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, that tiny little frivolous number? The number of US Troops killed in Iraq? It’s 3,973 now. And also, in case you’re wondering, and I know I’m going to hear from “Anonymous” or someone else about it. I DO NOT support the immediate withdrawal of US Troops, although it does sound mighty wonderful. We went in there and got them into this mess, we need to clean it up. I just hope we can figure out a way, rather quickly, to get most of our people out of there and still be able to get things settled down. Saddam Hussein was an asshole who did very bad things to people living in his country. And because I don’t want to discount the loss of innocent Iraqi life, since January 2006 approximately 38,817 Iraqi civilians & Iraqi Security Forces have been killed.

Moving on to something that really is FUNNY and highly inappropriate….one last YouTube Video. This was a submission for Make Me Laugh Monday a few weeks ago and it cracked me up. It was submitted by AFRo.

Happy Leap Day!

Or, more importantly, how effing stupid are people who actually buy into this bullshit?

An email I’ve received* recently, which you may have too, in some form or another.

Regarding Barack Hussein Obama (I’ve inserted numbers where I will be making remarks at the end of the email)

“Very interesting and something that should be considered in your choice.

If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts…this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States…better heed this and pray about it and share it.

We checked this out on ” snopes.com“. It is factual. Check for yourself. (1)

Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii , to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel , Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHIEST from Wichita, Kansas . Obama’s parents met at the University of Hawaii. (2)When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. (3) His father returned to Kenya . His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia . When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia . Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta . He also spent two years in a Catholic school. (4) Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, “He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school.” Obama’s political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical. Obama’s introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son’s education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta . Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CHRISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States , Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt! to downplay his Muslim background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran. (5) Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegience nor will he show any reverence for our flag. (6) While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches. (7) Let us all remain alert concerning Obama’s expected presidential candidacy. The Muslims (8) have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through thePresident of the United States , one of their own!!!! Please forward to everyone you know. Would you want this man leading our country?…… NOT ME!!!”

Holy Shit, people. I don’t even know where to start. Oh, yes I do because I’ve conveniently numbered it for my reading pleasure.

1) Snopes.com (is AWESOME if you don’t know that already) refutes this entire email. See for yourself. Really, they do. But whoever masterminded this email banked on the fact that you’d be too stupid to check for yourself.
2) Oh crap, his parents were college educated. This CAN NOT be good.
3) Divorced parents? Where is this world headed?
4) No shit, he’s Catholic? I really MAY have to re-think my voting choice now.
5) That was another black Senator. But that’s an easy mistake because I know it’s hard to tell the difference when all African American men look alike. Right?
6)

Oh yeah, and this too

7) Maybe he just needs a good Chiropractor? (That’s just too ridiculous to even comment on)
“The Muslims”. Really, ALL of them? Wow.

*It was sent to me by someone who was like “What the F*CK? This is ridiculous!” That someone will remained nameless, unless they’d like to claim their identity.

Also, this:

The audacity of the radical Muslim/Islamic Militant Presidential hopeful to be respectful of the culture of the country in which he is a visitor. Mind you, this is most likely being circulated (because I don’t buy into the whole Hilary Clinton “anonymous” staffer thing), as a BAD thing, by the very same people who strongly believe that if you come to America you should speak English. Period. Hypocritical much?

And let’s end with this.

Okay, so I SWORE (to myself) that I’d leave it alone for a while. You’d heard enough, I’d written enough, and we all have other, more interesting things to think about. Like, what WILL my sister do with her baby-naming dilemma (see post below b/c I’m too lazy to link that right now)?

Then, two things happened.

1) Greeblemonkey wrote this post. And let’s face it, “10 Reasons to Barack the Vote” is an awesome name for a post.
2) Mrs. Flinger wrote this post about, a) What the hell is a caucus? and b) The virtues of choosing a presidential candidate based on the prettiness of their hair.

So, my thoughts on the whole hair thing, as I outlined in my comment to her post are this:

“If I went with the whole hair thing, I’d have to go for Guiliani or Obama on the mere fact that they would spend the LEAST amount of time “primping” and the most amount of time “Commanding.” Edwards & Romney? Too pretty. No man, in my opinion, should use more hairspray than me. And I don’t use any hairspray. McCain? I CAN NOT condone the “comb over” no matter how inconspicuous it is. Hillary? The closer she gets to the White House, the more her hair starts looking like a “Helmet Head”, which, again, is something I can’t condone. I guess that means my actual vote correlated with my version of your hair thing. Maybe you’re on to something! Go Obama!”

If you were going to pick a Presidential Candidate based on their hair, who would you pick? For a cheat, be sure to check out Mrs. Flinger’s post where she has a great array of Candidate Head Shots.

Do a little dance…A Dance of Joy

*Disclaimer: You may not like what you read below. For that I don’t apologize. You are more than welcome to disagree with me, that’s what makes our country great. It’s going to be long. It’s going to be intense. It’s going to be my therapy session for the next few months. It might take you that long to read it.

I am proud to be an American. But I’m not proud of what our country stands for right now. I’m not proud of the stance we’ve taken and I’m not proud of the way the rest of the world views us. I am proud of our troops. For putting themselves in harms way regardless of their mission. For standing up for what America is SUPPOSED to be, regardless of what it has become. For continuing to fight a fight with no end in sight.

****

Okay, moving on from THAT topic. This all came about and was inspired by this post from Motherscribe. It got me riled up, in a good way, because it got me thinking. I voted for Obama. I didn’t vote for Hillary and I’m not sure why. I’m someone who thinks, regardless of his personal mistakes, that Bill Clinton left this country in better shape then when he found it. (See here and here) His wife, then, someone who worked by his side during his Presidency, would potentially offer the same benefits, no? When I take those quizzes that tell me who “my” candidate is, she inevitably ends up on top. So, why then, did I vote for Obama? Why not her? Why not stick with the whole “woman power” thing I was so proud of in college? Because this gives me hope. It inspires me. It makes me believe that YES, WE CAN make things better. We can move this country in a new direction. As he says, “YES WE CAN heal this nation. YES WE CAN repair this world.” And I believe him. I hadn’t seen this video when I voted. If I had, I wouldn’t have hesitated the half second that I did, before I put my mark next to his name.

Having said that, I still support Hillary. If Obama doesn’t make it, you can bet your ass I’ll be on the “Go Hillary” bandwagon (with my fingers crossed that Obama will somehow make it into her Cabinet). And, no JCK, I don’t think Wolf Blizter would have asked a male candidate if he thought he’d been naive. I think, unfortunately, that it’s another sad example of the “Good Ole Boys Club” being alive and well. She’s a woman, Obama’s black. Neither of them have anything in common with “Good Ole” GWB. And, as far as I’m concerned, that’s what makes them exciting.

***

In other news, and because if I keep typing my brain might actually explode, I’m going to leave you with a few brief thoughts and some links. Oh, and if you don’t agree with me and your already annoyed, your blood is really going to start boiling if you keep reading. Just so you know.

1. It irks me that Conservatives bitch & moan about Liberals wanting to “tell us how to live our lives” while they do their best to outlaw a woman’s right to CHOOSE to have an abortion, and feel the need to tell two people of the same sex that they are somehow less capable of entering into a loving, committed relationship. How is THAT something that will cheapen my marriage? And I’m sorry, but I’ve been around a LOT of gay couples who are a lot more committed and well adjusted than some straight couples I know. I’m just saying.
2. This both makes me laugh, due to it’s absurdity, and makes me want to cry, due to the fact that, well…it’s just makes me want to cry. There go those damn Liberals again, shoving sex down our throats and turning women into sex objects. Oh, wait. Is that Fox News? Sorry. Jeez. *This, in no way, serves as an endorsement for Keith Olbermann, who, I admit, is a bit of a douche. But not nearly as big of a douche as Bill O’Reilly.
3. I can’t remember what else I was going to write. Two kids are screaming in my ear and I’ve been sitting here typing for, let’s just say a LONG time.

I’ll leave you with this:

“The real differences around the world today are not between Jews and Arabs;Protestants and Catholics; Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. The real differences arebetween those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; betweenthose who look to the future and those who cling to the past; betweenthose who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists.”

Who said that? Oh, right. It was Bill Clinton.

And if you’re still talking to me, I’ll have more, not at all politically motivated, riveting things to say later. This time it will be about babies & poop. Hmmm…kinda like what this post has been about if you think about it.

Hi All! It’s me, your politically charged internet friend. I’m here, on the internet! I’m charged! I’ve seen 3,476 political commercials and it’s only 7:51am. I have a lot on my mind today, which I’m sure you’re VERY excited to hear about.

You’re going to have to wait.

I have an UNKNOWN number of babies coming over today for playgroup. Babies & playgroup? you ask. Well, don’t. It’s really an excuse for the moms to get together and gossip. About celebrities, about one another, about our husbands. Fun, right? You’re welcome to attend.

If you can’t make it, but would still like to hear what I have to say about SUPER TUESDAY check back later. I promise you’ll love it. Or hate it. I promise you’ll have strong feelings about it either way.