Posts
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
HIllary, 2
In light of a comment I just received comparing a Hillary presidency to W, I must clarify my earlier post to say I am simply challenging HC to be better, more focused on what she is doing and why - being certain she is approaching this for the right reasons. There is NO universe in which a Clinton administration wouldn't be incomparably better than W.
HILLARY
Oh lord, who are you kidding? America is safer now than it was on 9/11? Really?
Ask the citizens of Kansas how safe they felt when the tornadoes hit and there weren't enough members of the national guard to call in because they are off serving in Iraq.
No Hillary, I don't feel safer on air travel because of reforms the government has made. Air travel has its dangers, as it did before 9/11 and will continue to long after. I know that I can no longer travel without checking my bags if I want to bring toiletries and that doesn't make me feel safer - just irritated.
No Hillary, I don't think it's notable that there haven't been any terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11 - after all, it's been six years - we'd been six years without an attack before Bush took office. And considering the attacks in London and Madrid, I don't think we have much about which to be excited.
It's utterly inexcusable that you voted for war without reading the National Intelligence Estimate. The nation was hell-bent on revenge in 2002 and you went along for the ride. Where was the national leader who could speak truth to power and say Iraq is not the threat we need to challenge? It wasn't entirely unknown - there were people out there saying it. You, yourself, wanted to take a diplomatic route, but you didn't stand by your own principles. You feared political reprisal - "soft on security." You didn't call Saddam on his bluff or Bush on his bluster.
Where would this nation be if we had not gone to war in Iraq? Our troops would not be inextricably condemned to country on the verge of catastrophe, but would instead be nimble enough to be deployed to face actual threats. We would not have enboldened North Korea and Iran and pushed their nuclear ambitions. Our support within the international community would be significantly greater. Our focus could have remained on dismantling terror sects, which actually might have made the world safer. Without Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, we would not be providing justification for the action of our enemies.
You were thinking you couldn't look weak on security issues. A need to look tough will plague a Clinton presidency. It's hard enough for a democrat to be credible on military issues, but a woman, too? I worry that your political ambitions will cloud your judgment.
In actuality, the question of whether the nation is safer now than after 9/11 is moot. Rather than talk to me about where we are, talk to me about where you will take us. How will you lead the nation forward - in terms of economics, security, civil rights, justice and social issues?
Hillary, I give you credit for being extremely intelligent and a good Senator. But I've met you on several occasions and unlike your husband, you lack the common touch. You project the image of self-promotion rather than strong leadership. When faced with a choice of doing what is in the nation's best interest and what will get you reelected, I don't trust you to make the right decision.
Certainly you are not to blame for the tragedy that has been the last seven years of American experience, but looking ahead, I want a president who will restore true American values - rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all; a president who will seek the nation's security, but not at the cost of essential freedom; a president who will restore a sense of partnership with other nations by leading with humility, strength, honor and respect. I want a president who cares more for the nation than for his or her place in that nation.
So far, you have failed to convince me that your motivations are for the the country's good rather than your own good. That is where you must begin. We have had too many years of an administration that pursued its own glory and the benefit of a few. How will your administration take the nation in a new direction?
Inspire me. I've been ashamed of the president for too long; give me something to believe in - something greater than yourself.
Ask the citizens of Kansas how safe they felt when the tornadoes hit and there weren't enough members of the national guard to call in because they are off serving in Iraq.
No Hillary, I don't feel safer on air travel because of reforms the government has made. Air travel has its dangers, as it did before 9/11 and will continue to long after. I know that I can no longer travel without checking my bags if I want to bring toiletries and that doesn't make me feel safer - just irritated.
No Hillary, I don't think it's notable that there haven't been any terrorist attacks in the US since 9/11 - after all, it's been six years - we'd been six years without an attack before Bush took office. And considering the attacks in London and Madrid, I don't think we have much about which to be excited.
It's utterly inexcusable that you voted for war without reading the National Intelligence Estimate. The nation was hell-bent on revenge in 2002 and you went along for the ride. Where was the national leader who could speak truth to power and say Iraq is not the threat we need to challenge? It wasn't entirely unknown - there were people out there saying it. You, yourself, wanted to take a diplomatic route, but you didn't stand by your own principles. You feared political reprisal - "soft on security." You didn't call Saddam on his bluff or Bush on his bluster.
Where would this nation be if we had not gone to war in Iraq? Our troops would not be inextricably condemned to country on the verge of catastrophe, but would instead be nimble enough to be deployed to face actual threats. We would not have enboldened North Korea and Iran and pushed their nuclear ambitions. Our support within the international community would be significantly greater. Our focus could have remained on dismantling terror sects, which actually might have made the world safer. Without Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, we would not be providing justification for the action of our enemies.
You were thinking you couldn't look weak on security issues. A need to look tough will plague a Clinton presidency. It's hard enough for a democrat to be credible on military issues, but a woman, too? I worry that your political ambitions will cloud your judgment.
In actuality, the question of whether the nation is safer now than after 9/11 is moot. Rather than talk to me about where we are, talk to me about where you will take us. How will you lead the nation forward - in terms of economics, security, civil rights, justice and social issues?
Hillary, I give you credit for being extremely intelligent and a good Senator. But I've met you on several occasions and unlike your husband, you lack the common touch. You project the image of self-promotion rather than strong leadership. When faced with a choice of doing what is in the nation's best interest and what will get you reelected, I don't trust you to make the right decision.
Certainly you are not to blame for the tragedy that has been the last seven years of American experience, but looking ahead, I want a president who will restore true American values - rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all; a president who will seek the nation's security, but not at the cost of essential freedom; a president who will restore a sense of partnership with other nations by leading with humility, strength, honor and respect. I want a president who cares more for the nation than for his or her place in that nation.
So far, you have failed to convince me that your motivations are for the the country's good rather than your own good. That is where you must begin. We have had too many years of an administration that pursued its own glory and the benefit of a few. How will your administration take the nation in a new direction?
Inspire me. I've been ashamed of the president for too long; give me something to believe in - something greater than yourself.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Shacking up...
Again, responding to a prompt by www.helium.com - on living with a significant other... the names were changed to protect the innocent...
Any relationship that doesn’t end in marriage, ends in break up (actually, many of the marriages end that way, too) and it is ever-so-much-more-fun to move in together than to move out apart. These are the cautionary statements I provide any friend considering co-habitation.
Living together makes economic sense for many couples – save on rent, save on bills, save on shuttling back and forth between each other’s places. But this is not a step to be taken lightly.
I should have known the first time I went to Mark’s apartment that it was never going to work. The coffee table’s legs trembled under the weight of his mail and the arms and legs of various articles of clothing hung at disturbing angles out from under seat cushions. In the kitchen, there was some reminder of every meal ever eaten. All these not-too-subtle clues should have warned me that no matter what our attraction, the fundamentals of sharing a space could be problematic.
Of course I ignored the signs; after all, I was twenty-two and certainly knew enough about what I wanted from life to dive right in and marry the guy. At the time I often said that if we had been next door neighbors, our marriage might have worked out – though there was only a touch of truth to that. The problem was that he wanted to live his life exactly as it was – just adding me to it. He was never terribly concerned about what would make me happy or how his habits might be unpleasant for others – he was a real “take me as I am” type.
It could be said that our marriage ended because he wouldn’t clean up after himself. After five years of watching him throw dirty tissues near, but not in the garbage; of cleaning up the egg yolk from the counter, of sorting through his paperwork and desperately trying to find places to put it all, of picking up his pants from the front door where he left them and his underwear from the couch (don’t ask), I finally put it to him bluntly.
Though our problems went well beyond this, I boiled it down to an ultimatum – show me you love me by cleaning up the house. He said he didn’t know how to clean the way I wanted it clean. And that, as they say, was that.
So there I was, on Christmas Eve, sorting through CDs and tree ornaments, trying to figure out who gets what and what belonged to whom. I can tell you, if you want to add to the pain of a breakup, pile on the sorting of belongings. Nothing says we’re through like giving up your favorite blanket because his grandmother knitted it.
Five years later, I’ve just moved in with my boyfriend. It’s not that there aren’t any strains, but we both want to make life better for the each other. He bends to my x-chromosome neurosis about the toilet seat; I submit to his English need to close the curtains at sundown. Over the years, it really does come down to the little things.
The bottom line is that some people make great lovers, some people make great roommates, but it’s the rare significant other who is both. Know yourself – what your can live with and what doesn’t matter. And understand that traits can be tempered, but rarely changed; it’s futile to try. Some issues may be solved by hiring a maid, but more often than not, if it bothers you when you’re dating, it will only get worse when you’re living together.
And though you might be spending every waking and every sleeping moment with the light of your life, it is always nice to have a safe harbor to which to return in the event of a storm. There’s nothing wrong with living together, for all intents and purposes, but until all doubt about whether you’re in for the long haul has been erased, it’s definitely best to have a room of one’s own.
Any relationship that doesn’t end in marriage, ends in break up (actually, many of the marriages end that way, too) and it is ever-so-much-more-fun to move in together than to move out apart. These are the cautionary statements I provide any friend considering co-habitation.
Living together makes economic sense for many couples – save on rent, save on bills, save on shuttling back and forth between each other’s places. But this is not a step to be taken lightly.
I should have known the first time I went to Mark’s apartment that it was never going to work. The coffee table’s legs trembled under the weight of his mail and the arms and legs of various articles of clothing hung at disturbing angles out from under seat cushions. In the kitchen, there was some reminder of every meal ever eaten. All these not-too-subtle clues should have warned me that no matter what our attraction, the fundamentals of sharing a space could be problematic.
Of course I ignored the signs; after all, I was twenty-two and certainly knew enough about what I wanted from life to dive right in and marry the guy. At the time I often said that if we had been next door neighbors, our marriage might have worked out – though there was only a touch of truth to that. The problem was that he wanted to live his life exactly as it was – just adding me to it. He was never terribly concerned about what would make me happy or how his habits might be unpleasant for others – he was a real “take me as I am” type.
It could be said that our marriage ended because he wouldn’t clean up after himself. After five years of watching him throw dirty tissues near, but not in the garbage; of cleaning up the egg yolk from the counter, of sorting through his paperwork and desperately trying to find places to put it all, of picking up his pants from the front door where he left them and his underwear from the couch (don’t ask), I finally put it to him bluntly.
Though our problems went well beyond this, I boiled it down to an ultimatum – show me you love me by cleaning up the house. He said he didn’t know how to clean the way I wanted it clean. And that, as they say, was that.
So there I was, on Christmas Eve, sorting through CDs and tree ornaments, trying to figure out who gets what and what belonged to whom. I can tell you, if you want to add to the pain of a breakup, pile on the sorting of belongings. Nothing says we’re through like giving up your favorite blanket because his grandmother knitted it.
Five years later, I’ve just moved in with my boyfriend. It’s not that there aren’t any strains, but we both want to make life better for the each other. He bends to my x-chromosome neurosis about the toilet seat; I submit to his English need to close the curtains at sundown. Over the years, it really does come down to the little things.
The bottom line is that some people make great lovers, some people make great roommates, but it’s the rare significant other who is both. Know yourself – what your can live with and what doesn’t matter. And understand that traits can be tempered, but rarely changed; it’s futile to try. Some issues may be solved by hiring a maid, but more often than not, if it bothers you when you’re dating, it will only get worse when you’re living together.
And though you might be spending every waking and every sleeping moment with the light of your life, it is always nice to have a safe harbor to which to return in the event of a storm. There’s nothing wrong with living together, for all intents and purposes, but until all doubt about whether you’re in for the long haul has been erased, it’s definitely best to have a room of one’s own.
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