the last of the manifestos, I promise.

I love anonymous comments. They are the ones full of piss and vinegar and I love love love piss and vinegar. I always assume they either come from someone who I know that doesn't want to start an argument or that the author is embarrassed of what they have to say, and that is why they do not own it. Or maybe it is completely out of their character to say something like they did and they don't want their name at the top of something that doesn't usually define them.

I like to run at the mouth, by the way, and I feel that because this is my site I can pretty much say what I want. I'm technically a political retard, but I'm educated and socially motivated. If I don't know something, I look it up. If I believe in something, I try to find an avenue that will allow me to expand upon that belief and act upon it. I do not see Obama as my own personal Jesus, and my faith in his administration lies within the people of this country, not within him as a man nor as a president. I am not totally thrilled with the man, I'm totally thrilled with our country. The fact that our nation is finally coming together and welcoming change is more than I expected out of this election. I am humbled at the activism that is sprouting out of all this. There is a quote by Gandhi that I strive to live by:

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

We might all have the opportunity to do this now. We didn't before. No one was listening. And you know, we may not have this opportunity now, either because a lot has to happen before we all start getting our way or political promises won't be kept, but there is a chance that we do. A chance. Do you know how huge that is?

I am totally open to both anonymous comments and comments with links to names and sites and whatever else you want to throw at me. I figure for all the crap I throw at you here, it would be a welcome change to have some flung back.

In either case, I knew that someone might take offense at my implication that Republicans vote that way because someone else suggested that they do so.

There is an overwhelming stereotype among non-Republicans in this country that Republicans tend to be "sheeple", people who are born followers. This is widely and presently based on the large number of right-wingers and Evangelicals who are touting themselves as Republican because of the conservative ideas practiced within Republican policy development. Obviously not all Republicans are followers, as we have plenty of Republican leaders and free-thinking party hoppers.
Republicans are the ones who are leading our family-based initiatives, our faith-based initiatives, they are our "group thinkers" rather than our "individual dreamers". Thankfully, they are here to do that for us. A country run by a bunch of individualist radicals and idealists would get us nowhere. We thrive on checks and balances. Republicans have historically spread the concept of "togetherness". They play together, they pray together, they stick together, they vote together to preserve this. They insulate one another from the liberal movements that threaten their core values. Good job, I say. I surround myself with people who think like me and work to insulate me from things that threaten me. Two points for the Republicans and their warm warm squishy family values and their traditionally strong faith in God and their willingness to band together and fight their fight.

There is also an overwhelming amount of wealthy Republicans. Republicans like to work hard and keep what they earn. I like to keep what I earn. I work hard to have nice things. I studied hard so I could have a job that affords me a better life than most. I pride myself on having a nice, comfortable house filled with things that are lovely to look at. I don't want anyone taking that away from me. But, I want to be able to use my neighborhood, my city, my local resources. I want a home, not a bunker. Republican administrations have taken away social services and community resources all over America. The sick are getting sicker, the crazies are running amok, the addicts grow more desperate every day in their struggles to stay clean. I've written about this here. And here. At great lengths, so I'll spare you another go around.

There is nothing more important to me than my child. I know every one of you who have children will say that. The reason that I am so liberal and so militant about working for change and rallying others to fight for what they believe in is because I have seen first hand what can happen when a child, a family, an individual, does not have community support. I have been inside houses and neighborhoods that most cannot imagine. I do not want poverty encroaching on my house. Ick, right? I do not want houses like that to exist in any town, because inside those houses lie children who will be peers to my son. I don't want my son exposed to that. I do not want to be forced to pay for snooty private schools to protect him from the neighborhood children. I do not want to explain to him why he can't go over to a classmate's house, or why his classmate wants to be at our house all the time. I don't want to flee to the suburbs, where I can assure that Jake has a very vanilla picket-fence upbringing because I want to instill compassion and reality on him, and if he doesn't see it, he may not know the struggle that others have. I want him to know that his father went to bed hungry sometimes, and I want him to see the house where it happened and the people who it is still happening to. I want him to know that he has a responsibility to share what he has with those who have very little, and especially those who have nothing. I don't want him doing it simply by dropping an envelope in a collection plate. I don't want him doing it out of pity. I don't want him to hear stories about the poor and the sick and the addicted. I want him to do it because it is the right thing to do and he sees and understands why. I want him to have a safe place to fall asleep at night and an appreciation of it.

If you nose into my life and look at our 1040s for 2008, you'll see that we are actually quite well off. We are comfortable, we are happy, we seem to be insulated from this recession because of our career choices. Neither Dave nor I grew up the way we are living now. If we lost it all tomorrow, we have the skills to survive. We know how to make do, we know how to eek by, to ration, to share, to accept help. We are not defined by our income. We are not defined by our lifestyle. I strive to be defined by the work I do in the world and under the past administration I was not able to do much at all. I could stand on the rooftops and holler my ideas, but they fell on deaf ears. Deaf, unfunded ears. All of our money was being used to fight a war. To keep us safe from terrorism, but at what cost? Jake will have friends who have lost their mommies and daddies to a war that has gone on too long. I have friends who have lost their wives and husbands and don't understand why it was allowed to go on. Our nation has been chipping away at itself and becoming a place I do not want to raise my child. I fight to change that. Even if it is a simple letter to a councilperson, or a hand in policy development or social service implementation. I believe in karma, and some day I might need to get back what I'm giving out. I believe in the Golden Rule. I believe in taking a hands on, front line approach in doing unto others. Unfortunately you kinda have to be an obnoxious loud mouth to get anything done around here.

My anonymous commenter admitted being afraid of Obama. I'm not sure why. Is it because he gives hope to the little people? Because his name is, well, unfortunate? Because his daddy was a blackasnight African? Because he has the power to rally us? To bring us together rather than divide us? His platform is not so radical that we should be afraid of much other than a little bit of restructuring and re-prioritizing.

I'm afraid of McCain, and I'll tell you why. It's because I used to like him, early in the race I listened to him and crossed my fingers for him because I liked the work he did and I respected him and I thought he would be a good man to follow W, to get us out of the place we have been forced into over the past eight years without turning our political holds around too drastically. He almost surely had my vote. But his ideals began to change, he began to be persuaded by his party to be a bit more conservative and I believe we need to get away from that mentality. We need to get away from fickle politicians. Politicians who change during a race. Who knows how he would have changed in office.
Palin shocks me. The choice of Palin repulses me. She is under-educated and was willing to compromise her role as a mother to accept a position she is clearly not ready to handle. I have a hard time juggling a very flexible 40 hour a week job and one healthy child. How will she be on the clock, on her toes every minute of the day and provide the mothering that her children need? I'm sorry if what I say sets back women fifty years, but I believe that our children come first. Before our country, before our husbands, before our faith, before our career, before ourselves. I cannot support a woman who comes virtually out of nowhere to step up to the task of VP, leaving a trail of children behind her. That is my reason for being afraid of those two.

I've said enough, I'm making myself tired. I urge you all to fight what you believe in. I am constantly motivated by my political opposites. If I am angry about what is going on, I fight against it. If you are angry about what is going on, fight against it. There are plenty of people like you, there are plenty of people like me. Band together and get things done. No whining.

I now return to regularly scheduled mommy blogging. Thank you for being an open forum of listeners and supporters and haters. Now get off this crappy site and write a letter or something!