Leave the Kids Alone

I get that not everyone likes Obama as much as I do. But I at least thought people respected his family life, which seems like fairly great example of American family values in action. Then I saw the following thread on Daily Kos in response to a posting at Free Republic.

I'm honestly sick from reading it. And people wonder why I'm no longer a Republican.

So Does That Mean Politics as Usual is Coherent?

You know, I think I had forgotten how crazy Sarah Palin is. Or she's more crazy than she was last fall. This woman's logic truly boggles my mind. Even excluding how much she and I disagree on so many things, I still sit here wondering "How can anyone support her?" There are so many better qualified, more intelligent people on the Republican side.

The truth is, it's easier to just view her as some SNL sketch character come to life, which Gail Collins did. An excerpt:

“'Life is about choices!' declared the nation’s most anti-choice politician.

"People, what is going on with governors in this country? Are we doomed to see them go bonkers one by one, state by state."

"The timing of Palin’s announcement was extremely peculiar. Not only did she interrupt the plans of TV newscasters to spend the entire weekend pointing out that Michael Jackson is still dead, she delivered her big news just as the nation was settling into Fourth of July celebrations. You’d have thought she didn’t want us to notice."

I'm not even going to dignify Palin's illogic with a response. It's just not worth it. That will wait for the scandal I expect to break soon.

But seriously, happy Fourth! And let's end this post with something actually patriotic:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Waiting for the Scandal to Break

State government: possibly more incompetent than Wall Street.

So a few months ago an acquaintance gloated about how California could learn something from Indiana. Uh, no, I think we're in the same boat.

Now, lest I be accused of not fully embracing the loony bin that is Sacramento: two CA state senators refuse to take a pay cut.

Here is one of their explanations for not taking the cut: "What I get paid is personal. I don't discuss what I do personally. ... I don't choose to make anything I do on my personal side public."

Ok, fair enough except for the THOUSANDS of state and county workers who have been furloughed and had their pay cut due to the budget constraints. And this isn't just you, moron, it's the entire group! And you're a government employee! If you want your pay to be personal, go work at a non-publicly traded company.

So, to summarize: Do NOT vote for Sens. Roderick Wright (D- Inglewood) and Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

Twenty Wonders of the World

I've actually been to one of these places!

The L.A. Times profiles twenty pretty cool places to visit (although I'm not sure how I feel about combining natural wonders with those of the man-made variety).

Mocking Matrimony ... fun!

I only read high-brow news and blogs. Such as Tacky Weddings, which I discovered today and which is AWESOME.

ETA: So a guy on the run with a gun ... no news. Fans congregating outside the hospital where a singer / child molester was pronounced dead ... live coverage. I really hate Los Angeles sometimes.

Democracy in Action

For those who, unlike me, are gainfully employed or actually have better things to do on a Tuesday morning than watch a press briefing by President Obama:

The written transcript is available at the New York Times.

For those who would rather watch it (which I highly recommend): C-SPAN currently has it (but apparently not the ability to embed).

Maybe I've just gone too far around the liberal bend, but I have to say, I watch Obama, and I am proud to call him the U.S. President. I don't always agree with him, but I trust him to lead us in the right direction. He's articulate, intelligent, and his grasp of the issues and their subtle contours is impressive. Self-professed international law geek that I am, I normally cringe when listening to elected officials discuss international relations. But, by George (or is that by Barack?), I think he's got it - especially with Iran.

Look, what is happening in Iran is not about America. This is not our time to step in and show them the way. That's what we do if we want to make it worse.

As horrible as the events in Iran are, in some ways, they are an acknowledgment that America is in the right, because we are seeing the potential for democracy. Democracy is not about one nation forcing or coercing another nation to assume its beliefs - which, one would think, John McCain would know given his long history in service to his democratic country - it is about popular government, about the will of the people asserting itself. This is about the people of Iran trying to make their voices heard, to assert themselves against a dictatorship that represents the worst of the human condition. If we truly believe in democracy, we need to understand that this is not our battle and to trust that justice will prevail.

And Obama gets that. And that's why I can sit for an hour and watch his press briefing.