C'est La Vie
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What a beautiful piece of heartache this has all turned out to be. Lord knows we've learned the hard way all about healthy apathy. And I use these words pretty loosely. There's so much more to life than words..
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Saturday, November 08, 2008
Yesterday, Katy posted about her voting decision, including this:
I felt through this whole election, before and after, that there was in some circles a rather overemphasis on the race issue despite the press about how much the Obama campaign tried to suppress that. Even though it didn't come up in many conversations at my office (perhaps it was not even the elephant in the room, most of the time), the post-election reaction has made it quite apparent that this was what was on many minds even if they didn't speak it in my presence. Did they feel like they couldn't? Most of those who didn't mention it during but have often since haven't known me for long enough to know of my absolute distaste for making racial issues larger than they could be, or of my own past experiences that lends credibility to my view. They have, perhaps, known me for long enough to see that I am the consistant in relation to race, that I speak professionally to Officers regardless of their color, and in working situations, and that I may speak informally (usually with a mix of Deep-Southern and ebonics as strong influences) in my down-time, but that the color make-up of the audience is not a factor in how I speak. Anyway, I say all of this to say that his acceptance speach was very good, very moving. I agree wholeheartedly with Katy that he is a very charismatic speaker who can wrap most listeners into the moment and capture attention and appreciation with seeming ease. Because of a phone call (it was working hours here when ya'll were getting the official results), I missed the portion of the speech when he talked about the 106 year old woman who was determined to stay alive to see a black president elected. When one of my supervisors was telling me about this later (and was also talking about her mother being so very glad for the same reason), and then I received an e-mail -- from the base Equal-Opportuntiy Advisor of all people -- that showed simple characatures of each president, all the previous in the same beige-flesh-tone and then suddenly a dark characature at the end, with the caption being about how the voice of the American common man has spoken up for diversity..... when all of these things were happening, I still couldn't escape the overwhelming idea that perhaps we have brought ourselves our first black president in the same way that many people find their first spouses... jumping at the first decent option that comes along. I am not saying that I don't think he will be a good president. As I mentioned that morning, I am not upset about not getting my ballot this year (although apart from the Presidential election, I'm not sure what else was on the Florida ballot this time around and would perhaps be more opinionated about those issues) because I feel pretty apathetic about the decision this time around. No clear winner and no clear loser for me. How he does as president, and how we shape up as a nation, will be determined in time regardless of how much promise he may hold now. What I am saying is that if he was truly the far-and-away best candidate, I think the margin in the popular vote might have been a bit more dramatic. I think that the conversations would be less about race and more about policy and history. But, since I don't think he was a worst candidate, either, or even a particularly bad one, I do join in the hope that his presidency will go well, that we will see many improvements in our nation and in the world. I do hope that it continues the constant search for reconciliation, but I will know it has succeeded when we stop having so many Firsts all the time. I'd like to see our presidential candidates have a race-free race. That is not to say that we won't relate to ethnic aspects of their personal heritage (just as we do to their religion or their family's countries-of-origin) but simply that it won't be such a primary factor for the majority. For example, my Irish heritage helps me appreciate a candidate who shares this heritage, but not all white candidates. His Kenyan heritage could be related to by fellow Kenyan-descendents, but not necessarily all of African descent. It's notable that the white side of his heritage is barely acknowledged, at least in what has reached us over here. I have mentioned before that this country (where I am now) is a remarkable joining of races and cultures. I forget if I have ever mentioned that, as with many or most other regions, there is also a certain elitist thinking among many of the locals, especially in their perspective of certain other nationalities who have more often filled a servant or laboror role within society here. It gets a little bit deeper than I think I could (or am ready to) express on here, but it has been interesting to become aware of and able to understand exactly what the different ideas are about various local/regional countries (even those at the top of the elitism tiers) and how many of them view the other surrounding countries. This mentality has made this election very interesting from a different perspective than I would have had if I had been living in the States during it, from much more of a world-view than I could have possibly had if I weren't here during it. Here's to democracy, here's to reconciliation and to diversity, here's to overcoming, truly overcoming.
Comments:
I guess Katy is a republican, because President-Elect Obama spoke to plenty of principles, just not those of Senator McCain's base.
I remember when you were very, very young and your mom and I had Jesse Jackson for President T-Shirts! Really hoped he'd win, too! If anyone was the "first to come along," it was Jesse. Of course, the Jesse then was much different than the Jesse we've seen over the last years. Yes, electing the first Black President was important, and we should not lose sight of its significance. But ending the truly depressing eight years of the Bush Presidency, and ensuring that #44 would not continue that track record, or worsen it, was a much more important goal. Senator McCain proved, by his very lack of the maverickness he and his "soulmate" touted, that he would continue down the path of self-destruction more commonly known as "Dubya." And don't get me started on Sarah Failin'!!! You bethca I'd have a lot to say about her hillbilly neoconservativism. President Obama will bring something to the office that Dubya steadily lost beginning in 2003, with the invasion of Iraq, and worsening ever since with the uncovering of the truth that there were no WMDs, that Bush and Cheney planned to invade Iraq long before 9/11/2001, and that they ensured the evidence as revealed at te time backed up their decision, while hiding evidence to the contrary. In law, they call that prosecutorial misconduct. In a President, it's called an impeachable offense. I am hopeful that Senator McCain' concession speech will signal a new era of Republican cooperation in working to get us out of the mess that Dubya has so eagerly gotten us into. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight, but I too am convinced that reconciliation and diversity will win the day. "Here's to Democracy" back at you! love, Dad # posted by
 : 09 November, 2008 14:52
Hi, Patty! I have enjoyed "meeting" your dad tonight. He has now paid his first visit to fallible. I am afraid I did not make a good first impression, but I think he and I are making progress... ;)
Thank you for the nice comments. Loved your words of wisdom here..... # posted by
: 09 November, 2008 19:58
When I was very young, Dad? You still have your Run, Jesse Run tee! ... I didn't say Obama was the FIRST option...
I remember when I was not so young but still a child, and my brothers and I started saying we were not democrats, more to get under your (and mom's) skin than anything else, but as I grew and saw and experience the world, I realized that actually I am really not a democrat. I am compassionate, I care deeply, I believe in humans helping each other get through this crazy world.... but I am not a democrat. You know that I am a registered republican, though not necessarily a staunch republican. Like Katy said in her post, she looked into Obama's records and found that she did not agree. And that, dear father, is the beauty of democracy, is it not? And the fact that he will be our president whether or not we voted FOR (or against) him. Just as President Bush was the leader of us all whether or not we voted for him, no? Your opinions on President Bush are rather strong, of course, as are the rest of my democratic family's. And you know that overall, I don't necessarily agree with a lot of the factors on which you base those opinions. I think that the chances of there being lies and corruption after the fact are just as great as lies and corruption beforehand, but that Bush was not the only one at all who had been completely convinced about the WMDs... it's like when John might tell you I made a face at you and you turned to see me smiling, that doesn't mean I was sticking my tongue out a moment before. ;) You don't have to convince me now that McCain was not a good condidate or his running mate was not a good decision... I don't know how many people still supported her in the end there, but most I've spoken with from both sides of the house agree that she was the worst decision he made in the whole campaign. Either way, it's already over, and I don't feel any regret about what the American people (popular or electoral) decided... I was waiting on my ballot to come in before I really made a decision myself, and since it didn't, I didn't... But saying I'm not sure I would have voted for him doesn't mean I would have voted for McCain, or vice-versa. At any rate, what's done is done and we'll see where things go from here. I did fill out some information about the absentee ballot process, by the way. And I also noted on another friend's blog that you were the only one to send me candidate's information, which means all of my many Libertarian and other democratic relatives must not value my vote that much... or they figure I'm to stubborn to be convinced... Really, I'm not. Except about welfare. Or certain other government assistance agencies. Or certain other policies that are generall supported more strongly be democrats and/or liberals. But, you know, otherwise I'm not. So that's my take. And now it's bedtime. Goodnight!
When I (with emphasis) was young, Republicans were not largely represented by those we see today. I did actually vote for a Republican at least once -- Frank Sargent (spelling?) for Goveror. He was the incumbent and lost to Michael Dukakis in the early 80s. THAT was a case where I didn't see a lot of difference between the candidates and in fact I think the Republican was MORE liberal in a lot of ways. We also had one of the first Black Senators, who was also quite progressive for a Republican.
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But the Republican Party today is a lot different. Filled with "Neocons" and folks who want to villify Democrats as "socialists" while proclaiming themselves the party of change and hope! You can't be soemthing you are not and the Republican Party is NOT hope and change. And there were vast differences between McCain and Obama. I was quite pleased to hear that your cousin Scott voted for Obama, though your uncle decided for some reason that he had to represent the Republican Minority by going with McCain. I don't have the Run Jesse Run T-shirt anymore. Should have put it away many years ago before I wore it into tatters. But that shirt, and the Children's Books about Martin Luther King, Jr. were certainly part of your childhood. As far as Bush, it is not merely a question of his being convinced about WMDs. Surely, in the heat of the "moment" of the aftermath of 9/11, many of our leaders were guilty of acting without reading and investigating, and Bush was given way too much leeway. But there is STRONG evidence that he and Chaney (and partcularly Chaney) actively participated in burying information and encouraged fabrication of information to support their going into Iraq,and that this began long before 9/11. If I was a paranoid conspiracy theorist I might think they caused 9/11 in order to have an excuse to make things right for his dad! But I'm not! I'm sorry that no one else talked to you about your vote. And I am surely sorry that you didn't get your ballot -- I thought only Democrats got disenfranchised!!! But I do feel it's important that you get information to help you make your election decision. Too many people get all their politicalnews from Fox News -- which is a really, really BAD mistake!!! Well, have to get some things done and then off for a haircut. Love, Dad # posted by
: 11 November, 2008 14:33 |
Hippie: (after hearing Max wants to avoid the draft)You still have options man. "So how do i do normal "It's been known for a train to jump its track. It's ok, so you'll know, most times they come back. It's ok to lose your life, when you finally see your birth. It's ok to say, "I love you," and figure sometimes it's gonna hurt. "As a comedian, you have to start the show strong and you have end the show strong. Those are the two key elements. You can't be like pancakes, all exciting at first, but then by the end you're sick of 'em!" "Hey, this is weird! I ordered one frozen yogurt and they gave me two. You don't happen to like frozen yogurt, do you?" "I love it!" "You're kidding! What a crazy random happenstance!" "Only one more trip," said a gallant seaman, "It was Flannery O'Connor who said that 'grace must wound before it heals.' Her words help me to separate what is most true about life from the things we want to be true. We want life to be painless. True grace is a hard sell because in order for the human heart to understand forgiveness and love, it must first experience darkness and isolation. A life lived under the rule of grace is a life of need which allows us to receive an appreciate the gift of the giver of grace. This is why we will always have the poor with us; this is why God will not allow us to ignore injustice; this is why we are called to a life we cannot handle alone, which can and will break us in the effort to live it -- because grace must wound before it heals." Regarding 2007: Should auld acquaintance be forgot, I thought Christmas Day would never come. But it's here at last, so Mom and Dad, the waiting's finally done. And you gotta get up, you gotta get up, you gotta get up, it's Christmas morning. O little town of Bethlehem, Walk humbly, son Strings of lights above the bed "In a little while I'll feel better "Please tell me once again that You love me. That You love me. Please tell me once again that I matter to You and You really care. Please tell me once again that You're with me, forever. It's not that I could ever doubt you, I just love the way it sounds. I just love the way it sounds." "Every once in a while, a bannerzen posts." "7:30. What kind of people have to be at work at 7:30?" have you seen my love Traveling is significant because it takes so much effort. Either you're going to some place you love, or you're leaving some place you love. Usually it's both. I think I have Bond's ability to get into trouble but not his ability to get out of it. Someday I'll be in some foreign country with 5 thugs with automatic rifles pointed at me, and I'll just.... fart "You had no alternative .. We must work in the world. The world is thus." --- "No .. Thus have we made the world." The summer ends and we wonder where we are And there you go, my friends, with your boxes in your car And you both look so young And last night was hard, you said You packed up every room And then you cried and went to bed But today you closed the door and said "We have to get a move on. It's just that time of year when we push ourselves ahead, We push ourselves ahead." Looking out the bedroom at this snowy TV.. ever since commencement, no one's asking 'bout me. But I bet before the night falls, I could catch the late bus.. take small provisions and this Beethoven bust. I could find work in the outskirts of the city, eat some fish on the way.. befriend an old dog for a roadside pal, find a nice couch to stay -- a pull-out sofa, if you please!" Ooh! Get me away from here I'm dying "The trouble with folks like Brownie is they hold their life in like a bakebean fart at a Baptist cookout and only let it slip out sideways a little at a time when they think there's nobody noticing. Now that's the last thing on earth the Almighty intended. He intended all the life a man's got inside him, he should live it out just as free and strong and natural as a bird." "Life is a phantasmagoria .. It is a pell-mell of confused and tumultuous scenes. We try in vain to find a purpose - to bring an order, a unity to life. I suppose that is the appeal of art. Art is the blending of the real and the unreal, the conquering of nature. It is real enough for it to reflect life, but has the unity that life lacks." "in time memories fade. I've always had this feeling about Patty that she's complex and intriguing...I like Patty alot. She's got a good heart and tells terrible squirrel jokes. "Try to remember that world-weariness isn't necessarily a bad thing. In the book of Mark, I think its Mark, Jesus looks at a blind man and sighs. Jesus sighed before even telling the man he would be healed. He sighed, and I'm not sure that there's a much more human expression of frustration than this. Faced with the horrid picture of a cursed earth and looking into the white eyes of a man blind from the day he was born, He sighed. The Creator of the universe in human form was sad "of the evils of this world," the world He created. Your Creator sighed for you in the same way before He healed you and made you His." After the last secret's told After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone After the last child starves And the last girl walks the boulevard After the last year that's just too hard There is love -- Andrew Peterson, After the Last Tear Falls "when you most need people, you don't need perfection - just to know someone gives a damn" "A CALL TO ACTION: "My brother's always [telling me], 'You should be more mysterious--boys like that.' But I'm not good at that. It would just make me more uncomfortable." "Loners want to kill you, but not for any particular reason, and they'd probably like you if they weren't being guided by the violent voices in their head." "No one wants to oil a snake these days!"
-- Her mom: "We're all safe." -- Jamie Bevill and her mother during Christmas-Decorating dinner, December 20, 2002 i'd throw out all my shoes i'd set up cans for friends to dump their shoes senseless shoes a pioneer of callouses lordy-be and bless my soul i'd be a barefoot spaceman the first you'd ever know" "The best way to have God's will for your life is to have no will of your own!" "Generations circle and each one atones. The sins of the father are seperate from my own. In Pilgrim's Progress, it's forgiveness that makes whole, and as time levels and consoles, I place the daisies in your bowl." "For a moment he just stared at her. Then, with an urf-urf-urf of laughter, he turned back to the controls." "It's on the internet.. so, then, it must be true." "Be at least as interested in what people can become as you are in what they have been." Blessed be the rock stars!" Get up for the shower.. wash and scrub and scour every part as if a cleaner man could better bear the shame.. "She was eating gnarly amounts of calcium." Homeless man to girl trying to give him money: "No, thanks, ma'am. I never work on Sundays." "Wow! I never thought I'd need a radar-guided spatula!" "Isn't it great that I articulate? Isn't it grand that you can understand? ... I can talk, I can talk, I can talk!" I believe that people laugh at coincidence as a way of relegating it to the realm of the absurd and of therefore not having to take seriously the possibility that there is a lot more going on in our lives than we either know or care to know... I suspect that part of it, anyway, is that every once and so often we hear a whisper from the wings that goes something like this: "You've turned up in the right place at the right time. You're doing fine. Don't ever think that you've been forgotten. When I lay these questions before God I get no answer. But a rather special sort of "No answer." It is not the locked door. It is more like a silent, certainly not uncompassionate, gaze. As though He shook His head not in refusal but waiving the question. Like, "Peace, child; you don't understand." CCM: You've spoken a lot more about crying than I ever thought you would. "Youth is not a period of time. It is a state of mind, a result of the will, a quality of the imagination, a victory of courage over timidity, of the taste for adventure over the love of comfort. A man doesn't grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal. The years may wrinkle his skin, but deserting his ideal wrinkles his soul. Preoccuptaions, fears, doubts, and despair are the enemies which slowly bow us toward earth and turn us into dust before death. You will remain young as long as you are open to what is beautiful, good, and great; receptive to the messages of other men and women, of nature and of God. If one day you should become bitter, pessimistic, and gnawed by despair, may God have mercy on your old man's soul." ""Don't go matchmaking for me, Ilse," said Emily wit a faint smile... "I feel in my bones that I shall achieve old-maidenhood, which is an entirely different thing from having old-maidenhood thrust upon you." "I wish Aunt Elizabeth would let me go to Shrewsbury, but I fear she never will. She feels she can't trust me out of her sight because my mother eloped. But she need not be afraid I will ever elope. I have made up my mind that I will never marry. I shall be wedded to my art" "Tomorrow seems like a long ways away. But it will come, just like any other day... Deep inside, where the wounded creatures hide, I am afraid. Maybe I got lost somewhere along the way somehow. Please rescue me... Yea, though I walk through the valley of the dark shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me... Though I fear, though I am afraid, You are with me. Though I'm angry, tired, broken down and confused, You are with me. Though I sin like I've never sinned before, lose myself right out an open door, You are with me." "The invisible people agreed about everything. Indeed most of their remarks were the sort it would not be easy to disagree with: "What I always say is, when a chap's hungry, he likes some victuals," or "Getting dark now; always does at night," or even "Ah, you've come over the water. Powerful wet stuff, ain't it?"" -- C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader "When People object... that if Jesus was God as well as Man, then He had an unfair advantage which deprives Him for them of all value, it seems to me as if a man struggling in the water should refuse a rope thrown to him by another who had one foot on the bank, saying, "Oh but you had an unfair advantage." It is because of His advantage that He can help." "But, you know, as a Christian, one of the big questions you always ask yourself is, "So we believe in Jesus, we believe in the teachings of the church, but what does that look like when it's lived out?" Because surely, one of the things that Jesus said that I think we often overlook is, "The person who hears my words and does them is like the wise man who built his house on the rock." He didn't say "the person who hears my words and thinks about 'em" or "whoever hears my words and agrees with it." But he said, "Whoever hears it and does it." "find that which gives you breath and grants you more to give "I have packed all my belongings. I don't belong here anymore. This pair of sandles, one pack to carry, this old guitar and this tattered old Bible. And I know I won't be afraid. 'cause I know, I know Home is where You are." "Open up your weepy eyes, everyone is dancing. Angels peer through sweet disguise, through a fire of cleansing. "Long hair, no hair; Everybody, everywhere:
Breathe Deep, breathe deep the Breath of God!" "You may be bruised and torn and broken, but
you're Mine!" "I don't deserve to speak, and they don't deserve
to hear it. It's makin' me believe that it's not
about me." "Kickin' against these goads sure did cut up my
feet. Didn't your hands get bloody as you washed
them clean?" "They say God blessed us with plenty. I say
you?re blessed with poverty. ?Cause you never
stop to wonder whether earth is just a little
better than the Land of the Free" "Computers will know everything in the 21st
century. They'll be like me in the 20th
century." |
