Still waiting to hear if either of the presidential candidates will pick a good running mate we can live with. Both are so flip-flopp-ish this matters enormously. I think the proof of that lies in how long it has taken both of them to pick a running mate. I don't recall any election that delayed on this point for so long!
Now I'd love it if Obama picked up Bill Richardson (my real Dem fav among the earlier prez candidates) . Naturally, I also like Gov Kaine as a choice. Kaine has been a good governor for VA. Obama still has inspiring rhetoric, but some of the terms he uses are beginning to concern me. He's coming off as an advocate for radical change all right, but not necessarily the best kind . His comments about foreign language use sounded way too Nanny Government, even a bit elitist - even though I agree that all who can should learn a foreign language. I also think we need some kind of regulation of the health insurance & medical industries, but what exactly does Obama have in mind? People can't afford it anymore because the prices are so insane, but that doesn't mean they want even more over-priced under-efficient 'charity' that sacrifices even more personal freedoms! He's not making a good showing here in VA lately all around. Some veterans even expressed displeasure over his European tour, and especially the big speech at Brandenburg gate, saying something him 'not having earned the privilege.' (?) MY question is - does he recognize religious, familial, & educational rights outside the NEA? Other people are wondering if he would respect our constitutional freedoms, especially those relating to self-defense. Kaine does, and that makes him a well-balanced governor for our state. Even the hard-line conservatives here have come to respect our governor. If he could promise to be like Kaine, VA might just vote Democrat this time around.
Then again, if McCain picked up Huckabee, that would just about ensure my vote. No other candidate all season has mattered as much as Huckabee IMHO. Romney isn't even close. I kinda saw him as a younger McCain with less military experience.
& I have a strong feeling that the VP job is gonna be an important slot in the days ahead. This business with Russia invading Georgia is bad, bad news - worse than the oil crisis and the economy together IMHO. Something like this was always predicted to kick off WWIII. I don't want that, obviously, but we can't just look away while this peaceful little nation goes down either. Hoping Glen Beck is wrong and Georgia's Western allies offer some substantive help real soon.
No, the big news isn't good right now, in more ways than one. With all the extreme weather & big fires etc, another failing is becoming increasingly obvious. News outlets sometimes fail to put the various disasters in proper context (How big is this fire compared with the usual? How will this affect the ecosystem down the road? How many pollutants will be released by this?How many people affected by this latest problem are still down from the last storm/earthquake/tornado?)
But they always seem to miss 'the bottom line' these days. At one point, the USA was nearly split again by the Mississippi River. Highways/bridges were affected, and boats couldn't cross. All that was left were HUGE redirects of hundreds of miles - and air traffic. They actually had to tell people to give it up, and wait for the water to go down. Some bridges needed repair afterward - SO, when and where did the media get around to telling folks which major highways & bridges were safe & available? No when. No where. Not that I saw. Ditto for the thousands of acres/towns/roads burnt up in California, Washington and N.C. Okay, its under control now, great. Now...what is left? What roads are safe to use around there? Don't they think people want to know these things? What if there were a major earthquake? Its a major omission not to find out how the infrastructure is affected and make sure the public can easily access the information.
My biggest whinge about the local news lately has been the uneven coverage. All news outlets- video & print- are devoting much time to the latest fallen hero, a police officer. I am glad they are honoring a guy who seems to have lived a commendable life and fell in the line of duty, but sadly this much more deserving recipient is coming after many similar stories and we wish they would spend a bit more time making sure they get out all the major news events. A deadly accident of motorcyclist this last weekend appeared ONLY in one newspaper. A suspected sex offender case was briefly on tv, but local papers didn't seem to have any follow-up. Only the main regional paper keeps up with the ongoing political investigations in several counties & the continuing fallout from these situations (recall petitions etc). No one seems to know even yet any more about that guy who got run over by a vehicle some months back, or they just don't care. Gives the impression of an odd weighting given to some lives over others, even when there's continuing risk to the public, but I think its partly due to these nearly continuous tributes cutting so badly into their 'real news' space. TV News Media here basically suspends much of their regular newscast in order to give more time to personal tributes and time spent at ALL the local memorial services for each dignitary- sometimes for weeks on end. One case was a high school guard/police officer who died in a single car accident. Several others were for military heroes whose bodies had just arrived from Iraq or Afghanistan. We're starting to have to skim all the news sources regularly even to learn about major local incidents & accidents, but, overall, the newspapers are doing the best job lately - except for weather forecasts.
6 comments:
I've been learning a bit about what I'm coming to term 'libertarian's dilemma.' I think I'd vote for anyone who would make the government smaller, but I don't see that on either side. McCain's foreign policy comments scare me, and Obama's desire to create large, expensive comprehensive government welfare programs scares me - which it always does, but especially when the economy is in recession. My dream scenario at this point would be Obama with a strongly fiscally conservative House & Senate, but I don't know if that's going to happen. Choosing the worst of two evils is so hard! We shall just have to wait and see.
Sorry to hear about the recent changes and challenges, but hope they are also opportunities for growth for you and your family. Hope you are well, my friend.
Agreed that check & balance with one party in the white house & the other dominating congress seems to work better for our country.
& There's been libertarians I'd support but I'm undecided on Bob Barr. He's fiesty anyhow. Check his site
http://www.bobbarr2008.com/
Now Fred Thompson I could have had my voted as in Ind/ Pity he didn't like Huckabee.
Drudge report noted today that Clinton has gotten her name back in the final nomination process - albeit as an 'honorary roll call.' Be interesting to see what happens with that.
If those primaries took place now, after the things Obama has said & done lately, I don't think he'd win. She may be on the ticket yet, which matters immensely.
McCain is like a republican McGovern IMHO. He might be a good prez, who knows? I just don't see him generating much excitement except as an alternative, and that didn't work for McGovern. Honestly, I would rather have dealt with someone who had a new game plan to try as long as it didn't erode my basic freedoms even further. At least adding Huckabee would show a willingness to try something new.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FCNKwHRCQM
How about this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65I0HNvTDH4
seen this?
Subject: Letter to the Editor from a Cuban...A MUST read for every American
>From Richmond Times-Dispatch, Monday, July 7, 2008 ~
Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my independence day, and on July 4 I celebrate America's. This year is special, because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.
On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few months later, I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but, I digress.
I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive
When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all,
everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said, 'Praise the Lord.'
And when the young leader said, 'I will be for change and I'll bring you change,' everyone yelled, 'Viva Fidel!'
But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent, the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education, it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over, more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.
Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America? Would we?'
Manuel Alvarez, Jr.
I thought I was the only one who has been fervently praying for a McCain Huckabee ticket! I still don't uunderstand why everyone keeps throwing Romney's name around without ever even considering Huckabee...
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