Ok, not my last political rant

It has always been my opinion that one of the most important freedoms in this country should be the right to have an opinion that differs with other people without experiencing persecution for it. 
I work in a predominantly republican/conservative environment and there are a few here that know I lean more toward non-traditional and less than conservative views.

This is the conversation I had this morning when I walked in the office carrying my extra-large $1.00 iced tea from Steak and Shake. 
Co-worker - "Won't be long before you won't be allowed to buy those big drinks, thanks to the liberal left wanting to control everything we do!".  (No, he didn't even say good morning first)
Other co-worker - "Yeah, thank you Miss Democrat!!"
Me - "Good morning, everyone. 
First of all, I'm not a democrat.  I'm an independent.  I've voted on both sides of the fence. 
Second, I agree that regulating the size of drinks is stupid. 
Third, how the hell is this my fault? 

These two people always lash out at me and ridicule me whenever ANY political conversation begins and I'm sick of it.  I usually bite my tongue but this morning, when one of them quoted one of the inane Fox News people, I couldn't hold back any longer and told them it's my opinion he's an idiot. 

Then I got control and just walked away. 

This is a very minor indication of how things have changed so much.  There are no polite discussions of differences of opinion anymore.  Everything is mean-spirited and angry and I'm sick of it. 

I mentioned once before that someone at work actually said to me, "How can you call yourself a Christian and still vote for Obama?"  Seriously???  How insulting is that?

People....can we just agree to disagree, be respectful and be nice to each other?  Please? 

My final political rant

I will affirm right off the bat that I'm voting for Obama.  I can't stomach any of the republican candidates this time around and frankly, I'm sick of hearing how ineffective Obama has been.  Yes, we still have a long way to go, but we have had 22 straight months of growth, Ohio's unemployment rate has dropped, Bin Laden is gone and I believe there would have been a lot more progress if the republicans in congress had cared more about helping the American people instead of hurting President Obama.  I do not intend to vote for any incumbent.  They don't deserve their jobs.  I believe what Obama says and I can't say that about any other candidate. 
Ok, I'm done.   Thanks for listening.

And then there's.....................

And then there's Newt Gingrich.  There are so many cliches that come to mind with this guy, but  
A LEGEND IN HIS OWN MIND is right there at the top.  I don't think I've ever seen a more egomaniacal person.  And, honesty is definitely not one of his character traits.  I've found http://www.politifact.com/ to be quite useful in distinguishing between truth and fiction with Newts comments.  Often, they earn the "pants on fire" rating.  And, he still refuses to admit his peers in Washington admonished him for unethical practices.  This guy is nothing more than a bully with a teflon hide.  I shutter to think how he would handle our foreign policies.  This one scares me the most.
Next up Obama.

More political rantings

And now, let's talk about Romney.  As clueless as Santorum is about the definition of separation of church and state, Romney is clueless about nearly everything else.  Everyone's heard the latest flubs about cars and sports, "My wife has two cadillacs." "I don't follow car-racing but I have close friends who own some of the Indy teams".   (For some refreshing and fun entertainment, I STRONGLY suggest you go to Hulu.com and watch the last few episodes of John Stewart's Daily Show.  There are several things that bother me about this guy, but I want to stress one very important point that's bugging the hell out of me.  Did you know that Romney is a Mormon? This will be no problem if he can keep his religious views out of the Oval Office, but after having a fascinating discussion over lunch with 3 Mormon women, I discovered Mormons (yep, men and women both) believe that women should only have positions of authority over other women?  Seriously???  I can't help but wonder how this religious point of view would affect his cabinet if he's elected and it amazes me that no one has asked him that yet.  If I had a corporation that needed a slick CFO, I might consider Romney but putting him in charge of this country and our relationships with the rest of the world, (many of them poor as hell) that's something else.  He is simply unable to relate to anyone but the elite and seems to have no sympathy for anyone or anything that would help those less fortunate.  Of course, there are those that abuse the system and take advantage.  There always has been and always will be until the right group of people re-vamp this broken system.  But let's not forget that in addition to those people who feel they have an automatic right to entitlements, there are also those who truly need help.  Again, we need a shift of mentality that realizes health care for all children, (hell, everyone) is a moral issue, not a political one.  I just haven't seen anything indicating Romney is interested in anything but furthering his own political career.  At least not from what I've heard so far.  Next up, Newt Gingrich. 
  

Can't stand it any longer

I was really going to try and avoid all the political crap, this being an election year and all, but I just can't help myself.  After hearing all the people who intend to vote for Santorum or Romney and worse yet, Gingrich, I just can't hold it in any longer.
Let's start with Santorum.  He says he wants to preserve freedom of religion but never misses an opportunity to share his religious views and how they will affect his presidency.  1.  Opposed to birth control.  Does he know it's not 1950 any longer?  Is everyone aware that he actually said (with his out-loud voice)  "a pregnancy that comes from rape is a horrible, unfortunate  GIFT". ? OMG   2.  Opposed to same sex marriage.  Who the hell cares who lives with who?  How does that impact you personally?  Why shouldn't the loved-one of a gay person have the same legal rights that I have with my loved-one?  What possible harm does it do to someone else?  3.  Pro-life.  Come on, really?  Everyone is pro-life.  No one likes abortion.  But sometimes (and I'm thinking of a teenager or a raped woman) it's a reasonable choice.  The point is, it's THEIR choice to make, not the governments.  In a speech at Ava Marie University in Florida, Rick Santorum actually said, "This is not a political war at all.  This is not a cultural war at all.  This is a spiritual war.  Obviously he doesn't understand the concept of separation of church and state.  What Santorum really stands for is INTOLERANCE.  

The Emancipation of Helen

   Thought I would write about the day I realized I was self-sufficient and could do anything I put my mind to, or rather, anything to which I put my mind.  It was 1979 and it was the day I fixed the vacuum cleaner.  Seriously, this was a life-changing event for me.
   I know this sounds like no big deal, but to someone who had been told all their life they were stupid, it was a revelation.  The proverbial lightbulb went off in my head and illuminated like a blinking neon sign screaming, You are woman, hear you roar!!  Then, I beat my ex at chess.  Life was never going to be the same again.  I beat 'The Intimidator' at chess.  I'm struggling to find the words to describe all the emotions.  Suprise, glee, cocky, sailing, floating, flying....well, you get the idea. 
   I had always felt diminished by the people closest to me so something as simple as fixing the sweeper made me realize, "Hell, if I can fix the sweeper and beat meany-butt at chess, I can do anything!!  Living with confidence was a whole new and lovely experience.  So, don't underestimate or dismiss the little stuff.  It can actually be HUGE and life-changing if you're paying attention. 
   The moral is, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER let someone else define who you are.  You decide and then be it.  One of my daughter's favorite sayings is, Whatever you are, be a good one, Abraham Lincoln.  The other one she has that I love is: 

"You are always already happy. The reason you don't experience it is that it's covered up by layers of suppressed emotions and negative thoughts. Shift your attention and your inherent happiness flashes forth." -Steve Ross
   Be yourself.  And enjoy everything that entails. 
 

    

Christmas Memories -

I was reading my daughter's blog this morning.  She was telling about helping her 5 year old write his first letter to Santa.  It made me start thinking about some of my Christmas memories. 
When I had kids, I resolved to make Christmas a big deal because my parents put a miniscule amount of energy into Christmas.  Thanksgiving was another story.  Since my dad was a chef and baker by trade he went all out for that.  One time he even closed his restaurant and had the whole extended family come to dinner.  There were enough people to fill the restaurant.  But Christmas was another story.  We had a tree, but I remember being 5 or 6 and my brother and I decorating it.  This always included burning my fingers on the old-fashioned lights that got so hot they would melt the icicles....and skin!  I think this was the exercise that taught me to swear.  But I still love those lights even though they're dangerous as hell.  I also remember putting up a string of snowball lights across the fireplace mantle.  I loved those lights and have looked for some like it ever since.  I hope to find them in an antique store someday.

These days, Christmas stockings are a huge deal.  It's all a huge deal actually.  From making the cookies, to looking at Christmas lights, to wrapping presents, to watching White Christmas while decorating the tree, to hiding the Christmas Pickle (do a Google search) and on and on.  More time often goes into stuffing the stockings than buying the regular presents.  There always has to be; a slinky, silly putty, a back-scratcher, candy, Swenson's gold coins, a various other fun stuff to reach in and find.  When I was a kid, our stockings held a 50 cent piece and an orange......every year. 

I do remember gifts like the huge (at least it seemed so) Mickey Mouse cardboard clubhouse that my brother Mike and I sat in to watch the Mickey Mouse Club show on TV until it finally disintegrated.
I also remember a baby doll one year that accompanied me to Canada and was in my hands practically the whole trip.  That was the only time I played with a doll.  I usually wanted my brother's bb gun and army men instead. 
I think my fondest memory though was one Christmas morning when Mike came into my room and woke me up very early and we sneaked downstairs together to check out the Santa stash.   It was one of those few moments spent with a sibling that stays with you.  I know my kids have a similar memory of running a string from one room to the other and putting a bell at the end so Jen could tug on the string and wake Mark up so they could sneak downstairs to check out the presents.  But Jen evidently tugged a little too hard and the bell fell on Mark's head. 

I also remember one Christmas when I was about 12, my parents were working at the restaurant and hadn't even bothered to go buy a tree.  So Mike and I walked to the nearest tree sales lot, picked out a tree, dragged it home and put it up and decorated it all by ourselves.  We were incredibly proud of that tree.  There were several years when my brother and I were at odds and it has occurred to me that my fondest memories of my brother are mostly centered around Christmas, probably because we were pretty much on our own. 

The best part of Christmas every year was going to my grandmothers on Christmas Eve.  This is what Christmas should look like; lots of family, lots of kids, lots of food, lots of laughter, and my grandmother holding court instructing who should open which present next and the kids (20 grandchildren in all) not-so-patiently waiting for their turn.  It was always awesome and more than made up for the stark reality at our house.

So, to say my folks weren't the best parents when it came to holidays is an understatement, but the holidays were always special nonetheless. 
I guess it's like anything else.  If you wait for someone else to create your joy, you will often wait a very long time....sometimes forever.  Moral of the story....make it what you want.

I hope I've made up for their indifference with my family.  I'm pretty sure I did because Jen is already counting the days until next Christmas!!!