2 posts tagged “earth day”
When ask by her teachers what she would do to help the Earth, my four-year-old daughter said:
So it just occurred to me this morning that there will either be a woman or a black man nominated for President of the United States of America. This is history in the making! I am honored to be around to see and appreciate this moment in time. I think it is fantastic! Now the question is who to vote for. I almost wish I didn't have to choose between voting for the first woman and the first African American. However, I could still end up voting for an old white guy on the other side. I have not decided where my vote will be going yet. I feel like I would be betraying history, and possibly the future, if I do vote for said old white guy. I think it's time for me to break it down and finally make a decision. So here it goes.
Let's start with those who I have already decided will not be getting my vote (and have not yet dropped out of the race).
Let me start by saying I believe in our first amendment right to freedom of religion afforded to all Americans by the Constitution. Practice whatever religion you want, if that is what you believe and it makes you happy. Having said that, I cannot and will not vote for a Mormon. Mitt Romney's faith probably would not have bothered me had I never moved to Arizona. Living in Mesa, Arizona in my high school years has given me a new perspective on the religion. My sister and I went to a school that had a high Mormon population. There was even a separate building where kids could take bible study, or whatever it was, during school hours. The kids at this school were so exclusive of non-Mormons. When talking to my sister they would ask her "Are you LDS?" (their church is called 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints') and she answered "What's that?" they would just stop talking to her and walk away. Until 1978 blacks were not awarded full membership into the Mormon Church. I worked for a guy who told me that after his son was killed he had spent a lot of time trying to find direction and purpose. He found himself becoming involved in the Mormon church. He was all in it, giving (what he said was required) 10% of his paycheck to the church among other rules. It was when people from the church came into his house (while he was out) and took away his coffee maker (as caffeine is not allowed) that he cut ties. He told the story as an anecdotal "I'm not giving up my coffee for anyone" story, but I saw much more in it. A church that tries to control your life. It's just too borderline cult for me. I couldn't trust a president who was involved in such a religion. So, sorry Mitt, I will not be voting for you.
While we are on the subject of religion, lets go ahead and take care of Mike Huckabee. Now while the first amendment protects the right these men have to practice any religion they choose, it also protects my right to practice no religion at all. And while I do not agree with any of Huckabee's conservative politics to begin with, it was this campaign ad that was the final nail in the coffin.
Yes, I understand the origin of Christmas, so we don't need to break that down. But I celebrate Christmas with my family in a very secular way. And that is my right. But in this ad, Huckabee tells us that "What really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ. . . " Now shouldn't a president who is supposed to protect everyone's freedom of (or from) religion respect those who do not share his religious beliefs? I think this ad was very disrespectful to Americans who practice non-Christian religions or, like me, no religion at all. So, that's it for Mr. Huckabee.
Let me give you a brief background on my thoughts on Iraq. Take a trip back in time with me to 1990. I was in 6th grade and Bush 41 was president. In my class we were required to keep a journal of the "conflict" with newspaper clippings, thoughts and whatnot. I remember being angry about the whole situation and thinking "What the hell are we in Iraq for? They haven't done anything to us. Why should we run over there and start bombing people for no good reason?" Now, I was only 11 or 12 years old, so I didn't get a lot of it, but I was not happy about it. I mean, hey, I grew up just outside of peace loving, tree hugging, Earth Day, recycling before it was cool, hippie San Francisco. Shit, I was in the Environmental Club. Anyway, back on topic. So I was not fond of the first Iraq invasion. Then came 9/11. I was all about going into where ever we needed to go to find the villains that pulled that one off. But when Bush 43 came up with this we need to go into Iraq business, I got pissed. Over and over again Iraq was linked by the administration with 9/11. I knew Iraq had nothing to do with it. So I have been against it from the beginning. Then there was a casualty in my own family. A war I did not believe in had taken away someone I loved. So, to recap: Iraq war = bad.
Back to Ron Paul. His appearance on The Daily Show got me interested. I had a research paper to write for a class and I chose to research some candidates and their plan for Iraq if elected. I chose to look at Paul, Joe Biden, McCain, and Clinton. Unfortunately I could not find Ron Paul's plan for getting out of Iraq anywhere. I even emailed his campaign asking for some info. The response I received was only that the war was not authorized by Congress to begin with so it was illegal. No actual exit strategy. Do you know who else had no exit strategy? That's right. G.W. After further analysis of Paul's platform I found that I disagree with him on a number of other issues including immigration and health care.
Also in the "No" column is Mike Gravel. I'm not gonna lie. I know nothing about Mike Gravel. The simple fact that he placed 8th in Iowa, 7th in New Hampshire and 5th in Michigan with a grand total of ZERO percent of the total votes and ZERO delegates, means that a vote for Mike Gravel would be absolutely pointless.
Are you still reading this? Wow. I commend you for sticking in there through all of my mad ramblings. You must really have nothing else going on. Well, now we are moving on to the three people who just may get my vote.
I'll begin with the least likely: "Old white guy".
I like John McCain. I don't want you to think I like McCain just because I live in Arizona and he's my Senator. Most of those who know me know I hold no loyalties to Arizona. I'm not from Arizona, it's just where I temporarily reside. however, the fact that I do live in Arizona means that I get extra exposure to McCain. One of the things that draws me to McCain is his effort for bipartisanship to actually get something done in Washington. Most politicians talk about "reaching across the aisle" but when in office, they do nothing but fight with the opposing party. You can't get anything done that way. McCain has put all that aside and worked with people from both sides on a number of issues to do something amazing: compromise. Now that research paper I mentioned before, McCain was one of my research subjects. I found that when I was done with my paper, my opinion, which had been "bring our people home now", had been changed. I wont get all into it here, but if you would like to see that research paper, let me know. Another thing that McCain has going for him in my eyes, is his honesty. Truth is something that has been sorely lacking in our current president and his administration. I appreciate McCain's sincerity. The problem is, he's and old white guy. Just like the 43 old white guys that came before him. Not only that but I do not agree with him on many issues such as abortion rights, gay marriage and stem cell research. Those are important issues. The three of them together is kind of a deal breaker.
That brings us to Hillary Clinton. Finally, a woman with a serious chance of becoming the President! I feel so proud! All women should be overjoyed at this prospect. I'm not saying that you have to like her or vote for her. Just be happy that a woman has this chance. It wasn't that long ago that women were not allowed to vote, and even more recent that women were expected to spend their days barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Look at how far we have come! Now I remember the days of the first Clinton presidency fondly. I was young, but I paid attention. I feel like a vote for Hillary is a vote for Bill. It's kind of a two for one. Now, I agree with Hillary on many issues. My problem with her is how much so many people hate her polarizing she can be. The quality that I like in McCain, his ability to compromise, is a quality that I think Mrs. Clinton lacks. I think that a president needs to have an open mind and I feel that she could end up being just as pig headed as our friend W. That could kill my vote for her. Holding strong in your beliefs is a good thing, but holding so strong that you are closed off to any other options is not.
That leaves us with Barack Obama. A black man as President of the United States of America. It's about time! Obama's stance on the issues does not differ much from that of Hillary Clinton's. So I am mostly in agreement with Obama on most things. The truth is I haven't found much about Obama that I don't like. There is that whole lack of experience thing he has hanging over his head. But he is such an intelligent man with vision that I think that is an obstacle he can overcome. I think my decision is to vote for Barack Obama. Hooray. I have figured it out.
The person I really wanted to see run for president was my good friend and fellow tree hugger Al Gore. With the planet in the shape that it is in and headed down the path it is on, I think that waiting any longer to get things done on a global scale will be disastrous. The truth is , if my ballot has a write in option, I am writing in Al Gore. He already has the trust of the international community and could do nothing but improve our image in the world. There is no issue more important than our planet. If we destroy it we have no where to go. And if, by some miracle, global warming turns out not to be, then hey, at least we have made Earth a nicer, cleaner place to live.
You didn't see that twist comin, did ya?! Well, there you go. If you are still reading this, thanks. You really care about what I have to say, don't ya? Or I have pissed you off enough that you read the whole thing just to leave me a nasty comment at the end. Comment to your heart's content my friend. I would love to hear what you have to say. This is an open discussion, after all. I have offered links to official campaign web sites of all the candidates mentioned along with a few others. Thanks for reading.
Peace, love, and happiness from your tree hugging friend,
Michelle.
