Jan

22

vote smart or go home

Filed Under blabbery, voter research, who cares | Leave a Comment

I had a long, heart-breaking conversation with my husband the other night. Him arguing the futility of voting and my trying not to burst into tears that this was someone under my own roof exhibiting the exact kind of apathy I can’t stand.

Obama might be firing up 18 - 25 year olds, but I’m afraid there’s a big gap of 26-35 year olds that still don’t give a crap. My brother-in-law said, “Who really cares? My vote isn’t going to make a difference.” My friend Sara said, “I know the voting systems get hacked anyway, so why bother.”

Um…does anyone else find this alarming? I feel like I’m being cornered by naysayers, and my only sword is hope. Okay, that was a little dramatic.

But it’s very upsetting. How do you make people care? Isn’t the current administration reason enough to vote?

Mar

30

The President is funny…on purpose this time

Filed Under George W. Bush, blabbery, presidential address, ridiculous people | Leave a Comment

I can count on one hand the times I’ve wanted to listen to the President. That’s not to say I don’t listen, I almost always do, but I usually don’t enjoy it. I think this is an example of him at his best…although his comic timing isn’t great, his self-deprecation is appreciated.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/29/bush-monologues-open-thread/ 

Mar

27

sad times

Filed Under Iraq, afghanistan, blabbery, blessings, guilt, war | 1 Comment

I hate how I am able to compartmentalize the war…even able to forget it’s even happening at times. The last two years are some of the few in my life that I didn’t live either on a military base or very near one. I’m amazed at how I’ve distanced my mind from all that being a military family entails.

Here’s a good reminder:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17773294/site/newsweek/

I would apologize for being a downer, but I’m not sorry. I’m only sorry that I don’t make more of an effort know what’s happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. Once my brother-in-law returned from his second tour, and the last of my good friends came home, and I stopped working as a contractor - planning military blood drives, I kind of checked out.

But the reality is that the rotations go on. The number of wounded and dead continue to grow. The sacrifice amazes me, and humbles me. It’s sad and exhausting to think about. For me, anyway. There so much guilt tied into gathering information - how lucky I am that I was never deployed, that my husband was never deployed. But even now, as other friends prepare to deploy on their third and fourth tours, I’m so grateful to be so lucky. And I feel bad about that. I don’t know what I’m saying here. It’s a little rambly.

Sorry about that. I’ll come back and edit this later.

Feb

13

The House Inaction

Filed Under blabbery, life | Leave a Comment

Here’s a letter I got from my representative:

 

Dear Mrs. <name removed> :

Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on the Safe Climate Act of 2006 .

Representing the interests of the 49 th Congressional District is made much easier by people like you, who take the time and effort to share their opinions with me. Your comments concerning the Safe Climate Act of 2006 have been noted. I will be sure to keep them in mind when related issues come before me in the House of Representatives.

To view my positions and additional information on current issues, please visit my website at www.house.gov/issa . Each week, I survey comments received from my constituents and post statements on the issues of greatest interest. Please return to the website often as new information is added frequently.

Again, thank you for contacting me about this matter of concern to you.

Sincerely,

Darrell Issa
Member of Congress

Not so impressive…I don’t feel confident that he will consider my feelings at all. That’s why I didn’t vote for him. I voted for Jeeni Criscenzo, even though she was a long shot. Issa’s not a bad guy, but the issues he’s dealing with are not my first choice. He has very little sponsored or co-sponsored legislation dealing with anything environmental. He is very supportive of the military though, which I think is important and fitting for our district.

I have letters that my mom received from both Kennedy and Johnson thanking her for expressing her opinions on the legalization of marijuana…I think I’ll write actual letters to my senators and representatives from now on, so my kids know what was important to me :)