support the troops
I very much question Bush's reasons for sending soldiers to war, but regardless, they are there and deserve all our support. It sickens me when people speak against the military and our soldiers there. They are doing their jobs, regardless of what they personally believe, and making daily life or death decisions. We hear of the deaths, but what of the injuries? And consitions?

I think it's our duty as citizens to question our leadership, to ask why and expect answers. But it's also our duty to support the troops no matter what. They didn't ask to serve in a somewhat unpopular war. They signed up for the military for whatever reason--education, service to country, a way to escape poverty, job training, family history--and are doing their honor-bound duty. I'm sure that more than a few soldiers have refused and left. But the ones that are there should not be tarred by their leader's questionable actions.

Support our troops--they need it now more than ever.

that one little moment
i think i am the only one who has this feeling. i can look back at my life and know that had i answered one very specific question differently, the whole trajectory of my life would have changed. i know the precise, tiny moment, the event that seemed so unimportant at the time, but in hindsight changed everything that would be. anyone else know how i feel?

makes me think
one of these days i'm going to make a list of songs I associate with certain people, so that I can either remember to listen to them and be happy or never let them in my ears again. unfortunately radio stations around me have a knack for playing exactly what I don't want to hear when i least want to hear it. thank goodness for CDs.

terrorism lives
i've looked at several dictionary entries and come up with a definition i like:

the systematic use of terror, including fear or threats of physical violence, as a means of coercion

when people hear the word terrorism, they equate it with bombers, religious or military fanatics, or all of the above. what they don't realize is that many people live in a state of terror, and terrorism exists in schools, homes, neighborhoods, etc. the word has taken on a meaning far larger than the simple dictionary definition, but even boiled down to its simplest meaning it is no less scary. imagine a life where you spend every moment looking over your shoulder, jumping every time the phone or doorbell rings. imagine being afraid of what you say to someone for fear of the repercussions. imagine a life where someone or something is so consistently unpredictable that fear becomes a way of life, and you look for everyone's angle, assume that each look or word is intended to intimidate.

this is living in a state of terror, and the person who fears their spouse or neighbor or boss is no better off than the person that fears a suicide bomber, mortar attack, or random gunfire. I'd even venture to say that there is some comfort in an unknown enemy...you know you cannot plan, whereas if you know the perpetrator, they are a constant presence, whether they are physically near or not.

too much candy, man
I've had waaaaay too much candy today. Is there even a time of year anymore when there's not an abundance of sweet junkfood and some sort of occasion to buy it? I guess summer--there aren't many chocolate holidays then--but then there's barbeque and lemonade and the overwhelming desire for ice cream. Everything overlaps--Xmas candy isn't even cleared out when Valentine's shows up, then easter, etc, and don't forget the little green trolls with their thin mints and do-si-does outside every retail outlet in america, extracting a guilty $4 from nearly every passerby.

but even as i piss and moan i gleefully stuff myself with cadbury cream eggs and peeps (only chicks and bunnies--the originals).

split personality
had a conversation with a friend today about the duality of perfomers, how someone can be completely one way in character and completely different out of it. and how a lot of people just don't get this and want you to be one way or the other all the time.

this doesn't make a lot of sense to me, because everyone plays roles and changes their personality depending on the situation. you don't act the same way with your card buddies as you do with senior women. you don't act the same way at work as you do at a football game. everyone shifts their behavior as their perception of the situation around them shifts, too. the old cliche about just be yourself all the time is a load of crap. some parts of us only come out at certain times, or are hidden, by choice, to enhance the comfort of others and ourselves in those surroundings.

i don't consider this being phony or fake. i consider it acting appropriately. i do know some people that are the same all the time, regardless of where they are or who they're with. if that works for them, great. but most of us have a dual, or more, nature.

a question of semantics
Wow, did I ever open up a can of worms. In an online community I am part of, I posed the questions:
1. Would you be happy with "civil union" if it was in all ways, state and federal, equivalent to marriage?
2. Should marriage as used in a legal sense just be gotten rid of, and everyone gay or straight gets civil unions (with the word marriage reserved for something they may or may not choose to do in a religious setting?

What a mess. At no time did I take a stand, but boy did I take it in the shorts. For a lot of people, there was no room for negotiation, semantically or otherwise. And those that would have said OK to #1 were politely castigated.

Got lots of legalese responses which were really good. Got more that were from the heart. Got a headache after a while.

Keep on fighting the good fight, people.

turnabout is political play
Gee, John kerry restated his position on the gay marriage issue. Sort of.

He is still against a constitutional amendment banning gay marriages, but he is still opposed to them. The turnabout is in what he would offer. Federal benefits of marriage to anyone married under what the states come up with.

Not a tremendous step, but something.

And proof of how politicians play to their audience. They'll say whatever they think it takes to get elected, and I'm sure half the time they are sweating bullets hoping that the voters forget what they promised or that they can manipulate the news away from whatever promise they are breaking. Look at Bush. Master of misdirection. Get the media frenzied over something, get the voters snapping at it, and sit back and screw a completely different group of people who aren't looking.

Getting harder though. The media eyes and ears are everywhere, and cable news and the internet can bring you every lie, cheat, steal, promise, and victory, with whatever spin they see fit.

it's not what you know...
Oh a good note, saw my pop princess Tuesday night. Britney Spears puts on an incredible show, although I wouldn't take kids to it.

On a more sour and frustrating note, I went to an event at San Diego State today that featured voter registration and a viewing of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. Voter registration and info area was dead...the radio stations giving away promotional keychains and Seabiscuit t-shirts got more traffic. I talked to one of the workers, she said that not very many students were even asking questions, and that a lot who said they were registered hadn't voted. Their two main reasons? "It doesn't matter" and "I have too much to do.

This was echoed while I was in line to see the DOI. Two kids behind me were getting interviewed. neither of them voted this week. Both said they had too much to do. The reporter interviewing them asked what, and their half-hearted responses were "uh, school and, uh, stuff" and "well, you know, i'm busy". Arrggh! It doesn't take very long. I know that some people don't want to vote because they don't know which candidate to go for, who stands for what, etc. Information is available, internet, newspapers, voter pamphlets. If you have time to watch evening TV, you have time to educate yourself.

Can you imagine if every eligible college student voted? Maybe the politicians would actually listen to their needs.

It's such a vicious circle. Youth doesn't vote, so the politicians focus on issues for older voters, so young people feel left out and unimportant, so they don't vote, etc.

This year's election is expected to be close. Every vote matters. And in the event of a hijacked election, at least you'll know you tried.

alabama, alaska, arizona...
Well, Oregon at least. Nice to see more cities, if not states, deciding that equal protection really means equal protection.

I can't imagine that W will be able to get an amendment passed--doubt he can get the votes. With this momentum, I think the likelihood of 38 states agreeing to the amendment is low.

Unless, of course, W finds some way to change that. Wouldn't put it past him to try.