Below is a link to a great post about the senatorial record of Clinton & Obama. It is extensive and seems more fair than any other summary I've looked at. In the end, the writer supports Obama - but it is not based on his lofty yet supposedly empty rhetoric. It is based on the fact that he has authored more substantial bills with broader support that actually passed.
If you've been looking for a substantive comparison of their experience, check this out.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Jesus and the magic wand of bipartisanship
Tonight I caught part of the text rolling across the screen as images of Hillary Clinton played on the TV at my job. Here's what I caught.
"You can't just wave a magic wand and expect things to change. It doesn't happen like that. You can't just wish that things will get done and say some nice words and voila - ..." OK, so that isn't exactly what she said. I've heard her argument before. She is putting Obama and his minions in their place. It is Hillary's mantra "No You Can't".
Really, that's what it amounts to - She spouts reality, right? Be realistic. The status quo is here to stay. Nothing will change. You're just being naive to think that the American political scene can be any different. She squashes the movement of hope that believes Obama can change the political modus operandi in Washington.
Fools, you who believe. She seems to say - there is no hope for change. What is needed is not something new, just something louder, better, smarter, stronger. She says, forget about revolution. It can't be done. Just sign up for me - because I can do more of the same and get different results. That is one definition of insanity.
She reminds me of a parent grounding a misbehaving child for 2 weeks, then 2 months, then 2 years - pile it on - be strong, louder, you'll get what you know is best by playing the same game - only you'll do it MORE - work harder. For some reason what never worked before will work this time.
Don't get me wrong now, I'm going to say something which can easily be misunderstood. Obama rolls with Messianic words of a revolution. He sounds like Jesus, who entered onto the stage in a stalemate of religious-political factions. He realized the solution was not more of the same of any existing vein, but a new set of rules, a new way of understanding the situation, no new wine in old wine skins - this was a fundamentally different way of looking at things. This was revolution. Out with the status quo - in with hope, vision, and renewed spirits that say Yes, let it be so!
A teacher/mentor once told me that the key to working with difficult students is to take your sail out of their wind. In counseling theories, we talk about the need to step outside of systems, to do something different in order to disrupt the balance.
Our country does not need more of the same. It won't fix the problems we have created. We need something much more radical. We need a person who doesn't expect to come in and win the game, but who expects to come in and illuminate the futility of the game and offer an alternate activity.
This is redemption.
Sometimes Titus and I get locked into a power struggle. The more I push him, the more determined he is to maintain his strength - he cannot give in. And I want the power. I'm the mom after all. So I push harder. Talk louder. Make my nostrils flare. Flex my muscle and remind him who is boss. And he feels threatened and small and powerless. And, thank GOD, he does not back down. He gets louder too.
And then, in a moment of sanity, I make a joke. And he smiles. And I smile. And we laugh. And I tell him once again, why I need him to get into the shopping cart right now - or whatever the immediate need is at the time.
The point is that I had to take my sail out of his wind. I wanted power so badly. I wanted to be big and in control. I wanted him to know his place as child, small, dependent, powerless. Yet those aren't the assets I want him to develop. I want him to be confident, independent, strong, capable, cooperative, assertive, respectful.
So often the wrong means lead only to the wrong ends. We have the right end in mind - safe, healthy kids, a strong national educational system, religion that blesses and heals people. But we become embroiled in power struggles - we fight to maintain our turf and gain headway into new territory - the land of our enemy. Fighting and dominating are the means to get to the end. But the end result carries with it effects of our means to that end we seek. The unintended ends we now face.
Jesus, teach me peace. Teach me strength through weakness -
"You can't just wave a magic wand and expect things to change. It doesn't happen like that. You can't just wish that things will get done and say some nice words and voila - ..." OK, so that isn't exactly what she said. I've heard her argument before. She is putting Obama and his minions in their place. It is Hillary's mantra "No You Can't".
Really, that's what it amounts to - She spouts reality, right? Be realistic. The status quo is here to stay. Nothing will change. You're just being naive to think that the American political scene can be any different. She squashes the movement of hope that believes Obama can change the political modus operandi in Washington.
Fools, you who believe. She seems to say - there is no hope for change. What is needed is not something new, just something louder, better, smarter, stronger. She says, forget about revolution. It can't be done. Just sign up for me - because I can do more of the same and get different results. That is one definition of insanity.
She reminds me of a parent grounding a misbehaving child for 2 weeks, then 2 months, then 2 years - pile it on - be strong, louder, you'll get what you know is best by playing the same game - only you'll do it MORE - work harder. For some reason what never worked before will work this time.
Don't get me wrong now, I'm going to say something which can easily be misunderstood. Obama rolls with Messianic words of a revolution. He sounds like Jesus, who entered onto the stage in a stalemate of religious-political factions. He realized the solution was not more of the same of any existing vein, but a new set of rules, a new way of understanding the situation, no new wine in old wine skins - this was a fundamentally different way of looking at things. This was revolution. Out with the status quo - in with hope, vision, and renewed spirits that say Yes, let it be so!
A teacher/mentor once told me that the key to working with difficult students is to take your sail out of their wind. In counseling theories, we talk about the need to step outside of systems, to do something different in order to disrupt the balance.
Our country does not need more of the same. It won't fix the problems we have created. We need something much more radical. We need a person who doesn't expect to come in and win the game, but who expects to come in and illuminate the futility of the game and offer an alternate activity.
This is redemption.
Sometimes Titus and I get locked into a power struggle. The more I push him, the more determined he is to maintain his strength - he cannot give in. And I want the power. I'm the mom after all. So I push harder. Talk louder. Make my nostrils flare. Flex my muscle and remind him who is boss. And he feels threatened and small and powerless. And, thank GOD, he does not back down. He gets louder too.
And then, in a moment of sanity, I make a joke. And he smiles. And I smile. And we laugh. And I tell him once again, why I need him to get into the shopping cart right now - or whatever the immediate need is at the time.
The point is that I had to take my sail out of his wind. I wanted power so badly. I wanted to be big and in control. I wanted him to know his place as child, small, dependent, powerless. Yet those aren't the assets I want him to develop. I want him to be confident, independent, strong, capable, cooperative, assertive, respectful.
So often the wrong means lead only to the wrong ends. We have the right end in mind - safe, healthy kids, a strong national educational system, religion that blesses and heals people. But we become embroiled in power struggles - we fight to maintain our turf and gain headway into new territory - the land of our enemy. Fighting and dominating are the means to get to the end. But the end result carries with it effects of our means to that end we seek. The unintended ends we now face.
Jesus, teach me peace. Teach me strength through weakness -
Friday, February 22, 2008
All Style and No Substance?
Here's a great post from my friend Monte's blog -
It’s certainly a popular comment - but is it true? We went to Factcheck.org, an independent political accountability group. Their evaluation includes a quote from last night’s debate:
Clinton: “I was somewhat amused the other night when on one of the TV shows, one of Senator Obama’s supporters was asked to name one accomplishment of Senator Obama, and he couldn’t.”
And Factcheck analyzes:
Clinton is referring to Texas state Sen. Kirk Watson, who completely whiffed when Hardball’s Chris Matthews threw him a softball question. But Clinton is wrong to suggest that Watson’s inability to answer means that Obama lacks substantive accomplishments.
In fact, Obama sponsored more than 800 bills during his eight years as an Illinois state senator. And his U.S. Senate career, while brief, has been action-packed.
As for Obama’s list of his accomplishments, he’s right on every count. A Washington Post editorial credited Obama for helping to create “the strongest ethics legislation to emerge from Congress yet,” and the Coburn-Obama Act created a new Web site, USAspending.gov, which allows anyone to see where federal contracting and grant money is being spent. Moreover, it was an Obama-sponsored amendment that ended Walter Reed’s practice of requiring outpatient military personnel to pay for their own meals.
And as a state senator in Illinois, Obama championed a bill requiring the police to videotape prisoner interrogations. Although initially controversial, the measure passed the Senate unanimously; even Republicans conceded that the turnaround was largely Obama’s doing.
Finally, while Obama didn’t mention this one, we think it’s worth noting that the Lugar-Obama non-proliferation initiative provided funds for destroying nuclear weapons and for intercepting weapons of mass destruction.
In short, Clinton is wrong to suggest that Obama lacks a substantive legislative record.
Well now, voter friend: Do you think eight hundred bills in the Illinois legislature is “all talk?” Do you think making the Army pay for veterans’ meals during treatment is “all style?”
May I invite you to bookmark this clip? If you should enjoy responding to those ubiquitous allegations, it could come in handy. And I suppose there are a thousand such posts, and people everywhere who are doing the same thing.
We get to be a part, you and I, in these glorious internet days, of creating a groundswell of truth where once facts were too hard to come by. What a privilege! What a time to be alive!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Go green when using "disposables"
Below is an article I found tonight on the web - note that it is dated from two years ago. I am bothered by all of the waste of styrofoam, plastic & paper disposable tableware. Here's a great alternative. Products made of corn resin - completely biodegradable.
Worth the read. If you've seen these products in the real world, post a comment. There doesn't seem to be any reason not to buy these "greener" items.
Ecologically correct diners buy biodegradable plates
Worth the read. If you've seen these products in the real world, post a comment. There doesn't seem to be any reason not to buy these "greener" items.
Ecologically correct diners buy biodegradable plates
| Updated 8/3/2006 8:33 AM ET |
By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
Planning a picnic this weekend? Here's what some "green" consumers are tucking into their baskets: biodegradable plates, cups and utensils.
It's one thing to eat organic. It's another to do it with plates, cups and cutlery made of biodegradable material such as cornstarch, potatoes and limestone.
As organic food goes mainstream — Wal-Mart (WMT) has plans to become the world's largest seller — consumers are seeking eco-friendly eating implements.
"It's the trickle-down theory of environmental eating," says Paul Rauber, senior editor at Sierra magazine. "Maybe people sense a disconnect between eating organic sandwiches off Styrofoam plates."
Now there's dinnerware that disappears in a compost pile as organic matter, water and carbon dioxide within 180 days. If disposed of in a plastic trash bag, it takes up far less landfill space than foam or cardboard.
Spurring demand are eco-concerns, as well as prices that can match or undercut plastic ware. Mainstream stores from Sam's Club to Walgreens (WAG) sell it.
The NatureWorks unit of Cargill — which produces a resin from corn sugar to make such products — posted triple-digit sales growth for the past two years, spokeswoman Ann Tucker says.
This is changing the $30 billion global market for paper and plastic disposables. Sales of eco-friendly plates, cups and cutlery could top $500 million in 2006 and $1 billion by 2008, says Frederic Scheer, founder of the Biodegradable Products Institute. A few years ago, the market barely existed, he says.
Among the eco-friendly goods:
•Plates. Eco-dinnerware from EarthShell (ERTH), including plates and bowls, hit shelves at some Sam's Club and Wegman's this spring.
At $1.50 for a pack of 25 plates, they cost the same as high-quality disposable plates, says CEO Vincent Truant says. "People prefer a product from a Midwest cornfield than a Middle Eastern oil field," he says.
•Cups. Three years ago Fabri-Kal launched a line of 100% compostable cups made from corn resin. Sales of the line have grown about 70% annually, says John Kittredge, marketing chief.
•Cutlery. Retailers from Whole Foods to Walgreens sell Nat-Ur cutlery made from corn. The brand is from Cereplast (CERP), a large producer of biodegradable resins. A pack of 24 pieces sells for $1.50 — similar to plastic ware, says Scheer, CEO of Cereplast.
"Composting isn't fringe any more," says brand consultant Steven Addis. "It's one of the quickest cultural flips I've ever seen."
But Sierra's Rauber warns that biodegradables won't make you the "greenest" picnicker. Most eco-friendly: bring reusable plates and wash 'em at home.
Monday, February 11, 2008
I want a President, not a micro-manager
Excuse for a minute while I make a martial reference.
I've been reading a history of the Allied campaign against the Germans in Italy during World War II. It's really a history of how the "good guys" won despite making some incredible mistakes that cost many thousands of lives. Time and again, some of the best American and British military thinkers brewed up beautifully conceived plans that almost always aborted shortly after being launched. The reason usually revolved around leaders to focused not taking into account the fact that plans have to be flexible. There are too many variables--the enemy, the weather, old fashioned accidents, disease--to depend solely on The Plan, no matter how well written and practiced.
So that's why I disagree with the folks who believe Clinton's plan-centric, micro-management approach makes her a better choice for President. They accuse Obama of being all flowery rhetoric with no substance. They embrace the Clinton blueprint, nicely laid out and inhabited with happy Democrats.
Clinton's got plans--can't disagree there. She's got lots of plans and policies and position statements, for every possible issue. And she love's to talk about them, ad nauseum.
But, really, I'm surprised any student of history goes for this kind of thing. One of the themes of this year's election is that many--or most--of us are sick of the unilateral demagoguery that's come to define American politics. We all yell at each other and demand that we get our way and that if you disagree you're obviously an idiot who kicks his dog and eats soup with a fork.
It seems to me that taking Clinton's approach is just a path to the same old thing, the same thing that's been the calling card of the Bush administration and the Clintons before that.
I was talking to somebody the other day who said they felt like Obama is the one candidate that can heal the social rift--the polarization of left and right--that has ripped our nation since the Vietnam War. That's not going to happen with plans and policies and position statements. Sure, I expect he will have goals, a place where he wants to take our country. But why should we expect one person among 300 million to know exactly the right path to that path. Isn't that why we have a our system of representative government? Isn't that why we expect our elected leaders, at every level of government, to engage in the "advise and consent" process?
Clinton's got her plans and she's ready to storm the White House and nation and the world, disposing of anyone that gets in her way.
But I think there's another way, one that acknowledges that the world is complex and unexpected and that everyone deserves to be part of the journey. That's why I'm going to vote for Barack Obama.
I've been reading a history of the Allied campaign against the Germans in Italy during World War II. It's really a history of how the "good guys" won despite making some incredible mistakes that cost many thousands of lives. Time and again, some of the best American and British military thinkers brewed up beautifully conceived plans that almost always aborted shortly after being launched. The reason usually revolved around leaders to focused not taking into account the fact that plans have to be flexible. There are too many variables--the enemy, the weather, old fashioned accidents, disease--to depend solely on The Plan, no matter how well written and practiced.
So that's why I disagree with the folks who believe Clinton's plan-centric, micro-management approach makes her a better choice for President. They accuse Obama of being all flowery rhetoric with no substance. They embrace the Clinton blueprint, nicely laid out and inhabited with happy Democrats.
Clinton's got plans--can't disagree there. She's got lots of plans and policies and position statements, for every possible issue. And she love's to talk about them, ad nauseum.
But, really, I'm surprised any student of history goes for this kind of thing. One of the themes of this year's election is that many--or most--of us are sick of the unilateral demagoguery that's come to define American politics. We all yell at each other and demand that we get our way and that if you disagree you're obviously an idiot who kicks his dog and eats soup with a fork.
It seems to me that taking Clinton's approach is just a path to the same old thing, the same thing that's been the calling card of the Bush administration and the Clintons before that.
I was talking to somebody the other day who said they felt like Obama is the one candidate that can heal the social rift--the polarization of left and right--that has ripped our nation since the Vietnam War. That's not going to happen with plans and policies and position statements. Sure, I expect he will have goals, a place where he wants to take our country. But why should we expect one person among 300 million to know exactly the right path to that path. Isn't that why we have a our system of representative government? Isn't that why we expect our elected leaders, at every level of government, to engage in the "advise and consent" process?
Clinton's got her plans and she's ready to storm the White House and nation and the world, disposing of anyone that gets in her way.
But I think there's another way, one that acknowledges that the world is complex and unexpected and that everyone deserves to be part of the journey. That's why I'm going to vote for Barack Obama.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
hope, redemption, and Super Tuesday
Maybe you're tired of my blogging about B.O. Sorry. Tonight I made a connection that has been coagulating in my mind for some time. So often when I hear B.O. talk, I find myself thinking of Jesus and the kingdom and justice and ...
Well tonight, I put my finger on it. B.O. makes us believe redemption is possible. That's hope I guess. We're not too far gone to have better days ahead. We're not so helpless to say nothing can change anyway so why even try.
I'm really tired right now - maybe I can rewrite this later. It just made me think about why I so often cry when I hear him speak. I hope I can convey the Truth of Jesus the way he does - to say redemption is here, the kingdom of God is near, right at hand - it is ours to grasp, Yes We Can - Amen, let it be so.
I'm not eloquent tonight in the least, but maybe you understand me in some gestalt sort of way...
good night.
Well tonight, I put my finger on it. B.O. makes us believe redemption is possible. That's hope I guess. We're not too far gone to have better days ahead. We're not so helpless to say nothing can change anyway so why even try.
I'm really tired right now - maybe I can rewrite this later. It just made me think about why I so often cry when I hear him speak. I hope I can convey the Truth of Jesus the way he does - to say redemption is here, the kingdom of God is near, right at hand - it is ours to grasp, Yes We Can - Amen, let it be so.
I'm not eloquent tonight in the least, but maybe you understand me in some gestalt sort of way...
good night.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
2007 word of the year & my grandma
Do you know that locavore was the Oxford 2007 word of the year? It means those who prefer to eat locally grown/produced food. My grandmother was one. She bought her eggs from the Amish farmer just east of Kalona, bought her beef from a local locker - the meat coming from the farm of one of their 'natural feed' customers. (I don't recall that she ever had pork or chicken around.) She bought her bread at the local bakery, her peaches, blueberries, and apples from regional orchards. All those fruits were canned at home, along with the bounty of her vegetable garden. She was a locavore. I'm trying to become one little by little.
Recently I stumbled upon a great source of locally grown natural foods in the Kansas City area. Good Natured Family Farms sells
their products at Hen House Markets & Price Chopper stores. It all started when a family had too many tomatoes and was looking for a commercial outlet. That was 10 years ago. Now they have expanded into a co-op of family farms primarily in Kansas & Missouri, offering a wide range of natural meats & dairy products. You can find out more by clicking on their logo. Oh, and a cool thing about their milk (which tastes SOOO much better than other milk) is that the jug it comes in is made of corn resin and is biodegradable. Cool, huh?By the way - my beef eating locavore grandmother lived to age 94 and my grandfather to age 92. Here's to better quality food!
Monday, February 4, 2008
street art
Barack Obama supporter & artist Shepard Fairey designed a poster distributed in California. I love it. I want one. There's one for sale on e-bay - current price $92.50 with 6+ days of bidding left. Hmm...where else can I get one?
Any California relatives or friends out there, can you get your hands on one for me?
A little bit more about the piece. The run was 3000, funded by a limited run of 300 similar posters with the word progress below (the limited edition progress poster used a screen-print technique, the large run hope poster used an offset printing technique, if you care)
Pretty cool, I say.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
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