i'm over it, too

She's an Tony-award winning playwright and activist. She's written a piece that is both brilliant and sad, touching and infuriating. Eve Ensler pulls no punches. All I want to know is, where do I show up on Feb 14, 2013. I'm there. I'm so there.

As published by the Huffington Post, November 11, 2011. Find the original here.

I am over rape.

I am over rape culture, rape mentality, rape pages on Facebook.

I am over the thousands of people who signed those pages with their real names without shame.

I am over people demanding their right to rape pages, and calling it freedom of speech or justifying it as a joke.

I am over people not understanding that rape is not a joke and I am over being told I don't have a sense of humor, and women don't have a sense of humor, when most women I know (and I know a lot) are really fucking funny. We just don't think that uninvited penises up our anus, or our vagina is a laugh riot.

I am over how long it seems to take anyone to ever respond to rape.

I am over Facebook taking weeks to take down rape pages.

I am over the hundreds of thousands of women in Congo still waiting for the rapes to end and the rapists to be held accountable.

I am over the thousands of women in Bosnia, Burma, Pakistan, South Africa, Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Afghanistan, Libya, you name a place, still waiting for justice.

I am over rape happening in broad daylight.

I am over the 207 clinics in Ecuador supported by the government that are capturing, raping, and torturing lesbians to make them straight.

I am over one in three women in the U.S military (Happy Veterans Day!) getting raped by their so-called "comrades."

I am over the forces that deny women who have been raped the right to have an abortion.

I am over the fact that after four women came forward with allegations that Herman Cain groped them and grabbed them and humiliated them, he is still running for the President of the United States.

And I'm over CNBC debate host Maria Bartiromo getting booed when she asked him about it. She was booed, not Herman Cain.

Which reminds me, I am so over the students at Penn State who protested the justice system instead of the alleged rapist pedophile of at least 8 boys, or his boss Joe Paterno, who did nothing to protect those children after knowing what was happening to them.

I am over rape victims becoming re-raped when they go public.

I am over starving Somalian women being raped at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, and I am over women getting raped at Occupy Wall Street and being quiet about it because they were protecting a movement which is fighting to end the pillaging and raping of the economy and the earth, as if the rape of their bodies was something separate.

I am over women still being silent about rape, because they are made to believe it's their fault or they did something to make it happen.

I am over violence against women not being a #1 international priority when one out of three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime -- the destruction and muting and undermining of women is the destruction of life itself.

No women, no future, duh.

I am over this rape culture where the privileged with political and physical and economic might, take what and who they want, when they want it, as much as they want, any time they want it.

I am over the endless resurrection of the careers of rapists and sexual exploiters -- film directors, world leaders, corporate executives, movie stars, athletes -- while the lives of the women they violated are permanently destroyed, often forcing them to live in social and emotional exile.

I am over the passivity of good men. Where the hell are you?

You live with us, make love with us, father us, befriend us, brother us, get nurtured and mothered and eternally supported by us, so why aren't you standing with us? Why aren't you driven to the point of madness and action by the rape and humiliation of us?

I am over years and years of being over rape.

And thinking about rape every day of my life since I was 5-years-old.

And getting sick from rape, and depressed from rape, and enraged by rape.

And reading my insanely crowded inbox of rape horror stories every hour of every single day.

I am over being polite about rape. It's been too long now, we have been too understanding.

We need to OCCUPYRAPE in every school, park, radio, TV station, household, office, factory, refugee camp, military base, back room, night club, alleyway, courtroom, UN office. We need people to truly try and imagine -- once and for all -- what it feels like to have your body invaded, your mind splintered, your soul shattered. We need to let our rage and our compassion connect us so we can change the paradigm of global rape.

There are approximately one billion women on the planet who have been violated.

ONE BILLION WOMEN.

The time is now. Prepare for the escalation.

Today it begins, moving toward February 14, 2013, when one billion women will rise to end rape.

Because we are over it.

your daily bias...

your daily bias...

Never to be outdone by the two primary parties...

LIKE IT? YOU CAN PURCHASE IT AT MY SHOP -  click here.

your daily bias...

In honor of the debt ceiling debacle...

 

LIKE IT? YOU CAN PURCHASE IT AT MY SHOP -  click here.

On my list of things that I wish I could articulate...

It's brilliant in my viewpoint - just sayin'.

Debt Ceiling Debate

On July 23, 2011, an editorial was published in the New York Times that was accompanied by these charts. The charts are from the Congressional Budget Office; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. I'm not one to take these types of charts as gospel (meaning, I trust they are generally correct, but acknowledge slight variations in actuals). I was not only stunned, but seriously pissed off.

In looking at chart A, you can see where the surplus started and how it quickly left the nest in 2001. Had we been continuing on the path set for us by Clinton, our surplus could have soared into the 1 trillion dollar range in the last year. However, if you now glance at chart B, you can clearly see where and how the surplus left us. The single biggest chunk of dollars was lost through the Bush tax cuts, followed closely behind by defense spending (including two wars).

The GOP cannot continue to blame this debacle on the current administration and in the same vein, the Dems cannot continue to pander to the bullies on the playground. Can someone get me a spittoon - because I'm so mad that I could use one at the moment.

Chart A:

Chart B:

Tritch, T. (2011, July 23). How the deficit got this big. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24sun4.html?_r=1

Brilliance

I posted this link on my Facebook page a few days ago, but I loved this article so much that I decided I would write about it here as well. I'm the product of a family that didn't completely understand my art. Not to say they weren't supportive (um, okay, my mom was supportive), but they worried that I wasn't making the right decision with my future plans. Sometimes they were verbal (my dad) and sometimes they weren't, but I always knew that there was a small amount of fear every time I reported my printmaking or sculpture grades.

I'd like to claim that I always knew what I was doing – that I was confident in my talent enough to never listen to those soft whispers of doubt. I'd be a big, fat liar. I always knew that I wanted to be a designer and I "thought" that I would be okay, but I could never be sure. I guess we never can be 100% positive in our career path, but I have to admit that I was a tad jealous of my friends that majored in elementary education, knowing that they would be cleaning snotty noses and writing lesson plans before I could say "boo."

Now that it's 2011, there is something scary about the mentality of our nation regarding the Arts. This feeling that our youth's ability to compete in a global perspective is directly tied to their advancement through math and science is complete bunk. I'm not capable of articulating my thoughts regarding this disconnect as well as Michael Roth has. Mr. Roth is the president of Wesleyan University, which, as a good Methodist, makes me smile. He is an excellent writer and I couldn't say this better myself. I encourage you to read the entire article here. In the mean time, I will simply give you some of the highlights.

In recent years university leaders in Asia, the Mideast and even Europe have sought to organize curricula more like those of our liberal art schools. How, they want to know, can we combine rigorous expectations of learning with the development of critical thinking and creativity that are the hallmarks of the best American colleges?

But in our own land we are running away from the promise of liberal education. We are frightened by economic competition, and many seem to have lost confidence in our ability to draw from the resources of a broadly based education. Instead, they hope that technical training or professional expertise on their own will somehow invigorate our culture and society.

Many seem to think that by narrowing our focus to just science and engineering, we will become more competitive. This is a serious mistake.

Our leaders in government, industry and academia should realize that they don't have to make a choice between the sciences and the rest of the liberal arts. Indeed, the sciences are a vital part of the liberal arts.

The key to our success in the future will be an integrative education that doesn't isolate the sciences from other parts of the curriculum, and that doesn't shield the so-called creative and interpretive fields from a vigorous understanding of the problems addressed by scientists.

We should look at education not as a specific training program for a limited range of mental muscles but as a process through which one will generate some of the most important features in one's life. It makes no sense to train people as narrowly as possible in a world going through cataclysmic changes, for you are building specific strengths that leave you merely muscle-bound, not stronger and more flexible.

We should think of education as a kind of intellectual cross-training that leads to many more things than at any one moment you could possibly know would be useful. The most powerful education generates further curiosity, new needs, experiences to meet those needs, more curiosity and so on.

Education isn't just an object that you use to get started in a career; education is a catalytic resource that continues to energize and shape your life. Education enhances your ability to develop new skills and capacities for connectivity that allow you to solve problems and seize opportunities.

See what I mean? Brilliant.

your daily bias

dazed and confused...

I've been trying my best to REALLY dive into the nuts and bolts of the health care crisis here in the US and to educate myself regarding the changes that Obama's administration is proposing. I'm a pretty quick study, but I have to admit that there is SO MUCH SHIT out there to try and sift through that it's hard somedays to feel like you are really up to speed.

Because I'm vocal about my beliefs, my friends too often want to debate with me on the topic of health care - and while I can debate with the best of them (okay, okay, the mediocre-to-mid-grade of them), I claim to be a little skittish on this topic. I want to be sure of myself and I want to speak concisely and intentionally - but I also want to get the point across to people that "FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, people - we're in a crisis here! And isn't ANYTHING that is remotely planned out a better solution than the mess we find ourselves in???"

Most of my conservative and nervous friends are most concerned because they feel like the specifics are too unknown - that they want their own 3rd grade Health Care Bible before they are willing to take a look at another solution. I can't entirely fault them, but please refer to the previous paragraph to understand what I want to scream to them.

Finally, today, the White House posted a down and dirty, bulleted list of what the reform bill would do. It's in no way a master's thesis, but it's a start. I hope you find as much understanding in it as I did - and I hope it makes you more willing to take on debaters like me.

Health Care Hell

I have an obsession - her name is Heather Armstrong and she writes a blog called Dooce. Heather is one of the funniest, most honest, and most self-aware women I've ever come across. I have been reading her blog for several years - happening upon her after the birth of her first daughter. She was blogging about her serious postpartum, which was near and dear to my heart. No, I've never had a child and suffered from this, BUT I lost my best friend to depression that was brought on by postpartum depression and I have read a lot in attempting to understand her disease.

Heather talks a lot about her family - consisting of her loving husband and her (now) 2 daughters. It was through Heather's talk of her spouse, Jon, that I came to read his blog Blurbomat. Jon is just as funny as Heather, but uses his blog to talk about (1) a band he had in college and (2) critical political concepts that aren't voiced enough.

John has been doing a series on the health care system in America - it's pros and cons and the need for a system that helps those who can't help themselves. Because I don't quite understand all the nuances of what Jon talks about (still learning and digesting) - I have posted links to his pages in the order in which you should read. He's SUCH a bright guy and I'm glad that he and Heather have each other to share their crazy lives with.

Read, enjoy and ponder. If you are so inclined - DO SOMETHING!!!

First Post:
Talking Points and Numbers

Second Post:
Additional Links

Third Post:
Anti-Competitive Monopolies

This amazes me...

I'm having a hard time handling the fact that our economy is teetering on the edge of a rock-infested cliff and one raindrop from the sky, on either side of center, would be enough to save it or send it to it's death below. I feel like I have to trust our POTUS...at least until he screws the pooch to the point of never deserving my trust again.

But I have to admit that I'm a little stunned by the recent firing of the GM CEO. Not that I'm not all for a clean house at the top - but because our POTUS did the firing. It was a clear message that the government is in charge - not big business. He has the people behind him, screaming for more changes to come.

This is my questions, however. How can you fire the CEO of a domestic automaker who came to the federal government asking for a loan, not a bailout, but not evoke circumstances on the Wall Street executives who have squandered more capital than we could even imagine. Let's spread the pink-slip wealth, Mr. Obama. You need to prove to the American people that you have the balls to step on all kinds, shapes and colors of toes.

As a side conversation to the GM situation, I was having a conversation with my in-laws last weekend about the ratio between worker and CEO salary in this country. Here's the list, for those of you who like to walk around with useless numerical lists in your head.

Ratio of CEO pay to average worker pay, by country:
Japan 11:1
Germany 12:1
France 15:1
Italy 20:1
Canada 20:1
South Africa 21:1
Britain 22:1
Hong Kong 41:1
Mexico 47:1
Venezuela 50:1
United States 475:1

Makes you wonder how we let things get so out of control, doesn't it. My story goes like this: "Once upon a time, there was an actor from California who was elected to the Presidency of the United States..."

rosa sat

My girl KK, sent me this great picture. I'd seen it in a few forms over the last few months, but the typography and feel of this poster is perfect.

Thank you, Mr. President (part 2)

So, at this point, he's our POTUS. He's sworn in, he's legal and he's ready to work. As excited as I was to watch him be sworn in, I was looking more forward to his speech. The speech that would set the tone for the next 4 years. They speech that would make the world stand up and take notice. The speech that Malia warned must to be "pretty good."

I have to admit, I was blown away. As an award-winning orator (granted, in high school - but really, I'm one of the few people in the world who has ZERO fear about speaking in front of a group) I was prepared for Obama's skill in delivering a message. What I wasn't prepared for was his "I just grew a huge set overnight and want the world to know that I'm not taking crap off of anyone" attitude. Because this blog is as much for historical purposes as it is logging, I'm going to post the transcript of the speech. Skip over if you've already heard in full.

"My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.

Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking

America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.

Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control – and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart – not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.

And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort – even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends – hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence – the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet.

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

I was so proud, I was beaming from ear to ear. Way to spell it out, Barack.

So, it was over. And most of the people were now walking north to head to the parade route. I walked south, toward the river, so that I could get out of the masses and head to my ride.

I walked over the 14th St bridge and headed toward Pentagon City Mall. After a quick trip inside to warm up (the bridge walk was the coldest part of the day), my sister and brother-in-law (with nieces in tow) picked me up and we headed back to Annandale. Traffic was non-existent, as most people were either home watching the parade on TV or were afraid to get stuck somewhere that they couldn't get out of.

By far, the absolute best experience of my life. I will always be grateful that I didn't talk myself out of going. I will always be grateful that I put myself in position to witness the greatest testament to our waning prejudice. I will always be grateful that I live in a nation where things like this are not only possible, but probable - if we get over ourselves enough to let it happen.

Mr. President, please represent. Please show up everyday with the same enthusiasm and knowledge that you showed us over the last 18 months.

I am proud of you. I am proud of us. I am proud.

Thank you, Mr. President (part 1)

Yesterday I had the opportunity to spend the day with more than a million other people who wanted to watch history happen before their eyes. As my local newspaper said "it was like a million people all go together to have coffee on the Mall." I was honored, humbled and moved by the experience I had yesterday - and because my ever-wise aunt said I should, I'm writing down my experience so that I don't forget the details. I thought you guys might like a taste of it too.

I got up around 3:30 and drove to my sister's house in Annandale, VA. She and my brother-in-law had offered to take me to the bus station. It seemed to be a much more logical decision than trying to brave the Metro (our subway) to get downtown. I know it was wise choice, as I heard on my trip in that my Metro station was already parked to capacity - and they had only been running for 45 minutes.

It wasn't all that easy-going that morning. We had snow on Monday, the 19th, so the roads had iced over night and there were a ton of accidents going over the Blue Ridge into Loudoun County. I made it to Miki's safe and sound, around 6 am. By 6:30, Sean had dropped me off at the Metro Bus station on Columbia Pike and I waited for the 16S bus - the one that would take me directly into the city. I wasn't the only one on the bus, but there weren't any lines and it wasn't crazy. I feel a bit spoiled, because my trip was SO EASY, that it almost didn't even feel like I should have worried about it in the first place.

By 7 am, I was on the Mall, trying to see how close to the front of the crowd I could get. I noticed that by standing to the north side of the Mall, you were closer to the jumbo-trons - so I made my way across the Mall and to that side - then I walked toward the Capitol. I kept walking until it got too thick to get any closer. By my estimations, there were probably already 200,000 people there when I arrived. Not bad for a 15 degree morning.


So, there I sat - with a pumpkin muffin that my sister had given me and a latte that I picked up on the ride in. The book I was reading - "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult, wasn't exactly uplifting reading material - but it kept me occupied during the 4-hour wait.

I perched myself between a group of Boy Scouts to my south (right) and a group of high school choral kids from Michigan to my north (left). They were nice enough...but the choral kids thought it entertaining to sing the same songs over and over (and over and over) again until finally a guy in front of us nicely asked them to stop. He had a grandpa-gone-mad look to him, so the kids heeded his advice and took to screaming and giggling at the top of their lungs. Ah, to be young and stupid again. It brought back lots of memories from my days on the Speech and Debate bus...

The Boy Scouts were handing out American flags, which was a nice touch. They were stationed all around the Mall and it was an amazing sight, once things finally got going, to see all these flags waving at the same time.

While we all waited, the jumbo-trons replayed the concert from Sunday night @ the Lincoln Memorial. Everyone sang along to Garth Brooks and Stevie Wonder. We were this little collective re-run gearing ourselves up for what was about to happen. At one point, they started to show the motorcade on screen. This got everyone up off the ground and ready. The pulse in the crowd was evident.

Once they started seating all the dignitaries, things really started to get loud around me. People were cheering for their governors, senators and favorites. I found it interesting that of all the people that go the loudest "boo" from my section, it was Joe Lieberman. Some around us grumbled at Bush and Cheney, but I think it was understood that the end was SO near - that it didn't matter what anyone said.

And then, there he was. Looking dapper in his black suit with red tie. Looking a little bit grayer than he did when I first was drawn to his oratic excellence in 2004. Looking in command, in control and in awe of the moment. Barack Obama was on the stage and I knew from that moment that the world would never be the same.

Rick Warren gave the invocation. Those around me who were upset in Obama's choice let it be known. Although I, too, wish that he had different view regarding gay partnerships, he gave one amazing prayer. Aretha got up and sang "My Country Tis of Thee." She was good, not spectacular, and she was wearing the most obnoxious hat that anyone had seen in a long time. That monstrosity with the big gray bow - whew, I was just waiting for People to get a hold of that photo. Joe Biden took his oath - it was 11:54 am. At that point, we realized that at 12 noon, George W Bush was no longer our President. There was orchestral performance from Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. They were wonderful, but everyone was so anxious to see the swearing in, that it wasn't enjoyed as much as it should have been.

At this point, it's 12:04 pm. Someone mentions that Bush is no longer our President - that Biden is. It's a bit comical - because we had that 5-minute gap in time, where Obama wasn't sworn in, but Biden was. I'm glad he didn't choke on his Halls and throw the whole thing into a tizzy.

12:06 pm - Obama, with Michelle, Sasha, Malia, and the Lincoln Bible in tow, approach the podium. John G. Roberts, Chief Justice, starts the oath. He screws it up, which then makes Obama screw it up - but as Tom Brokaw said, "it still counted, folks." He finished with "So Help Me, God" - which I always took to be more of a request, than a statement. As a Christian, I like the thought of saying "so help me, God" after all my promises - as if I'm saying "Lord, I can't do this without you. Help me."

I was jumping up and down, crying, shouting, smiling, overcome with joy and pride. I had just witnessed the swearing in of our 44th President - a man who will go down in history for the man he is, not just the things he does.

And...here comes the bias

So, you all knew it was coming eventually. I have things to say, but so often am blinded by my inability to structure those things that I don't end up saying them at all.

One of my iPod favorites is the talented John Mayer. Love him or hate him for his music, but either way, he has the ability to verbalize things in a way that I somedays lack. The following piece was written this week, and published on the Huffington Post. I share it with you because it represents much of what I feel (sans the 80s rhetoric).

Hope Is Not a Buzz Word -- John Mayer

I was 23 years old when the nation was attacked on September 11, 2001. I can remember hearing pundits say "this changes everything" and "things will never be the same." Obviously it was a tragic and traumatic event, but that sentiment has carried on through the better part of my twenties. If you were 43 years old on that day, I would imagine it was a difficult concept to get your head around as well, but if you were a young adult just entering his or her individual life, there was an added twist; how can you process the idea of everything changing and things never being the same when you have no point of reference for what "everything" and "the same" is? I was just beginning to put my hands on the world around me, to interact and engage with it, and to actualize the dream of being an adult in a free society. To wait in line for 23 years only to have the "sorry, future canceled" sign flipped in my face was depressing, to say the least.

The social and political narrative of the last eight years, if you're a young adult, has been "you are the first generation of the second half of the rest of human existence." That's a huge psychological undertaking, and I believe it's one that will someday be diagnosed on a massive scale as having led to a kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (Something has to explain away our premature obsession with 1980s nostalgia.) My generation has come to know itself as the generation that should have seen the good days, my, were they spectacular, now take off your shoes and place them on the belt.

What Barack Obama says to me is these days are good for something. Just when I'd thought my only role as an adult was to help shoulder the nation through its darkest days (known to us as "the rest of them"), Obama gives me the feeling that I could be alive to witness one of the most brilliant upturns in a country's history. Imagine that -- a young adult in this day and age being given something to someday brag to his children about having being alive to witness. What a concept.

That's why hope is a worthwhile commodity. To those who question whether hope is a tangible product worth building a campaign around, I'd say take a look at despair and how powerful that has been in reshaping how people think and live. I believe the definition of the "hope" that Barack Obama enthuses operates on the unspoken thesis that there has to be a polar opposite to the despair of 9/11. Because if we accept that there's not, the will to live becomes forever altered. To adults who will vote for him, Barack Obama represents a return to prosperity. To the youth, he represents an introduction to it.

Think B4 You Speak

These are some thought-provoking PSAs from Think B4 You Speak.

have you?

(for my FB friends, you might have already read this, but I thought it warranted a post to the public - forgive, and indulge...)

You know how your mother expects you to be at your brother's birthday party, even if you have better things to do? And how your boss expects you to be at work each day, regardless of your mental state at 7 am when the decision-making about the day is at it's peak? And how your spouse or your significant other expects you to tell them truth? And how all of those things are the right thing to do - even if it's not what you want to do at the time?

Voting is kinda like that - it's an expectation. Your country - like your mother, only quieter and not as wise (keep chuckles to yourself) - expects you to vote. It's a right that you have and an expectation as a citizen of this great nation.

Now, I promise to not be political - and I know my brother-in-law thanks me for that :). I really don't care who you support in this election. I don't care who you vote for as Sheriff in your town or who you support on your City Council. What I do care about is that you care about it. You don't have to like either of the candidates on the ticket - you can write in whomever you think is the best option. That's the wonderful thing about our democracy.

I've already cast my ballot. I live in Virginia, where you can vote in person, up to 5 weeks before the election. I'm going to be in Hong Kong on election day so I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss my shot. You can do that too. You know - even if you are going to be around on Nov 4 - you can vote early just to save yourself the burden of that 7 am decision-making challenge on the morning of. Check with your local election office to see what your options are.

Please, please - just vote. Do it for somebody you love - do it for your spouse - do it for your mother - do it for your boss. Do it because it's expected of you.

This PSA is great - send it to your friends and ask them to do the same.