It's a shame that September is coming to an end, and with that, the end of 2013. Please come back. I'm not ready to turn 23 yet! This might be my longest blog entry to date.
The South still lives in a cycle of ignorance. Now it's not the college campuses themselves, but their Greek houses, which are more like country clubs than anything else. I have my issues with fraternal organizations in general (too much groupthink, life is devoted to the group and I tend to like to spread myself somewhat thin) . The worse fact, is that in Alabama (and the University of Albama) it is kind of tolerated. We as a nation have a LOT of work to do in the field of civil rights. And I do applaud the group of students who are leading and participating in the movement, but your university has a 12% AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENT BODY. It's the Deep South, for crying out loud. How about this: slavery and racism was legal for three hundred years, so affirmative action gets to survive another two hundred and fifty (I count the last fifty years). There's enough folks from the North now living in the South. Are they now becoming comfortable with the lax Southern lifestyle? I know my aunt still cringes when people down there use racist terminology.
Jessa Duggar, one of those Duggar kids from Arkansas, is now dating. And why is it a big deal? The family of at one point of twenty-one, is ULTRA conservative. It's not dating. It's public boyfriend vetting. Or hunting season! (Of course, I'm obviously joking when I say that, but the two lovebirds are definitely in for both a rude awakening and an invasion of privacy). I do agree with Jim Bob (a name right out of a Robin Williams stereotype) that courtship has the advantage as the families get to know each other. Not a bad at all, as when you date someone you're going to date their family as well.
Carl Sciortino is running for Congress in Massachusetts. Turns out his father has given his openly gay son support, and his father is also a Tea Party member. It's not the first time that liberals and the Tea Partiers have come together.
I'm with David Dinkins on Rudy Giuliani. As New Yorkers learned the hard way, Rudy is like an attack dog. And his divorce and remarriage also didn't earn him a lot of support.
Not surprisingly, Bill de Blasio is leading Joe Lhota for mayor. It's a reliable city for Democrats in national elections, and only moderate Republicans ever get elected. My support is for de Blasio, but I'm concerned he's going to go La Guardia in regards to fiscal policy (spend more than the city has and expect the feds to pick up the tab). But I think Lhota's campaign is having a panic attack: they don't know how to survive the wave that has overcome the de Blasio movement. Of course, one of my Facebook chums, Sherry Wolf (the LGBT socialist scholar and activist), is slightly suspicious and not confident in de Blasio. And I can understand why: his plan isn't completely great. And I do believe that de Blasio will debate Lhota. But it's not going to change the race any. The former deputy mayor isn't going to change his standing among voters. It's like 2006 in New York City. The conservative/independent moderates have run the city for twenty years, and voters are a little weary of another Republican.
As many of you know, I harbor criticism of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). This isn't something I knew until I read this, and it only makes me question LDS policy even further. Non-Mormons cannot be present at the actual marriage ceremony if they themselves are not Mormon. How couples get around this is beyond me. In the past, "temple marriages" were the second wedding, as travel to the West was quite time consuming. And if you want a temple marriage, be prepared to undergo a church background check, before they issue a "temple recommend". Pretty much, if you're Mormon, expect to jump through hoops in order to get married, or else leave the church.
I'll have the local judge officiate my wedding, thanks.
I happen to agree with the author of this Politico article. One of President Obama's weaknesses is he can't sell shit. Obamacare is partially a failure because it's too complex for a nation with a really short attention span. Obama's pitch for the Affordable Care Act is deplorable to say the least. Why didn't the administration reach out to Apple for help? Steve Jobs was still alive at that point, and he was a marketing genius. Heck, even I'm a better salesperson.
Reading that Elizatbeth Warren having ANYTHING good to say about Larry Summers was disheartening. Of course, it was her saying that the former Treasury Secretary was not her first choice for the position of Federal Reserve Chairman. A "brilliant economist who has made many terrific contributions to the field of economics"? And all that after he sunk your bid to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau back in 2010? I have nothing good to say about Larry Summers. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Nyet. And no, I don't want to see Rand Paul as president.
The Democrats are recruiting veterans to run for public office next year. GOOD CALL. Veterans are always seen as good by traditionally the more conservative of the independent voters, and as patriotic, something the Democrats have always struggled with. If John Walsh, the lieutenant governor of Montana runs for the US Senate, I'd join his campaign team, volunteer if need be. Sadly though, it doesn't pay the bills unless I'm on his campaign payroll. But the lieutenant governor and I have a few things in common: both of us are SUNY graduates, he's EXACTLY thirty years my senior and his credentials are strong. And Wendy Davis in Texas, who can bring in some good donor cash. And for her to run for governor is not a liability: she's not up for reelection until 2016. Supposedly, she's against marriage equality, but that's Texas in general. And if she is, she seems like the one that will keep it private and would pull a John Lynch on the subject-be personally opposed to it but legalize it under strict conditions. And plus, Davis is a magneto for the Texas Democrats. She's energizing, spunky and serious about getting things done.
Kevin Trudeau being released from jail is never a good thing. He's a professional con artist and a threat to the public's health. FactCheck has fact checked his findings, and it's GAHBAGE! (UPDATE: April 2014-he's going back to jail for a second term!)
I'm guilty of this: having gone to a small liberal arts college, in LITERALLY the middle of nowhere. How about we add some further insult to injury: it's a college in the Northeast. Number 8 in the list didn't apply: our athletes didn't own the school, it was the music and fine arts students.
The airline industry here in the United States is quite honestly a wreck. Pilots with bachelor and masters degrees are working minimum wage and sometimes not able to make ends meet. I believe that we need price floors on airline tickets here in the United States (along with a raise in wages across the board). I salute United Airlines for bringing back the old slogan Fly The Friendly Skies. Ironically, they aren't so friendly but quite unfriendly. And I don't mean United specifically but the industry as a whole, although kudos to jetBlue for helping autistic parents out with air travel and making autistic children comfortable with air travel. Could you guys have an Autism Awareness Blue advocacy jet? And while we're on marketing, Jeff Wagner is a GENIUS. He should have a Kickstarter campaign for sure. Although raunchy, his advertisement is effective because it's so tacky, and quite neutral.
Ted Cruz, I have no good words for you. Your drive to destroy Obamacare is only making me want to volunteer in a few years to make sure you are voted out of office. I see him as a jerk, and I apologize for the harsh words. And Nancy Pelosi, as much as I hope to see the Democrats win back the House, you being Speaker is not included. You're too polarizing. The Republicans have made it clear they couldn't care less about the working poor. The food stamp program, surprisingly, is a good public assistance program-I read somewhere that for every dollar spent a dollar and seventy cents is returned in economic activity.
I believe that both the parents and Brian Holloway are in the wrong here. The former NFL star has every right to be angry. His house was trashed, and by kids who he knows though his own kids, apparently. And being he's a local, the Times-Union has spared no expense showing the hypocrisy of the whole situation. I'm not going to rush to conclusions because I know not a lot on the story.
Finally, I'm on a mercy mission to sometime in the next few years to bring back As Told By Ginger back from the dead. It was killed off too soon, by network execs that didn't give a crap and the writer(s) might have tried a little too hard (especially trying to stay too family friendly). Here's something to live by: some of the worst episodes of South Park are the ones where Trey and Matt try too hard. It's not like Emily Kapnek has anything better to do. (See ABC's Suburgatory. I've watched it, and it's a decent show, although the main character in real life is WAY old to play a teen). ATBG (the acronym for the show) was actually landmark among cartoons for preteens and teens: there's character development, the characters go from being in middle school to high school for the show's initial run, the characters have a wardrobe and style change frequently and the show is never in a standstill state. It was a show in perpetual motion. And there's themes too: some episodes are informally in a two-part sequence. I could see the show further evolving, but being able to last by appealing more to the South Park crowd, without having to become vulgar. Here's something: having it on a major network might change the dynamics a little bit, as it doesn't have to be explicitly family friendly. How about some crazy adventures (like the gang making a ski trip to Whiteface and the next day finding themselves in Montreal?). As long as it's not vulgar, it's good. Mark my words: when I become a successful author, there will be a Kickstarter project. My goal? Preferably $2 million, but I'd even be happy with a half million. I believe the show has a cult following among my age group.
Wow, I've just realized I'm as much of a writer as Ginger Foutley herself. Go Sasha!*
*One of the characters on As Told By Ginger is coincidentally named Sasha, and that character is male.
P.S. Something to add to my reading list
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