Like so many people around the world I am elated about the ascendence to the presidency of a black person! It’s really about time because the old white man steeze was really starting to get ghoulishly tired. My mother made a fuss from my earliest memories about the importance of equality and judging people by the content of character as best as I could. I grew up without seeing people as different, but with the teaching that difference is what makes people most worth knowing. This is the legacy of my upbringing and I am grateful for it. Years from now if I ever have children I will tell them about this week and what it felt like.  They will live in a world where it doesn’t seem out of place for a non-white person to hold the highest office in the land. Doubtless they’ll read about it in history books…it’s just one of those events and it feels somewhat surreal to watch it happen in real time and to know that I’m a part of it. (by the way…it’s also long past due for a woman to run things around here as well so I think it’d be great to see that happen sooner than later)

But here’s the caveat. While I like Barack Obama a great deal and I have high hopes, I, like so many, have a deep mistrust for either major political party and come January 20th, while I may celebrate, I (and I hope many others) will begin watching and agitating to ensure that he does the things he said he would do and does NOT play the same party politics we’ve been forced to endure for so long (both Republican AND Democrat). That is his promise. It’s our job to keep him honest. Now, more than ever, it is wise to remember that great power can corrupt even the most altruistic among us and “friends” often attempt to exact loyalty above sound reason. Now let’s put that on the back shelf for a moment to acknowledge that if his campaign is any indication, I am both impressed and excited at the possibilities ahead.

Enter the real hard part…the system is irreparably broken. This is momentous, without a doubt but let’s examine the system as a whole. I feel like myself and a few hundred million other citizens work at Satan’s daycare center – the daycare center from hell where the children hold the keys to the timeout room.  The issue of the two party monopoly in American politics needs to be dealt with immediately, lest we citizens be caught in the crossfire of what is increasingly becoming an extremely ugly word/fist/knife/gun(god I hope not)fight where victory and power seem the only objectives.  This election, with some rare exceptions, has put on bold display the non-stop shit-slinging, toy-breaking melee between these two parties that can’t seem to recognize the way they operate is embarrassingly childish; It is becoming undemocratic in the extreme and it will destroy us if brave politicians and citizens don’t step forward on both sides (and beyond) to recognize their country needs more ideas if it wants to survive and move forward, not less. More citizen participation and dissent, not less. More respect for the rights of those you don’t agree with to have the freedom to voice their opinions, not less. More democracy, not less.

I couldn’t agree more. 

John McCain and Sarah Palin have turned out to be such a couple of boneheads  that to focus on them as the Republican candidates is a sure loser…so now we are essentially being expected to believe that “Joe the plumber” is the Republican candidate for president.  What a joke.   but is he ready to lead? 

If you want my opinion (and who does, really?) Mike Bloomberg is doing a surprisingly good job as mayor and I don’t see anyone in the field of potential candidates for the upcoming 2009 mayoral race that make me feel as comfortable as him when it comes to figuring out how to dig NYC out of it’s impending financial hole.  I’m inclined to be alright with it if it’s only for a single term AND the citizenry is allowed to be the ones to make the decision.  None of this shit where the politicians decide, which is the way they’re trying to roll, which is bullshit (and then, coincidentally, give themselves an extension, TOO…on that count, sorry, I don’t see the benefit.  That’s just politicians feelin’ their little piece of power. Not that Bloomberg isn’t just feelin’ HIS little piece of power. After all. He did say that he wouldn’t do this.  That’s kind of bogus but, you know).  Anyway. Some Brooklyn pols are trying to fuck it up for him because they have their own political ambitions.  I need a copywriter. This is the worst story ever.

I think that about says it. 

http://www.itsatrap.net/

Since I’m a helplessly shitty writer here’s a blob of possibly aimless rant for you to read (mom, you know…since I’m not even sure who else reads this in the first place)

Am I the only one that notices that Barack Obama has been ’summoned’ to the White House by Monkeymind the Wonderpresident because he chose not to go along with the ‘lets suspend our campaigns’ script?  This stinks of some sort of Karl Rove generated McCain/Bush setup and if I were him I’d be very concerned about what I was walking into….just sayin’.  Let’s be honest, in anything but the bizarro world we appear to live in, given the massive amount of bad news that appeared on the national radar in the past 24 hours alone for old white-haired dude, today should rightly have been the end of John McCain/Sarah (Where’s Waldo) Palin’s embarrasing run for the White House.

By the way, there might be some life in those Alaska Politicians, who made rumblings today that they are considering bringing the McCain campaign up on witness tampering charges for their obstruction of the ongoing troopergate investigation.

What a joke these people are.  I’d like to try and keep an open mind and give any individual a chance to prove him/herself (regardless of party affiliation) but I just can’t stupify myself enough to do it in this case.  I have no interest in telling people how to vote but this country is in a difficult spot and I am terrified (uh. let me say that one more time, terrified) of a McCain/Palin administration and the dark future that might bring, for what I assume are entirely too apparent reasons for anyone with a brain.  I’d urge anyone and everyone to really think hard about this.  Learn everything you can about the candidates and their ACTUAL positions, as opposed to stump speech truth-stretches, and (as I hope you are) if you are so inclined then work tirelessly between now and the election to ensure that we don’t get the chance to find out what that administration has in store.  Most people that know me wouldn’t peg me for some sort of patriot but I value highly my right to publish drawings of the president as a chimpanzee without being hauled off to jail for hurting our leader’s feelings (ok…maybe that doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with patriotism on its face but it really does. In totalitarian societies artists spend a lot of time in prison and patriotism is caring enough about where you live to do what you can to ensure it doesn’t become one of those societies).  Anyways, the future of our nation depends desperately on all of us doing more than we ever have before to ensure that it still belongs to us come November 5th.

Now for some horror movie footage!

Bike lanes in New York are a joke.  Cars of all sizes whiz along half in the bike lane and act like people on bicycles don’t exist.  People in cars make this assumption that since they are in a vehicle that can mow you down that you’ll just move out of the way because they’ve got the bigger vehicle or something (even though, you know…there’s a little lane there with a rudimentary, yet decipherable hieroglyph of a cyclist in big thick white paint.) “What was that?  oh I didn’t see it. I was too busy chatting on my cellphone to notice.  Obviously my car is bigger. that cyclist should have paid more attention.” Don’t mess with Texas.