Jesus Christ Superstar

I don’t know if Andrew Lloyd Webber intended his musical to tell the story of Christ or to humanize him, but the first time I saw it, it reinforced my belief that Jesu bin Josef was a political figure and an incredible philosopher, but NOT the son of God.  My favorite line in the entire show is sung by Judas and states, “You’ve begun to matter more than the things you say.”  I can’t imagine that God’s intention was ever for us to worship Jesus as a god, but rather to listen to his words and implement them in our own lives.

A-T-T-A-C-K

I’ve noticed that the McCain campaign doesn’t really have anything to say about itself, its policies, or how it will differ from the Bush Presidency.  As a result, they seem to wait for Obama to come out with a plan for the environment (remember the tire gauges), the economy, or some other issue and attack his idea as well as his character.  I wish the American people weren’t stupid enough to be bullied into voting for McCain, but since he continues to attack rather than discuss, it seems that they will have little substance on which to base an opinion.

If I weren’t already diametrically opposed to the McCain Campaign, the Bush Presidency, and everything they stand for, the fact tha he and Sarah Palin have been attacking Obama’s experience as a community organizer and calling it virtually worthless would have turned me off completely.  It’s a slap in the face to those who try to improve their communities by gathering their neighbors together and doing things like forming neighborhood watches (a VERY Republican thing to do, by the way), PTA’s, clean-up crews, truancy action committees, after school programs, and forming a hundred other groups that people like Barack Obamahave organized and created.  The Republicans and all those who give credence their tactics and anything they have to say disgust me completely. I feel the rift in our country growing by the second.  I hope we survive.

Oh, and in case you’ve forgotten: 4,168 US soldiers dead and 30,634 US soldiers wounded in a mission that was accomplished 5 years ago.  589 US soldiers dead in Afghanistan

Vice-President Mommy

I have a real problem with Sarah Palin, and it has a lot more to do with how she is taking care of her family than her warped view on the issues.  In the week since the convention I haven’t heard Ms. Palin say much, unless she was attacking someone, but her actions have been speaking for her.  She has been interviewed, she has been on the road, and she ha been extremely busy, as any vice-presidential candidate would be.  So my question is this: Who is taking care of her baby?

She has five children, the youngest with Downs Syndrome.  Taking care of a child with special needs is difficult.  I should know, my parents have been doing it for 27 years now.  It’s incredibly time consuming.  The other children can get lost in the mix because their parents are stressed, distracted, and often dealing with doctors and other care professionals.  If Ms. Palin becomes vice-president, who will be taking care of this child?  Will it be the same person who was looking after Bristol when she was having sex at 16 (or younger)?

Despite all of the reasons I would not consider voting for Sarah Palin and John McCain, the strongest is that she has a young child, and though it may be biased, it is a reality.  Babies need their mothers at home.  They need their fathers, too, but you cannot run on a “family values” platform and leave your young children in the care of someone else.  If you want to be in politics, wait until your children are at least five years old.  Anyone with small children should be putting their family above themselves, regardless of the job description.

This is My America

My first assignment for my American Literature students this year is to write a 5 paragraph essay entitled, “This Is My America”.  My students are always saying that what happens in the “outside world” doesn’t matter because they are struggling daily just to survive.  No one knows this and no one cares.  I want them to feel like they matter, that their stories are not all that uncommon, and that someone cares, even if it’s just me.  I’m hoping that I’ll be able to post their stories and that others to stumble across this site will want to post their own.  I’m opening this up to anyone who wants to share their version of America – who they are, where they come from, etc…  I would love anecdotal tales, but I’ll take essays, opinion pieces, whatever.  If you don’t mind me using your post as an example for my kids, please let me know!  I’m encouraging you all to write, to tell your story, and to let kids who don’t have access to the life you live to read it.  All experiences are welcome.

Humanizing the Right

So, McCain’s Vice Presidential pick (what’s her name again?) has a teen daughter who’s pregnant.  I think the campaign leaked this to the press so that Republicans can be seen as caring, compassionate people who accept young people who make mistakes.  She’s 17, but she’s going to keep the baby and marry the father.  Vote for us.  We’ll raise your child in a nice, Christian church and teach her that she only has one option when it comes to pregnancy, but neglect to mention that because we only teach abstinance, she’ll be afraid to discuss birth control with her parents and this might happen to her, too. I feel bad for the girl.  Not bad enough not to be cynical about the reasons why her pregnancy is being discussed, but  that’s usually something people want to keep quiet, and her mother’s political choices made her youthful indiscretions fodder for the media frenzy.