Who Are We?

As I am posting this blog, I would like to tell you that I am also playing Facebook Scrabble on the side. So if you see a sentence like this: Barack Oxyphene is very keen on stopping the Qi's played on the Xi's and triple word score! What!... I do apologize.

Now that the pre-script is out of our way, onto politics, jeez.

Glenn Beck is really, a misunderstood guy. By the Tea-party, I mean. I understand his stupidity just fine. Especially when he says that the 'I have a dream' speech has nothing to do with politics. Qua? This was one of the biggest political speeches of all time.

This saturday, August 28th is the 'I have a dream' speech anniversary. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and followers, are planning to rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, where Mr. King Jr happened to give the very speech fourty-seven years ago.

The report from Washington states that "Glenn Beck did not intend to schedule a rally Saturday in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream' speech.

Civil Rights activists and Democrats however, are not so sure this coincidental setting was "divine providence" as Glenn Beck described it to be, and are also planning a march in front of the Lincoln Memorial in honor of the speech, and criticizing Beck for trying to "hijack King's legacy".

Still, however, Glenn recites the speech has nothing to do with politics, but with "who are we?

There is profound change happening in America, and there is a window of opportunity that comes in the lifespan of every republic, every civilization — a window of opportunity to reach for that brass ring or to miss it. We're not the people that we've allowed ourselves to become."

This statement, of course, accompanied by a soft piano in the distance, on his website video promoting the rally.

So, yeah. This is a different video than the piano one, but I thought this was equally hilarious.

I love how he starts off with "I will invite white people, black people, brown people, yellow people". I don't know about him, but I have never seen a yellow person, aside from the Asian stereotype. I have honestly never looked at someone, Asian or not, and said "Hm. He's kind of yellow." Nope, maybe a not-so-ripe peach color. Yeah, that's better.

All of the quotes in this video, they're all so great. Like the fact that he KNOWS the Lincoln Memorial is a sacred spot, because he used to watch the Sun Rise there! He would watch the sun rise, and he knows it's a sacred spot. So don't get sassy with this guy.

And to think, people like this guy. I'm so confused.

I'm excited to see this turn-out though. I hope there's lots of yelling and justice.

Here's a tee for this post:

It's one for the History books, guys and gals. We'd better pay attention.

P.S.

Here's my long overdue excitement for California and the no more Prop 8-ness! Woohoo! Taking baby steps, but hopefully we'll be there soon.

A Post To Grab Attention

Lately, I have been way out of politics. It's summer, things are boring, I just recently broke my laptop charger... again, and I've just been busy (aka, lazy).

What I usually do before making a post, is look through all of my favorite news sites, and pick what I want to write about. At some point in my blogging life, I want to be able to post about one subject, instead of shoving a bunch into one post. I will do that... But not right now.

Honestly, I've been a lot more into environmentalism than politics. Would you be sad if I morphed the two issues into one blog? Since, they kind of go together anyway. Or should I make a new environmental blog? And continue strict politics on this one? As you might already know, I am a very indecisive person. I've been trying to do better but, these things take time. Anyway, I don't know what to do.

I recently watched the documentary No Impact Man (I know, I should read the book). It was really awesome. I know it's an old news kind of thing, but either way it makes you want to do even more. I felt really terrible this morning for buying an iced latte in a plastic cup. I knew I would be buying it, but I still didn't bring my own cup. I really suck.

My plan for my future is this: Environmental Studies, Peace Corps, making a positive impact on the world before my time is over. Even though I haven't started college classes yet, I want to be able to start early, and do as much good for the environment as I can. Who wants to help me?

I've been jotting (I love that word) down some things I can do in my newly purchased journal (made in China because I suck... it was used though) but there are more things I want to do that I can't do by myself.

Let's make a community garden in downtown Salem. For those of you who don't live in Salem, you can donate your thoughts and ideas for it. I know, I know, I'm just a dorky kid with ideas that zoom way past my maximum thought process, but I want to make a difference.

I have had many conversations with people I love about my future. One concern I have seen come up way too often is "How will you make enough money to live off of?". Here's my response; I don't want to make money. If I can support myself enough for food and electricity in a stuffy apartment, I am totally cool with that as long as I am doing something I love.

Apparently, going into Environmental Studies will not get me a very high paying job unless it is something more specific. And yes, most people might go into things like being an environmental lawyer or scientist or whatever, but I am more into the social impact of the study. Reaching out to other people, starting my own community programs, reducing everyone's carbon footprint.

I will work in a coffee shop saving every last penny to do it.

Here I am, a fifteen year old hippie wannabe with dread locks and hairy legs, with a strong, individual opinion, wanting to just make a difference. Please don't disable my dreams.

Can I Vote FOR You?

I don't know why Rush Limbaugh is still here. He really needs to move to some foreign place with a large mountain full of vicious birds that often mistake receding hairlines for worms and retards (I can say retard, it's just satire) like Rush have to live on the edge of a cliff trying to realize his regrets before he is pushed off of the cliff by a ram with snake-like stealth.

I just like to fantasize. It's what I do before I fall asleep at night; think of the best ways Sarah and Rush should suffer.

I wish I could vote!!


You should have to take a placement test when it comes to voting. Then maybe this country would be a little less... oh... Dazed? Is that appropriate in this context?

Reason being, today when I looked in the mail pile, I noticed the Voter's pamphlet. I "omg"ed and began to vigorously read up on all of the nominees. Only the Democratic ones, though... obviously. Ron Wyden was really the only... qualified one. I just don't think that making an exercise program or farming your own land really puts you in the top plate for becoming a US Senator. But I mean, that's just me.

John and Bill!

I went into reading about them both, thinking I would like John better because of the Oregon Health Plan and all. However, Bill... Endorced by Al Gore? Dude. That can't just go unrecognized. Especially by me. Because Al Gore is so awesome, and if he likes Bill Bradbury, I just can't help but like him too.

And as I went on to read, I was quite impressed with Bradbury. Kitzhaber was not as inviting. I'm sorry to say.

So there you have it. I wish I could vote. Three more years!

Tired. I'm for certain riding my bike tomorrow. And I felt bad using a plastic container today. But that was the only thing I didn't already have that was plastic. And it was just for barbeque sauce! I did pretty well I think. Tomorrow. Bike. Right. Now. Sleep. Night.

Donate Your Shoes To Sarah Palin's Face

Tomorrow is Earth day. Yesterday was Marijuana day. Today was Syd's day to be inspired.

I painted. Or at least started a painting. I'm pretty proud so far.

I did not get high on four-twenty.

And tomorrow I have a list of things I am going to do. Here it is:
Not use plastic. Of any kind. Including pencils. Which might be hard considering I usually only use mechanical pencils. I'm going to plant something; maybe another flower in my front yard... the one from Oregon's Birthday died long ago. But maybe not. I'm going to buy nothing from China. Which won't be too hard. One day, right? I'm going to.. Gah. Not ride my bike. Because I feel like not waking up early. But maybe I will. We'll see. This 'be good to the earth' jazz is freaking difficult. I wish it wasn't. Help me love the earth more than I already do!

So. No Plastic. No China. Pack my lunch with no plastic items. I can't drink a juice box tomorrow. At least not with the provided plastic straw. I have to wear all cotton tomorrow. Let's see how this goes. I need to plan ahead, then.

I have succeeded today in turning a not-so-politically-active kid who disliked Obama (who never does what he says he will, apparently) into someone who does not dislike Obama. However, when I informed him that Obama was good to his wife, and a Christan, he said "How do you know he is, just because he says so?" ... "How do you know Mary was a virgin just because you read it in a book?" I replied.

We'll see how that goes.

My dreams are getting weirder and weirder as the sun melts on.

-concentration camps, teacher's houses, small spaces-



Politics anyone? That is why you read this, right?

First, let's take a look at a distant friend, Sue Lowden.


Let's all bring chickens to the doctor and see what happens! Do you think they'll be as sympathetic toward us as they are to Sue!? I sure hope so. Those sympathetic chicken-eating doctors.

Sarcasm is a virtue in political blogging.

Let's stop Sarah Palin's nature show, or demented need to have a nature show, PLEASE. Google "Palin's Nature Show". Do it, I dare you. Here's what you will get.

First Link
Second Link
Third Link
Fourth Link
...
The list goes on and on. Yeah. I'm pretty disgusted and utterly bewildered. Why must she continue to peeve every single person in the world all the time? I just want to throw my shoes at her! All of my shoes in my entire shoe collection! Just, load 'em up in a catapult and shoot them all at her. I should start a fundraiser, "Donate Your Shoes To Sarah Palin's Face".

I could win the Nobel Peace Prize for that.





^There's the t-shirt of the day. Because I like to do that.

Oklahoma is lame and forceful! And not in a good way. Can we just give people the right to do whatever the hell they want with the fetus inside of them? Please? From what I've observed, it's a whole lot of hypocritical folk that are so against abortion. "Some people should not reproduce", and then you go and take away that option? Okay yeah, birth control, but they're addicted to crack. I think, personally, I'd rather be a little mindless speck in space than a crack baby. Crack is wack. And so are the kids they produce.

But we're America! We just like to see how much we can twist the words of the constitution, right?

I like how Obama is practically Hitler... To the Israelis right now. I read the best article in the NYT a few weeks ago... the author, I forget who now, was going on and on about all of Obama's connections with Jews. Like his college roommate, his wife's sister... or something along those squiggly lines. Anyway. It was a good article. That's my awkwardly ending story.

I shouldn't have had that coffee at six O' clock PM. Because It's past midnight and I am wide awake. But at least it helped me blog a little bit.

Now I'm ready to sleep. Adios. Happy Earth Day everyone! Tell me your Earth Day plans!

My Future As A Republican

As we all know; I go on Facebook way too often. I've noticed a theme in my usual annoying Republican friends this week which is joining various groups and fan pages that are titled "50,000 people against health care reform" and "Join if you are against health care reform", etc etc! I've been trying to reason with people against the Health Care Reform, and have not been provoking them quite as much. However, it's kind of hard to reason with them. Here's what I've come up with.

-Only people who work hard enough for their money deserve Health Care, because anyone who doesn't have Health Care obviously is a motionless stump in the ground.
-My friend (who makes much more money than me) told me it was bad.
-I have a really tiny, closed mind.

That is it. I may have a future in Republicanism... (NOT!)

I read this today, and thought it was a little bit heart-warming:

I don’t make enough money to afford health insurance.

Depending on how much money you make, in 2012 you may be eligible for Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income people. Anyone with an income below 133 percent of the poverty level—about $14,400 for an individual and $29,327 for a family of four in 2009—can enroll in Medicaid. Also, doctors who treat Medicaid patients will receive higher payments, so more may be willing to treat people in the program. There will be subsidies for those who don’t qualify for Medicaid.

(full article)

I just like that they're going to pay doctors more for Medicaid patients, so they don't frown upon the poor ill folk. I don't think they should have to, but it's definitely a good idea for this society.

Jumping back to groups on Facebook, I noticed a lot more groups against Health Care Reform than for it. Thus concluding, we For, think it must be ridiculous to have to prove your incompatibility toward something so obviously beneficial for most people by a social interacting website such as Facebook (I guess we aren't the lame and forceful ones this time).

Current Favorite Article: From NPR

Current Favorite Blog: From Truthout

I enjoyed the Blog especially. Chip Ward, you are one good man. "Welcome to Utah".

I also have a new favorite shirt:

War, Lesbians, Health Care, and Iowa. Oh my.

I've been sick with A.D.D, and haven't been able to post. My third cousin's aunt died, I broke my pelvis, and was jailed for committing a crime I did not commit. THAT'S why I have been gone for sixteen days.

Everything in the sentences above, is a lie. Although, I haven't talked to any of my third cousins lately... What is a third cousin, anyway?

Mental health evacuations, as we all know I'm sure, have been insane this war and every war for that. To the people I have talked to, who have experienced war, have said it's the tensest thing one can ever go through. Yesterday, I was talking to a good friend, about his time as a lifegaurd in Vietnam during the Vietnam war. It started with talking about large heads and how he had to wait two weeks when he was training to get his hat, because his head was so big that they had to custom fit it. What he did out in Vietnam though, was take the soldiers that were addicted to heroin, because they were getting it cheap from the Chinese, he would take them swimming because that kind of exercise I guess helped them recover a lot.

Either way, he said war was intense. He never once held a gun in the war, but he knew. He had seen so many people go through him, you know, how could you not understand their fear and pain they had to be enduring just because of someone else's differences. It's kiiiinda sick.

Article

On the subject of war, and me being against it, I found this neato website which I'm sure everyone has seen before and I'm just lagging behind. Antiwar.com

I started a blog a long time ago, and never finshed it. It was about the Health Care Reform Summit. I know, it's too late. But I'm still dancing on the words of when he pulled out reconcilliation.

[please excuse any poor spelling in this blog; my spell checker is being a dweeb]

Now, the best thing ever, or perhaps the worst, I will show you from a slog blog. Here. Okay. Let me take a couple deep breaths, and then read it one more time... yet I still can find no rationality in their decision to cancel this prom. I adore the girl though, for making something into a big deal that deserves to be a big deal.

I read in one of the comments, about how this action is like saying they can't have african americans and 'whites' mix at a dance. I agree with this, and understand totally. Why hasn't America graduated from segregation, sexism, homophobia, all of these things we turn around and laugh that people could actually think this way. But the sick thing is, they do.

I know from personal experience, that this act of stupidity and fear of the new, of the 'gay' generation, of their own children running into this 'issue', is in some of the people you wouldn't think... I could cough out a name right now... But most people who know me know who I am talking about.

Today I was talking to my English teacher, who also happens to be really smart and cool, about how I wanted to go to the University of Iowa. She then reminded me that I should look at the blue-red map, and told me that closed minds are painful things. I believe this might be some of the best advice I've gotten on the subject of college.What do I want to be, where do I want to go to school, and what will be my motivation? Someone please tell me. Career fairy, I know you're out there.

GUHRmoments...

My response to this Facebook status:

"Obama's trying to make U S of A's education system better. Apparently its "morally unacceptable." Ok Obama, lets just see how many more students will drop out of high school once you higher the standards."

This was the girl who joined that Facebook group, O.B.A.M.A (one big ass mistake, America) but not the one who tried to tell me off about Obama and his birth certificate. Anywhooo... there were already some people who had posted on this status, and said things that were smart, and others who sided with her and went on to bash Obama completely. Someone even used the "He's a great speaker, but then again so was Hitler" comment. Ugh. Oh and they also said something about how Obama's a bad president because he let them make a Chia pet out of his head... Here's what I chipped in the pot:

"I have that Chia Pet. Obama isn't taxing those who 'work hard;. Everyone who owns a business works hard. He is just taxing the ones who have the money to give to the government, the big corporations and making it easier for the smaller business, and new businesses to get going. For example, in Dallas, your Dallas, there was once a nice downtown with neat little shops that people went to all the time. Then Walmart moved in, and pushed all of the local shops out of business, and now when you need something, where do you go? Walmart, right? Obama wants to lower those issues in the country, because yes, that is an issue. As far as his plan for schools goes, he wants to raise the amount of high school/college graduates in America. This is bad, how? Not only will it eventually lower our unemployment rate, it will also hoist our academic standard, which is awesome! Sure, there will be some kids that are threatened by it, and drop out, but that's just this generation. Imagine, the next generation of High School kids, who are already used to the new standards, and they will move on to excel.

Obama said from the very beginning of his campaign, that it would take awhile to clean up what the last president had dirtied. He has his ten year plan for getting out of the war, and he has made change. You probably don't see it, because you don't own a business.

I'm sorry I'm not closed-minded, and actually like to think for the better of the country. Does that mean I'm not morally acceptable"

I liked the opening line, and the closing lines the best, personally. Why am I still Facebook friends with these kind of people? Mainly to argue, because it's fun, when they post irrational things. When people try to add me, and I look at their political view, and it says "Republican all da way", I'm not going to add them.

My drumming skills are coming along, as are my BANJOing skills. I'm still stoked. I can't take my fingers off the thing. But anyways. That's my GUHRmoment of the day.

Thanks for your time.