So John Edwards dropped out. Now the white men are faced with the same choice that all the pundits say black women face: A white woman or a black man? Do they vote their gender or vote their race?
Today I did advanced voting for the primary to be held next week on Super Tuesday. Not telling who I voted for, but I want one of them to be the next president!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
First Daffodils of 2008
From underneath the red maple in the front yard.
From the side yard.
I guess my garden has not been totally destroyed by the drought.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Georgia Primary, coming up!
Georgia is one of the states in the Super Tuesday presidential primary. I have the option of doing advanced voting this week. I live about a mile away from one of the advanced voting locations and really, all the signs say I should do it this week and avoid the crush next week. Not that there's much risk of a long wait, since US voting rates are pretty low and even lower in the primaries.
What the stars don't tell me, however, is who to vote for. I've wavering between Clinton and Obama.
Clinton because I think her experience in the White House does count for a lot. Being a wife myself, I certainly hear a lot from Husband about his job and have acted as a sounding board at times. Plus she campaigned with and for him, for the governorship and for the presidencey. And even without those qualifications, she is smart, capable, and I agree with a lot of her politics.
On the other hand, I like Obama because he talks about the future, about moving forward -- a mindset that I really live by. Plus he's smart, capable, and I agree with a lot of his politics.
What to do, what to do?
What the stars don't tell me, however, is who to vote for. I've wavering between Clinton and Obama.
Clinton because I think her experience in the White House does count for a lot. Being a wife myself, I certainly hear a lot from Husband about his job and have acted as a sounding board at times. Plus she campaigned with and for him, for the governorship and for the presidencey. And even without those qualifications, she is smart, capable, and I agree with a lot of her politics.
On the other hand, I like Obama because he talks about the future, about moving forward -- a mindset that I really live by. Plus he's smart, capable, and I agree with a lot of his politics.
What to do, what to do?
Friday, January 25, 2008
35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
January 22 marked the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade which made abortion legal in the US.
As mentioned in Wikipedia: The central holding of Roe v. Wade was that abortions are permissible for any reason a woman chooses, up until the "point at which the fetus becomes ‘viable,’ that is, potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid. Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks." The Court also held that abortion after viability must be available when needed to protect a woman's health, which the Court defined broadly in the companion case of Doe v. Bolton.
We need to remember that, even as there are efforts in this country to ban abortion again.
In Georgia, HR 536 proposes: an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each human being from the moment of fertilization without regard to age, race, sex, health, function, or condition of dependency (emphasis my own).
My views are more along the lines of:
Against Abortion? - Don't Have One!
Someone You Know May Need a Choice
If You Can't Trust Me With a Choice How Can You Trust Me With a Child?
And most of all:
Be a Voice For Choice - Every Child a Wanted Child
As mentioned in Wikipedia: The central holding of Roe v. Wade was that abortions are permissible for any reason a woman chooses, up until the "point at which the fetus becomes ‘viable,’ that is, potentially able to live outside the mother's womb, albeit with artificial aid. Viability is usually placed at about seven months (28 weeks) but may occur earlier, even at 24 weeks." The Court also held that abortion after viability must be available when needed to protect a woman's health, which the Court defined broadly in the companion case of Doe v. Bolton.
We need to remember that, even as there are efforts in this country to ban abortion again.
In Georgia, HR 536 proposes: an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each human being from the moment of fertilization without regard to age, race, sex, health, function, or condition of dependency (emphasis my own).
My views are more along the lines of:
Against Abortion? - Don't Have One!
Someone You Know May Need a Choice
If You Can't Trust Me With a Choice How Can You Trust Me With a Child?
And most of all:
Be a Voice For Choice - Every Child a Wanted Child
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Obama or Clinton? Who says those are the only choices?
CNN posted a story about how black women have to chose between gender and race and apparently got inundated by e-mails.
My favorite quotes are:
"Since Edwards no longer officially exists, as a white male I face the same choice - either I vote my race (Clinton) or my gender (Obama). Or I could just pick the candidate based on who I think would be best,"
"The article itself shows black women have brains and actually choose candidates based on issues and not just gender or race, but CNN doesn't seem to give them that credit."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(CNN) -- Within minutes of posting a story on CNN's homepage called "Gender or race: Black women voters face tough choices in South Carolina," readers reacted quickly and angrily.
Readers want media to focus more on the candidates and how they feel about the issues not their gender or race.
Many took umbrage at the story's suggestion that black women voters face "a unique, and most unexpected dilemma" about voting their race or their gender.
CNN received dozens of e-mails shortly after posting the story, which focuses largely on conversations about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that a CNN reporter observed at a hair salon in South Carolina whose customers are predominantly African-American.
The story states: "For these women, a unique, and most unexpected dilemma, presents itself: Should they vote their race, or should they vote their gender?" Read the story
An e-mailer named Tiffany responded sarcastically: "Duh, I'm a black woman and here I am at the voting booth. Duh, since I'm illiterate I'll pull down the lever for someone. Hm... Well, he black so I may vote for him... oh wait she a woman I may vote for her... What Ise gon' do? Oh lordy!"
Tiffany urged CNN to "pull this racist crap off" the Web site and to stop calling Hillary the "top female candidate." "Stop calling Barack the "Black" candidate," she wrote.
Many readers were upset that the story did not delve beyond a cursory mention of the issues.
The article stated: "While race and gender play a role, most women here say they plan to vote based on the issues. They rank health care, education and the economy in order of importance."
The salon owner, Angela Jackson, a Clinton supporter, is quoted as saying: "They don't pay my bills. And they're not attached to my belly. Nobody is attached to my belly but me. They don't feed me, clothe me. I don't care what they think. ... She's a woman, I'm a woman."
A reader named Joan e-mailed: "Really CNN, is this how you view black women[?] Are you suggesting that white women are going to have it easier [?] How about issues? Should a black woman consider the candidates position on issues, or should we just stick to race and gender. Disgusting!"
Matt e-mailed, "The article itself shows black women have brains and actually choose candidates based on issues and not just gender or race, but CNN doesn't seem to give them that credit."
Others responding to the story wrote that they want CNN and other media to focus on the substance of the candidates' accomplishments and stances on issues, rather than their appearance.
"Since Edwards no longer officially exists, as a white male I face the same choice - either I vote my race (Clinton) or my gender (Obama). Or I could just pick the candidate based on who I think would be best," wrote Michael.
Another e-mailer, D.T., who describes herself as a young, white woman, said voters should choose the candidate best qualified to lead. "I'm sure there are plenty of black women who are Republican and could care less who the Dem leader will be," she said. "Close your eyes and look at who can fulfill the best to their promises."
My favorite quotes are:
"Since Edwards no longer officially exists, as a white male I face the same choice - either I vote my race (Clinton) or my gender (Obama). Or I could just pick the candidate based on who I think would be best,"
"The article itself shows black women have brains and actually choose candidates based on issues and not just gender or race, but CNN doesn't seem to give them that credit."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(CNN) -- Within minutes of posting a story on CNN's homepage called "Gender or race: Black women voters face tough choices in South Carolina," readers reacted quickly and angrily.
Readers want media to focus more on the candidates and how they feel about the issues not their gender or race.
Many took umbrage at the story's suggestion that black women voters face "a unique, and most unexpected dilemma" about voting their race or their gender.
CNN received dozens of e-mails shortly after posting the story, which focuses largely on conversations about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that a CNN reporter observed at a hair salon in South Carolina whose customers are predominantly African-American.
The story states: "For these women, a unique, and most unexpected dilemma, presents itself: Should they vote their race, or should they vote their gender?" Read the story
An e-mailer named Tiffany responded sarcastically: "Duh, I'm a black woman and here I am at the voting booth. Duh, since I'm illiterate I'll pull down the lever for someone. Hm... Well, he black so I may vote for him... oh wait she a woman I may vote for her... What Ise gon' do? Oh lordy!"
Tiffany urged CNN to "pull this racist crap off" the Web site and to stop calling Hillary the "top female candidate." "Stop calling Barack the "Black" candidate," she wrote.
Many readers were upset that the story did not delve beyond a cursory mention of the issues.
The article stated: "While race and gender play a role, most women here say they plan to vote based on the issues. They rank health care, education and the economy in order of importance."
The salon owner, Angela Jackson, a Clinton supporter, is quoted as saying: "They don't pay my bills. And they're not attached to my belly. Nobody is attached to my belly but me. They don't feed me, clothe me. I don't care what they think. ... She's a woman, I'm a woman."
A reader named Joan e-mailed: "Really CNN, is this how you view black women[?] Are you suggesting that white women are going to have it easier [?] How about issues? Should a black woman consider the candidates position on issues, or should we just stick to race and gender. Disgusting!"
Matt e-mailed, "The article itself shows black women have brains and actually choose candidates based on issues and not just gender or race, but CNN doesn't seem to give them that credit."
Others responding to the story wrote that they want CNN and other media to focus on the substance of the candidates' accomplishments and stances on issues, rather than their appearance.
"Since Edwards no longer officially exists, as a white male I face the same choice - either I vote my race (Clinton) or my gender (Obama). Or I could just pick the candidate based on who I think would be best," wrote Michael.
Another e-mailer, D.T., who describes herself as a young, white woman, said voters should choose the candidate best qualified to lead. "I'm sure there are plenty of black women who are Republican and could care less who the Dem leader will be," she said. "Close your eyes and look at who can fulfill the best to their promises."
Monday, January 21, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2008
Went to the march downtown Atlanta today.
I had my choice of groups to march with: The Peace and Justice Group, Save Grady Hospital, or the Stop Family Violence group. I went with the third, though I had made plans with the second, and used a sign from the first group.
Yes, it was kind of a confusing beginning. First of all, I couldn't find any of those three groups. I stood on a corner of Peachtree Street near the Peachtree Center MARTA station. There was a woman holding a "Healthcare not Warfare" sign so I asked her where the Peace and Justice group was. Yes, it was really random, but who knows? She might have actually known. But she didn't. Still, we chatted and it turned out that she and her daughter volunteer with refugees and so I gave them my business card. Clearly, I need to get out of the house more often. First at Knit Night and now at the MLK march, I got some good networking done.
Eventually they found their group (the Unitarian Universalists, I think) and I walked north up the street. I figured I might meet up with some people I actually knew, and I did. I found the Stop Family Violence group. They were standing down one of the side streets. When the march comes by, we'll step out at the end and join it. This is the group waiting across from us:
Yes, there actually are unions in Georgia, but not many.
Oh, look: it's the Save Grady Hospital group. I went over to say hey and then went back to the Stop Family Violence group:
Basically Grady Memorial Hospital is the public hospital, serving everyone regardless of ability to pay, and the only level one trauma center in northern Georgia. When victims get airlifted to a hospital, it's Grady they're taken to, not any of the dozen or so other hospitals in the Atlanta metro area. It's in financial trouble and no agreement about what to do to save it.
The tented platform is shown below for more speechifying, placed on Auburn Avenue, right between the MLK center run by the National Parks Service and the MLK center run by the King family. The 2 MLK centers are located across the street from each other and next to the old and new Ebenezer Baptist Churches, across the street from each other. By that time, it was 3pm and I was frozen and decided to go home.
I had my choice of groups to march with: The Peace and Justice Group, Save Grady Hospital, or the Stop Family Violence group. I went with the third, though I had made plans with the second, and used a sign from the first group.
Yes, it was kind of a confusing beginning. First of all, I couldn't find any of those three groups. I stood on a corner of Peachtree Street near the Peachtree Center MARTA station. There was a woman holding a "Healthcare not Warfare" sign so I asked her where the Peace and Justice group was. Yes, it was really random, but who knows? She might have actually known. But she didn't. Still, we chatted and it turned out that she and her daughter volunteer with refugees and so I gave them my business card. Clearly, I need to get out of the house more often. First at Knit Night and now at the MLK march, I got some good networking done.
Eventually they found their group (the Unitarian Universalists, I think) and I walked north up the street. I figured I might meet up with some people I actually knew, and I did. I found the Stop Family Violence group. They were standing down one of the side streets. When the march comes by, we'll step out at the end and join it. This is the group waiting across from us:
It's the young men of Project Manhood at North Clayton High School. What's not shown are the Girl Scouts behind them. At one point the girls were doing jumping jacks (or should it be jumping jills?) to stay warm. Because it was around freezing and the girls were wearing skirts
Yes, there actually are unions in Georgia, but not many.
Oh, look: it's the Save Grady Hospital group. I went over to say hey and then went back to the Stop Family Violence group:Basically Grady Memorial Hospital is the public hospital, serving everyone regardless of ability to pay, and the only level one trauma center in northern Georgia. When victims get airlifted to a hospital, it's Grady they're taken to, not any of the dozen or so other hospitals in the Atlanta metro area. It's in financial trouble and no agreement about what to do to save it.This was a group of Girl Scouts. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the kids dressed as the cookies.
There were signs for the other candidates, but I didn't take those pictures.
Then it was our turn to join and here are the pictures I took along the way.
Here's Youth Pride, and a sign for their hotline for LGBTQ youth:
In case you can't see, the sign says "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
It was interesting to walk down Peachtree Street and Auburn Avenue, roads I normally drive down. Walking gave me time to really look at the buildings and notice the new shops and restaurants moving in. Auburn Ave used to be the center of black culture and then it went into decline. Having the interstate built right over the middle certainly didn't help.
But now it looks like it has a chance of really making a comeback, with new shops and condos. With the housing downturn, though, I don't know what will happen.
The march ended at the MLK center. And here's a little something to counteract against all the uplift and hope of the march. The placard says "Jesus Lord of All or Hell Awaits You!" Nice, eh?
The tented platform is shown below for more speechifying, placed on Auburn Avenue, right between the MLK center run by the National Parks Service and the MLK center run by the King family. The 2 MLK centers are located across the street from each other and next to the old and new Ebenezer Baptist Churches, across the street from each other. By that time, it was 3pm and I was frozen and decided to go home.I parked at the Inman Park-Reynoldstown MARTA stop,which is the next stop over from the MLK stop. My brain must have been frozen because I thought "it's only one stop from where I'm at now, I'll just walk there." It turned out to be a mile away.
However, like the walk down Auburn, I got to really see the shops and new condos built along DeKalb Avenue, instead of driving past at 55 miles an hour.
One place was Polly on the Avenue, a pottery studio that I've driven past for over 10 years. Today, Polly came out to walk her dog as I walked past and I finally had a chance to ask about it. It's Polly's pottery studio, where she makes items for art fairs and she supplies the sugar bowls at the Flying Biscuit, a local bakery. She's having a little open house party in February and she gave me an invitation.
So all in all, it was a great day. Not quite a day off, not quite a day on, (MLK Day is a day on, to volunteer at community events to make the "beloved community" better). But a good day, any way you look at it.
Friday, January 18, 2008
First time at Knit Night
As much knitting as I do, I actually doing it alone. But last night I went to a Knit Night for the first time.
It was at Knitch, my favorite yarn shop. I went, by myself, not knowing anyone and just sat down where I found space.
It was with a group of 4 women and as others have found, conversation veered from knitting, to beauty tips, to love lives, to politics. It seemed that people were Democrats and wavering between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.
As one person said, if Hilary was the Democratic nominee, she'd vote for her, but Barack was more appealing. Another person said that Barack Obama made her feel least sleazy after listening to them campaigning.
Not quite a ringing endorsement, but I think that's how politics are nowadays. We're all cynical and want to be inspired and believe, but also think that politicians will say anything to get elected.
Personally, I'm leaning toward Hilary Clinton and would love a ticket of Hilary Clinton and Bill Richardson.
I took one of those online campaign matching quizzes and got matched most with Mike Gravel and least with Fred Thompson. This was the first time I heard about Gravel. He hasn't been doing so well, getting about 0% in the caucuses and primaries.
For the first time, on February 5, Georgia will be having a primary. I better do some research.
In the course of chit chatting, we talked about what we do and where we work. It turned out that onee of the women had heard about my organization. I went prepared with business cards and newsletters so I got a little networking done too.
Knit Night was fun and I'll have to do it again sometime.
It was at Knitch, my favorite yarn shop. I went, by myself, not knowing anyone and just sat down where I found space.
It was with a group of 4 women and as others have found, conversation veered from knitting, to beauty tips, to love lives, to politics. It seemed that people were Democrats and wavering between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.
As one person said, if Hilary was the Democratic nominee, she'd vote for her, but Barack was more appealing. Another person said that Barack Obama made her feel least sleazy after listening to them campaigning.
Not quite a ringing endorsement, but I think that's how politics are nowadays. We're all cynical and want to be inspired and believe, but also think that politicians will say anything to get elected.
Personally, I'm leaning toward Hilary Clinton and would love a ticket of Hilary Clinton and Bill Richardson.
I took one of those online campaign matching quizzes and got matched most with Mike Gravel and least with Fred Thompson. This was the first time I heard about Gravel. He hasn't been doing so well, getting about 0% in the caucuses and primaries.
For the first time, on February 5, Georgia will be having a primary. I better do some research.
In the course of chit chatting, we talked about what we do and where we work. It turned out that onee of the women had heard about my organization. I went prepared with business cards and newsletters so I got a little networking done too.
Knit Night was fun and I'll have to do it again sometime.
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