skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I was reading the comments on the "John McCain For President" website, (www.johnmccain.com). Under press releases they have various and sundry quotes and articles from various newspapers across the US. One in particular from the Anchorage Daily News caught my eye:
"Anchorage Daily News: "The Joan Of Arc Of Alaska Politics."Palin, 44, has been the Joan of Arc of Alaska politics, charging into battle against long odds on such big local issues as oil taxes and construction of a natural gas pipeline only to see her opposition crumble." (Tom Kizzia, "Gov. Sarah Palin: A Biography," Anchorage Daily News)Now I know I may be cynical, but I know that Sarah Palin was picked by McCain to scoop up those disaffected Hilary supporters. If after all, McCain had decided to pick a women running-mate he would have said so earlier. I wonder who the black running-mate would have been if Hilary Clinton had picked up the Democratic nomination? It makes you wonder if the GOP doesn't really care about these groups, just who can be used the best in the current political situation. I wonder if the GOP has a collection of different minorities, religions and genders ready to go depending on whom they face. Hmmm.... picking a candidate based on who they are, not what they can do or know. Didn't the US fight a revolution to get away from that crap?
I have nothing against Gov. Sarah Palin, but as people have noted she is woefully lacking in experience in Federal Government. She only became governor of Alaska in 2004! Her credentials include being a councilor for 2 terms and mayor of Wasilla, Alaska for 2 terms. She has also been a sports reporter on a TV station in Anchorage. Hmm... yes I can see how people might mistake her for a Republican Hilary Clinton - all you have to do is ignore Hilary's years of service and political experience. Most likely if the ticket fails she will be tossed away and maybe even blamed for her inexperience. Where her inexperience really shows, is that she even accepted the nomination at this time!. Do a couple of terms as governor first!
Now if you have studied the career of Joan of Arc (Fr: Jeanne D'Arc), you know that it did not come to a good end. She fought for what she believed, claimed divine guidance, captured by the enemy, betrayed by her own King (Charles VII who refused to ransom her as was common in those days) and then burned at stake for heresy at the age of 19!
On the bright side she did eventually become a Holy Martre and a Saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Twenty-Four years after her death an ecclesiastical court reversed the decision and her innocence was proclaimed on 7th July 1456. If that is the metaphor and imagery that is chosen to represent Palin, let us hope that her fortunes do not mirror those of Joan too closely!
Jehanne D'Arc
Medieval activist,
visionary, warrior
and scape-goat.
So it seems that President Bush and Vice-President Cheney will be unable to attend the GOP Convention due to Hurricane Gustav. Now, I would imagine that with McCain and Palin trying to distance themselves from the policies of the previous administration this would be a godsend. If they had asked *Bush and Cheney to stay away it would have looked real bad!
Not that I would think that McCain and Palin would wish ill upon the people of New Orleans, but the candidates and their handlers must be doing the Snoopy dance of joy about now! If you're trying to start afresh, you really don't want to connected with the evil old empire. Sort of like getting a thumbs up from Hitler saying you have his endorsement!
*(Bush and Cheney - of course they're evil, apprentice and master!)
Of course, the downside is having to look sad because of a national catastrophe instead of partying your face off... bummer. I don't imagine it makes one bit of difference if the Republicans party or sulk in their hotel rooms!
The first entry in a new blog. My motto has always been, "Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you". I've been noticing a lot of bad things lately - and I don't just mean people getting their heads chopped off on Greyhound buses, high-school shootings and Mother Nature throwing a Hurricane to celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of Katrina. No-one likes a showoff upstaging an anniversary. I don't think the Tragically Hip intended New Orleans is sinking to be prophecy....
No... I'm talking about the world coming apart at the seams. Ethnic groups rising up, bush wars all over the place, rogue states and a general atmosphere of danger and incompetence. Where are all the giants of yesteryear....
I think that one day, historians will look back on the early 21st Century as when the great collapse started. Think about it - celebrity is more important than actually having talent. People of dubious character and talent named Brittany, Paris and Nicole among others are famous for no particular reason except that they're famous. People are hedonistic and don't care about the rest of the world.
Our moral compass, strength, sense of right and wrong, determination and clarity of purpose are gone. Right now our civilisation is like an old man with Cheyne-Stokes respiration - the end is in sight and we don't know it. We replaced our beliefs with extremism and fundamentalism - we don't think, consider or challenge - we stand on dogma and prejudice. We don't discuss rationally, we shout down, insult and belittle anyone who disagrees with us.We watch reality shows just so we can see people that are more screwed up and in more pain than we are. Our youth don't want to learn real skills to get things done like engineers, doctors, mathematicians or physicists - no they want to be lawyers, marketers, clothing designers, administrators, brokers - anything except a skill that actually generates wealth.
At what point did we decide that sending all our industrial capacity offshore was a good idea? Eventually we'll end up with a total service economy with no ability to make anything. We will be totally dependent on foreign factories and technologies. We will be vulnerable to threats and strong arming.
If you think I'm wrong, when was the last time a new oil refinery was built? Why do companies look overseas for technical talent because they can't find in North America? The US spends $720 MILLION PER DAY ($500,000/minute) in Iraq - yet balks on spending for schools, Medicare or social reform. How much good could be done with just a fraction of that money. Your tax dollars in action. Sure in Canada, people may feel morally superior but the Canadian Medicare is falling apart, transportation systems are wearing out and people seem more interested in telling everyone else how to live than doing it themselves.
This could get depressing. Show me I'm wrong and PROVE it - please.
