Colorado Women Vote and Read!

Yesterday, I took my sister to the doctor and had a couple of hours to kill while waiting for her. I was listening to my favorite radio station 760 AM and Jay Marvin, and they mentioned there was a rally at noon on the west steps of the capital - Women against McCain/Palin. Since I was very close to the capital I decided to swing over and see what was going on.

I was a few minutes early so I took my Time magazine to read, the one with Palin on the cover, ironically. I read the article and it reinforced what I already believed about her - that she, while apparently very ambitious and willing to do whatever it takes to advance her career, isn’t particularly, well, “special.” She’s no great scholar. She’s a “regular woman” who loves her family. Also, she does things that a lot of us “city women” probably don’t, like shoot a beautiful animal in the throat, then gut and skin it “for sport.” I‘m from the school of, if you have a gun and the beautiful animal doesn’t, then you have an unfair advantage - and it’s not really sport when you know that the gun will produce sure death if you are even close enough to wound it. If you are a true “sportsman/woman,” then use a bow and arrow and aim precisely and humanely, so the animal doesn’t lay there and suffer with a huge smoking gaping hole in it’s side, but oh well, I digress.

A Colorado woman, with her children, let's us know how she feels

Anyway as I was sitting in the shade waiting for the rally to begin I struck up a conversation with a couple of older women who were sitting near me, expressing distaste at McCain’s pandering choice of a VP. The people who were starting to gather were mostly middle-aged and older women, with some younger moms and their children. Some of these younger women had their mothers with them, so it was truly inter-generational, and there was also a fair representation of men, straight and gay. There was also the occasional indignant tourist, just trying to take pictures of the beautiful gold-plated dome of the capital and resenting the people handing out leaflets and otherwise trying to engage them.

Women gathering on the steps preparing for speakers

Then, almost all at once, the lunch crowd appeared - the downtown workers out for a little afternoon protest during their lunch break, mostly 20-30ish women with their lunch buddies (and my friend who works downtown, who I had earlier called), dressed in business attire, and it was time to begin.

"Sara Palin" awes the crowd with her bullets and beauty-queen persona, with Colorado Senator Betty Boyd in background

Someone waved us over to the steps to gather around the podium and hold up our signs; the woman next to me handed me a lovely, understated hand-made sign that said, “Peace.” We gathered around the first speaker, House Majority Leader Alice Madden, who gave a rousing opening. “Why do women matter? We make up half the population, and gave birth to the rest!” The crowd went wild.

Polly Baca speaks - other speakers included Colorado Representative Alice Madden (in black) and Elbra Wedgeworth (to her right)

Other strong and sassy women speakers followed - former City Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, former State Senator and LARASA CEO Polly Baca, and State Senator (and Health and Human Services Vice-Chair) Betty Boyd. I could relate to every message, things like women having the right to choose for themselves, strong leadership, and an economy that works for all of us - not just the wealthy. The speakers, while strong, were polite and left the heckling to the crowd, like when one speaker mentioned that Palin supported abstinence-only education, my friend hooted “It didn’t work for her!” and the woman next to her screamed “and it didn’t work for her daughter!” The message of a failed Bush administration was hammered home, along with the strong message that a McCain/Palin administration would be just more of the same, and that we, our families and communities simply can’t afford it.

Although there were many news cameras and photographers, apparently the rally wasn’t news because I didn’t see it reported anywhere. Oh well, thanks to the blogosphere I can talk about it anyway, and publish photos that I took with my little digital camera that I take everywhere with me.

Overall it was a perfect day for a rally - a picture-perfect, sunny Colorado day, a lovely way to spend a lunch hour. I’m grateful to live in a community that cares enough to be fed up and wants to do something about it, and the polls as of today are showing that Obama has pulled ahead of McCain in Colorado! I was also heartened to see with my own eyes that women, in general (and of course, there are exceptions) are intelligent enough to not allow themselves to be manipulated by the McCain campaign into believing that he can just pull voters who had supported the smart, sophisticated, educated and vetted Hillary Clinton with another candidate just because she’s a woman. Sorry, but no cigar, we ain’t buying it. There’s no comparison. Thanks though!

Mr. Uppity

Georgia’s Rep. Lynn Westmoreland used the word “uppity” to describe Michelle and Barack Obama last Thursday. Yes, he said uppity.

Anyone who was around during the civil rights movement (I was, and although I was just a child I understand “uppity”) knows what that word means to a white southerner like Westmoreland - it is used to describe black people who don’t know how to stay in their place, who have the nerve to want more than a servile place in life. “Uppity” is used by a white southerner to describe a black person who dares to challenge the status quo and has the audacity to consider themselves at an equal level to white people.

I wish I’d have been there to witness it! After he spit that word, the stunned reporters asked for clarification: “did you say uppity?” “Uppity, yeah,” he said. You know, I would probably make a lousy reporter. Hand on hip and head snapping I would probably have had my finger in his ridiculous face as I called him out. People would be dropping their microphones trying to hold me back.

As the pressure mounted and people started blowing up the switchboard in his office, he claimed innocence. He expects us to believe that he, a 58 year old man from the south, didn’t know that the term “uppity,” when applied to a black person, has racial implications. Please. On ABC’s “This Week,” political consultant David Gergen said that “as a native of the south, I can tell you, when you see this Charlton Heston ad, “The One,” that’s code for “he’s uppity, he ought to stay in his place.” Everyone gets that who is from a Southern background.””

This is one of the major problems I have with republicans, they simply don’t know how to “man-up” and admit they were wrong and inappropriate when they say incredibly stupid things. They either say “it was a joke,” or plead ignorance, and there’s a reason for it. Even if the later apologize, they’ve already made an impression on the stupidest of their constituency, and they know that what they said will stick even if they apologize later. So Rep. Westmoreland was speaking to the most ignorant of his backwoods constituents who, he knows damn well, well say ‘yeah!“That thur’s one uppity n!gger, and the dadgum congressman said so!”

Shame on him!

US Magazine

I went out and bought myself an US Magazine today, along with the National Enquirer I was planning to get to read about Sarah Palin's alleged affair with her husband's former business partner. There wasn't much meat to the Enquirer article; hopefully they will provide more later. I wouldn't have even paid attention had not McCain's campaign threatened a lawsuit against the Enquirer. Say what you will about the paper, but in my experience they usually nail it.

I bought the US Magazine because of an article I read on MSNBC.com about the backlash against their cover story. Apparently, there are people who are angry about the current edition's cover, which features a photo of a smiling Palin holding her sleeping baby "Trig," and the headline reads "John McCain's VP Sarah Palin - Babies, Lies & Scandal." Courtney Hazlett says in "The Scoop" that the publication has lost 5,000 or more angry subscribers who feel that Palin is getting a raw deal with that choice of headline, and the article, which discusses all the dirt that was already out there. I don't know about the rest of the world, but controversy like this just makes me go out and spend $3.99 for a magazine that I normally wouldn't read. I don't suppose my $3.99 makes up for the alleged 5,000 that US is supposedly losing for its choice of a cover story, but I also suspect that there are at least 5,000 people who, just like me, went out and purchased a copy of the magazine to see what all the hoopla is about. And, there's a lot to this Palin story that just "makes you go hmmmm...." It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.


Separated At Birth?

I saw an article today about the troubled McKenzie Phillips, who never seems to the be in the news any more unless she's being arrested on a drug charge. When I saw her, I thought it was Heidi Fleiss and wondered whether they had been separated at birth:

Palin Schmalin

Watching Sarah Palin’s address. The first thing that stands out so vividly to me is how much the audience looks alike, so unlike the Democratic Convention. Everyone is old and white. I have seen exactly one older black woman, one older black man and one older Asian man. Otherwise, everyone else is the same. I saw one older woman wearing a pin that holds Palin up as “the Hottest VP candidate. Wow, so this is the extent of her qualifications, her hottness? Please, she reminds me of those polygamist women in Texas with that hairdo. I just saw another geezer with a button that said “Hoosiers for the Hot Chick.” Never mind that she is running an office that deserves more respect than her outward appearance, to these cretins she is a “hot chick.”

She is talking about McCain shuffling (incredibly, at the mention of the word “shuffle” the camera pans into another old black man’s face) along as a prisoner of war. LOL!

And now, one of the things I most hate about McCain. The entire Palin family is out there enjoying the applause of the old white heads, and here he comes on stage, saving his short arms and starfish-like hands, trying to steal the limelight. It’s totally a control thing.

I saw, and I’m not convinced. Not now, not ever. McCain screwed up big time.

Update: Just read a Huffpo article that says McCain is about to sue the Enquirer for publishing a story about Palin having an affair with her husbands former business partner. Call me crazy, but in my experience, the Enquirer is usually right on time with the sh!t before anyone else.

Who's Watching the Children?

Yesterday I spent some time browsing the blogosphere after receiving an email from my sister about what Levi Johnston (Sarah Palin's daughter's baby-daddy) stated on his MySpace page. He boasted about being a "f*ckin' redneck." He also says "ya f*ck with me I'll kick your ass," and his profile informs us he doesn't want kids. Nice. If you haven't had the talk with your children about what's appropriate to blast to the entire world on MySpace, now is the time.

Another site showed pregnant teenage daughter Bristol (what's with those NAMES?!? Track? Trig?) partying at the age of 16 with her girlfriends. They are holding empty booze bottles in an obvious state of inebriation, and sticking their tongues out into each other's mouths.

I have been to Alaska, actually been to the Palin's home city Wasilla. It's very different from where I live. For teenagers, there's nothing to do. Unless you love to spend your time hunting, fishing, canoeing and enjoying the great outdoors (especially the small town of Trapper Creek where we stayed), drinking and having sex are attractive options. But listen, we are talking about the children of neo-cons. Haven't they learned in school that these things are sinful? Oh wait a minute, they are probably home-schooled. Who's teaching at that home school? Couldn't be Mom, who is busy running a state and for VP while simultaneously raising a special-needs infant, where does she find the time? Just makes you wonder.

Oh Yes, She'll Serve...

A different spin on why McCain was hovering so controllingly around Sarah Palin when she gave her acceptance speech. I was thinking it was because he wanted to make damn sure she knew who was in control, but maybe it was something else...hilarious!!