via RAYGUN
Monday, December 19, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Politics and Iowa
As the Iowa Caucuses get closer, I'm starting to pay more and more attention to the candidates. Even though we're not caucusing for a Democratic candidate, only the Republican side, I'm still paying attention. (As a registered Democrat, I can't participate in the Republican caucus) This is one thing I love about living in Iowa - they really pay attention to their politics.
I recently read an article - written by a professor at the University of Iowa, but not originally from Iowa. (read the article here if you want) Parts of it were pretty offensive, even to me - someone also not originally from Iowa. And while I do agree that he made some good points about how Iowa is not a fair representation of the rest of the nation, you have to give Iowa credit. Iowans take their role as a First in the Nation state very seriously. They listen to all the candidates. They take the time to go to those town hall meetings. They want their questions answered. They know a lot about each candidate running. They're very informed. And while sometimes I think some Iowans might get a little "big-headed" about their First in the Nation status, they can tell you a lot about where each candidate stands. They're confident about who they'll be caucusing for.
With Iowa being first in the nation, we get a lot of attention - from the candidates and the media. We hear and watch a lot of debates. We watch a lot of video clips from those town hall meetings across the states. We get a lot of TV and radio ads from the candidates. And we have opinions about all of those. One nice thing about all the attention is that is does keep us informed. We get to hear how the candidates feel about many topics. And I'm going to touch on just a couple of issues that have been in the news recently.
One was a video/news article about Michele Bachmann. This event took place at a Town Hall meeting in Waverly and during the event, a high school student questioned Bachmann on her views on same-sex marriage. You can read the article and watch the video here. The thing I can't stand about Bachmann is that she talks in circles, avoiding questions and contraindicating herself. Well that, and I think she's just kind of an idiot. I have to give the student props for not letting up as she continued to push Bachmann for an answer. But let's go over some of Bachmann's answers. Her first answer is:
Rick Perry is another candidate who is really getting some attention... but it's not necessarily all good attention. Perry has caused quite a stir with one of his recent TV ads that has aired in Iowa... Here it is below.
There is nothing okay about this entire commercial. Okay, I take that back, there is one okay thing about this commercial - out of the 6,345,835 people who have viewed this on YouTube, there are 663,586 dislikes. I recently read that this means Rick Perry's video is now officially the most hated video to ever be posted on YouTube. I'm glad to know there are a lot of people who don't think this okay. There is nothing okay about being ignorant and hateful - especially to a group of people who lay down their life to protect and serve you. It actually scares me that there are people like this that are in office. He talks about ending Obama's "War on Religion" - what war is he talking about? There is no war. America is NOT a Christian nation! Ronald Regan once had a great quote about this:
There is a great show on TLC called All-American Muslim. It chronicles the lives of Muslims living in Michigan as they life their life as normal as possible - as Muslims in America. Seems like a great show, right? I love shows like this because it gives you a look at a different perspective and a different culture. When I think about America, I think about how it's a great country because people here have the freedom to be whoever they are and practice any religion! I mean, it is the first amendment! But a news story broke recently that Lowe's - the home improvement store - has decided to pull all their ads from the air on TLC during that show. Seriously?! Apparently there is a conservative Christian group in Florida called the Florida Family Association that has been pressuring businesses to pull their ads because the show is showing "the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values." What?! It's things like this that continues to make people so ignorant. We need to learn about other cultures and religions, we need to be open to them. You don't have to convert, but you shouldn't try and silence them. Apparently this group is also trying to get businesses to pull ads from other shows that "attempt to normalize homosexuality". Sometimes I really worry about the future of our country...
I'll get off my soap-box now. I know that these are just my opinions. You might not agree with me and that's fine. The thing about America is that you don't have to agree with me. We can all have our own opinions and beliefs. And I would love to hear yours. :)
I recently read an article - written by a professor at the University of Iowa, but not originally from Iowa. (read the article here if you want) Parts of it were pretty offensive, even to me - someone also not originally from Iowa. And while I do agree that he made some good points about how Iowa is not a fair representation of the rest of the nation, you have to give Iowa credit. Iowans take their role as a First in the Nation state very seriously. They listen to all the candidates. They take the time to go to those town hall meetings. They want their questions answered. They know a lot about each candidate running. They're very informed. And while sometimes I think some Iowans might get a little "big-headed" about their First in the Nation status, they can tell you a lot about where each candidate stands. They're confident about who they'll be caucusing for.
With Iowa being first in the nation, we get a lot of attention - from the candidates and the media. We hear and watch a lot of debates. We watch a lot of video clips from those town hall meetings across the states. We get a lot of TV and radio ads from the candidates. And we have opinions about all of those. One nice thing about all the attention is that is does keep us informed. We get to hear how the candidates feel about many topics. And I'm going to touch on just a couple of issues that have been in the news recently.
One was a video/news article about Michele Bachmann. This event took place at a Town Hall meeting in Waverly and during the event, a high school student questioned Bachmann on her views on same-sex marriage. You can read the article and watch the video here. The thing I can't stand about Bachmann is that she talks in circles, avoiding questions and contraindicating herself. Well that, and I think she's just kind of an idiot. I have to give the student props for not letting up as she continued to push Bachmann for an answer. But let's go over some of Bachmann's answers. Her first answer is:
JANE SCHMIDT: One of my main concerns is government support for the LGBT community. So my question is what would you do to protect GSAs in high school and support the LGBT community.BACHMANN: Well, No. 1, all of us as Americans have the same rights. The same civil rights. And so that’s really what government’s role is, to protect our civil rights. There shouldn’t be any special rights or special set of criteria based upon people’s preferences. We all have the same civil rights.
Great! We all have the same rights! But wait...
So... we don't all have the same rights... And as Bachmann states, we're all American citizens first and foremost. That's it. And she also said that all Americans have the same civil rights. But a man still can't marry a man... Something's not right. This article did get national attention and I'm glad it did. I'm glad to see a high school student standing up for what she believes - equal rights for everyone. Bachmann just doesn't say the smartest things... like at the last debate when she said, "I'm 55 years old. And for the last 50 years, I've been involved in the private business sector." ....right. Anyway, enough about her. I'm just praying that they're are not enough crazy Tea Party people in Iowa to vote for her in January...JANE SCHMIDT: Then, why can't same-sex couples get married?
BACHMANN: They can get married, but they abide by the same law as everyone else. They can marry a man if they’re a woman. Or they can marry a woman if they’re a man.JANE SCHMIDT: Why can’t a man marry a man?BACHMANN: Because that’s not the law of the land.JANE SCHMIDT: So heterosexual couples have a privilege.BACHMANN: No, they have the same opportunity under the law. There is no right to same-sex marriage.JANE SCHMIDT: So you won’t support the LGBT community?BACHMANN: No, I said that there are no special rights for people based upon your sex practices. There’s no special rights based upon what you do in your sex life. You’re an American citizen first and foremost and that’s it.
Rick Perry is another candidate who is really getting some attention... but it's not necessarily all good attention. Perry has caused quite a stir with one of his recent TV ads that has aired in Iowa... Here it is below.
There is nothing okay about this entire commercial. Okay, I take that back, there is one okay thing about this commercial - out of the 6,345,835 people who have viewed this on YouTube, there are 663,586 dislikes. I recently read that this means Rick Perry's video is now officially the most hated video to ever be posted on YouTube. I'm glad to know there are a lot of people who don't think this okay. There is nothing okay about being ignorant and hateful - especially to a group of people who lay down their life to protect and serve you. It actually scares me that there are people like this that are in office. He talks about ending Obama's "War on Religion" - what war is he talking about? There is no war. America is NOT a Christian nation! Ronald Regan once had a great quote about this:
This is how it needs to be. This is what America stands for - religious freedom! (I got the quote from this article, which is also a great read!) Which brings me to my next point.
There is a great show on TLC called All-American Muslim. It chronicles the lives of Muslims living in Michigan as they life their life as normal as possible - as Muslims in America. Seems like a great show, right? I love shows like this because it gives you a look at a different perspective and a different culture. When I think about America, I think about how it's a great country because people here have the freedom to be whoever they are and practice any religion! I mean, it is the first amendment! But a news story broke recently that Lowe's - the home improvement store - has decided to pull all their ads from the air on TLC during that show. Seriously?! Apparently there is a conservative Christian group in Florida called the Florida Family Association that has been pressuring businesses to pull their ads because the show is showing "the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values." What?! It's things like this that continues to make people so ignorant. We need to learn about other cultures and religions, we need to be open to them. You don't have to convert, but you shouldn't try and silence them. Apparently this group is also trying to get businesses to pull ads from other shows that "attempt to normalize homosexuality". Sometimes I really worry about the future of our country...
I'll get off my soap-box now. I know that these are just my opinions. You might not agree with me and that's fine. The thing about America is that you don't have to agree with me. We can all have our own opinions and beliefs. And I would love to hear yours. :)
An introduction to this blog
So I know this isn't my first post in this blog, but I wanted to properly introduce the blog. I do have a personal blog that I keep to update our family and friends. I've also posted some blogs about politics and my personal opinions. I've decided (after writing two separate political blogs today) that I have a lot to say with the upcoming caucuses and election. And so I've started a separate blog for just my political posts. And here we are.
I have included the other previous blogs I've already written in this one. And I've also included some blog posts from when I was a student involved in a First in the Nation project. (read the blogs below to learn more!)
So welcome to my new blog and enjoy! And as I mentioned on the sidebar, these are just my own personal opinions and thoughts. I'm always open to hear what your thoughts and opinions are, especially if they differ from mine. And I also want to say that I don't know everything. If I have said something that's not correct, please let me know so I can fix it. Thank you!
Let the political craziness begin!
I have included the other previous blogs I've already written in this one. And I've also included some blog posts from when I was a student involved in a First in the Nation project. (read the blogs below to learn more!)
So welcome to my new blog and enjoy! And as I mentioned on the sidebar, these are just my own personal opinions and thoughts. I'm always open to hear what your thoughts and opinions are, especially if they differ from mine. And I also want to say that I don't know everything. If I have said something that's not correct, please let me know so I can fix it. Thank you!
Let the political craziness begin!
Remembering 9/11...
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011
Remembering 9/11...
It's been 10 years. Ten years since that day that changed America. That changed us all. It was a day like no other. An attack on America, that folded out on live television. Everyone watched. Everyone watched in horror. In shock. It was a day that changed America.
I was a sophomore in High School. It was picture day at school and I had on my favorite light pink sweater. I was sitting in Mrs. Ehlers' Spanish class, our classroom right by the Superintendent's Office. Someone came up the stairs and motioned Mrs. Ehlers outside. They were whispering and we couldn't hear what they were saying. Mrs. Ehlers walked back in, with this look of shock and utter disbelief on her face, stared at us for a moment, then went back out into the hall. I remember wondering, what is going on? When she came back in, again she looked at us with that look on her face and told us, "Your country has just been attacked." I remember not understanding. I remember questioning how could that be. Mrs. Ehlers told us briefly what had happened, what she knew. And then she told us, "I don't know who your God is, but whoever He is, you need to pray to Him right now. You need to pray for your country." The rest of the day is a blur and I really don't remember much else.
Looking back, even as a sophomore in high school, I don't I understood what really had happened that day. I didn't understand how everything was going to change. Sometimes I wish I could remember more, wish I understood it better. But every year, every anniversary, I look back and read news stories, look at pictures, watch video. And every year, I understand more. As I've grown up, I've watched how the events of Sept 11th have changed so many things - the unity we feel as Americans, the patriotism we share, the increased security at airports, the War on Terrorism and the rise of the voice of the American people.
Watching video of that day and the days after, reading stories, listening to survivors and looking at pictures, I have a lot of emotions and thoughts that run through my head. I think about how lucky we were that some of the planes weren't full. I think how there was enough time in between the impacts and the collapses of the building, that many people did get out. I think about all those brave men and women of firefighters and police officers that ran into the building to help who they could when everyone else was running out. I think about the people of Flight 93 who fought back so there weren't any more deaths elsewhere. Their stories are incredible and the sacrifice they made were unbelievable. And the continued efforts of rescue and clean up for the days and months after - each of those people deserve our thanks.
And while what happened to America on that day was horrible and should never be forgotten, I can't help think about the areas in the world where things like attacks or suicide bombers happen daily. We are blessed to live in America where we do feel so secure a majority of the time. I can't imagine living in a place where you feel constantly under attack. How do you live like that? How is that okay? I have to remember that there are places like this and that so many people are much worse off than we have ever been. And for that, I am grateful. Grateful of where I live and for all the people that make that possible.
And at the same time, I think about hate. To me, what America stands for is freedom, for opportunity. What American doesn't stand for is hate. And I am ashamed to admit that 9/11 did bring out some hate in people. I'm not saying I haven't been angry about what happened, because I have. But never hate. Yes, there are some people out there who hate America, but we shouldn't hate them back. In watching a documentary on TV today they showed video at an Islamic Center in New York just days after 9/11. People had called and left messages of hate. Messages about how they hoped they would die and that people would be coming after them. And that makes me just as angry as the events of 9/11. I just don't know how people can hate like that - especially to a group of people that are completely innocent and just as hurt by the events of 9/11 as the rest of us. There are bad seeds in all groups of people - that is true for America too. But it doesn't mean we hate that whole group. That is not American. And that is something I feel like we didn't learn correctly from 9/11. But 10 years later, maybe there is still time to learn.
It's hard to believe 10 years has pasted. But it is still feels like a recent event to most of us. Especially with all the media we have available. And I think it's good that we have so much video and pictures, it keeps it real, it keeps it recent. It makes it so that we don't forget. And we never should. 9/11 will always be in our hearts. Along with all of those people who lost their lives that day. We will remember.
I was a sophomore in High School. It was picture day at school and I had on my favorite light pink sweater. I was sitting in Mrs. Ehlers' Spanish class, our classroom right by the Superintendent's Office. Someone came up the stairs and motioned Mrs. Ehlers outside. They were whispering and we couldn't hear what they were saying. Mrs. Ehlers walked back in, with this look of shock and utter disbelief on her face, stared at us for a moment, then went back out into the hall. I remember wondering, what is going on? When she came back in, again she looked at us with that look on her face and told us, "Your country has just been attacked." I remember not understanding. I remember questioning how could that be. Mrs. Ehlers told us briefly what had happened, what she knew. And then she told us, "I don't know who your God is, but whoever He is, you need to pray to Him right now. You need to pray for your country." The rest of the day is a blur and I really don't remember much else.
Looking back, even as a sophomore in high school, I don't I understood what really had happened that day. I didn't understand how everything was going to change. Sometimes I wish I could remember more, wish I understood it better. But every year, every anniversary, I look back and read news stories, look at pictures, watch video. And every year, I understand more. As I've grown up, I've watched how the events of Sept 11th have changed so many things - the unity we feel as Americans, the patriotism we share, the increased security at airports, the War on Terrorism and the rise of the voice of the American people.
Watching video of that day and the days after, reading stories, listening to survivors and looking at pictures, I have a lot of emotions and thoughts that run through my head. I think about how lucky we were that some of the planes weren't full. I think how there was enough time in between the impacts and the collapses of the building, that many people did get out. I think about all those brave men and women of firefighters and police officers that ran into the building to help who they could when everyone else was running out. I think about the people of Flight 93 who fought back so there weren't any more deaths elsewhere. Their stories are incredible and the sacrifice they made were unbelievable. And the continued efforts of rescue and clean up for the days and months after - each of those people deserve our thanks.
And while what happened to America on that day was horrible and should never be forgotten, I can't help think about the areas in the world where things like attacks or suicide bombers happen daily. We are blessed to live in America where we do feel so secure a majority of the time. I can't imagine living in a place where you feel constantly under attack. How do you live like that? How is that okay? I have to remember that there are places like this and that so many people are much worse off than we have ever been. And for that, I am grateful. Grateful of where I live and for all the people that make that possible.
And at the same time, I think about hate. To me, what America stands for is freedom, for opportunity. What American doesn't stand for is hate. And I am ashamed to admit that 9/11 did bring out some hate in people. I'm not saying I haven't been angry about what happened, because I have. But never hate. Yes, there are some people out there who hate America, but we shouldn't hate them back. In watching a documentary on TV today they showed video at an Islamic Center in New York just days after 9/11. People had called and left messages of hate. Messages about how they hoped they would die and that people would be coming after them. And that makes me just as angry as the events of 9/11. I just don't know how people can hate like that - especially to a group of people that are completely innocent and just as hurt by the events of 9/11 as the rest of us. There are bad seeds in all groups of people - that is true for America too. But it doesn't mean we hate that whole group. That is not American. And that is something I feel like we didn't learn correctly from 9/11. But 10 years later, maybe there is still time to learn.
It's hard to believe 10 years has pasted. But it is still feels like a recent event to most of us. Especially with all the media we have available. And I think it's good that we have so much video and pictures, it keeps it real, it keeps it recent. It makes it so that we don't forget. And we never should. 9/11 will always be in our hearts. Along with all of those people who lost their lives that day. We will remember.
Straw Poll
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2011
PB&J: Straw Poll
It's official (officially). The 2012 Presidential Election race has begun. This past Saturday, August 13th, the Iowa Straw Poll was held in Ames, Iowa. For many, this is viewed as the official "kick-off" of the presidential race. At the Straw Poll, Iowa Republicans take a vote on if the election were right now, who they would vote for. At the Straw Poll on Saturday, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann won with 29% of the votes. Ron Paul came in second and Tim Pawlenty came in third (who has also already dropped out of the race). Luckily (in my opinion), the Straw Poll has no actual pull in the Presidential race and those that win the Straw Poll have historically lost later on and not gained the GOP candidate position.
The fact that someone like Michele Bachmann could have so much support is actually scary to me. I'm not so much frightened by her far right-wing ideas and positions as I am to her (and the Tea Party's) inability and unwillingness to compromise. This is not what is best for the country. Everyone has their own ideas and opinions on issues - that is good, that is what's great about America. But because everyone has such different ideas, we - as a nation - need to learn how to work together to find a compromise that is going to make a majority of people happy, or at least some-what happy. And this is what the Tea Party is unwilling to do! And if they continue to act like stubborn teenagers, things could go downhill very quickly - as we saw with the financial crisis in Washington or even the government shutdown in Minnesota. A successful democracy must be about compromise.
There seems to be a lot of other talk around that doesn't make much sense either. Again, going back to the financial crisis - politicians on both sides are trying to come up with answers to fix the problem. And while I still believe that some sort of compromise is going to be our best bet, I am amazed at some of the suggestions being thrown out there. I like to watch a show call The Daily Show on Comedy Central with Jon Stewart. I actually like watching this as a (one of many) source of news. My reason for this is because Stewart tells how it is - from all sides. One of his recent clips was about some of the solutions to help with our nation's debt. I was just astounded by some of the things I heard. The description basically said this: "The government could raise $700 billion by either taking half of everything earned by the bottom 50% or by raising the marginal tax rate on the top two percent." I mean, why should we ask the top two percent to give more when we can ask everyone else - who might be just barely getting by - to cut back and give more of what they don't have. I just don't understand the logic.
I sometimes wonder if I should stop paying attention to politics and what goes on in Washington. The things I hear just end up making me upset and if I stopped paying attention, I could be blissfully ignorant! Ah... wouldn't that be nice? haha
The fact that someone like Michele Bachmann could have so much support is actually scary to me. I'm not so much frightened by her far right-wing ideas and positions as I am to her (and the Tea Party's) inability and unwillingness to compromise. This is not what is best for the country. Everyone has their own ideas and opinions on issues - that is good, that is what's great about America. But because everyone has such different ideas, we - as a nation - need to learn how to work together to find a compromise that is going to make a majority of people happy, or at least some-what happy. And this is what the Tea Party is unwilling to do! And if they continue to act like stubborn teenagers, things could go downhill very quickly - as we saw with the financial crisis in Washington or even the government shutdown in Minnesota. A successful democracy must be about compromise.
There seems to be a lot of other talk around that doesn't make much sense either. Again, going back to the financial crisis - politicians on both sides are trying to come up with answers to fix the problem. And while I still believe that some sort of compromise is going to be our best bet, I am amazed at some of the suggestions being thrown out there. I like to watch a show call The Daily Show on Comedy Central with Jon Stewart. I actually like watching this as a (one of many) source of news. My reason for this is because Stewart tells how it is - from all sides. One of his recent clips was about some of the solutions to help with our nation's debt. I was just astounded by some of the things I heard. The description basically said this: "The government could raise $700 billion by either taking half of everything earned by the bottom 50% or by raising the marginal tax rate on the top two percent." I mean, why should we ask the top two percent to give more when we can ask everyone else - who might be just barely getting by - to cut back and give more of what they don't have. I just don't understand the logic.
I sometimes wonder if I should stop paying attention to politics and what goes on in Washington. The things I hear just end up making me upset and if I stopped paying attention, I could be blissfully ignorant! Ah... wouldn't that be nice? haha
News & Money
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2011
PB&J: News & Money
There have been a couple of things that have happened in the news recently that I thought I would talk about...
The biggest and most exciting (I think) is the news that came out of New York a couple of weeks ago! So much to celebrate as New York became the largest state to recognize same-sex marriages. Hopefully this will keep the ball rolling in other parts of the country.
The biggest and most exciting (I think) is the news that came out of New York a couple of weeks ago! So much to celebrate as New York became the largest state to recognize same-sex marriages. Hopefully this will keep the ball rolling in other parts of the country.
Maybe more of a serious issue and one that is running on a deadline is the Debt Ceiling talks and the budget crisis. Now I will admit, that there is not a lot I don't understand about the economy, the debt ceiling or how the government's budget works. In fact, I know very little. However, when the President addressed the nation last night (6.25.11), I listened. And what I heard was that Congress was not working together - like they should - to reach a compromise in time. And if that isn't done, a lot of damage could be done to the United States. I heard that in the past 8+ years, things were not done correctly to help our deficit. I heard that some in Congress (specifically Republicans, it seemed) were not willing to compromise but instead were putting their own political agendas in front of the need of this country.
When I heard this, I thought of what has happened recently in Minnesota and their state shutdown. That lasted more than a week. And, when I look at it, the same thing was happening in Minnesota that is right now in the capital. Members of Congress (again, mostly Republicans) are not willing to work together and find a compromise. And because of this, in Minnesota, the state shutdown lasted for days and was devastating to the entire state. Finally, Governor Dayton decided to go with the proposal from the Republicans - not because he agreed with it, but because he knew it would be for the better for the state of Minnesota. But in my opinion, it shouldn't have ever reached that point. The Republicans and the Democrats should have worked together from the beginning so that the state never needed to shut down. This is their job - the job they are elected to do. And if they can't do it, then they shouldn't have that job.
When I heard this, I thought of what has happened recently in Minnesota and their state shutdown. That lasted more than a week. And, when I look at it, the same thing was happening in Minnesota that is right now in the capital. Members of Congress (again, mostly Republicans) are not willing to work together and find a compromise. And because of this, in Minnesota, the state shutdown lasted for days and was devastating to the entire state. Finally, Governor Dayton decided to go with the proposal from the Republicans - not because he agreed with it, but because he knew it would be for the better for the state of Minnesota. But in my opinion, it shouldn't have ever reached that point. The Republicans and the Democrats should have worked together from the beginning so that the state never needed to shut down. This is their job - the job they are elected to do. And if they can't do it, then they shouldn't have that job.
I think the same is true for our elective officials in Washington. If the budget doesn't get balanced in a fair way, there could be serious consequences for years to come. And the American people shouldn't have to pay those consequences because our elected officials couldn't work together.
I don't do this a lot and maybe I should, but today I took the time to write my elected officials. Right now they are Rep. King, Senator Grassley and Senator Harkin. You too can contact your representatives and ways to find out who they are and how to contact them can be found here. This was my letter.
While I was searching for the sites to contact my elected officials, I came across another website. This website is called Votizen and it is a place where you can contact your representatives, sign open letters that other people have written or write your own letter and get support. There was one letter that caught my attention on this same subject. I thought it was well written and straight to the point. I added my signature. I've included the link to that letter here. I encourage you to read that letter and if you feel the same way, to join the site and sign your name too.I listened to President Obama address the nation last night about our financial crisis. I also listened to House Speaker John Boehner give his response. After listening to both speeches, I agree with what President Obama stated. There needs to be a balanced compromise. Cuts do need to be made. But we should also stop the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and ask them to contribute to this problem.I ask you to work together, find a compromise. No one will ever be completely happy - but we can find a happy medium. That is your job as our elective official. Put politics aside and help this country.Thank you.
To be completely honest, who knows if our elected officials ever even see these letters or notes that we send them. But somebody must be reading them. And sending nothing - especially if you feel so strong about something - is worse.
With the Iowa Straw poll just around the corner and caucuses and primaries not long after, the debates have started for the next Presidential election. It's our right and our duty as Americans to listen to what the candidates are saying and then voting in these elections. That is how we can make a difference. But, if you're still a skeptic about our democracy, I'll leave you with this quote I heard while out in Colorado for the DNC back in 2008. "Voting is a lot like peeing in the ocean. It might not make much of a difference, but it sure feels good once you've done it."
PB&J Blog
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2011
PB&J: Political Blog and Junk
I like politics. I've always been interested in the way our government works. I love a good political debate. I thrive during elections. During the 2008 presidential election, I was part of a group on Wartburg's campus called First in the Nation (FIN). For this program, we paired up with a school in New Hampshire and studied the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primaries. We followed the current election from the beginning, the announcements, the rallies, the caucuses and primaries, the campaigning, the DNC and RNC and finally the election. We spent time out in New Hampshire with our fellow FINs and they spent some time in Iowa with us. It was a great opportunity and I met a lot of amazing people - including many of the presidential candidates and even President Obama (before he was president, of course!). I had a seat at Obama's speech at the DNC in Denver. I was a part of history.
I have a lot of thoughts when it comes to politics. Not just politics either - but the events and issues that are intertwined with politics. I sometimes have a hard time keeping these thoughts to myself. And as we start to begin the process of another presidential election, there's a good chance I'll probably have some thoughts through it. And I'll probably want to share those thoughts. :) So I'm going to use this blog to do that. I understand however, that not everyone cares about my political thoughts and that's fine. I understand some people read this blog to be kept up to date on what's going on in mine and AJ's life. And so in fairness to them: for any blog that I'm going to write about politics or my thoughts on current events, I will start the title with PB&J which stands for Political Blog and Junk. (Clever, right? Funny thing is I don't even like PB&J sandwiches, but love politics! haha) That way everyone has a 'warning' in case they don't care what I have to say!
When I first started writing this blog, there were some issues that I wanted to address. Well, time got away from me and now those news stories are no longer current. Actually, I'm not even sure I can remember what all the stories were even about! I do know that there have been a lot of stories I've read lately on the ban on gay-marriage vote in Minnesota. There's a lot going on with that and as it is my home state, I feel personally involved - even if I'm not currently living there. It breaks my heart to see things like this pass through the legislature because there is no good reason to deny rights to anybody. And unfortunately, this 'theme' is all over the United States. Another story that really disturbed me was one that came out of Tennessee. A bill was signed into law by the governor that basically promotes discrimination against LGBTs. How anyone can think this is a good idea, I have no idea.
What I do know is that things need to change. We need to continue to stand up for equal rights. We need to be allies against discrimination. And it starts with you.
I have a lot of thoughts when it comes to politics. Not just politics either - but the events and issues that are intertwined with politics. I sometimes have a hard time keeping these thoughts to myself. And as we start to begin the process of another presidential election, there's a good chance I'll probably have some thoughts through it. And I'll probably want to share those thoughts. :) So I'm going to use this blog to do that. I understand however, that not everyone cares about my political thoughts and that's fine. I understand some people read this blog to be kept up to date on what's going on in mine and AJ's life. And so in fairness to them: for any blog that I'm going to write about politics or my thoughts on current events, I will start the title with PB&J which stands for Political Blog and Junk. (Clever, right? Funny thing is I don't even like PB&J sandwiches, but love politics! haha) That way everyone has a 'warning' in case they don't care what I have to say!
When I first started writing this blog, there were some issues that I wanted to address. Well, time got away from me and now those news stories are no longer current. Actually, I'm not even sure I can remember what all the stories were even about! I do know that there have been a lot of stories I've read lately on the ban on gay-marriage vote in Minnesota. There's a lot going on with that and as it is my home state, I feel personally involved - even if I'm not currently living there. It breaks my heart to see things like this pass through the legislature because there is no good reason to deny rights to anybody. And unfortunately, this 'theme' is all over the United States. Another story that really disturbed me was one that came out of Tennessee. A bill was signed into law by the governor that basically promotes discrimination against LGBTs. How anyone can think this is a good idea, I have no idea.
What I do know is that things need to change. We need to continue to stand up for equal rights. We need to be allies against discrimination. And it starts with you.
FIN Blog #4
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2007
T-minus 20 days until Caucus...
Oh yes, the time has come. I feel it is finally the time to start an offical countdown until the Iowa Caucus date: January 3rd, 2008. There are 20 days.
First of all. let us re-cap the semester (as it is now over). It was a very busy semester and the political events only made it that much busier but also exciting! Through the FIN project, we had the opportunity to have a lot of candidates either on Wartburg's campus or to view them via webcast with FP. Both Waverly and Wartburg College had the chance to meet many candidates. We had Tom Tancredo, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, just to name a few. It was very exciting to see all the candidates and compare them to each other. One of the many privileges I've learned to love living in Iowa.
I was also taking a special course offered at Wartburg because of the FIN project and since this was the Year of Civic Engagement at Wartburg. The course was Political Communication, taught by Penni Pier. It was a really great course and I'm glad I had the chance to take it! It was an awesome class with a lot of discussion about the current election year and we all know I love discussing politics! At the end of the semester, groups within the class gave presentations that were open to the public about different forms of political communication. My presentation was on Political Cartoons and I found the topic to be very interesting, although not enough research on it! However I did enjoy searching through hundreds of cartoons!
And finally, on my last day in Iowa before coming home for break, I finally did it. I changed my voter's registration over to Iowa. I am now ready to caucus! Well... in a sense. I'm excited that I will have the chance to caucus for a candidate on the third. Now, I just have to decide who I'm going to caucus for! I've heard all of the candidates I would consider caucusing for. And people keep asking me, expecting me to know who I'm going to support. And one would think I would have decided by now - especially considering I've been actively involved with this election since May! But I have made no final decisions. And I have 20 days to make that decision.
But I am very much looking forward to participating in the Democratic caucus in Waverly! I'm excited for the noise, the chaos, the excitement, the passion! I'm excited to experience this first hand! I'm excited for the possiblity to head to the KWWL studio to watch the results come in! I'm also very excited to fly back out to NH to observe the primary out there and to watch the results come in! It will be a very exciting first couple of weeks of the New Year!
So that's about it for now. The countdown has begun and I'm starting to ask the hard questions. The most important one being: who will I caucus for?
First of all. let us re-cap the semester (as it is now over). It was a very busy semester and the political events only made it that much busier but also exciting! Through the FIN project, we had the opportunity to have a lot of candidates either on Wartburg's campus or to view them via webcast with FP. Both Waverly and Wartburg College had the chance to meet many candidates. We had Tom Tancredo, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, just to name a few. It was very exciting to see all the candidates and compare them to each other. One of the many privileges I've learned to love living in Iowa.
I was also taking a special course offered at Wartburg because of the FIN project and since this was the Year of Civic Engagement at Wartburg. The course was Political Communication, taught by Penni Pier. It was a really great course and I'm glad I had the chance to take it! It was an awesome class with a lot of discussion about the current election year and we all know I love discussing politics! At the end of the semester, groups within the class gave presentations that were open to the public about different forms of political communication. My presentation was on Political Cartoons and I found the topic to be very interesting, although not enough research on it! However I did enjoy searching through hundreds of cartoons!
And finally, on my last day in Iowa before coming home for break, I finally did it. I changed my voter's registration over to Iowa. I am now ready to caucus! Well... in a sense. I'm excited that I will have the chance to caucus for a candidate on the third. Now, I just have to decide who I'm going to caucus for! I've heard all of the candidates I would consider caucusing for. And people keep asking me, expecting me to know who I'm going to support. And one would think I would have decided by now - especially considering I've been actively involved with this election since May! But I have made no final decisions. And I have 20 days to make that decision.
But I am very much looking forward to participating in the Democratic caucus in Waverly! I'm excited for the noise, the chaos, the excitement, the passion! I'm excited to experience this first hand! I'm excited for the possiblity to head to the KWWL studio to watch the results come in! I'm also very excited to fly back out to NH to observe the primary out there and to watch the results come in! It will be a very exciting first couple of weeks of the New Year!
So that's about it for now. The countdown has begun and I'm starting to ask the hard questions. The most important one being: who will I caucus for?
FIN Blog #3
TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2007
Ready for Fall
Well, the summer is pretty much over. And I can honestly same I'm so excited! :-) I can't wait for school to start this fall. Okay, well I'm excited for the activities and friends, maybe not classes yet... ha. But this year is promising to be a great one! And I can't wait for that!
The rest of my summer (since my last blog) has gone by very quickly. Unfortunately, there weren't too many more political events I was able to go to due to work and whatnot.
Towards the end of July I was able to fly out to Washington D.C. with Jake and Justin to visit Heidi and Emily. That was an amazing time. We spent an extended weekend there taking in the sights and activities of our nation's capitol. We of course - being the political active students that we are - sat in on a Senate session at the Capitol. Unfortunately, it wasn't a debate or anything so there weren't many members of the Senate there. We did hear a few Senators speak about SCHIP (children's health care). We even heard Senator Grassley which is one of the sponsors of the bill and the Senator Emily and Heidi were working for. So that was pretty cool. I wish we could have seen more people though. That's my only complaint. And maybe less rules. They are strict at that place! The best part about the trip was being back with some of my FINS and being able to talk about politics non-stop again for a few days! :-) I do love my FINS...
The rest of the summer I stayed busy working. I watched the news as much as possible to keep up with current events. Here are some of those events and my thoughts:
United States presidential 'hopeful,' Republican candidate Tom Tancredo said that another terrorist act in the U.S. should be "followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina."
Wow. When I first heard about this I didn't even know what to think. The only word that came to mind was 'arrogance'. Terrorist does not equal Muslim.
Iowa Straw Poll Results: Romney in first; Huckabee in second. I wasn't surprised at all by Romney coming in first, I think we all saw that coming. I was very surprised by Mike Huckabee coming in second. It was obvious that McCain and Giuliani weren't going to do well since they weren't participating. But I was still surprised at the ultra-conservative coming in second. Remember, this is the guy who made a public announcement about mini-skirts and how bad they are... But I'm not judging.
I was actually on vacation during the Straw Poll so I made sure to catch the news and check online for the results! Ha... I don't even escape politics when I'm on vacation and I love it!
I was actually on vacation in South Carolina - we as we all know, have moved the date of their primary up to Jan. 19th. Which makes things very interesting for the 2008 election. Especially with New Hampshire and Iowa both having laws saying they have to be first in the nation. Will this be a Political Christmas in December? I wouldn't mind... instead of opening presents on Christmas Day, you receive the caucus results? ha ha. Maybe not...
Some more thoughts about some current events:
So, let's get this school year off to a great start. I'm ready to jump in and get these students engaged in political activity. Here's to the year of Civic Engagement at Wartburg College. *Cheers* Let's raise some issues, have some debates, get students registered to vote, create some chaos at the caucus, enjoy the winter weather in NH, and be political engaged!
The rest of my summer (since my last blog) has gone by very quickly. Unfortunately, there weren't too many more political events I was able to go to due to work and whatnot.
Towards the end of July I was able to fly out to Washington D.C. with Jake and Justin to visit Heidi and Emily. That was an amazing time. We spent an extended weekend there taking in the sights and activities of our nation's capitol. We of course - being the political active students that we are - sat in on a Senate session at the Capitol. Unfortunately, it wasn't a debate or anything so there weren't many members of the Senate there. We did hear a few Senators speak about SCHIP (children's health care). We even heard Senator Grassley which is one of the sponsors of the bill and the Senator Emily and Heidi were working for. So that was pretty cool. I wish we could have seen more people though. That's my only complaint. And maybe less rules. They are strict at that place! The best part about the trip was being back with some of my FINS and being able to talk about politics non-stop again for a few days! :-) I do love my FINS...
The rest of the summer I stayed busy working. I watched the news as much as possible to keep up with current events. Here are some of those events and my thoughts:
United States presidential 'hopeful,' Republican candidate Tom Tancredo said that another terrorist act in the U.S. should be "followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina."
Wow. When I first heard about this I didn't even know what to think. The only word that came to mind was 'arrogance'. Terrorist does not equal Muslim.
Iowa Straw Poll Results: Romney in first; Huckabee in second. I wasn't surprised at all by Romney coming in first, I think we all saw that coming. I was very surprised by Mike Huckabee coming in second. It was obvious that McCain and Giuliani weren't going to do well since they weren't participating. But I was still surprised at the ultra-conservative coming in second. Remember, this is the guy who made a public announcement about mini-skirts and how bad they are... But I'm not judging.
I was actually on vacation during the Straw Poll so I made sure to catch the news and check online for the results! Ha... I don't even escape politics when I'm on vacation and I love it!
I was actually on vacation in South Carolina - we as we all know, have moved the date of their primary up to Jan. 19th. Which makes things very interesting for the 2008 election. Especially with New Hampshire and Iowa both having laws saying they have to be first in the nation. Will this be a Political Christmas in December? I wouldn't mind... instead of opening presents on Christmas Day, you receive the caucus results? ha ha. Maybe not...
Some more thoughts about some current events:
- Will Fred Thompson really announce? Some say he's short on money... Hm?
- Rove resigning - all I can say is about time. Although, who will think for the President now? ha ha okay... a little harsh. Maybe.
- I applaud the Democratic candidates that participated in the debate at the gay issues forum. That was one for the history books.
- Another for the history books: the YouTube debate on CNN. I'm sad to say I missed most of it due to the cable being out. But truly awesome. What a great idea! Actual citizens asking the questions. The Republican debate is actually coming up soon... I'll be sure to catch that one.
So, let's get this school year off to a great start. I'm ready to jump in and get these students engaged in political activity. Here's to the year of Civic Engagement at Wartburg College. *Cheers* Let's raise some issues, have some debates, get students registered to vote, create some chaos at the caucus, enjoy the winter weather in NH, and be political engaged!
FIN Blog #2
TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2007
Thoughts from a different world.
I've been meaning to post this blog for quite some time now... however it always seems to slip past me. It has been a couple of weeks since our FIN adventure ended, but the memories of those three politically fun-filled weeks are still fresh in my mind. It was an amazing experience and one that I will be sure never to forget. I met some amazing people, developed wonderful friendships and learned so much more about the importance of IA/NH, the political process, my country in general, and myself. I would not trade those three weeks for anything in the world!
I think if you were to ask any FIN about how they're dealing with class being done, any one of them would tell you how hard it is to find other people to talk about politics. We - as FINS - were placed in this other world for three weeks. A world where we literally only discussed politics. And it was amazing. Being surrounded by students who were as interested in this as you were. Now, outside of our FIN-world, we struggle engaging other students. And not even just students - but friends and family members as well. I think my mom got sick of me calling home during those three weeks because I had nothing to say except politics. :-) It was wonderful being in a place like that. And I look forward to the time when we all meet again!
On July 4th, I had an awesome experience. Amanda (my roommate) and I managed to get tickets from Eric to the Billy and Hillary Clinton event in Waterloo, IA! It was something else. It was different from any other political events I had been to thus far. There were different sections for people - whether you were a volunteer or a caucus supporter, etc. And there were a lot of people. I'm sad to say I didn't get my picture with either of them though. Just a picture with them in the background. (My goal is to have my picture with the future President of the USA!) But it was a good event. They really got the crowd going. Especially since it was Independence Day. But it was just so cool to be there at that event. With a former President and another President hopeful. It's part of history. And it's sad more people don't take advantage of that.
All in all - life has been good, just missing politics. :-) I will continue to blog with my thoughts and experiences as they come along. As for the rest of this month, I'm looking forward to visiting DC with Jake and Justin to see Heidi and Emily. It will be a great time! And I'm very excited for it!
I think if you were to ask any FIN about how they're dealing with class being done, any one of them would tell you how hard it is to find other people to talk about politics. We - as FINS - were placed in this other world for three weeks. A world where we literally only discussed politics. And it was amazing. Being surrounded by students who were as interested in this as you were. Now, outside of our FIN-world, we struggle engaging other students. And not even just students - but friends and family members as well. I think my mom got sick of me calling home during those three weeks because I had nothing to say except politics. :-) It was wonderful being in a place like that. And I look forward to the time when we all meet again!
On July 4th, I had an awesome experience. Amanda (my roommate) and I managed to get tickets from Eric to the Billy and Hillary Clinton event in Waterloo, IA! It was something else. It was different from any other political events I had been to thus far. There were different sections for people - whether you were a volunteer or a caucus supporter, etc. And there were a lot of people. I'm sad to say I didn't get my picture with either of them though. Just a picture with them in the background. (My goal is to have my picture with the future President of the USA!) But it was a good event. They really got the crowd going. Especially since it was Independence Day. But it was just so cool to be there at that event. With a former President and another President hopeful. It's part of history. And it's sad more people don't take advantage of that.
All in all - life has been good, just missing politics. :-) I will continue to blog with my thoughts and experiences as they come along. As for the rest of this month, I'm looking forward to visiting DC with Jake and Justin to see Heidi and Emily. It will be a great time! And I'm very excited for it!
FIN Blog #1
SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2007
First - in more ways than one...
Welcome to my first blog of the First in the Nation Project. I hope that this will become a place where you (whoever you are... although there may be none...) can come to hear - well read - my thoughts about this experience, which truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It will bring about many "firsts" for me and I'm excited to share to share them with you.
I won't explain the program because there is this whole website dedicated to that - so I'll let you explore that for answers and you can always contact me with any other questions.
Right now, we're over halfway finished with our summer course. It's a basic course - learning information about the Iowa Caucuses and the NH Primaries. It's also been a great time for political discussions. The first week of class we (The Wartburg and Franklin Pierce FIN Scholars) were each in our own states sitting in class. We spent the week reading, discussing and learning about different aspects of a Presidential political campaign, i.e. the economy, religion, polling, media, etc. Then, last Saturday, June 16th the FP Scholars arrived in Iowa. We spent the next week touring parts of the state and continuing our learning. Sunday we visited the Field of Dreams and the Mississippi River. Monday we had a religion panel with members of the community and local politicans to discuss how the local government has an affect on national campaigns. Tuesday we studied the media and had a visit to KWWL, a local TV station in Waterloo. Wednesday we traveled to Des Moines. There we visited the campagin headquarters for each of the main candidates (in smaller groups) to see how each campaign was being run and conducted in Iowa. We also visited WHO, a radio station, and had a panel with three different people from different mediums. There was Paul Yager from Channel 13; a woman who's name escapes me right now, but is involved with radio; and finally David Yepsin, a journalist who is nationally the most influential political writer during caucus time. I wish I could write more about it, but I don't want to bore you. But it was amazing. He is a very powerful speaker and I'm eager to read some of his stuff because this guy definately knows what he's talking about. Thursday we drove to Cedar Rapids for an exciting day. We visited KCRG, channel 9, and also had a meeting with a woman at an Islamic Center and recieved her view on politics and her faith. It was very interesting. It was also an exciting day, filled with getting lost, crazy driving, and tornadoes. But nothing serious. :-)
Friday, us Wartburgers flew out to NH. Strangely, we were the first ones to arrive here from all of the FIN program. It's taken at least four different flights to finally get everyone here. But we made it. Not without some more adventures, but those are for a different blog...
Today we had our first taste of the week to come. We went to a live broadcast with David Valdez who is a photojournalist and former White House photographer. Amazing guy with some amazing pictures and stories!! Then, at dinner - which was great! - the keynote speaker was William Douglas, who is a White House Correspondent for McClatchy newspapers. He also had some great stories.
This is certainly off to a great start. And I think this is going to be an amazing program. I'm learning and coming to realize a lot of things within these past few weeks. I am a political junkie. And I'm sure all of my friends and family will get sick of me talking about politics so much. But I'm currently exposed to it 24/7 and don't really have much else to talk about! All of our time is spent talking politics. Which sometimes may get a little old... but also refreshing to have other people to talk about these issues. So many people don't care or aren't informed and don't want to talk about politics. But it's so important and I'm glad I've found some more people who agree with that.
I'm also learning a lot, because I'm the only Wartburg student that's not from Iowa. I'm from Minnesota and how we view the political campaigns is much different than it is in Iowa. Here are some of the things I've learned:
It's a much bigger deal in Iowa. They take their caucuses very seriously - as they should. The caucus system itself is a little goofy but nonetheless amazing. Iowa has a large influence on who the next President of the United States will be - whether or not people believe Iowa should have that influence is another discussion. The politicians are always in Iowa. They are always around. It's not uncommon for a person to meet (or see) each of the political candidates at least once. There is much more information on the media about politics as well - especially when it comes to campaign ads and whatnot.
We've talked about a lot of things these past few weeks and I wish I could share them all with you now. But I've noticed this blog is getting a little long so I better stop for now. I'll try to continue to share my thoughts with you through the rest of this course, the summer and especially this fall once school starts and the elections draw even closer. It's going to be an exciting election cycle and I hope you are excited about this as I am.
I won't explain the program because there is this whole website dedicated to that - so I'll let you explore that for answers and you can always contact me with any other questions.
Right now, we're over halfway finished with our summer course. It's a basic course - learning information about the Iowa Caucuses and the NH Primaries. It's also been a great time for political discussions. The first week of class we (The Wartburg and Franklin Pierce FIN Scholars) were each in our own states sitting in class. We spent the week reading, discussing and learning about different aspects of a Presidential political campaign, i.e. the economy, religion, polling, media, etc. Then, last Saturday, June 16th the FP Scholars arrived in Iowa. We spent the next week touring parts of the state and continuing our learning. Sunday we visited the Field of Dreams and the Mississippi River. Monday we had a religion panel with members of the community and local politicans to discuss how the local government has an affect on national campaigns. Tuesday we studied the media and had a visit to KWWL, a local TV station in Waterloo. Wednesday we traveled to Des Moines. There we visited the campagin headquarters for each of the main candidates (in smaller groups) to see how each campaign was being run and conducted in Iowa. We also visited WHO, a radio station, and had a panel with three different people from different mediums. There was Paul Yager from Channel 13; a woman who's name escapes me right now, but is involved with radio; and finally David Yepsin, a journalist who is nationally the most influential political writer during caucus time. I wish I could write more about it, but I don't want to bore you. But it was amazing. He is a very powerful speaker and I'm eager to read some of his stuff because this guy definately knows what he's talking about. Thursday we drove to Cedar Rapids for an exciting day. We visited KCRG, channel 9, and also had a meeting with a woman at an Islamic Center and recieved her view on politics and her faith. It was very interesting. It was also an exciting day, filled with getting lost, crazy driving, and tornadoes. But nothing serious. :-)
Friday, us Wartburgers flew out to NH. Strangely, we were the first ones to arrive here from all of the FIN program. It's taken at least four different flights to finally get everyone here. But we made it. Not without some more adventures, but those are for a different blog...
Today we had our first taste of the week to come. We went to a live broadcast with David Valdez who is a photojournalist and former White House photographer. Amazing guy with some amazing pictures and stories!! Then, at dinner - which was great! - the keynote speaker was William Douglas, who is a White House Correspondent for McClatchy newspapers. He also had some great stories.
This is certainly off to a great start. And I think this is going to be an amazing program. I'm learning and coming to realize a lot of things within these past few weeks. I am a political junkie. And I'm sure all of my friends and family will get sick of me talking about politics so much. But I'm currently exposed to it 24/7 and don't really have much else to talk about! All of our time is spent talking politics. Which sometimes may get a little old... but also refreshing to have other people to talk about these issues. So many people don't care or aren't informed and don't want to talk about politics. But it's so important and I'm glad I've found some more people who agree with that.
I'm also learning a lot, because I'm the only Wartburg student that's not from Iowa. I'm from Minnesota and how we view the political campaigns is much different than it is in Iowa. Here are some of the things I've learned:
It's a much bigger deal in Iowa. They take their caucuses very seriously - as they should. The caucus system itself is a little goofy but nonetheless amazing. Iowa has a large influence on who the next President of the United States will be - whether or not people believe Iowa should have that influence is another discussion. The politicians are always in Iowa. They are always around. It's not uncommon for a person to meet (or see) each of the political candidates at least once. There is much more information on the media about politics as well - especially when it comes to campaign ads and whatnot.
We've talked about a lot of things these past few weeks and I wish I could share them all with you now. But I've noticed this blog is getting a little long so I better stop for now. I'll try to continue to share my thoughts with you through the rest of this course, the summer and especially this fall once school starts and the elections draw even closer. It's going to be an exciting election cycle and I hope you are excited about this as I am.
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