Hope For America

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As the 44th President of the United States, President Obama made history. Frederick Douglass may have been the first African-American to be nominated to the office of Vice President, but Barack Obama is the first African-American to be elected President. Change is here. Change is good.

...of course...if you listen to the video, you'll notice that he was so excited about change that he couldn't remember the words to the oath. I guess I'm just a cynic, but I found it funny.

Finally Over

So, the political stuff is finally over. Thank God. Sarah Palin can go back to Alaska and be a soccer mom; John McCain can go back to having no idea how much real estate he owns; Joe Biden can chomp on his bull-dog bone; and Barack Obama can start getting used to being hailed, since he's the chief.

It's now time for those who voted for McCain to nit-pick and get all moany about how the country's going someplace hot in a handbasket.

I just ask that you not talk to me about it. Because I don't care.

I stared at the ticket for a good long time. I almost voted for Bob Barr, but I decided that I liked Obama just enough to vote for him. Since I couldn't actually hear Sarah Palin speak to make a decision on whether or not she'd make a suitable VP, I decided to vote for the ticket that had a strong pairing.

In my not so humble opinion, that was Obama-Biden.

"But RA!" I hear you whine. "Obama is pro-choice!"

Indeed he is. No one's perfect. But, ya know what? I actually did a little research on the candidates. I know, I know--a responsible American who thinks for themselves! Yes, I'm real. Now, I did some research and I discovered something interesting. Obama is pro-choice not because he thinks killing babies is the right thing to do. He's pro-choice because...

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DO IT ANYWAY

If women are going to go out and kill their unborn children, possibly causing damage to themselves, then offer them the opportunity to make an informed decision about it and have it done safely. Obama may be pro-choice, but he's also pro-abstinence. Something that Jamie Lynn should learn about.

Is this our only problem with Obama?

No.

I think our biggest problem with Obama is his skin color. We've come a long way in the past 200+ years, but there's still people out there who don't think a black man should be leading our country. I think there's still a bunch of people out there who don't think a woman should be leading our country, either. In fact, I know there are. Look at how the media--and even the Republicans--treated Palin.

I can't say if the woman is brilliant or not. They would never let her speak. The media would talk over her during broadcasts, the candidates would cut her off, etc. She never really got the chance to shine or crash. And if she did, they were few and far between. I never heard about either. Well, except for that prank phone call. And her dress code.

So.

Which scares you more? A black President, or a female President?

"Yes, we can!" "Change has come to America."

WAKE UP!!!

I'm sick of being nice.

I'm sick of people blaming everything on other people instead of taking responsibility. This deserves a rant. This deserves a petition. This deserves to have the people in charge sent to a firing range for target practice. With them as the targets.

A nine-year old pitcher has managed to get his Little League Baseball team disbanded. Not because he threw a tantrum and beat some kid up. Not because he cussed his coach out. Not even because he pitched a ball that injured another kid. No. His team is being disbanded because...

...he has a 40mph fast ball.

That's right! He's too damn good, so because they won't play him in another position in which he is not happy and does not excel, the Little League is disbanding his team.

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This poor kid said (as quoted from the article), "I feel sad. I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play."

HE'S 9!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whatever happened to encouraging and nurturing a talent?! When did we start PUNISHING kids for being good at something?! "He can pitch against older players..." Riiight. Like the coach is going to run an age verification on every opposing player. I think not.

Where is this taking place? New Haven, CT.

This is a totally rich story, too.

Officials told the boy's coach not to let him pitch. The coach didn't understand that logic (nor do I) and when the boy took the mound, the opposing team walked off. That's teaching sportsmanship and maturity.

Yes, instead of teaching your team how to, ya know, bat against a good pitcher, let's punish the player who's doing something he loves and excels at.

Sorta like those stupid "standardized" tests. They punish the people who are intelligent in areas that aren't logic or verbal. You want to know how to squelch a child's psyche? It's not by spanking them for doing something wrong. It's by benching them for being too good.

So, yes. Let's foster mediocrity and wonder why our President thinks it's a "nucular" war and our Vice President thinks a human is a deer. Let's foster bad behavior by allowing the child to dictate his own punishment so he can go out and do something that forces James Hetfield to inconvenience your life. Again.

Then let's blame society for our lack of thought and reason in child-rearing. Let's blame the schools for not offering after-school programs that would foster skills to make the child be---oh, wait! Little League is an after-school program that would foster skills to make the child better...and when it succeeds, it's taken from the child.

Imagine what would have happened if Mendel had his microscope taken from him. Or if Galileo actually caved and went with the geocentric view of the universe. Or if Pierre and Marie Curie had put away their chemistry sets...

Imagine if Babe Ruth had been disallowed to hit. Or Hank Aaron. Or Barry Bonds.

I suggest not being a dumb American and clicking all those links in the last two paragraphs. Unless you're afraid of learning something new. If you are, then I hear there's a trash compactor that needs examination.