Food for thought.

I got a very interesting e-mail from my mother the other day which made me think even harder about some things, namely, this election. Oh, I'm still positive that Obama is the man for the job, but the e-mail brought about some interesting points that I had never thought of (and in some cases, didn't know existed). Here it is:

Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin; what if things were switched around?.....think about it.

Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit?

Ponder the following:

What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?

What if Obama had a long affair while he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to pain killers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five?
(The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?

What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?

What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing seven planes?

What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

What if the Obamas had adopted a white child?

You could easily add to this list. If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?

This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.

Educational Background:

Barack Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Joseph Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

John McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Sarah Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.

There are some facts about McCain in there that I had heard nothing about, such as the fact that he was part of the Keating Five scandal (which I had to research to learn about) or the fact that his wife was formerly addicted to pain killers. The Obamas were so thoroughly vetted that I guess I just assumed that the McCains had all of their dirty laundry aired out as well. Maybe because the controversy surrounding these things was older, people didn't bring them up because it was rehashing issues that had already been discussed? If that was the case, I don't think that logic is completely sound, when these issues may also not be remembered by the common voter who is trying to make an informed decision.



On a completely separate note, the Rangers' organization is mourning the loss of one of their own, Alexei Cherepanov. The 19 year old was the Rangers' first draft pick in the 2007 draft and was playing in the Russian KHL this year. From what I've managed to gather, Cherepanov was playing in a game when he collided with Jaromir Jagr, his teammate. Cherepanov made his way back to the bench where he collapsed and his heart stopped. After he was moved to a hospital in Moscow doctors attempted to revive him, but he was later declared dead.
The fact that a young, fit man can die so suddenly is scary to think about- Cherepanov was only a few months older than I am. My prayers go out to his family and friends.


Questions are also being asked now as to why there was no defibrillator on hand. In the case of Jiri Fisher, a defibrillator is credited with saving his life.


Homework time is now upon me; I have an hour before I need to be on the bus to CND for tonight's game! Night.

We've successfully tallied a W in the score book tonight, home game 3 of 5 has been completed! Its almost surreal to play at home now- to look into the stands and see the faces of my friends, roommates, or people I simply recognize from Van Meter Highway. I've begun feeling a bit nomadic with all the traveling we're doing; every night holds a different school in a different part of Maryland or even an entirely different state. I think I've spent more time on a bus so far this season than I have my entire life- and that's not such a stretch.
But as Calvin's dad (of Calvin and Hobbes fame) would say "It builds character"! Along with sleepless nights and motion sickness from reading on a moving vehicle.

But I really do love this sport, so though this is stressful and sometimes difficult, I can't fathom life at Goucher without it.




Now back to homework.

Debate to the Death!

So, CNN is still using their focus group technique with those ever-moving lines on the bottom of the screen. The lines are divided between men and women, and all of the voters are uncommitted Ohio residents. The six pundits tallying off points on their debate scorecards is either not happening or we're not getting it on our non-HD channel.

We begin!

Palin won't answer the first question about the bailout plan: it was simply talked around. I think when she doesn't know the answer, she also just reverts to talking about how Obama isn't doing anything good. Biden, I must say, also occasionally talks around questions and just reverts back to talking about McCain's voting record and policies.

Quotable Palin Quotes:
"I've only been at this for what, 5 weeks?"
"I beg to disagree."
"Now, doggone it"
"Say it ain't so, Joe"
"Shout out to all the third-graders"
"We have got not to allow..."


just a few key phrases/words:
middle class
end corruption
values
tax breaks
fairness
create jobs
support Israel, don't force policies
McCain and Bush are the same
eliminate Al Qaeda
'regime change'
agree w/ major initiatives of Obama
together we stand for freedom and equal rights
most respected nation in the world
government is a problem
never again taken advantage of
together we are America
John McCain is not a Maverick in anything that counts.

Just as a person, I think Joe Biden is the man, and I really respect him for everything he's been through in his life. Also, I thought I was going to cry when he did.

I may be biased, but I really wanna give this one to Biden.

CNN poll results soon!

I wanna hear some music...

...but I'd rather not hear the girl next door belt out tunes I can't quite discern the words to. Luckily I downloaded the new Jack's Mannequin album on Ruckus so I'm drowning her out right now. (When she hits a particularly high note, though, she can't be stopped. :/ )

I'm eagerly awaiting the beginning of the Biden/Palin debate tonight; T minus 28 minutes! I've been reading articles that say Palin is slicker than we give her credit for and that debating is her forte. Well, we shall see! Maybe I'll sporadically record my thoughts about what was said as if I'm one of the pundit's lining CNN's broadcast.