Thursday's Thoughts

Those who are too dumb to engage in politics are punished by being
governed by those who are dumber. -Plato

It's that time again. We are gearing up for election season. The state of politics has bothered me for as long as I've paid attention to it, but it seems to get worse and worse every year. These days we do not elect the people that are best for the job, or even elect the people that have the answers. We now watch a battle of mud-slinging, pandering, and sound bytes and either for the person that has the least skeletons in their closet or blindly pick the person our party of choice has presented us. WHY?!?! There are people in this country who are smart enough to solve our problems. Millions of people balance their household budget every week. Millions of homes have learned to not waste resources. Business owners from state to state have learned to keep both their workers and their customers happy. Often one works to improve the other. But many of these same people are unwilling or afraid to step up and lead our country because the political realm is so dirty and vicious. If you are in one party, you will be attacked by the other, so first you must prove that you are a better candidate than anyone else in you party. Let me say that again, not a better leader, but a better candidate. Not that you are smarter, wiser, more discerning, better at solving problems or making hard decisions.... just more electable. I ask you all out there, everyone smart enough to fix the problem, please get involved. And voters, vote for the people who can fix our problems, not the people who will stubbornly drag their feet and blame everyone else for them existing in the first place

Thursday's Thoughts

Today's Thought:

Moral superiority is rarely proven with words

There has been a lot of discussion lately about who is right, about who is better than whom. This quote is directed at people I work with, people that run certain charities, and people that run the country. It's time for the talk to stop. If you people are better, than prove it. Fix something, actually help someone, or just do your damn job. But while I'm holding my breath, let's not try to tell me that your way is right based solely on your personal belief system. Thanks.

John Edwards' Huge Mistake...

I just read the interview of Rielle Hunter. ( Link in last post.) Wow. The woman comes off as insensitive, rude, gold digging....I can't go on! I can understand the need to set things right, but at this late date it seems crazy. Everyone has told their story, so those stories are what are set as "truth" in the minds of most people.
I find it very hard to feel anything other than disgust towards this woman. She seems disconnected to reality. The fact that she is in love with this man is one thing, but that she believes that he will never and has never lied to her? Is she mental? I want to smack her! I especially got irritated when she started talking about "Johnny and St. Elizabeth's" relationship. Where does she get off commenting? She does realize that she only has half the story, and that being told to her by a man who is trying to get in her pants? And stay there?
How about the photos that they took for the interview? They make her look even worse than she sounds. Her rear end showing, posing in a mans shirt (John's???) with her daughter's toys, and showing her naked belly while laying with her kid in bed. Those don't say wholesome mother-type to me. They make my skin crawl almost as much as the "reporter's" pointed comment on what size her pants are.
Another thing that really bugs me is that she talks about their relationship as if it never ended. Like they were star-crossed lovers that were separated by the evil queen Elizabeth. That she takes absolutely no responsibility for her part, and talks about John Edwards being abused by his wife. To top all this off, the woman speaks about her knowledge of male/female relationships like some sort of self help guru, only in reverse. Like a 1950's version of a house wife.

You haven't uttered a word so far. Why now?
"I feel comfortable talking now, because Johnny went public and made a statement admitting paternity. I didn't feel like I could ever speak until he did that. Because had I spoken, I would have emasculated him. And I could not emasculate him. Also, it is not my desire to teach my daughter that when Mommy's upset with Daddy, you take matters into your own hands and fix Daddy's mistakes. Which I view as one of the biggest problems in all female-and-male relationships."

"To allow a man to be a man. The biggest mistake that I find is that women attempt to make men women."

In my opinion she has no right to speak up at this point, the evil other woman. She is no victim, and neither is Edwards. As I see it the only victims here are John's children, and to a point Elizabeth. No matter what she did to him...he always had the option to take the high ground and dissolve the relationship before he cheated on his wife and kids. How must his older kids feel, reading this interview....which you know they are!
Thank goodness he wasn't elected...and good riddance to his political career. Humanitarian, indeed. Gag.

Thursday's Thoughts

The thought for today:

Don't regard yourself as a guardian of freedom unless you respect and preserve
the rights of people you disagree with -Gerard K. O'Neill

I like to consider myself as a champion of both equality and freedom. (as a side note, i don't think that either are truly possible without the other) We as a nation pride ourselves on our diversity, yet are quick to fight over slight disagreements about religion, politics, the best brand of truck, or any other piece of minutia. I like to discuss these things, especially with someone that disagrees with me. I know that I've started making a point when the person I'm talking to has to resort to screaming. I just can't abide by someone resorting to violence or threats of "eternal damnation" to win an argument. If you truly 'declare for liberty' as Mr. Lincoln would have said, then you must respect the fact that the person that disagrees with you has every right to do so. I charge you to defend their right to be "wrong" as vehemently as you would defend your rights to be "right". I believe in the deepest part of my heart that this is what the founding fathers wanted for our country. We hold ourselves to be the beacon of freedom for the world, lets get back to acting like it.