Reason #374 Why San Francisco is My Favorite Place in the World
There's a measure on the ballot next week in San Francisco (Proposition R) to rename the Oceanside Wastewater Treatment Plant to The George W. Bush Sewage Plant. The folks who gathered over 12,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot said it was intended... "To honor our current leader of the free world with an appropriate and enduring legacy, for no other president in modern American history has accomplished so much in such a short time." You can almost hear the sarcasm dripping off that sentence.
This is why I love my City and will forever call myself a San Franciscan no matter how long it takes for us to move back there.
After we watched Barack's infomercial last night (it was predictable but well-done), Diana turned to me and said something like "I'm just starting to realize this might really be happening". There is still a bit of disbelief in me, despite everything I've been reading and seeing lately. Daily Kos's electoral projections have it as wide as 357-181 for our side, which is awesome. That assumes Indiana will not go our way (shame on you Indiana!) as well as North Carolina, and we have a decent chance of picking up one or the other. That DOES assume Florida and Ohio go our way, which is the trend at this point. But regardless, it does seem to be a done deal at this point. Early voting is overwhelmingly in our favor, and unless everyone becomes a racist in the booth next Tuesday, we should be good. I guess now we can stop looking into moving to New Zealand.
Two of the top executives at my company have separately told me in recent weeks that they've finally decided to vote for Barack, despite being long-time Republican supporters (both voted for W TWICE!). And it comes down to my favorite reason among many--the man is brilliant. He is one of the most intelligent public servants to cross the national stage in a long time, and he is far and away the best at communicating with people in a way that's both relatable and conveys that he knows what the hell he's talking about. All this nonsense about "elitism" seems to finally be crumbling as a valid political argument. Why would you NOT want a highly educated person who is more intelligent than 99% of the country making those critical decisions? Of course, I still hear ignorant cows in our cafeteria saying "I think I'm just going to flip a coin when I get in the booth". You should not be allowed to vote. In fact, I revoke your rights.
Speaking of stupid, this socialism argument is getting old fast. Did I miss something or did they take one comment Barack makes about "spreading the wealth" and turn that into an accusation of socialism? Hello, the government is all about spreading the wealth in one form or another. Unless you are a strict libertarian who would eliminate ALL taxation and stop the government from spending money on ANYTHING, you're spreading the wealth. I think most people are smart enough to see through that argument, although there's always someone to disprove that point. Some asshat was standing by the off-ramp today on my way to work holding up a sign that said "Socialism is Un-American: NOBAMA". He was wearing some sort of mask, not sure who he was supposed to be, besides a douche.
I got a little bit of that tingle last night watching the show. I feel a bit closer to Barack--I can identify with him being smarter than the class and having big ears that people made fun of. I got excited to think that there were enough like-minded people out there to make this happen. And I got a little scared (thanks to the Laraine side of my personality) that something awful is going to happen. You know there's those people out there, hopefully they won't be able to do any real harm. I do think that by winning this election, we're going to re-expose the ugliest aspects of this country, the color-haters who started to re-emerge last year during the immigration uproar. It has to be done, so they can be soundly beaten and chastized for being such dicks, but it'll be unpleasant for a while.
I felt weird this morning, and then I realized that it might be hope and optimism. It's going to take a while to get used to that.
The latest way in which Sarah Palin has offended my intelligence and sense of fairness:
When asked Thursday night by NBC television presenter Brian Williams whether an abortion clinic bomber was a terrorist, Palin heaved a sigh and, at first, circumvented the question.
"There's no question that Bill Ayers by his own admittance was one who sought to destroy our US Capitol and our Pentagon. That is a domestic terrorist," Palin said, referring to a 1960s leftist who founded a radical violent gang dubbed the "Weathermen" -- and who years later supported Obama's first run for public office in the state of Illinois.
"Now, others who would want to engage in harming innocent Americans or facilities that it would be unacceptable to... I don't know if you're gonna use the word 'terrorist' there," the ardently pro-life running mate of John McCain said.
What this bitch "don't know" could fill a football stadium. "Unmitigated gall", that's the phrase that comes to mind with her. I kind of wish I could punch her in the mouth.
Okay, I think I'm sufficiently caffeinated this morning to give voice to the various things that have pissed me off in the last few days. Hold on tight.
What is with all of the slow, oblivious people out there in the world? And why are they always driving or walking in front of me? I swear, this morning I stopped when pulling into my parking lot at work to let two people cross from their cars to the building, and they started walking down the parking lot IN FRONT OF MY CAR! Are the schools no longer teaching the "get the fuck out of my way" concept? Why does everyone seem to think that wherever they're going is more important than where I'm going and they're free to take their goddamn time about it? Or is it that they're not thinking? It's not just cell phone users, it's people who are ostensibly doing nothing other than walking/driving, and yet are still completely oblivious to their surroundings and how their sluggishness is impacting ME and dragging down the productivity of our country.
I'm so sick of hearing these "socialism" digs being thrown at Barack. Hey, guess what Republican idiots--socialism is GOOD! Spread the fucking wealth around and maybe you'll be spared when the revolution comes. We could do a lot worse than to move ever so slightly in the direction that Europe has over the last 50 years. I'm going to wear my hammer & sickle CCCP t-shirt to the polls next week just to see if I can piss someone off.
And if anybody out there STILL thinks that Sarah Palin is just "one of the regular folks", you're a moron. As if it wasn't obvious enough before that she was simply pandering to the stupid mouthbreathing droolers who go to her rallies before NASCAR events, now we learn that the campaign has spent over $150,000 on her wardrobe to make her look like a "regular person". Look, walk the fucking talk or shut the fuck up. If she was really committed to supporting Joe the Plumber and Madge the Target Clerk and Bubba the Turd Miner, she would have made the campaign buy her clothes at Target or Wal-Mart or somewhere that normal people shop. I've noticed they've been making her wear her hair down lately, instead of that ridiculous bun on top of her head that she started with. But she's still just barely a notch below Cindy McCain (she of the $300,000 Convention wardrobe). Honestly, how can she stand there in a thousand-dollar suit from Neimann-Marcus and talk about how she feels at home among people in Carhartts and trucker hats? Shouldn't she be bursting into flames right about now if her beliefs are to be believed?
And people who are still undecided... I just don't know what to say. Katia sent us a fabulous excerpt from a David Sedaris article in the New Yorker (which I'm eager to read tonight):
I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?
To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”
To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.
As always, you need go no further than the Daily Show to find a perfect portrayal of the issue.
Hang on a second, there was something else pissing me off... oh well, I'm sure it'll come to me. Thanks for listening.
Apparently I am not a real American. In case you missed Monday's Daily Show, here's the formula and quiz they provided to determine if you are indeed a real American or not.
And just because it's too funny not to watch, here's a segment they did on just how great Wasilla, Alaska is. Boy, they sure do represent our country's best values.
I was going to rant about the various ways in which people bothered me today (my own little online "Book of Grievances"), but frankly, I'd rather just watch TV right now. Maybe tomorrow.
...fueled by post-yardwork delirium and a couple of Leinenkugel Oktoberfests, here's some stuff that was rattling around in my head over the course of this nearly perfect autumn weekend.
I'm totally gay for fall foliage. I'm like that guy Josh Brolin played on the SNL skit last night, just can't get enough of the golds and reds and oranges. It's gone so quickly, glad I actually got a chance to see some this year.
Speaking of SNL, I have to for once (and only once) say something decent about Sarah Palin. She didn't suck last night, and she showed at least a little ability to laugh at herself. The skits they did around her were pretty funny, although she didn't really have to do much. Amy's rap during Weekend Update was brilliant, and any excuse to have Tina on the show more is fine by me. This show should prove to be the highlight of Palin's career, since after November 4th, you'll never hear from her again.
My wife had the brilliant idea of capping off our perfect fall Saturday yesterday (golf in the morning, good workout midday, drive in the country with the dogs in the afternoon) by picking up a pizza, a REAL pizza (her words) at a local pizzeria. It reminded me that I really need to stop being so damn lazy and ordering pizza for delivery from chains when we get a hankering and support my local pizza places. They are one of my favorite carryovers from my childhood, and I would feel really bad to see their wood-paneled interiors go dark for lack of business.
Trixie is mad at me right now because I put her orange sweatshirt on her (she looks like a punkin!), but she was sitting there shivering all afternoon. I refuse to feel bad about it.
I got to listen to a bunch of my favorite songs on my iPod today while finally finishing the bluestone path in our backyard, and decided to share one of the best of the best.
But before I do that, let me say something. Listening to the songs I post here is not optional. If you read my blog, you MUST listen to the songs. It's a rule--my blog, my rules. I choose the songs I post very carefully, selecting songs that I think ALL of you might like if you give them a chance, songs that you probably would never otherwise hear and probably wouldn't try without my personal recommendation, but great songs nonetheless. So set aside your pre-conceived notions of what you like and don't like and give it a try (don't worry, you won't see any Tool or anything scary). Stop making that face Mom.
Today's song is "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire, a very groovy band/collective from Canada who likes to have 20 people on stage when the play, often including a hurdy-gurdy player (how many bands do you know with a hurdy-gurdy). This song was the song U2 played over the PA right before taking the stage on their 2005 tour, so it always gets me pumped up to hear it.
After much deliberation, Blatherama has decided to endorse Barack Obama for President. Personally, I was worried about the fact that he's a secret Muslim and that he hangs around with terrorists and that he seems smarter than me, but then Diana pointed out that if I believed that, I would be a fucking idiot. So rather than look stupid, I decided to ignore my base fears about a black dude named after Saddam Hussein being President and go along with the trend. (In case you couldn't tell, that was sarcastic.)
What worries and disgusts me is that there still are a good number of people who believe that shit, and many of them are probably either not answering polls or lying about how they'll vote, but ultimately when it comes down to it, will either not vote or vote for Whitey McCrankypants. I read several articles in the last few days about that elusive white working-class electorate, and there are still a vast number of people who just can't bring themselves to vote for a black man because... well, I really don't know why, aside from plain, simple ignorance. Most try to justify it by saying they've heard stuff about his secret connections (from mass emails of all things) or they just don't like the way he talks, but some will just flat out say "I ain't votin' for no nigger". And there's far more that aren't saying that but sure think it.
I trust very few sources for my objective political news. The Daily Show is a surprisingly accurate source of information--yes, they make me howl with laughter, but the clips and stories they base their jokes on are almost always fairly taken and presented. Bill Maher's show, especially the panel discussions, are an excellent way to learn a bit more about things. The New Yorker and The NY Times, despite having a clear liberal bent, present their stories with the depth and thoroughness I appreciate. I read MSNBC.com every day but filter their stories through my own knowledge of how things get spun. And the Daily Kos, while again clearly in the tank for the blue side, presents a lot of relevant information. Aside from that, I trust no one. I don't read most emails that are forwarded to me (sorry K, I love you, but I just don't read 'em), I definitely put no stock whatsoever in cable news, and I think I've seen maybe two campaign ads all year (thank you Tivo).
What worries me is that there are a lot of people who cite a campaign TV ad as the source for their information, without recognizing that NOTHING in those ads is ever really true (including our guy Barry's ads). They're created by people whose sole purpose in life is to manipulate the viewer into feeling a certain way regardless of what the facts are. It could be the single worst way for someone to become informed about the election.
That is, if it weren't for email. The age of the group email forward is one of the most dangerous for the collective intelligence of our world. As people continue to press the forward button and pass along suspect information from sources they don't know or understand, we get dumber and dumber by the second. There's a reason journalists get paid--they spend lots of time doing research and tracing down sources and verifying information (if they're any good). But any ignorant asshole can write an email saying Barack Obama is a Muslim (and so what if he was?) or that Bush planned to blow up the World Trade Center and suddenly thousands of people are not only believing it but passing it around. I mean, I'm not sure how much dumber you could get. Why are people so opposed to reading, thinking and analyzing for themselves? Are we that lazy? I consider myself a remarkably lazy man, but I don't trust ANYONE to tell me what to think. Probably my elitist Stanford education. Yeah, that's it, I'm an elitist.
Please, for the love of Dog, STOP reading emails related to politics or frankly anything else that matters. Don't even believe what I say here, go research it for yourself. If you don't want to be bothered doing the homework, please do not talk or email anyone else about these subjects, and please do not vote. You're just dangerous to the rest of us when you do that. But pass this along to anyone you think may be inclined to believe that Michelle Obama is going to signal the terrorists to attack us when she fist-bumps Barack at the inauguration.
I've been trying to think of the right word to describe "Religulous", Bill Maher's movie that we just saw this afternoon. Funny goes without saying, but it was more than that. I think D summed it up best when she said at dinner that it felt really good to know that there were at least a few other people out there that think the way we do. I'm sure this movie will offend way more people than it will entertain, and most of those offended won't even bother to watch it. What it does almost perfectly is ask questions about all of the religious beliefs that everybody else is afraid to even bring up. What we love about Bill is that he isn't afraid to offend anybody--he says the things others are scared to, because he doesn't give a shit if somebody doesn't like what he says.
The main point he makes with this movie is that to be certain about anything is to be in denial--nobody can knows for certain that there is or isn't a God or Jesus or Allah or talking snakes or whatever. To speak in certainties is to close one's mind, and that is the most dangerous thing we can do. All he's suggesting is that doubt is good and healthy, and is what has led mankind to all of our greatest discoveries. Let's just hope more people start waking up and thinking for themselves like that. If you can see this movie, do it.
I am not a patient man. Ask my wife, it drives her nuts. It's extremely hard for me to wait for things, to take my time on projects, or generally just to sit still. Right now, it's worse than ever. It's quite a conundrum for me. On the one hand, I absolutely love October and am so glad it's finally here and want it to feel like it lasts forever. The cool days, chilly nights, changing colors, fantastic beer, I love all of it. However, I am VERY anxious for Election Day to come, partly because I want to know what happens and partly because I don't want too much time to allow for things to shift in the wrong direction. On top of that, I found out recently that the expansion for my beloved World of Warcraft is coming out on November 13th, which will bring me untold hours of gaming enjoyment for the next six months, so I can't wait for that. But if I allow myself to be impatient, this October will blow by in a flash and I won't even see it. So I'm doing my best to slow down, be patient, and enjoy each day. Any tips?
