My ideas on politics...(sort of)

Patriotism 101, Ignorance & Why I’m VOTING for President Obama!

Patriotism isn’t necessarily a good thing. When the World Trade Center was skillfully felled, Americans felt threatened suddenly, and were told immediately it was the doing of Terrorists from Afghanistan. With blind faith we wielded our flags and gave permission to our young men to leave home and begin global terror of our own. We continued blindly down that road for years until hundred of communities and thousands of lives were destroyed by US brute force.

Yes, the United States, a country founded by immigrants in search of promise and independence, is the same country that suspiciously views any non-American as some kind of enemy or alien species. How did this happen? Since when did we become some proud American Race? (This is not something I have yet encountered in my History of the United States 1865 to present. I wonder if this question will ever be answered)

Heck. I forget sometimes that the early settlers, pilgrims, and explorers also relied on slavery and the slaughtering of indigenous tribes. So perhaps we’re doing nothing new and being bad is just stuck in our genes.

Growing up, there was always at least one kid at school from some place else and he or she never EVER posed a threat to me. I was always impressed with their worldly view or neat cultural interests they displayed at talent shows and show & tell.

Patriotism has caused this country to think it’s the only country in the world, that the world should respect our authority for some reason. This singular way of thinking is not only making the US an embarrassment, it’s positioning us quickly as the new enemy.

I do not want someone in the White House with previous WAR experience. I am NOT voting for Patriotism. I am voting for peace, progress, and unity. Sadly, this vote is referred to as the vote for change. Because peace, progress and unity is something we still do not represent in the United States.

I do not want someone in the White House who will continue to seek out Al-Qaeda and trick TV watching Americans into thinking we should invade Iran. (Sadly, that is what is happening between commercial breaks, and some candidates are oddly supporting MORE WAR. ????)

I also do not want someone in the White House who continues to allow lobbyists to influence the decisions of our lawmakers. The corporate money that contributes to Congress will always be worth more than your votes or phone calls that you make to your Senator or Representative. Chain emails and petitions don’t seem to have the same charm as their fat checks. If it did, Health Care would be affordable or free, our vehicles would be electric, and there would likely be enough jobs for everyone in the country, as we wouldn’t have closed so many manufacturing plants in the last 50 years. I personally am not a fan of the people who can barely understand me every time I call Sprint for work because they are in India with fake “American” names.

With enough votes, Washington will HAVE to listen to us. It’s been too close in the past therefore the WAR-mongers keep on doing their dirty business.

Our nation is divided in far too many ways. We are split socially and economically and it’s at its worst inside the government.

Republicans and Democrats are both Americans with equal rights, yet somehow they are discriminated against based on opinion and fall too favorably to one side or the other without being open to respectful dialogue.

I’m being drastic, but I’m not.

I hope America can pull itself out of the hole she appears to be in. I hope the dollar can climb back up to a realistic value. I hope the Corporations are given less power and local people are able to participate in capital adventures again.

Rather than put so much emphasis on enemies and foreign policies, I hope America wakes up to its own poverty situation. We are not the leaders of the free world anymore, so why not do some housework in the meantime and get our shit together.

In the last 100 years. More than 100 million people have been killed in Wars. Perhaps you know someone who has been affected by this. I know I do.

Please vote for change. Please vote for Peace. War is over if you want it.

May not get a tan but I'll get a tattoo instead.

So I found a new site that does blogging. I'm going to continue to write on here and there but we'll see which one works out better. Here is the link to the new blog--> Life of Aubs
This is from last night....

News in my life…I have gotten a tattoo, yup my first one. It didn’t hurt like I thought it would, not at all actually. I was mentally preparing for a lot of pain because it was on my foot. It felt like vibrations on a sunburn, so nothing bad at all. To be honest the worst part was the burning sensation after it was done. I really love it and think it’s the greatest tribute in the world to one of the most important person who has ever come into my life. Here it is, there are a few meanings behind it and I’ll explain those later.

So here it is, my dove. This is something I have wanted to do in honor of my grandpa Paul ever since he passed away. He had this connection and peace with doves when he was near the end of his battle with cancer. He said that he would send one whenever we were in a need of comfort or peace. I may not have seen a snow white dove like he has but I have seen many a mourning dove. It is a nice reminder that he’s always watching over me. He and I were very close, I was his first and only grand-daughter. I was the only one he really got to know and see grow up. He told my mom that she couldn’t have any more children after me because, there is no way god could create such an amazing angel again. I have been thinking about this tattoo ever since he passed away. I finally found one I liked and thought about it for a little bit longer. My mom said that she had to be there to get it so I got it down here in Greensboro at Little John’s Tattoo Shop. It was a nice sign that the heart on the left side made a P, I know that he would have loved it. Now no matter what my grandpa will be with me(even though I know he has been with me ever since he has been gone), with anything I do in life. I know he would be proud of me his very own knuckle head, and he’ll always be my gooney bird.

Another reason behind it is that I believe in peace and love, these are somethings that are very important in my life. Love is huge, it’s what makes the world go around. Without love life would be pointless, we wouldn’t have a meaning. I also am a believer in peace, there are better things than arguing and killing people over pointless things.

So this one is for you Grandpa Paul, I miss you and love you. I’m sure you’re up there making everyone laugh and causing a ruckus. I’ll do my best to keep it crazy fun down here just for you.

check this out, it's pretty darn amazing!

Yes we can.

I've been waiting a long time for this change to come. I'd never been vocal about my voting choices as I've always preferred to keep off the opinion block. Not every election have I been clear on every proposition or amendment to each new law. The long road down the pamphlets of political jargon can be harrowing.

Early in this Campaign is was listening intently to Huckabee. Then I heard Barack Obama speak and became curious about politics for the first time in my life. Then I actually saw him speak here and became a huge believer. I will be reading his book soon. My vote went to him in the Wisconsin primary and will go to him again in November.

Never before has our country been so ready for such a young, gifted and passionate leader. He represents the powerful thinkers, those who give real speeches and believe in big magical dreams. Americans shouldn't be embarrassed to be Americans anymore.

Watch this wicked video of our future Slam Poet President, i love it.




see also www.barackobama.com for a better view of a great candidate. Read the polls that show how Hilary doesn't appear to have the support to beat McCain. Obama does!

Love, what is it really?

I recently have had wonderful conversations with old friends about love. Maybe being in love is taken for granted to much. I think people fall "in love" with their significant other way to quickly. I think love is a huge word that shouldn't be thrown around lightly. Don't get me wrong, I say love a lot but, I believe there are many different kinds of love. For example the way I love my nice warm comfy bed is completely different than the way I love my little brothers.

It is easy to talk about love. Easy to write blogs about it, easy to talk about it on stages, write love songs about it. Love, in that setting, is an idea, and ideas make for great conversations-inspiring even. It's another thing entirely to love people. I suppose it's because ideas are more comfortable than actions. It is much more challenging gig to be a person who loves other people.

Love is a CHOICE. It is an action.

Love is, as far as I can tell, the most mature response to any situation-the pinnacle of what it means to be truly human. Love is a wrench in the wheels of cause and effect, of reactionary living, of casual imitation. Yes, speed and events are all around us in the information age, but motion, is rare. Love is the movement.

You have to make room in your heart and your life for things that matter. It is not enough to dream. The dreaming comes easy. You have things to do. You have choices to make. It is the same with loving another person. It is not enough to say you do, or to love them when it's convenient. you have to love them every day. You have to learn their story. You have to never stop learning it. You have to listen. You have to cherish and protect.

Maybe also because true love requires risk. requires chance. we give our hearts away... we talk about forever. we believe. but many things end this side of heaven. we are fragile. our hearts break. we don't know how to stop something that we said would last forever...

I guess it all comes down to this. I think maybe I was created to respond to love. Like gas for a car or food when you're hungry... it just made sense. In the middle of a life where a lot of things don't make sense, and a lot of things are hard, love makes sense to me. It has the power to heal, change, hope... it makes life better.

But i think there's a lot to be thankful for. we're alive right now. we are breathing. we are loved. our lives are important. we have voices and stories and plans and dreams and ideas. we have hope. we will wake up tomorrow to a day that has never been known. we are living a life that has never been lived. we are here for a reason. we are here for more than going to school. we exist to love and be loved. life comes back. things do change. storms do pass. i believe that so much right now. i have been waking up to it lately. life can be beautiful again