We went to Babies R Us on Sat & did some more Christmas shopping for John. I got him an abacus. Not what you think. It's this awesome little learning one that is entertainment for him as a noise-making "thingy" as much as it is a counting device. He had a ball in there, & April did too.
Rumsfeld? Gone. Bolton? Ditto. Who's next in President Bush's posse, er, um I mean "administration", will be the next to go? The house is open for wages.
I got into this discussion with the lady at the shop I frequent last week about the Foley scandal. Naturally, this woman is a tried & true, blind-to-reality Republican. I, of course, am red, white, & liberal. So this discussion came about casually when I asked her what she thought of the whole debacle. Apparently, she's of the opinion that a 16 yr old boy is a consenting adult (seriously?!), & that the whole scandal was "cooked up" by the left-wing propaganda machine, & that Foley was made to be a scape goat (her word was "martyr", but oh well...) because he was a republican. My patience wore increasingly thin throughout the exchange, but I reached the point of no return when she referred to the kid as a consenting adult, & called him a sicko (for... being.. homosexual, I guess?). I'm sorry, but wasn't it Foley who came after him? Didn't he come onto the kid? Failure to acknowledge that is either foolish, or deceiving. Maybe both.
Now, I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but it seems to me that issues like this keep pulling people farther away from unity than they should. I'm personally void of an official stance on same-sex marriages. It's touchy. You wouldn't think of a homosexual person any differently than your best childhood friend if you didn't know they were homosexual. But once it comes out, nearly everyone changes their attitude, even slightly. We become more p.c. about the way we talk, and suddenly become more aware & sensitive of their status as a minority. Why should they be lumped into a minority? Is there anything different in their appearance (except for those who live in Dupont Circle)? No! You wouldn't know someone was a homosexual until they came onto you. It's the fucking truth. So why should their rights be any different? Give me someone who doesn't think that "they" should have the same rights a "straights", & I'll prove to them that they're just as UN-American & dangerous as any radical with an RPG. The more I read back what I have written, the more inclined I am to say that same-sex marriages should be fine with us as Americans. We're a country founded on the principle of standing against oppression, & a freedom to be who you want to be. You know it, the right to life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness. So when the hell did it become the American Way to quell the fires of Independence & freedom of humanity? I understand the other side of the coin; that God intended marriage to be between a man & woman. God is also one of forgiveness. Last I checked, he didn't list being homophobic in his prerequisites to get through the Pearly Gates. I doubt seriously that there's a sign on the walls outside Heaven that say "straights only". Where's the "Christian Love"? The tolerance, & understanding of fellowship with those who have been persecuted? Bring it back, please. Living an alternative lifestyle shouldn't be a sentence to a lifetime of isolation & displaced judgement. And fuck anyone who thinks otherwise.
Back to Foley, I have to say that I'm disappointed in his decisions. First, the man takes advantage (or attempts to) of young teenagers who are placed in the charge of our federal government for a life learning experience. Parents trusted this man to be respectful of them & their children. He betrayed that trust, just as he betrayed the trust of his constituents. He has made doubters of everyone in the faith of our government representatives. And then with his back to the wall, he cried wolf & claimed innocence on the matter, because he was a victim of molestation, which made him the way he is. I'm personally throwing the bullshit flag there.
When a person is voted into a public office, most notably a federal position of leadership, people have literally said "Hey, I like you. I trust you. Represent me, & make decisions for my future on my behalf. Make the changes I want to make my country better." Nowhere in the job description does it say "Please, oh please, make sexual advances & suggestions to my young teenage child, & make a mockery out of the history & people that made the United States the envy of the globe. Displace my trust in our system of government, & make me look like a damned fool for punching the hole next to your name on the ballot."
Should something scandalous come out against you, I think it would be the more honorable approach to be fucking stand up person & admit to it. Take some god damned responsibility for your actions & take the consequences for what you know you did. It's admirable in a world today where it's more acceptable to give an excuse. Excuses for everything. Just take responsibility. It's not like you can die from it.
Maybe I won't be understood. Maybe nobody will care about what I have to say. Maybe I don't make any sense. Is there any right in what I've said? Or is it all just the falling tree in the forest; if no one reads it, does it really matter, was it ever spoken? You decide. Decide for yourself. I'm tired.
Good night, & good luck...
