Hi Everyone...
I don't have anything super exciting to say today, I am just writing because I am super bored. I have had kind of a rough week as my allergies have started up with a vengeance. It got really bad last weekend on Monday night. It was really hot out, but at about 8:30 pm, John and I decided to go up to Hart Park and play a little bit of tennis (I have not played tennis in years, and by years I mean probably 10 years). After about 10 minutes, I was soaked with sweat from the humidity and had a headache, runny nose, sore throat, and was sneezing up a storm. We still stayed for another half hour or so, but I was miserable. Luckily, I had a scheduled doctor appointment the next day so I got some new medication, because I was all doped up on Benadryl and not feeling any better.
I have been feeling better, although it is only because my house is totally closed with the air on and I am only outside when necessary, which is not fun. But I am hoping that with my medicine I should be able to be outside a little more this weekend. We would like to go to Tosa Fest tonight, which is outside, so we will see.
Speaking of being at the doctor on Tuesday, I walked into the hospital and got a call on my cell phone from one of the Transplant Nurses, asking me to come in to get my blood drawn for a crossmatch as they had a potential kidney for me. Well, I was pretty much blown away because I was not aware that I was even anywhere close to the top of the list for receiving a cadaverous kidney. But, of course I took this information with a grain of salt since I have been through 2 false alarms for my liver transplant, and 3 possible donors for the kidney. I went upstairs and met the nurse who started looking at me with this weird happy/confused face going "THIS IS SO EXCITING, ISN'T IT?!!?!?! WHY AREN'T YOU EXCITED? THIS IS SO GREAT, ISN'T IT GREAT! AREN'T YOU EXCITED?" and other miscellaneous crazy person exclamations. Well, my reply went something like (*token mean/annoyed look*) "umm, not really since I have been through this like SIX times before" (*disgusted scoff) So, needless to say, that kidney didn't work out. Oh well, I am kind of getting used to it. Although, it would be nice to not have to go to dialysis anymore.
Hmmm, I know I had other things to add today....oh a few words about the election. It has been a few days now since the Republican VP candidate has been announced. And at first, I had mostly pleasant thoughts about a strong, outspoken, woman being nominated. But after listening to Sarah Palin speak and learning more about her, she comes off as more of a mean-spirited bitch than anything else. (pardon my language, but if there was ever a time for that word, it is now) Now I admit that I did not watch her whole speech. I was at my parents house, who are both ridiculously staunch Republicans and I was getting a little bit annoyed by both their hooting and cheering along with the speech itself. But I digress. My first thought was how interesting it was that the day before Palin spoke at the RNC, Cindy McCain got on television and was whining and crying about how Obama was being mean to her husband. And then Palin gets on television and spent more of her time making quick one-liners about her opponents than she did discussing policy. I also noticed that concerning the issues with her family, (her young Downs Syndrome son and her daughter's pregnancy and upcoming marriage (!) ) republicans were surprisingly tolerant. It brought back thoughts of the revelation that Dick Cheney had a lesbian daughter. Had the tables been turned and these issues were tied to a Liberal candidate, we all know that their values and dedication would be brought into question by many, especially the religious right. So while I suppose I am relieved to see a bit of compassion (and I do agree that these issues do not have a place in a candidates qualifications), I can't help but believe that the right is not being caring, as much as they are just on the defensive.
So enough about the rnc, what about the democratic convention? I was only able to watch the speeches of Michelle and Barack Obama, but hopefully, I will be able to catch a youtube version of the others soon. I thought that Michelle proved intelligent, classy, and confident. She is someone whom I could trust and respect, and feel comfortable that she may be whispering into the ear of our nation's leader. Barack's speech in Denver was nothing short of inspiring and powerful. I, along with others I have spoken to, was moved to tears listening to his passion for our country, the world's people, and for change. I have only been able to vote for 6 years (and have been following politics for about 8) and it was so refreshing to hear someone speak about our country and its people with hope and promise and passion. It feels so different than the last election where I felt as though I had to pick the lesser of two evils, and that I was voting against someone instead of for someone. I am proud to be part of the election promise and excited for what 4 (or maybe 8) years of an Obama administration could bring to not only our country, but to the world.
Ok, moving on from politics, well, I don't really have a ton to say, but I do have some pictures that I will post for you all to see, so be excited!!!
TaTa
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6 years ago
8 comments:
Not out to make an argument here, this is my opinion, but Obama's motivating speeches do not sway me. I can't help noting that he voted against the partial-birth abortion ban. Anyone who believes that abortion, or partial-birth abortion (which is so utterly disgusting) is ok, does not seem to me like one who truly is fit to protect the lives of millions of people. Life is precious, and should not be taken so lightly, especially against the weak and helpless. I'm not a staunch republican, but a big part of what I look for in who I vote for is some sense of moral values. I personally do not see that in Obama. Just my thoughts on the upcoming election.
Thanks for your post Kristen (i am assuming!). I am with you on your beliefs that life is precious, and on that note, I do not believe that abortion is the only issue regarding human life requiring attention this election. I also believe that life should be considered precious when addressing such things as war, the death penalty, and healthcare. I also believe that the responsibility of turning the nation towards a pro-life mindset lies in the hands of the church, as opposed to the government. One last thing, I am a little nervous about the idea of having a totally 100%, no-exceptions, anti-choice president. I strongly believe that in cases when the mother's life is on the line, it should be up to her and her family to decide. Is that to say that if it were me, I would take the matter into my own hands? No, I would rely on my faith that God had perfectly orchestrated the situation. But the idea of that choice being taken away, again, makes me rather nervous.
And again, thanks for posting! I always appreciate hearing other people's opinions (actually, even more so if they somewhat differ from mine!)
Thank you Allison, for your response. My other experiences with talking with Obama supporters haven't been received as well, they have acted like I was speaking blasphemy! Even though I don't agree with you, am 100% pro-life, and see that more babies are killed from abortion than through the war, the death penalty, and through a lack of healthcare, we can still be friends and agree to disagree. I guess I got frustrated because everyone who I talk to who supports Obama always says that they support him because he is an inspirational speaker, and that drives me a little looney. What about substance?! Thanks again for your response.
All of these points, I think, are well taken. However, to Kristen, there is more in this calculation than just number of people who die (and I'm not sure those numbers you reference are quite correct anymore, especially not on a global scale, which we should always have in mind). There's also the consideration of what a given president can do in a given situation. Can the abortion situation get worse? No - it's completely legal, and the individual self-interest at the root of pro-choice arguments - the same self-interest at the root of many conservative arguments as well - reigns supreme. Therefore, it's not clear to me that Obama would make the situation worse. Also, I seriously doubt McCain/Palin could made that particular situation better. Bush hasn't, and he's held up as the ultimate Christian president in office for eight years.
That said, there's plenty from the Obama side that's troubling, too, including the same appeals to nationalism and America-as-the-hope-of-the-world that the Republicans trumpet.
What I think we need to seriously examine, though, is our participation in a political system that forces us to choose between pro-life-before-birth and pro-life-after-birth. Something's wrong with that picture, and a big part of it for Christians is an anemic understanding of their identity in the Church.
Ok, my last comment on this and then I'm finished :). To Brad, I'm not saying that McCain would end abortion. That will never happen unfortunately. All I'm saying is that Obama, who in an interview stated that he didn't really know when life begain (and I'm quoting almost exactly, "Is it when a cell divides? Is it when the soul stirs?" What!!), but can say that he's pro-choice and pro-partial birth abortion is just a little scary to me. I question logic and morals there, and a fear of trusting him. The one thing that could get worse with Obama is that the ban on partial birth abortion could be lifted. With a majority democratic senate and a democratic president, there will be no one to veto that. When I stated that more babies were killed by abortion, I was talking about within this country, and that is a true statement. Unfortunately, we Americans only talk about the war in Iraq and paying for our own healthcare during these elections, not about Sudan and the AIDs crisis in Africa. When we talk about all the soldiers that are dying in Iraq, we are forgeting that far more babies die from abortion than that. All those lives are important. That is what I was referencing. Neither candidate has talked about making any global impact (environmental, but not humanitarian).
Abortion is not the reason I don't support Obama, maybe it was a poor reason to start with, but I was frustrated after just reading the article I stated above about Obama's comments. McCain is far from perfect, too, all politicians have problems. Probably my top reason for not voting for Obama is his lack of experience and some of the very same reasons you listed as well. Ok, I'm done, off my soapbox, no more from me!
ahhhh, politics! I won't go there:) he he....yes I am a whimp....that and my crying baby won't allow me enough time:) ha ha.....BUT , soooo sorry about the kidney!!! I can't wait to read a blog title that says its all a GO!!!!! Still praying!
See you soon!
Just to clarify, when I compared the killing done in abortion to that of war, healthcare, and the death penalty, I did not just mean the war in Irag. There are horrible atrocities committed by governments, dictators, militia, and other rag-tag groups around the world. And you are right, Kristen, we do need to consider the AIDS epidemic. After all of this conversation, though, I think that one question remains: what can we do to bring about real change?
Kristen, I'm certainly with you on your opinion of abortion as a practice, and I also agree that Americans tend to be far too self-centered and narrowly focused. I think the reason you see so much emphasis on the war from some of us during the election season is (1) its direct connection to the presidency, and (2) its interconnection with a number of other issues that affect not only the US but the rest of the world. When we talk about a $400bil defense budget that exists essentially to expand American empire (and this description is well documented), we're also talking about an incredible amount of money that isn't going to much more constructive, life-affirming uses. I have been opposed to this war since before it started, but my main concern is not "our" lives lost, but the 300,000-600,000 Iraqis who have died, directly or indirectly, because a major portion of the church in the US thinks expanding American influence is a God-given mandate. This does not include the many millions more who die every year from the effects of poverty, disease, government corruption, etc., around the world whose fate could be different had the US not (1) devoted so much money to its own expansion instead, and (2) not collaborated with so many unjust structures and individuals around the globe to aggrandize itself.
Abortion is a significant problem, yes, but banning it isn't the only solution, or even the most long-lasting one. To neglect other significant and salient issues in order to deal with this one matter - as so many Christian conservatives do - is deeply problematic. Even if the issue is reduced to numbers - which is also problematic - it still doesn't compare with the numbers of those dying around the world from the other things I mentioned above.
Allison, as far as what we can do, first and foremost, we can be the faithful people of God. We can demonstrate within the community of faith, and in our relations with the world, what it means that God reigns here and now. That means we realign our interests, our allegiances, our priorities in favor of those of the Kingdom of God, which in large part include the marginalized and victims of injustice around the world, both before birth and after.
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