Still here. I lost my blog voice. As far as blogging goes, I've obsessively been researching and writing an epic post that is yet still unfinished, it's full of research, data and dry information and it's completely without humour. BUT I HAVE TO WRITE IT. It's a compulsive need at the moment, so be forewarned, it's on it's way.
I'm not an American, some of my close relatives are and I live near enough to the border that when I stand on my back porch I can see streetlights in Sumas, Washington. In fact, in moments of extreme restless boredom I've thought of crossing the border, getting a cup of coffee and coming back all within half an hour. Then if anyone asks what I did today, I say with uber coolness," Oh, I was out of the country, just got back now, it was great, thanks for asking."
So, I feel some kinship with my American neighbours . I followed the election with interest and am happy with the results. I was moved by Barack Obama's victory speech yesterday and pleased by the graciousness of McCain's words, but when I read this man's (hilarious) post today, it pretty much echoed my thoughts throughout this campaign (without of course, the baby strangling) . I'm also weary from socialism considered a dirty word. And it's true America is no where near a socialist government. Relax. No one is going to steal your land and go through your shoes in your closet and divvy them up with your neighbours. The shelves of Walmart won't be bare and you won't be standing in long lines to get toilet paper. If you do, it won't be because of socialism, it'll be because all the trees have been cut down and made into flyers advertising free flat screen tv's with the purchase of a brand new leather sofa set. *Sigh* Now ignore everything I just said and go finish celebrating.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
15 comments:
Alright, alright. 24 hours later and it's back to earth again.
Good one, Ellen. I didn't know you read Vicus!
Thank you for the link. You seem much too nice to be associating with me, although I see that Dinahmow has already crapped on your virtual doorstep, so it is probably too late to worry.
Well said......
your blog voice is plenty strong and loud and i love it. frankly ellen you are one of the most well written bloggers out there. (i'm always envious of your ability to speak so eloquently and knowledgeable).
anyhow.
good for you, say it and wake some of us up. i dont know why socialism is used as if some cancerous threat, you are so right (in my humble opinion). I told a friend I was for Obama (and she said DONT TELL ME YOU VOTED FOR THAT MARXIST, she was HORRIFIED)
I am baffled by how people throw around terms and assume someone that is left, or blue or red or whatever is going to ruin us. WE will ruin us before THEY ruin us.
great post.
can't wait for the next one.
Andrea: Naww, why not extend the Barackasm at least till the end of the week. Something like this doesn't happen everyday.
Dinah: It occurred to me the majority of the blogs I read would have a 6 degrees of separation from Andrea and from there could easily be traced back to the first man and woman blogger who roamed the earth.
Vicus: What an honour to have you stop by! Your post was positively the best thing I read all day on the matter. My niceness and cynicism do battle every day. An annoying Canadian trait.
Mel: Thanks, did you read Vicus's post? I thought it was brilliant.
Paula: MARXIST?! Oi, I'm going to pretend she's referring to Groucho, because that's the kind of stupidity that will doom us all.
Thank you for the encouraging words because a lot of us are busy building underground bunkers to store our most valuable posessions in. Like guns and oil and savings (ha). Time will tell.
Katie: You're a good sport, now stop fretting and come to the other side, everyone's welcome over here and you don't need guns, I have cookies and I like to share!
I'm not building a bunker, but I am deeply skeptical about this man who will say anything to get over.
People say he's a great orator, a very persuasive speaker. So was Hitler.
But it would be hard to have anything as catastrophic as what we've had for the past 8 years, so I do hope this will be some kind of positive change. I doubt it, but we'll see what we see. Congress is the key to the whole thing anyway.
Melanie: I often think the entire world would be better off with some benevolent, wise ruler. However,if there was anyone suitable found who actually WANTED that position then they'd be immediately suspect.
Change will be on the horizon regardless of who rules. It just irks me the left (in this case oh-so-barely-leftish) so often get in power when times are tough and get blamed when the money stops flowing freely (in those select few pockets). A culture based on empty consumerism and the illusion of infinite growth in an increasingly obvious finite world was the wrong dream to be chasing anyway.
Now having said all that I actually have to go to the mall in this suburban wasteland to buy my kids coats. Perhaps I should put my money where my mouth is and humanely raise goats and spin my own wool. But that would mean the end of leisure and convenience and back to primitive hardship. These are the thoughts that occupy me all the time, yet I'm still cheerful. Odd.
And thanks for commenting. It's good to hear from you!
Maybe I'm too cynical, but as a theatre arts undergrad and now as an editor and teacher of creative writing, I'm always amazed at how idiot-simple it is to sway masses of people with simplistic sloganeering and a dynamic presentation. I'm irked that the mass of people seem to lack the ability to know when they're well off and to cherish it, and instead actively prefer to be suckered by sensationalism and cheap frissons. "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance" and all that.
When the flap about the "politically motivated" hiring and firing of judges finally erupted, I was reminded that when Senator Clinton was the First Lady, she said in an interview that there was "a vast right-wing conspiracy" afoot and she was sounded ridiculed for saying that. Then Cheney/Bush seized the executive branch, DeLay and his cohorts took over the legislative branch, and then they -- as it turns out -- were actively going after the judiciary. To me, that looks exactly like the kind of focused, aggressive, multi-faceted, long-range plan to bring governance of into one tent and obliterate those pesky checks and balances in that outmoded scrap of paper called the Constitution that just might, in fact, be a vast conspiracy. Had the current administration succeeded in those activities, it could rightly have been called a coup. But to see that, and to say that, marks you as paranoid and delusional. I think not. And I sometimes weep for my country.
Melanie: Many, many years ago (during the Reagan era) I had the privilege of doing some work for the U.N (long story and less glamorous than it sounds).I spent several days touring with the former Assistant Secretary General at the U.N of 40 years. I remember him saying every time the Republicans get into power, the propaganda and censorship against anything remotely left increases tenfold. They become 'difficult' at the UN. Which may be a less impotent organization if members worked in the spirit of cooperation that it was created for and stopped trying to bend it to suite their exclusive self-interest and ideologies. (like the Iraqi War for instance?!...).
The propaganda machine is alive and well, all over the world. I agree liberty requires vigilance and apathy is dangerous but I still think it's ok to have a party for Obama. Just to cheer yourselves up after the last 8 yrs. Beats the main alternative, right?
I'm now going to stop because I'm sure my opinion is a lot stronger than my knowledge.
Ah, the tyranny of children's brand awareness. It was strong even when I was a kid twenty years ago - hard to imagine that it's now worse.
Tranformers were cool when I was a kid but Gobots were kinda' lame. Transformers were the Barack team of "robots in disguise", Gobots the McCain/Pallin ticket.
Optimus Prime for President!
Anyway, I think Barack will make a difference for the better but let's not go nuts here. He's a politician, a clever manipulator as all good politicians are, and just as much a chum of big corporations as anyone else in office. Sure, he will be a vast improvement on that warmongering hillbilly the US has suffered for the last eight years, but America is not on the brink of some enlightened liberal utopia.
Let's not get our hopes up too much, eh?
Steve: Well said! Absolutely Obama is all Wall Street not 'main street'.
Optimus Prime for Prez? Yeah! Aliens and fictitious characters would be my pick.
Post a Comment