Not Exactly Lincoln-Douglas

Anyone watch the Democrats debate last night? No? It's okay, neither did most Americans.

Regardless of the fresh/new/modern approach to debate courtesy of CNN and YouTube, it really wasn't all that much better than, well, any other televised debate. In fact, I found it even more frustrating at times.

Still, it did provide an entertaining, odd and somewhat disturbing look into the state of modern American politics and the Democratic party. I wasn't quite as freaked out as my brother (who is convinced that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ), but it was a bit frightening that the substance of true political debate could be trumped by questions like "Who was your favorite teacher and why?" You've got to be kidding me.

I'll let you make your own judgment...

What YouTube doesn't change (Guardian Unlimited) Last night's YouTube-sponsored Democratic presidential debate just took an old question-and-answer format and made it much, much worse.

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And This Round Goes To... (Washington Post Online) CHARLESTON, S.C.--Monday's CNN/YouTube debate in Charleston was the best of the campaign season

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Debate over whether YouTube made a difference (Reuters) The latest presidential debate format, which debuted with video questions uploaded to YouTube, was widely applauded on Tuesday for spontaneity and for forcing candidates to be more flexible.

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Dems Debate Questions From Cyberspace (Forbes, NY) How big a change did CNN give viewers? More than a stunt and less than a revolution, this first YouTube debate was more impressive for some of the questions it raised than the answers it delivered. One reason: Too many candidates, too little time, and a format that discouraged followup questions or actual debating. Those are problems YouTube can't fix.

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YouTube emerges as star of Democrats' debate (CTV.ca, Canada) Perhaps more than any other example, Monday night's Democratic presidential debate in Charleston, SC put the 'you' in YouTube.

So Much For "Majority Rule"

Another article worth passing along... this time by Fred Barnes of The Weekly Standard, explaining how congressional Republicans have successfully stopped Democrats from doing... well, pretty much anything.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/weeklystandard/20070723/cm_weeklystandard/anunusuallyeffectiveminority

Facebook vs. MySpace

This is a fascinating article about the class distinctions represented by the demographics on MySpace vs. Facebook. While I don't agree with everything the author writes, it is definitely thought-provoking!

http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/ClassDivisions.html

Apartment Pictures

Here you go, Mom and Dad (and everyone else). Since the pictures somehow vanished from the disk I sent you guys, I have posted some of the pictures of our new apartment, all nice and clean and unpacked and homey. :) Enjoy!

The entry:

The guest bath:
The kitchen:

The dining room:



The living room:









And, the best part... the view:
(This one was taken on a less hazy day)

Dreams Come True

This is just a quick update to let you all know about the newest and most exciting development in my life (and no, Liz, I'm not pregnant).

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM, I will be realizing a dream that I have had since I first started thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I will be working on the Hill!

After about 6 weeks of endless meetings and interviews, I will be going to work for a Virginia Congressman, and I couldn't be happier. It is a wonderful office with a great staff, and I can't wait to start work.

I went to my new office this afternoon to fill out paperwork, and it was kind of surreal. There is nothing quite like having something that you've wanted to happen since you were 12 years old finally happen. There have been only a couple other times that I have felt this way - one being when I got married to the love of my life, and the other when I moved permanently to DC for the first time. Both were things I had dreamed about since I was a little girl. Now, I get to add one more to the list.

I have to echo what my brother so eloquently wrote in his blog: Don't settle. Too many times I've seen people sacrifice their passions, desires and dreams for that safe-and-cozy feeling you get when you don't ever take a risk to do something your heart longs for.

Granted, not everyone can be a rock star or an astronaut, but I have talked to too many intelligent, passionate people who never took the leap or decided to pursue their passions, and who now regret not trying. I've also met people who tell amazing and inspiring stories of being stuck in a job they hated for 20 years, and then eventually deciding to go to law school/ med school/ design school/ [you name it] and finally realizing their true calling.

Life is way too short to let fear keep you from doing something you love, something that makes you feel fully alive.

That's how I feel living here. Alive. Like I'm doing what I was born to do.

So kudos to you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me early on to find something I loved to do, and then find a way to make money at it. It was that kind of support and encouragement that let me try out a music major in college (with remarkably little "encouragement" to make sure I could pay the bills after I graduated), only to find myself enamored by my Poli Sci class my sophomore year and find a career that would make me excited to go to work every day. I owe you big time.

Look for me on CSPAN!!

The Road to Hell...

Victor Davis Hanson is brilliant. The left is so wrong on Iraq it is dumbfounding, and this week's displays of incompetence and borderline-treasonous actions are even more proof. It amazes me how easily facts and evidence are trumped by emotions, negative media reports and the polls they influence. There is a reason we do not have a pure democracy, but a representative republic with three separate branches of government: because it protects the American people from themselves. Let's just hope that good intentions don't produce fatal policies, for America or the Middle East.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait (a.k.a Our Crazy 4th of July Story)

One of the things I love most about living in Washington is that there are so many things that you just can't do anywhere else in the world. One of my greatest frustrations when we live here, then, is when we don't take advantage of living here and doing all those things. We didn't take advantage enough during the 2 years we were here before, and I am determined to not make the same mistake this time around.

This year, we decided (meaning I decided) that we were going to take advantage of the fact that the fireworks show the rest of the country was watching was taking place in our backyard. Robbie was pretty excited about it, since it's the first time he's ever lived here for the 4th. Brian was much less excited, but was informed that he really didn't have a choice this time around, since his complaining about having to brave the crowds had kept us from going in the past.

We (again, meaning I) packed up a great picnic for us, and we set out from Arlington to stake out a spot on the West Lawn of the Capitol to watch A Capitol Fourth, the concert that airs on PBS every year. We took the Metro to Capitol South and hiked up the hill to the entry point where you have to wait in line until 5pm to get in.

The "line" was actually groups of people spread out all over the grass, picnicking and relaxing in the shade.


It was a beautiful day - sunny, breezy, and about 80 degrees. We got there around 2:00, found a nice shady spot, ate lunch and hung out until 4:45 when the Capitol Police let us all start lining up in front of the security checkpoint.


When we did finally start to line up, we were the very first people in line! We even made friends with some of the cops and got the scoop about where the best places would be to sit (on the Capitol steps for the best view of the fireworks, close to the ropes on the grass for the best view of the concert), and Robbie and I split up carrying everything so Brian could be the first in and run to get a good spot.


Then, the most frustrating thing happened. At 5, when we were supposed to be able to go through the gate, all the cops walked to the other side and huddled. Then they came back and told us that we had to wait to see what the weather would do before we could go in. It was starting to get windy and cloudy, but there was no rain yet, and we hoped there wouldn't be.

About 15 minutes later, the huddle formed again, only this time as they came back, they started putting equipment into bags as one of the cops announced that everyone had to evacuate the area because there was severe weather coming (rain, hail, wind, etc.). All that waiting to be first in line, for nothing. I was so annoyed.

We debated for a minute whether to follow the crowd to the Rayburn parking garage to wait out the storm, but decided to go home and watch the news to see what happened. We wandered around looking for a cab and eventually bribed a DC cab to take us to Arlington. Driving back was crazy - there were cars parked all along the freeway by the river and people tailgating on the side of the road to watch the fireworks!

We eventually made it back and got up to our apartment just as it started pouring rain. We turned on the news and watched as the weather guy pointed to a bright red blotch on the satellite that was heading straight toward the Mall, and collectively congratulated ourselves on our good decision. Ten minutes later, the weather guy announced that the weather should clear up in time for the show to start on time at 8:00. So we packed up a bag with the tarp and a blanket and headed back out. This time though, we really did have to brave the crowds. It seemed that every person in northern Virginia had the same idea that we did, because the Metro was already full when we got on.

As we hiked up the hill again, I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I saw the line of people waiting to get in to see the concert - stretching all the way along Independence Ave. almost to the Library of Congress. It was moving, though, which was encouraging.


We started standing in line at about 7:45, and didn't make it to the front of the line until about 20 minutes after the concert started at 8. Along the way, we asked several policemen whether there was any way to get in sooner after what happened to us, and every single one snapped back at us to shut up and get back in line. Needless to say, we were not happy campers.

As we finally got to the gate, we saw one of the cops (who shall remain nameless) that we had made friends with after spending 3 hours waiting to go in that afternoon. He recognized us and said hi and asked how we were.

"Well, that whole evacuation thing really didn't work out so well for us."
"Did you guys have to wait in line this whole time?" he asked.
"Yep, kinda sucks since we would have been first in line to go in before," said Brian, somewhat jokingly.

To our great surprise and relief, he was actually apologetic, and pulled us aside after we went through security.

"Come on guys, I'll make this right."

He then proceeded to personally escort us to the priority seating at the very front of the stage! With chairs and everything!! He also asked our names and told us to be sure to call him personally next year to make sure we get good seats!

By the time we got in, the show was about halfway over, but the part we did get to see was awesome, and our seats were amazing!

4th of July 2007

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At the end of the concert, we got to watch the fireworks show over the Washington Monument to the sound of the National Symphony Orchestra playing the 1812 Overture and various Sousa marches. It was an experience I know we will never forget, and it definitely made the entire ordeal worth it.

4th of July 2007 #4

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So cheers to our Officer friend - we are forever in your debt. You single-handedly salvaged the reputation of every other Capitol Police Officer that was out there that night in all their rudeness and power tripping, and you made a few kids from California very happy.

Michael Moore is the Real "Sicko"

I came across this article and thought it was just too good not to pass along. With Michael Moore's so-called "documentary" film Sicko coming out this week, let's try to remember the facts and not get swept up in the sensationalism and hypocrisy of a smart but seriously misguided Hollywood propagandist.

"Paradise Island"
The myth of Cuban health care.
By Fred Thompson
May 02, 2007, 11:10 p.m.

You might have read the stories about filmmaker Michael Moore taking ailing workers from Ground Zero in Manhattan to Cuba for free medical treatments. According to reports, he filmed the trip for a new movie that bashes America for not having government-provided health care.

Now, I have no expectation that Moore is going to tell the truth about Cuba or health care. I defend his right to do what he does, but Moore's talent for clever falsehoods has been too well documented. Simply calling his movies documentaries rather than works of fiction, I think, may be the biggest fiction of all.

While this P.R. stunt has obviously been successful — here I am talking about it — Moore's a piker compared to Fidel Castro and his regime. Moore just parrots the story they created — one of the most successful public-relations coups in history. This is the story of free, high quality Cuban health care.

The truth is that Cuban medical care has never recovered from Castro's takeover — when the country's health care ranked among the world's best. He won the support of the Cuban people by promising to replace Batista's dictatorship with free elections, and to end corruption. Once in power, though, he made himself dictator and instituted Soviet-style Communism. Cubans not only failed to regain their democratic rights, their economy plunged into centrally planned poverty.

As many as half of Cuba's doctors fled almost immediately — and defections continue to this day. Castro won't allow observers in to monitor his nation's true state, but defectors tell us that many Cubans live with permanent malnutrition and long waits for even basic medical services. Many treatments we take for granted aren't available at all — except to the Communist elite or foreigners with dollars.

For them, Castro keeps "show" clinics equipped with the best medicines and technologies available. It was almost certainly one of these that Moore went to, if the stories in the NY Post and the Daily News are true.

Nothing about this story inspires doubt, though. Elements in Hollywood have been infatuated with the Cuban commander for years. It always leaves me shaking my head when I read about some big-time actor or director going to Cuba and gushing all over Castro. And, regular as rain, they bring up the health care myth when they come home.

What is it that leads people to value theoretically "free" health care, even when it's lousy or nonexistent, over a free society that actually delivers health care? You might have to deal with creditors after you go to the emergency ward in America, but no one is denied medical care here. I guarantee even the poorest Americans are getting far better medical services than many Cubans.

According to Forbes magazine, by the way, Castro is now personally worth approximately $900 million. So when he desperately needed medical treatment recently, he could afford to fly a Spanish surgeon, with equipment, on a chartered jet to Cuba. What does that say about free Cuban health care?

The other thing that irks me about Moore and his cohort in Hollywood is their complete lack of sympathy for fellow artists persecuted for opposing the Castro regime. Pro-democracy activists are routinely threatened and imprisoned, but Castro remains a hero to many here. According to human rights organizations, these prisoners of conscience are often beaten and denied medical treatment, sanitation or even adequate nutrition.

If Moore wants a subject for a real documentary, I would suggest looking into the life of Cuban painter and award-winning documentarian Nicolás Guillén Landrián. He was denied the right to practice his art for using the Beatles' song, "The Fool on the Hill," as background music behind footage of Castro climbing a mountain. Later, he was given plenty of free Cuban health care when he was confined for years in a "mental institution" and given devastating, repeated electroshock "treatments."

There are many other artists and activists who have enjoyed similar treatment. I suspect we'll see movies with sympathetic portrayals of terrorists held in Guantanamo before we ever hear about the torture of true Cuban heroes. Even Andy Garcia's brilliant fictionalized movie about the real Cuban experience, The Lost City, was given the Hollywood silent treatment. My bet, though, is that we'll hear lots about how Michael Moore showed that Cuba's socialized medicine is better than ours.

So go ahead and start working on the Oscar speech, Michael.

© ABC Radio

The Final Chapter of a New Beginning

This is the truck's butt...



Robbie and I rode together for the last couple days, and that's what we've been watching that entire time.

Yesterday morning, the brake alarm on the moving truck started beeping, so we spent half the day at the Penske place in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the heart of Appalachia in eastern Tennessee. After spending 4 hours inspecting the brakes and the engine, the team of mechanics informed us that, since they hadn't been able to find anything wrong with the truck, they had disabled the alarm so it wouldn't "annoy" us. Not exactly reassuring. We then said our goodbyes to Brian just in case the brakes really did go out. He was pretty convinced he was going to die. The whole incident was kinda funny in a slightly morbid way.

Robbie and I had an interesting adventure driving through Knoxville and going to Wendy's for lunch. I think his exact words to me were, "Wow, I had no idea that white trash was a culture!" Yes, yes it is.

We crossed the border from Tennessee to Virginia yesterday afternoon.

We debated whether just to drive all the way to Arlington last night, but decided to only go as far as Lexington, about 3 hours south. I'm so glad we did, because we ended up staying in a beautiful, 170-year-old southern mansion that had been converted into a hotel! It was amazing!!






It was a wonderful experience. We all got a good night's sleep, had a great breakfast, and then drove about an hour to drop off the trailer before heading into the city. We then caravaned the rest of the way, I drove the Highlander, Rob drove the Jetta, and Brian drove the truck the rest of the way to DC.

With a few initial complications, we got everything settled to move into our new apartment. Robbie signed his first lease...


...and then we began the monumental task of actually moving all of our stuff into the apartment. 4 hours later, we cleared enough of a path to get to the bathrooms, the kitchen and our beds, and then, exhausted and relieved, went to bed in our new home.

Bathroom Humor

This made my day... :)


Since we have been driving a 26 foot truck with a 10 foot trailer on the back of it, the only places we are able to stop are truck stops. We've seen some pretty interesting characters at some of these places. Think McDonald's employees meet trailer park residents meet Jerry Springer guests, and you've got a pretty good idea of what kind of folks I'm talking about.

Who knew they were policy wonks, as well?

Apparently, some of these folks like to engage in a little heated political debate every now and then...

...on the back of a bathroom stall door? Sure, why not?! (This is America, after all.)






To translate for all you fine folks (all spelling and punctuation preserved):

"Sorry McCain... you looked like a fool in Iraq. Not so safe is it? Just another Republican liar... Go Away!!"
"You & Bush go to Iran!!"
"another bleeding heart democrate... loser!"
"Idiot, you fucken spelled democrat wrong genius"
"Fool? Who is the one complaining to the bathroom door at a truck stop"
"Well said!"
"There is no better place for a political debate than in a bathroom stall."


Well said.