Inauguration Day

What. A. Day.

To put it simply. Before I start commenting, opining, or otherwise sharing a host of random stories, my schedule was easy. I stayed home to watch the speech for one reason - I actually wanted to hear the darn thing. I didn't figure I'd hear it too well on the jumbo-trons the event planners had set up, nor did I want to wait to hear it til much later. Immediately upon the closing of the speech, I headed out to enjoy this day of history and see what it all looked like.

It was incredible, to say the least. Stepping back from the pomp, circumstance, and speech for a moment to consider the moment of history that was created yesterday. Regardless of your opinion of the man, or the presidential potential of him, yesterday was a defining moment in American history with an African-American man being sworn in as president. With the United States being in the unique position of one of the world's superpowers for many, many, many years running, to never have a man of any color (or a woman!!!) in this symbolic place of power is rather appalling. But, it has finally happened and we have all been alive to witness this day. He may not be what you voted for, he may not be what you want, but this is a bold step for our society, one that is necessary and can continue the work that was halted of shaking off the dregs of racial divisions and hatred. (Below - walking the streets, the crowd coming up... 18th? 16th? The streets started to blur)

The sheer amount of people that came into our nation's capital yesterday was unprecedented. Every guesstimate of how many would arrive so far underscored the actual numbers that it is incredible. Millions of people found their way to DC to give their support, honor, awe, and hope to this one man. It was a peaceful day, a day without hatred, a day without violence, and a day full of smiles -- a phenomenon rare in these times of economic worry, rampant wars, and domestic issues that continue to plague our citizens. (To the right, walking down the middle of the street!!!)


Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and yesterday I was reminded of him and his words. Yes, the infamous, "I have a dream", but more, "A man who won't die for something is not fit to live". MLK Jr. did die for something; he died fighting for this day to happen. Wherever he is, I hope he can rest in peace knowing that this struggle is still ongoing, but a battle has been won.

I have my cynicisms (noted in the last, and most likely next, blogs) about this man, but I would with any other coming into office. These are troubled times and I do sincerely hope that President Obama can help effect the change that is so direly needed and necessary to help this country bounce back, stand on its on two feet of economic prosperity and pride -- with new additions of humility and hope.

We are all a part of this process and we can only do as much as we can do - which is hopefully everything in our power - because we do have power. This power was represented yesterday in this city of millions. We made our voices heard in the election (yes, I'll note that I did in fact vote for and support Obama - healthy cynicism and all) and we made our voices heard yesterday in showing that he is still the man for the job, that doubt has not prevailed, that hope is still present. (To the right - the mass of people waiting to get on the Dupont Circle metro station)

Welcome to the White House and Washington D.C. Mr. President... I wish you luck.

Pre-Inauguration Day Insanity

And we are heading into the final hours of Bush's reign of terror. I kid, I kid. Although the final hours part of that equation is entirely truthful. Being here in DC and seeing the insane mass of people has made things quite interesting - much less getting anywhere takes an extra few hours.

Call me cynical, but I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Reading articles about people who have all this hope that Obama will be able to turn things around in a heartbeat... he just can't, hell, God himself couldn't. This country is in a hole that is not going to be dug out of particularly easily. There are wars left and right, an economic shithole, and domestic issues up the wazoo. This is not to say that Obama does not have his strong points, but the sheer amount of hope for immediate change seems unfounded. People are hailing his progressive nature, his grassroots connections, and I'm sitting here thinking the man and his team are a bunch of brilliant masterminds because absolutely nobody is capable of being that good to turn this country around in a hot minute. What his true strengths are, we have yet to find out. With so little experience and so little time to know who he is, we'll learn in the coming days what we've gotten ourselves into and whether or not this one man is as good in his actions as he is in his words.

I was going to go to the mall to hear his speech, but I won't be able to hear it in a crowd, so I'll explore, then be home for the actual speech because I want to hear what he has to say (and not a few hours later). After that, who knows what I'll explore. This day is epic, not just where he's at, but for this city as a whole.

I'm interested to see what he does, what decisions he makes first, where he will lead this country.

But at the end of the day, my inclinations are that this is only one man. Yes, he is "in charge" of the "super-power" of the world, but he is still only a man. He is not infalliable and he is not without his faults. We will see them in the days to come, I just hope that people give him enough of a chance to show his strengths... whatever they may actually be.

It's That Time of the Year

I'll cop to it! I have yet to write my Thanksgiving entry. I swear I'll get to it! Maybe sometime this week after my papers are written and my finals have started to be studied for... there are some amusing stories to share certainly.

But I'm bothered. So I'm pushing the Thanksgiving entry back, stepping away from my studies to take a moment to write about an issue that on the face looks... nice enough, but at the crux is problematic.

On facebook, there is a group called "Help Keep CHRIST in Christmas". Interesting concept. I can see where there would be some Christians who would want to remind their fellow man to enjoy the holiday, but also respect where the holiday came from. I have no cause to find this problematic.

But now, for the description...

The purpose of this cause is to keep CHRIST in Christmas. Since so many people today are trying to ban Christ from everything, School, Courthouse and even Christmas. In a time when all things religious are being discouraged and swept away, it’s refreshing to know that the Order established the “Keep Christ in Christmas” campaign to remind people that Christmas is above all a day God want us to remember the birth of His Son, our Savior

First of all, what is the "Order" that established this campaign? I haven't seen evidence of this particular campaign anywhere else, so that particular misnomer, "campaign", seems a little inappropriate. Regardless, neither of these are the crux of my problem, they're just glaring inadequacies that need to be explained to those who may not see the inside of a church every Sunday (even then, I don't believe the pastor I frequented back home would discuss this). But, alas, I am being petty because the real problem I have with this comes next.

The "ban Christ from everything" line got to me. And it made me an unholy shade of red mad. I believe in the tenants of freedom in this country, I believe that you have a choice to decide your religion and I believe that you can choose not to have another's religion foisted on you in the laws and in education when there is this freedom of religion. Christianity should not have the upper-hand and there are folks who seem to think it should because those of the faith raise an un-godly amount of money for their pastors (notice, I don't say societal issues). Folks are more than welcome to have Christ in their lives, they are more than welcome to be prejudice and racist (although I may not choose to overly interact much with said folks), but to operate on the assumption that Christ should be taught in the public school classrooms and have a place in the legal system is absurd. If folks want to put their children in private schools where the Christian faith is taught all day long, please, do it. If folks want to live in a country where Christianity rules all, then there is nothing stopping them from moving away.

And then let's address the final line of the description of this group's "cause": "remind people that Christmas is above all a day God want us to remember the birth of His Son, our Savior".
Remind what people? All people or just the Christian people? There is an inherent vagueness to this statement that just further shows the incorrect assumptions of society made by this group. First of all, it assumes that everybody is Christian, that they believe in the Christian god, and that the Savior is everybody's. Now, I know of somebody who would dispute this and say that only Christian folks will be reading this and hearing about it. Great. So what's the campaign for then? Ostensibly speaking, pastors and preachers are going to cover the topic of the holidays in their sermons, the true meaning behind the day.

But that's ok, because this is all a ploy. It is a ploy to continue teaching prejudice, to continue teaching that it is okay to discriminate, to make money... Oh... isn't it interesting that this group has raised over $2,000? What is this money going to? It has this little writing at the top of the page - donations will go to X group. Oh, oh gosh. Let's take a minute to look at the group who created the page. I'll be kind and not name names, but I did click on the link to their facebook page. The group itself, while a little too preachy too me, seems like it's actually trying to help folks. They have a Bible rehab program for homeless folks in an urban area. Oh, isn't that interesting? They've made no money on their page. They want 5 million dollars and couldn't raise it on their own... and they've just raised almost 2 thousand dollars by marketing this campaign. Hhhmmm. Sneaky tactics right there. I am impressed at the marketing skills actually. $2,000 is actually quite a bit of money for facebook.

But... they're using a campaign to their own benefit. I find that rather shady. Granted, I find the whole lot of it shady, but this is absolutely a ploy. A ploy to make money when they couldn't make it on their own by stepping on a campaign bandwagon.

Honestly? I would have been okay with the concept behind the campaign, of teaching where this holiday originated. But I would have also been encouraged to have a statement about learning about each other's religions, so that we might understand and respect each other further. I would have been encouraged if it was suggested to go to some page for Hanukkah, so that folks might learn about this holiday, and Kwanza and... the options are many and varied. Religious respect is what is lacking here. Not only this, but they are so concerned about putting Christ back in to Christmas. Yet, they too will be buying a host of gifts (not frankencense and myyrh like in the Bible) that furthers the lack of understanding how this holiday came to be. They too will jump on the Capitalistic bandwagon and buy an insane amount of gifts for only one person (got kids anyone?) and then they wonder why people are greedy and forget the meaning of the holiday. I'm spoiled, so I have no problem with getting an insane amount of gifts, but nor do I preach that everybody has forgotten what this holiday means, that it has turned to a Capitalistic wasteland, and then turn around and perpetuate that very wasteland.

So as we go into this holiday season, I implore you to keep an open mind. Take a few moments to find out what holidays are coming up, regardless of the religion, and learn about them. I'm not asking you to convert, I'm asking you to open your mind and your heart to all peoples. What is Hanukkah? What is Kwanzaa? What is Christmas? What am I missing?

Take the time to learn, donate money to a cause where you know where the money is going, donate your time if you have it, meet new people, try new things, enjoy everything this season has to offer -- regardless of what religion you practice.

Change

Tonight was mind-boggling and history making.

At the beginning of this elections process, I wanted Hillary. I liked Hillary and I have no reason not to like her now. I didn't know about Obama, I didn't know his history, his politics, or anything else for that matter. And then he took this country by a storm. I am a fairly firm democrat, but I hung back, I waited. I wanted to see what Obama and McCain both had to say.

Four years ago, I liked McCain. He was a maverick in a great many ways and I respected his history in both the military and in politics. It was in this election that he erred. He pandered to the religious right, he picked a joke of a VP candidate, and he became mean. So then I had to take a harder look at Obama. I still don't think he has the experience, but I do think Biden does. There were also quite a few of his policies I do like. I'll not discuss them overly much here as now we'll wait and see what happens.

What is interesting is being in this city and with people who care. For the elections that I've been able to vote in, I honestly haven't much cared. Of course, I exercised my right to vote, but the results? I could wait to read them the next morning. I sat with a group of people tonight and we discussed politics, we laughed, we ate, we drank, and we watched. Hours flew by because the company good and the race was better. I enjoyed watching with this group of people and don't think I could have ever imagined sitting on a couch watching election results when I have a 20 page paper to complete, readings for class, and a weekly write-up.

That being said, I am now home and watching a different race. The race of the propositions in California. I stayed a California voter for a few reasons, the main one being that I knew I would need to make my vote count and it would count in California. There are two propositions that I am passionate about and continue to watch, in some amount of fear, and think about why they matter.

First there is Proposition 8. Proposition 8 would create a constitutional amendment that makes marriage only between a man and a woman. I've had many a discussion about this particular proposition. I am a firm believer in equality, therefore I voted NO. We may never reach complete equality, but that should not stop us from trying. Let me list out some of the Yes arguments and why I disagree with them.
*Protectmarriage.com tries to say that Prop 8 does not discriminate against gays, "it simply restores the meaning of marriage". I would have to thoroughly disagree. Of course it discriminates against homosexual people. It makes them not equal. It puts them into a lower class of their own. You can sit there and blabber about civil union all day long, but it is NOT the same.
*Protectmarriage.com tries to say that Prop 8 will require teachers to explicitely teach that marriage is between x and x and y and y. This is not so. If marriage is taught in the classroom, then it can simply be taught as, "Well, marriage is when two people fall in love and choose to make it permanent".
*Protectmarriage.com tries to say that Prop 8 does not interfere with "gays living the lifestyle they choose". Well, yes, it does. If they want to get married and have that outwardly sign of commitment, then they aren't able to do so under this proposition.
*A family member (whom I once thought was socially liberal and found out otherwise with this proposition) mentioned that the state shouldn't be up in our private business. Well, then, why would you be voting yes on a constitutional amendment which would keep the state all up in our private business?
*Another family member (rather religious) mentioned that Christians love the sinner, but hate the sin. Well, instead of tramping on their parade, why not create equality? The Bible can say all day long that laying with a man is wrong, but not everybody follows this religion. Not only that, but... what about creating a different option? One that works for both this and the previous argument. What if you vote NO on this proposition and then create another one? One that says all unions are civil unions and the word "marriage" has no place in the constitution, period, as it is a construction of religion and religion has no place in politics.

I'm sitting here now, 33% of precints have reported in and the Yes vote is up by 53% to 47%. Most counties are voting Yes. They are voting for discrimination and prejudice. It blows me away that we've just elected a Black president and this is the result of proposition 8 so far? There is a reason why it is called Proposition Ha8te. Regardless of your reasoning, this country was built for the purposes of equality, granted, that didn't always happen. But since the inception of this country, change and the striving for equality has occurred. I can no longer consider California a democratic state if it votes Yes on this prop. We used to be at the forefront of change and now? We're simply mediocre. If prop 8 passes, I'll be ashamed of the state and of its constituents.

And then there's prop 4. Which essentially states that legal guardians are to be notified 48 hours in advance of a minor's abortion. This is another hot button topic for me. I'm not going to get into the why's and how's and my decision to be pro-choice, but I'm upset about a few things. In a discussion about this topic with a young, Christian, white male, it really hit home for me what neo-conservatism is, what religion to the point of prejudice and alientation is and I just was blown away. I asked him what would happen should he have a daughter, what would happen if she were raped, got pregnant, but couldn't stand the thought of bearing the child? Because it is a child made of hate and not of love? He responded that if his daughter really didn't want the child, then she would have to have it, but give it up for adoption.

I was frankly horrified. And upset. I cried over this fictitious girl, knowing that there are a great many like her out there (having been a crisis counselor, I've talked to my share). These young ladies feel alienated from their families, feel like they have nowhere to go, and the consequences to such despair can be drastic.

I took a step back for a moment and thought of my own parents, not of my extended family as I'm not entirely certain how supportive any of them would be in certain situations, but my parents. I've never had to come to them with a situation like this, but I can think of a young girl who wants an abortion, but feels alienated. I can think of my own self in context of having my hearing impairment, having a disability. Never have my parents said I was an abomination, never have my parents implied that I'm being punished (or in the case of abortion, are a sinner for considering it), never have my parents done anything but encourage me to make the best decisions I possibly can with the most information at my fingertips. I realized again tonight how lucky I am to have such an open and inviting parental unit, one that may have their prejudices, but don't let them affect their relationships with each other, friends, and most of all, me.

I hope that any family members that I have, any friends that I have, know that I would try to be open, that I will listen to what you have to say and then discuss options. I'm not going to push anything on anybody, nor would I encourage abortion--it's a huge and incredibly emotional decision that I wouldn't wish on anybody, but the option is there. I would hope that they'd realize I will always love them, that I won't turn them away.

As I sit here, No on Prop 4 is ahead in the reporting and I hope it stays that way.

I realize this is a more serious blog than one I have written, but I'm angry. I'm angry that people think it is okay to allow religion to rule politics, I'm angry that people think it is okay to not allow equality, I'm angry that people think it is okay to deny love to someone because they are different than you or offer a different opinion.

I hope in the coming years we do see change. That we see change that allows for all people to have the opportunity to be of the same status.

Change can happen and I believe it started tonight.

Delinquent

I have been one!

It has been a month since I've updated. A looooooong month.

There has been a good amount of adjusting necessary to learn how to budget my time for school, work, and a modicum of a social life. I'm still trying to find the right amounts of time for what needs to get done without getting too insanely stressed out.

Classes are still going well enough. I've been re-evaluating the life path a bit and am continuing to leave my options open to see where the wind will blow me next. So far though, I am liking the learning process and I am happy to be here.

That being said, I am really liking the East Coast. Granted, I have yet to live through a winter, but the general atmosphere is one that I'm quite pleased with. I will probably be moving again in June though as the rent is just obnoxious and I have really no safety with my loan monies, which I would like to have. So, time will tell whether the move will happen to Virginia or to Maryland. I'm currently leaning toward Maryland to be with near two of my new bestests, Lauren and Megan - but we still have a few months and life to go, so we'll see what actually ends up happening.

Off to dinner with other friends... will try to not be such a delinquent next time.

Or maybe I will...

Double Dose

And I have two classes to write about this evening.

My second class last week went insanely well. As I noted, it was my fem theory class. There's a couple of folks in the class that I really enjoy and I love the professor. She's really enthusiastic, helpful and just generally full of knowledge and support. She'll push us, but you'll want to do well only because she's just that good. I really think she'll be able to help me hammer out the theory portion of my thesis, as well as advise me on how to go about getting a thesis advisor.

It really got me jazzed up for the remainder of this semester and all the fun I'll be having.

And then there were three. This evening was my third class. Technically first if you're looking at it from a week to week point of view. It's my research methods class. First of all, qualitative not quantitative. For those of you who might wonder what the difference is - it means I don't have to do math - which is good. Me trying to do math at this point in my life would be just the biggest joke. But I was still concerned that this would be my hardest and most boring class. It turns out, it just might not be. And not only that, but it will provide me my research proposal toward my thesis.

Follow me?! Three classes and two of them will provide me huge portions of my thesis. Already!!!

Which is great as the other night I was speaking to one of the second years and she mentioned that if I should want to go onto a PhD, I should aim to be published by mid year next year. This will certainly immeasurably help in that goal.

Overall, there will, of course, be some downs this year, but right this second... things are going great. I couldn't ask for more from my classes or professors.

And now for the big news.

I am...

so excited for the Cal-MD game this weekend!!! I'll be going to the pre-tailgate party thrown at UCDC by the DC Cal Alum to start the weekend off right. Just to share the pure insanity that is me when it comes to Cal, and Cal football, I have a date that night. I told him either he comes with me or we'll have to reschedule. He chose to come. Aaaahhh, I do so love converting folks into Bear fans. Then Saturday will be gameday, which, of course, I am going to. I talked June into coming with me, so that will be incredibly exciting to say the least. June is a gal who lives in my building who also grew up in LA and also went to Cal. Talk about a small world!

I'll keep you updated on the weekend when the time comes.

Until then...

GO BEARS!!!

Class?! Finally!

Last night was the first night of classes of the Fall 2008 semester. It was my Women and the Law class.

To start: yesterday was spent a bit nervous. I was wondering why I would leave a up and coming career to come back to school... regardless of the fact that PR was simply not something I wanted to spend the remainder of my life doing. This is a lot of money, a big move and for... a Masters in a subject I've never even taken a class in.

But... of to class I went. And really enjoyed it. We had reading due (yes, for the first class), so I did my reading out of a very large book. I wander down the stairs, into a room (not classroom per se) and we end up with only five students in class. Excellent!!! At Cal, we had discussion sections upward of 40 people. Finally, an opportunity to engage in intellectual discourse surrounding a text.

Tonight is class #2. It's my Fem Theory class. So if my next blog involves man-hating, man-bashing dialogue, don't be overly surprised.