September Mourn...

If you were not previously of the opinion that the upcoming general election is of paramount importance, then maybe the last few weeks of lipstick, hockey moms and horse hockey have convinced you.

The Republican National Convention was just weird. A friend of mine said she felt as if she was looking in at "another world". The Boy Wonder's 2nd grade teacher recently reminded all parents that "you can learn a lot from a box of crayons". Apparently the RNC hasn't heard this little anecdote because I don't recall seeing a single person of color in the whole damn place. The joint was crawling with prehistoric, pale faced drones, sluggishly milling about as the convention got underway. There were signs of life as the week moved on however, and by the time Rudolph Giuliani gave his rah rah speech, the pasty crowd worked itself into a lather and hawkish cries of USA USA began to rain down from the rafters. Big fun! The intermission activities included chants of "Drill Baby Drill", "Drill Baby Drill"!! Now, just think about how messed up that is? HELLO, it is NOT good news for our country that we find ourselves in this position. Whether or not we need to drill may be up for debate but, I think that celebrating the idea really tells you something about these folks.

Of course the highlight of the convention was far and away the Mayor of Methville, Sarah Palin. The Church Lady came out swinging, scored some points and provided a much needed boost to her doddering running mate's presidential bid. (On a side note, both conventions were marked by police using strong armed tactics that should serve as a stark reminder of the militarized state of law enforcement in America. But that's another entry entirely...)

As convention season came to a close, and the anniversary of 9/11 was upon us I couldn't help but feel especially solemn this year. When I think about how unified we were as a country immediately following September 11 and compare it with the ugliness that now exists as a result of the way this administration has repeatedly used that day as a political club on anything that dared to stand in the way of furthering its imperial agenda, all I can do is shake my head. Our constitution is in shambles, we're divided at home, estranged and isolated abroad and oh by the way, the reckless foreign policy that we've employed has no doubt created more Bin Laden's then we care to know.

Then the bail outs started coming fast and furious! Further proof that the ol' train has left the tracks. The future of what's left of this Republic hangs in the balance. We are teetering in the brink. Things are THAT dire. So after all of it.. the lipstick, the pit bulls, and the bullshit, in my mind we've got one more chance at change. Of the two top candidates for President neither is perfect but, if the American people truly search themselves, one candidate is head and shoulders above the otherc. We can only hope that the direction this country is headed will change drastically. We have to believe and we have to remain hopeful; the alternative is unthinkable. But, how much can we expect in an age when corporations control the political purse strings?

Will America be able to get over itself on November 4th? Racism is still very much alive in the good ol' US of A and it's a given that some people won't vote for a minority under any circumstances. And there will be a fairly substantial number of voters who will be wrestling with pride and prejudice all the way up until the moment of truth. Most of us have had to deal with reconciling prejudice, preconceptions, and mischaracterizations that worked there way into our psyche early in life. Some people break down those barriers and some aren't willing, or able. We will learn a lot about ourselves in a little more than a month.

Trying to get a handle on all the chaos and make some sense out of all of this is a real chore. I'm looking forward to a little break in the action here shortly so I can recharge for the home stretch of '08.

As the song goes, "Wake me up when September ends..."