Last Post of 2007

2007 is coming to a close and I am way behind in writing my blogs. I have a million things that I would like to write about, but I am going to cover only a few. So here goes...

The Presidential race (that is still 11 months away) is looking like America is going to be asked what they would better, a gunshot to the leg or a gun shot to shoulder. Either way, you are getting shot. The state of politics in the US (alleged home of democracy) is so bad right now I wouldn't be surprised if we are just a few years away from having headlines like those coming out of Pakistan and Kenya. We need to fire everybody and eliminate parties and just have people run. And the best wins. Odds of this happening are so bad that I would have a better chance of winning the Powerball jackpot. Twice.

The Screen Writers are on strike. I support them and their desire to get a better percentage of the earnings on what they put out. However, like all strikes, it is the public that is most affected by this. The good news is that I have been able to get a lot of reading done. The bad news is one of my favorite dramas was left on a cliffhanger a few weeks ago and now it is just reruns and I don't even remember what I was waiting for.

And speaking of Hollywood. Yesterday I had the opportunity to chat with Kelly Carlson (aka Kimber on Nip/Tuck). She falls onto my list of nice celebrities. Which, I think I will publish that list in the new year. She was on my flight from MSP to BOI. I chatted with her for a while and she is really friendly and has a great head on her shoulders. I always wondered what would happen if I became famous. I know that I would love to hang out with people like Clooney, Hanks, Braff, Roberts, etc. but I don't know if I would be able to handle the constant autographs (again, this is assuming that I was really famous) and people wanting pictures. But I hope that I would try to handle it with professionalism and courtesy. I think the big thing has to do with when and where you are asking for autographs. If a celebrity is eating dinner with friends and/or family, it is not an appropriate time to ask for an autograph. It all comes down to the situation. I feel if you are just standing doing nothing (in some place like an airport) it is not unreasonable to be asked for an autograph (Russell Crowe disagrees with me on this). And I think that is why it was refreshing to meet Ms. Carlson. She understands that it is her fans that have helped her get where she is today. If people didn't like her character the writers would kill her off. But people like her character and so the character has gained a greater and greater role on the show. And her attitude is one of thanks for her fans helping her get where she is today.

Happy New Years to all of you!
My New Year's Resolution for 2008 is to get out and hike and camp more. (I quit resolving to eat better, quit things, etc. and decided to start doing things that would be realistic. 2007 I decided to be thankful for people and to find good in them).

Republican Debates

First, I would like to apologize for taking a month between posts. Now that being said. He is something new:

For those of you that do not know yet, I am an independent voter. I vote for whomever I feel is the best candidate for the job. In my lifetime, I have voted Democrat, Republican, Green, Independent, and Reform. In fact, I have on many occasions voted for myself because I didn't feel any of the candidates were good enough.

That being said, last evening I watched the CNN/YouTube Republican debates. I feel it is my duty as a citizen of America to know something about every candidate. Unfortunately, I have felt lately that the front-runners of the two major political parties have been doing more mudslinging than informing. Which, in my opinion, is sad. It disenfranchises voters. But I digress.

Last night, Mike Hukabee was asked a question regarding the death penalty. "What Would Jesus Do?" I was worried. Mike Hukabee answered with one of the most honest and best answers of the night. "Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office."

I was elated with the answer. It has been my belief that we put too much emphasis on religion and not enough on realistic policy. George Bush is supposedly a Christian. However, he has denied providing health-care to more children and to the poor. That would be an "un-Christian" action. He has led the United States into a war and will not admit that it isn't going well. (Note, I am not asking for him to admit he is a failure or that the war is a failure, just that it isn't going the best) So he has helped authorize the killing of many innocent women, children, and men. Again, not very Christian. To me, a "Christian" candidate should be running on a social services platform. Ending poverty, help people to live a life in this country not live paycheck to paycheck. Feeding the hungry. Taking care of the environment. Making sure every person has an opportunity to get a quality education. And the list goes on.

In the debates, Giuliani, Romney, and McCain sat and traded shots. Mike Hukabee said some things that I agree with (and some I don't), Ron Paul understands the war needs to end, but he also has some waaayyy out there thinking. It was kind of a disappointment for me to watch.

Right now, I feel there is no strong candidate from either side. Frankly, we are moving in polar opposite directions now. The conservatives seem to be getting more conservative and the liberals more liberal. While I admit I am a liberal thinking, I believe that this country will not survive unless the president is a moderate. The leader needs to be in the middle to keep the extremes in check. Right now we have a conservative and therefore, conservative ideology is not being kept in check, but the liberal ideology is. It is about balance and if you have a moderate president (Republican or Democrat or third party) then the Congress has to think about what they are doing and they can quit trying to pass their agenda.