More bin Laden ranting

I'm going to rant some more about the bin Laden news.  So, if you're not interested, you can stop reading now.  :)  

First, let's start on a slightly lighter note.  I've stated that I don't like the rejoicing in the death of a human being, but I did find this quite amusing:

(Source)

...because I think the birthers are absolutely nuts.  :)

Anywho, begin rant.  I watched Obama's speech last night regarding the killing of bin Laden.  I was not really very pleased with it (and I normally do like Obama's speeches).  A transcript of the speech can be found here.  I was with Obama through the 9/11 recap:

It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

 And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

However, he lost me with the "I" part of the speech:

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. 

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

I just think that this cheapens the whole speech.  It feels more like he's patting himself on the back than making an announcement.  I think it feels like a campaign ploy.  And I don't like it.  (There were more sections that were "I" heavy, but that's the worst part, I think)

Next up, the American people.  I think people are being a little nutty.  People are saying that they feel so much safer now that bin Laden is dead.  I don't get it!  I feel less safe!  I mean, think about it.  What would we do if Al Quaeda murdered our leader?  We would be more determined to destroy them (because even if you don't like Obama, you're not going to stand by and let terrorists murder him!).  

I really fear for our troops.  I think there will be tremendous backlash.  I really hope that the death of their leader will help destroy them, but I seriously have my doubts.  

While I am not completely pleased with everything, I will say that I am thrilled to see Americans coming together on something again.  It's heartbreaking to see our country so divided all the time.  At least there are some things that most everyone can come together to celebrate (even if it is really morbid).  

Inauguration

Well, it's official. We have a new president! The inauguration ceremony was very nice. And, I really enjoyed Obama's speech (You can read the transcript here: http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2009/01/20/news/doc4975d464ad451955066930.txt).

Hopefully Obama can keep up the momentum. There are lots of problems that he's inherited and it's going to take a lot of work to pull our country out of the dumps. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and trying to stay positive. And, I'll try not to be too hard on Obama. This is going to be a rough ride.

Mixed Emotions...

Last night I was so incredibly happy. Barrack Obama won. Not only that, but John McCain gave an incredible speech. It left me feeling so wonderful about the direction that our country is heading. We will have change. We have a nation where truly anyone can do what they set their minds to without having to feel discouraged about race or gender. We have a nation where republicans and democrats are willing to work together to make our country a better place. I was brought to tears several times throughout the evening because of how proud and euphoric I was. It was incredible.

And then, today, I was still riding that high. And then part of me cracked. Proposition 8 passed in California. And other gay marriage bans passed in Arizona and Florida. So incredibly disappointing. I am really hoping that it will be overturned. No one has the right to take other people's rights away based upon sexual preference. It's ridiculous.

I voted! :)

It was my first time going to the polls (I sent in an absentee ballot in 2004). Joe and I went together this morning. I got up at 5:30 AM so that I could get ready for work and still get to the polls by 6:30 AM when they opened. We had to wait in line for 20 to 30 minutes and then we voted. It was pretty uneventful. But also exciting at the same time. It is an extremely important election.

I, of course, voted for Barack Obama. Unfortunately, the people surrounding me a majority of the time are McCain supporters. So, I have taken a lot of crap from people around me. I don't understand it. I don't go around telling people that they are stupid for voting for McCain when that evil wench would end up being president if/when McCain kicks the bucket in office. I don't tell them that they are stupid for voting for a third term for Bush/Cheney. So, why do these people feel the need to bring me down for voting for Obama? The worst argument I've heard is that Obama doesn't have enough experience. Well, first of all, Palin has less experience and she is likely to become president if McCain wins (because he's freakin' old!). Second of all, we've had "experienced" leaders in office and so far it hasn't done us much good.

People are ragging on Obama because of his eloquent speech and saying that it doesn't do much good. Well, how often do we bash Bush because he can't speak well? The president is the face of our country. It sure helps if we don't have a complete dumbass in that role. It can help bring the country together and it can help the rest of the world see us in a better light. And after the hole we have dug ourselves into in the past several years, I don't see that as a bad thing!

Anyway, I've already irritated myself, so I'm going to stop. I shouldn't have to defend my vote to everyone I know. It's my vote and I can vote for whoever I damn well please. Thank you very much!

On a different note... I found this comic and it made me happy inside. :)

RNC Speech + My vote

So, I've been meaning to write about this for several days now, but I hadn't gotten around to it. I listened to Fred Thompson's speech (well, parts of it) at the Republican National Convention. There was something that really irritated me. He said:

There has been no time in our nation's history, since we first pledged allegiance to the American flag, when the character, judgment and leadership of our President was more important.

Terrorists, rogue nations developing nuclear weapons, an increasingly belligerent Russia. Intensifying competition from China. Spending at home that threatens to bankrupt future generations. For decades an expanding government ... increasingly wasteful and too often incompetent.

To deal with these challenges the Democrats present a history making nominee for president. History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President.

He says this, but I'm not so sure that it had the effect that he was hoping for. Since George W. Bush has been in office for the last 8 years, I'd guess that he would be a huge part of the problem that Fred Thompson was just speaking about.

I guess that means we have no hope at all. Since the Republicans caused the problems and now the democrats are too inexperienced to fix them. lol

In other news, I have finally decided who I am going to vote for. Drum roll please...

Barack Obama.

Okay. So some people may be surprised and others not so much. John McCain used to be one of my favorite Republicans. Not anymore. Yeah, yeah. He's a great war hero. Thanks very much. I appreciate what you did for the country. Now, what are you going to do for the country now? The same as George W. Bush, you say? Hmmm... Senator McCain, I'm not sure if you noticed or not since you don't even know how much a gallon of milk costs, but GEORGE W. BUSH DID NOT HELP!

I was still willing to hear McCain out, but I am really upset over the Alaska drilling. I don't want it to happen. It's not going to help any, but it's going to destroy Alaska. For those of you who haven't been to Alaska, it's the most beautiful place that I've ever been to. It's so amazing. Wildlife is everywhere. It's so natural and almost untouched. It's such a wonderful place. And drilling will DESTROY it. And the wildlife and natural habitats. And if we drill there, it's not even going to make a dent on the prices or our consumption or the way that it affects the earth! So, I'm not pleased. Especially since Palin is from Alaska and STILL supports it when she knows what it is going to do!

And that is my third problem. Palin. McCain went too far. He's trying to "steal" women voters from Obama. It's ridiculous. There were other more qualified candidates (even after Republicans have stomped on Obama for not having experience, he picked Palin) in the running with her. But somehow, she emerged victorious. And I don't think that McCain did much background research on her either. She's got scandal after scandal. I'm pissed that McCain would think that just picking a woman would make women want to vote for him. As if her sex would be the only important thing to women. RIDICULOUS.

And I think it's going to backfire on him. Women voters will surely realize what he's doing. And he's going to lose some of his super-conservative voters as well. He's a hundred and fifty years old so it's not unlikely that he will die in office (I mean, come on, that was one of the questions about his run for presidency 8 years ago... so now he's just 8 more years closer to 6 feet under). And if he dies in office, Palin will be up to bat. And his super conservatives won't be happy about that.

McCain has a huge battle ahead of him. Obama has eloquence and youth and promise on his side (not to mention a huge following). And he picks a woman who can skin a moose as his running mate. That's his smoking gun? RIDICULOUS.

No, Mr. McCain. I refuse to vote for you because you're just like George W., you support drilling in my favorite place on earth, you give me no hope for the future, and you insult my intelligence. Feel free to try again in a few more years. :)