barry white

back in the pot-smoking, beer drinking, coke- snorting days of barry, a sense of character emerged (as detailed in today's new york times).

barry white? barry manilow? steve & barry's? nope. barack. obama. yes, that is he was known in school - barry - a very vanilla name indeed. now there are all of these emails floating around (thanks, dear republicans) insinuating the evil that lurks just beneath the surface of this brother ... is it racism? no, most definitely not. is the country 'ready' for an african-american (and this guy really IS part kenyan) or woman president? give me a break - more republican fear-mongering. the fact that the two front-runners in the democratic race are black and female is a total non-issue - and yes, it plays well in peoria too. let's face it, seven years of a dufus white guy educated at yale has NOT advanced the ball so much (more like set us back a few yards!) ...

of course, the other scare tactic i hear about (wildfire!) is that mr. obama grew up in indonesia - he's (gasp!) a muslim! or his pastor in chicago is louis farrakhan's protegé! or he's going to be 'bad' for israel.

well, last i looked, israel isn't in the greatest of positions ... surrounded on both sides by warring factions, and in a larger zone by fundamentalists bent on it's destruction, israel could use a little intervention. it took seven years for george w. bush, the 'greatest friend that israel ever had' (who spawned THAT one?!?) to make an official state visit - instead of searching for peace, he's making war (and hopefully not making love - yuchhhh! blehhh!).

it has always been official u.s. policy to bolster israel in a very troubled region, so we have no reason to suspect that that would change. and if by some chance barack obama gave israel and the palestinians a kick in the pants to get things moving, would that really be such a bad thing?

sometimes, in life, it's more important and critical to CHALLENGE than to ENABLE. we've had enough of this enabling for the last seven years - complacency has gotten us nowhere, and i don't believe that's good for israel or the palestinians.

beyond this narrow frame, shouldn't our candidate, our president, be a leader, a visionary, someone that young people can look up to? i'm not personally interested in defending corporate interests at the risk of huge fiscal irresponsibility and cutting of more social programs, public art, or health care.

when i see barack and michelle obama, i see what i would like to be, what i would like for my children to see. a young family, loving, committed to public policy, open and frank and honest, willing to take a chance and defend these values (no war!).

i have a dream ...

bless you!

i have elected, no pun intended, to join millions of bloggers today - all voicing their support for one candidate or another, espousing the virtues of this one over that one, and pointing out all that is wrong, which brought us in part to this point.

today i woke up (physically and metaphorically speaking) and i actually know who i'm voting for.

obama.

yes, he's young, full of hope, promising change. he's kennedy-esque, has a lovely family, and knows how to connect with people.

but these are not my reasons for my decision. barack obama gets my vote for the two things that he does not subscribe to:
1. he does not believe in the war in iraq, never did, and never got hoodwinked into voting for it
2. he does not end every speech by saying 'god bless america, and god bless you'.

it is my opinion that the premise for the iraqi war was always shaky - the united states had issues with the taliban and their tacit approval of fundamentalists on their soil. even though i am a pacifist, i recognize that sometimes it is critical to 'strike' in the interest of true security. iraq is another thing. france did not (rightfully) succumb to the pressure put on them by this administration, and while we are sinking (the dollar, the deficit, the vilification of our society universally), france is encouraging private enterprise in the construction of new high speed trains for improved infrastructure. why DID hillary clinton vote for this offensive (and it IS offensive!).

how did a so-called 'inexperienced' politician have the insight (not through cynicism) to separate what was critical from what was vengeful?

additionally, if i want to be blessed by any higher authority, i don't want that benediction coming from my president. i have a rabbi, thanks. what DID ever happen to separation of church and state? let's not pander to the god-fearing (porn-watching) set - hasn't seven years of that been enough?

we need politicians, not priests!

bag that!

lately, much has been made of the much maligned plastic bag ... and rightfully so.

for too long, humans have been astonishingly cavalier with the earth's resources (present company included). although i'm no al gore (and he's not john f. kennedy!), i suppose it's typical to think of these issues as one ages (rapidly!). it may be an inconvenient truth, but non-reused pvc totes are choking our landfills and depleting the earth.

yes. i could stop flying (almost welcome). trade in the suburban for a schwinn. turn down the heat, compost, unplug the computer. but today, i'm saying goodbye to the plastic bags at fairway, my most frequent haunt.
firstly, i kind of hate the look and feel of those bags to begin with. i'm paper over plastic any day (briefs over boxers too), and fairway doesn't give me that choice anyhow. i'm forever tying and untying handles little handles, a truly despicable task. so now, i'm free. i already am armed with my multitude of ikea sacs, which are now neatly folded and piled up in the car, ready to receive parmigiana reggiano, kenyan coffee, fresh yeast, cilantro, and salmon for homemade gravlax.

and what a success it has been! i did get a few stares, even gasps, when i offered up my bags to the cashier. but then again, i filled three of those huge suckers, instead of taking ten or twelve little bags. easy to carry, easy to unload, easy on the environment!

we have good examples to follow. as noted in the weekend new york times, instituted governmental programs limiting these menaces have been successful. ireland is now almost completely free of the nuisance. in rwanda, they are verboten (in december i bought a pair of shoes in the market and the vendor wrapped them in a plastic bag - when i objected and insisted on paper, he gave me a knowing look). and the momentum is growing ...

this may all seem so tiresome to you ... and too little too late ... and incredibly self-evident. but please do give it a try! it's only day one for me - i'm a convert!