My mom and dad are very choosy when it comes to buying my food. They read all the ingredients, and don't let me have anything my sensitive stomach can't take. And Dad does a pretty good job of rotating from herring to venison to chicken just so my tastebuds don't get bored with just one kind of food.
They were just as picky when it came to choosing me. They knew they wanted a rescue pup, but they needed one who would become part of the family and who wouldn't set Dad's allergies off. That's where I came in -- with my big endearing eyes, my constantly wagging tail and my unquestionable loyalty.
Since coming to live with Mom and Dad, I've watched my share of political debates and listened to more pundits than I thought possible. What has always amazed me is that Americans, who are so choosy about everything else, are so willing to vote for whomever the cat dragged home -- as long as it's the "right" breed.
They're often taken in by the pedigree or the grooming. So dazzled by a pup's "cuteness" factor, they may forget that a show dog probably won't do much work down at the ranch. And those who are suckers for the strays convince themselves that the mangy pitbull will never bite them.
Rather than restricting their choices to the dogs with the rich bloodlines and fancy grooming or settling for whatever dog wanders into their yard, political parties need to be more proactive in recruiting hard-working, grass-roots candidates -- the kind who can get along at the dog park but are tough enough to protect the house.
(I've got a few ideas I'd be happy to share. I can be reached at JoeyPortie@gmail.com.)
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Ignorance of Intolerance
Yesterday, my husband caught up with an old schoolmate online. When the woman found out he had worked in the Bush administration, she cut him off with "We have nothing in common. Since you don't share my opinions, I have no reason to talk to you."
"How do you know?" Job asked her. "You have no idea what I think."
She responded with a list of all the hot-button issues and her stance on each of them. She then basically said that if he didn't agree with her straight down the line, they had nothing to talk about. The irony was her inconsistency. For instance, she's for animal rights, but she enjoys eating meat. (Job informed her that he's for people's rights, but he doesn't eat much meat and I'm a vegetarian.)
The clincher, of course, is that she can't stand conservatives because we're intolerant.
You know, refusing to talk to people who hold different views is like thinking you have nothing more to learn after you graduate from high school. It's like visiting another country but insisting on staying at American resorts, eating American food and hanging out only with Americans (who share your opinions, of course). It's like reading only one book, singing one song and wearing the same outfit every day for the rest of your life.
It is a lonely life devoid of adventure and intellectual growth. It is the ignorance of intolerance.
If you would like to join the e-mail list for this blog, please send a request to mari.serebrov@yahoo.com.
"How do you know?" Job asked her. "You have no idea what I think."
She responded with a list of all the hot-button issues and her stance on each of them. She then basically said that if he didn't agree with her straight down the line, they had nothing to talk about. The irony was her inconsistency. For instance, she's for animal rights, but she enjoys eating meat. (Job informed her that he's for people's rights, but he doesn't eat much meat and I'm a vegetarian.)
The clincher, of course, is that she can't stand conservatives because we're intolerant.
You know, refusing to talk to people who hold different views is like thinking you have nothing more to learn after you graduate from high school. It's like visiting another country but insisting on staying at American resorts, eating American food and hanging out only with Americans (who share your opinions, of course). It's like reading only one book, singing one song and wearing the same outfit every day for the rest of your life.
It is a lonely life devoid of adventure and intellectual growth. It is the ignorance of intolerance.
If you would like to join the e-mail list for this blog, please send a request to mari.serebrov@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
(Un)classified
CNN ran an interview yesterday with Robert Draper, a GQ reporter who wrote an "expose" about Donald Rumsfeld, including some top secret briefing documents Rumsfeld purportedly prepared for President Bush. (A former aide said Rumsfeld didn't prepare the documents; military officials did.) The classified documents were recently given to the reporter by someone in the administration who must have had security clearance to get his hands on them and who was outraged by something in the documents.
The cause of the outrage and the focus of the CNN interview? The fact that the cover sheet for some of these intelligence briefing reports included a verse from the Old Testament in italics -- sandwiched between a large bold headline and a large color photo of a war scene. Yes, a government official dared to put a Bible verse on a top secret classified intelligence document. To prove it, CNN -- and I'm sure the GQ article -- ran pictures of these top secret classified intelligence documents for all the world to see.
The verses shown came from the Psalms, Ecclesiastes and Joshua -- all books of the Bible recognized by Christians, Jews and Muslims. Joshua is a history and Ecclesiastes and Psalms are often included in academic literature anthologies. Joshua also was a military strategist as was King David, who wrote most of the Psalms. Quoting them is rather like quoting Gen. Patton or Napoleon or Alexander the Great. But that's beside the point.
What I want to know is where is the outrage about a person with security clearance taking it upon himself to illegally leak top secret documents to the media just because he doesn't like the way they're put together. What else did this person leak?
Having a quote from King David on one of our government documents is far less dangerous than having someone we're supposed to be able to trust with our national security running around exposing classified information. If everyone with a security clearance could unilaterally and arbitrarily decide what should be released, we would have no national security.
A security clearance is a privilege and a huge responsibility. Violating that clearance has consequences for the country. And it should have consequences for the people who violate it -- whether they're government officials, politicians or the media.
The cause of the outrage and the focus of the CNN interview? The fact that the cover sheet for some of these intelligence briefing reports included a verse from the Old Testament in italics -- sandwiched between a large bold headline and a large color photo of a war scene. Yes, a government official dared to put a Bible verse on a top secret classified intelligence document. To prove it, CNN -- and I'm sure the GQ article -- ran pictures of these top secret classified intelligence documents for all the world to see.
The verses shown came from the Psalms, Ecclesiastes and Joshua -- all books of the Bible recognized by Christians, Jews and Muslims. Joshua is a history and Ecclesiastes and Psalms are often included in academic literature anthologies. Joshua also was a military strategist as was King David, who wrote most of the Psalms. Quoting them is rather like quoting Gen. Patton or Napoleon or Alexander the Great. But that's beside the point.
What I want to know is where is the outrage about a person with security clearance taking it upon himself to illegally leak top secret documents to the media just because he doesn't like the way they're put together. What else did this person leak?
Having a quote from King David on one of our government documents is far less dangerous than having someone we're supposed to be able to trust with our national security running around exposing classified information. If everyone with a security clearance could unilaterally and arbitrarily decide what should be released, we would have no national security.
A security clearance is a privilege and a huge responsibility. Violating that clearance has consequences for the country. And it should have consequences for the people who violate it -- whether they're government officials, politicians or the media.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A Message to Republicans
As Republican leaders are gathering to discuss strategy and the future of the party, I've got a few pointers to share with them and the rank and file.
1. The past. Get over it. Yes, we lost the election -- but not by the landslide the Democrats would have you believe.
2. President Bush. Stop hiding from him. Yes, our country is in a mess. But many of our problems took root under President Clinton, maturing under Bush AND a Democrat-controlled Congress. Anytime someone starts blaming Bush for everything, politely remind them that Pelosi-Reid were tag-teaming in the House and Senate.
3. The agenda. Don't let the Dems define us, anoint "our" spokespeople or set our agenda. We should speak for ourselves by presenting well thought-out solutions to the problems facing the nation.
4. Name calling. It's so middle school. Do you really think we're going to advance the cause by spending valuable time arguing about whether we should "rename" the Democrat Party the "National Socialist Democrat Party"? Come on, we've got more important issues to tend to.
5. The basics. Get back to them. The Republican Party was once the party of practical solutions, a party dedicated to basic human freedom. That means expanding the tent and constructively adapting to demographic changes in our country.
6. The future. Recruit, recruit, recruit -- reaching out to minorities, women and people of all ages. We've got opportunities to take back congressional seats in 2010, including Harry Reid's Senate seat, but so far we have done little to recruit serious, credible candidates to challenge the incumbents. And when we do, we have to put our money where our mouth is to help our candidates win. While we're at it, we need to keep our eyes open for a fresh, strong lineup of presidential contenders who can bring new energy and excitement to the process and successfully challenge the Obama-Biden team in 2012.
1. The past. Get over it. Yes, we lost the election -- but not by the landslide the Democrats would have you believe.
2. President Bush. Stop hiding from him. Yes, our country is in a mess. But many of our problems took root under President Clinton, maturing under Bush AND a Democrat-controlled Congress. Anytime someone starts blaming Bush for everything, politely remind them that Pelosi-Reid were tag-teaming in the House and Senate.
3. The agenda. Don't let the Dems define us, anoint "our" spokespeople or set our agenda. We should speak for ourselves by presenting well thought-out solutions to the problems facing the nation.
4. Name calling. It's so middle school. Do you really think we're going to advance the cause by spending valuable time arguing about whether we should "rename" the Democrat Party the "National Socialist Democrat Party"? Come on, we've got more important issues to tend to.
5. The basics. Get back to them. The Republican Party was once the party of practical solutions, a party dedicated to basic human freedom. That means expanding the tent and constructively adapting to demographic changes in our country.
6. The future. Recruit, recruit, recruit -- reaching out to minorities, women and people of all ages. We've got opportunities to take back congressional seats in 2010, including Harry Reid's Senate seat, but so far we have done little to recruit serious, credible candidates to challenge the incumbents. And when we do, we have to put our money where our mouth is to help our candidates win. While we're at it, we need to keep our eyes open for a fresh, strong lineup of presidential contenders who can bring new energy and excitement to the process and successfully challenge the Obama-Biden team in 2012.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Stuck in Campaign Mode
Even though the presidential campaign is so yesterday, I don't think anyone has informed the president yet. He's still doing campaign speak -- you know, the kumbaya calls for common ground, the sweeping promises scant on detail, the uplifting rhetoric held down by lack of substance.
Consider Obama's speech yesterday at Notre Dame. According to the Associated Press, the president called for an effort to “honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women.”
This is the same man who has promised to change the Bush-era “conscience clause.” Under Bush, this clause forced hospitals and health plans to respect the rights of doctors and other healthcare workers to refuse to deliver "treatments" that conflicted with their personal or moral beliefs. But with Obama's proposed revisions "based on sound science," these medical professionals will be forced to perform abortions if they want to stay in practice. So much for honoring conscience or finding the common ground he stressed at Notre Dame.
(I think the president missed the memo on the Gallup poll last week that showed the majority of Americans are now pro-life. Or perhaps, a la Pelosi, he wasn't listening at the briefing.)
Obama is good at delivering speeches. Anytime things heated up during the campaign, he made a speech, re-focusing media attention. But the campaign is over. Speechmaking and empty rhetoric will not solve the problems our nation is facing. If he truly wants to find common ground, he needs to start walking in our direction.
Consider Obama's speech yesterday at Notre Dame. According to the Associated Press, the president called for an effort to “honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women.”
This is the same man who has promised to change the Bush-era “conscience clause.” Under Bush, this clause forced hospitals and health plans to respect the rights of doctors and other healthcare workers to refuse to deliver "treatments" that conflicted with their personal or moral beliefs. But with Obama's proposed revisions "based on sound science," these medical professionals will be forced to perform abortions if they want to stay in practice. So much for honoring conscience or finding the common ground he stressed at Notre Dame.
(I think the president missed the memo on the Gallup poll last week that showed the majority of Americans are now pro-life. Or perhaps, a la Pelosi, he wasn't listening at the briefing.)
Obama is good at delivering speeches. Anytime things heated up during the campaign, he made a speech, re-focusing media attention. But the campaign is over. Speechmaking and empty rhetoric will not solve the problems our nation is facing. If he truly wants to find common ground, he needs to start walking in our direction.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Joey's Take -- The Back Yard
One of the differences between dogs and people is that we know the value of a good back yard.
Hey, when I've got business to do, I head for the back yard. There's no way you're going to see me tucking my tail between my legs and heading half way around the world! Nope, when it's time to do my business, I want it close by where I can make sure things get cleaned up properly.
Like any good dog, I invest a lot of time and energy into protecting my back yard. I'm OK with all the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and deer who share our yard. But I watch them. And if I see a fox sneaking up, I sound the alarm. There's no way you're going to catch me acting friendly with a fox -- not even for a photo op.
I've also learned that back yards take a lot of work. If you ignore a back yard, it quickly becomes a tangled mass of overgrown weeds and moldy leaves. And if you ignore it too long, you might as well say goodby to all the effort you originally put in to cultivating it. You'll have to rip everything out and start all over. Believe me, it's a whole lot easier to just maintain it in the first place.
(Since these same lessons can be applied to our country's back yard in Latin America, I must -- for the sake of complete transparency -- disclose my partiality to this region of the world. I'll take a chihuahua over a Chinese crested any day! And as a Portuguese water dog, I owe my life, and the survival of my entire breed, to Conchita Cintron Castello, a lady bullfighter who was a civil attache at the Peruvian embassy in Lisbon.)
Hey, when I've got business to do, I head for the back yard. There's no way you're going to see me tucking my tail between my legs and heading half way around the world! Nope, when it's time to do my business, I want it close by where I can make sure things get cleaned up properly.
Like any good dog, I invest a lot of time and energy into protecting my back yard. I'm OK with all the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and deer who share our yard. But I watch them. And if I see a fox sneaking up, I sound the alarm. There's no way you're going to catch me acting friendly with a fox -- not even for a photo op.
I've also learned that back yards take a lot of work. If you ignore a back yard, it quickly becomes a tangled mass of overgrown weeds and moldy leaves. And if you ignore it too long, you might as well say goodby to all the effort you originally put in to cultivating it. You'll have to rip everything out and start all over. Believe me, it's a whole lot easier to just maintain it in the first place.
(Since these same lessons can be applied to our country's back yard in Latin America, I must -- for the sake of complete transparency -- disclose my partiality to this region of the world. I'll take a chihuahua over a Chinese crested any day! And as a Portuguese water dog, I owe my life, and the survival of my entire breed, to Conchita Cintron Castello, a lady bullfighter who was a civil attache at the Peruvian embassy in Lisbon.)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
What's Really Needed
Speaking at a town hall meeting in New Mexico today, President Obama said public pressure will force congressional Republicans to "compromise" with his administration on issues such as healthcare reform.
"I think that we'll see more and more agreement over time as the Republican Party starts to realize that the American people want results right now," Obama said. "They don't want bickering. And when they realize that, they'll have an open, outstretched hand from me." (Source: CNN)
Once again, Obama provides a lopsided view of compromise. For him, "compromise" means the Republicans have to come around to his way of thinking. True to his Democratic roots, he's all about take and no give.
The president is right about one thing. We're all tired of the bickering.
But we're also tired of the self-righteous grandstanding, the hypocritical scapegoating, Pelosi's dancing around the facts, Leahy's vindictive finger-pointing, and the excessive spending on earmarks and bloated government agencies.
But rather than embrace a Democratic agenda, which Congress has been forcing upon us for the past 2-1/2 years, Republicans must stop bickering among themselves and start promoting a practical, doable, unified agenda of their own. We need solutions -- not arguments or compromise.
"I think that we'll see more and more agreement over time as the Republican Party starts to realize that the American people want results right now," Obama said. "They don't want bickering. And when they realize that, they'll have an open, outstretched hand from me." (Source: CNN)
Once again, Obama provides a lopsided view of compromise. For him, "compromise" means the Republicans have to come around to his way of thinking. True to his Democratic roots, he's all about take and no give.
The president is right about one thing. We're all tired of the bickering.
But we're also tired of the self-righteous grandstanding, the hypocritical scapegoating, Pelosi's dancing around the facts, Leahy's vindictive finger-pointing, and the excessive spending on earmarks and bloated government agencies.
But rather than embrace a Democratic agenda, which Congress has been forcing upon us for the past 2-1/2 years, Republicans must stop bickering among themselves and start promoting a practical, doable, unified agenda of their own. We need solutions -- not arguments or compromise.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)