Day 219 in the Age of Obama...and the loss of the "Lion" of the Senate.

Remembering the Lion of the Senate and his brothers.

I heard the sad news late last night, as I lay in my bed, sleepy as anything—after a series of late nights in a row.

At that moment all I could think was “Those damn scandal mags in the checkouts were finally right about something!” I had been seeing the headlines “Ted Kennedy dying” screaming at me ever since the inauguration, (and sometimes they are right) but he was still making public appearances and there were even some reports of a full recovery, so I chose to believe the better option.

Shocked but still ‘under’ from the pill I’d taken, I remember mumbling to my son who had brought me the news,” He lived longer than anyone thought he could, and even with the best health care in the country, (as in the Senate) his cancer was too advanced for any happy ending.”

As the day dawned, I immediately remembered last night’s news, and was overcome with emotion. This was only the beginning of what has turned out to be a day of remembering everything that was decent about this man, lone and last survivor of the three outstanding men who gave their lives for this amazing country.

Instead of continuing to write, I took some time off and listened to my usual suspects—Thom, Stephanie and Ed, as well as Ron Reagan, and now Mike Malloy. A lot of the people were either choked up or actually weeping as they expressed their sorrow, and it got me every time.

They all had a lot of people calling in to relate their personal experiences with the best Senator this country has had so far, and we will have to wait for quite some time before we can find somebody else, who is so passionately devoted for no other reason than the love of his country and the less fortunate people in it.

Was he the last true liberal voice in a position of power for us? I hope not, but I will miss his wonderful, powerful, passionate speeches in that unmistakable Kennedy voice. I know that the Kennedys were not exactly angels, but they certainly gave all they could, and with Ted’s passing we have lost the last of an amazing generation of brilliant politicians.

If anyone ever had enough reason to live somewhere less publicly, it was Senator Kennedy, after all he had lost all three brothers while he was still a young man, and he had the means to live a life of luxury-anywhere in the world, and yet he chose to serve others and for that he deserves my gratitude.

Just today I learned that it was largely his work many years ago that created our Community Health Centers around the country; for people who had no health insurance, and I have used ours for more than 15 years now! So thank you for that Senator “Lionheart!”

I do hope that we will all call on President Obama and insist that he finish Teddy’s job by giving us a universal Health Care system that Teddy would be proud to have named after him.

I was quite touched to receive a rather personal –looking, email message from the President and his wife in regard to Senator Kennedy tonight, so I replied in kind and asked him to do exactly that.

I somehow think it will happen, but then I am more hopeful these days in the age of Obama.
Yes, despite of all the right wing nuts crawling out of shadows with their shrill voices and filthy lies.

Lastly I want send my deepest condolence to the remaining Kennedy family.

Day 211 in the Age of Obama!

I haven't posted anything recently, because my cranky level was so high that I was in danger of harming myself, if I had to listen to another word from the political front.I mean I really wanted to tear my ears off, gouge my own eyes out and have myself committed--that's how bad I felt!

It's bad enough that the likes of Palin, Limbaugh and all of their lackeys have an open door to the so-called liberal media--but I have to work really hard to fight off my disappointment with the Obama administration, and so I chose to do what I always do when I can--switch to tennis--which can keep me enthralled deeply enough to stop me from thinking about politics.

But no matter how hard I try--I always get sucked in again, since I can't do without my morning Hartmann--and if I'm up early enough --Stephanie Miller.
At least I get a good laugh, usually followed by a lesson about something interesting from Thom, and once again I sign all the petitions coming my way and occasionally I write a response to something formulaic from the White House.

Although I still believe that having President Obama in office is one of the greatest things ever--but I do wish he were slightly more progressive (in fact I wish he were totally progressive), but things are what they are and a leopard cannot change his spots, but my GOD--what has happened here?
Cow-towing to these idiotic, right wing, gun-toting fanatics who wish him nothing but harm--is not the way to get anything done!

And the Blue Dog Democrats are even worse--please use the power given to you Mr. President--and force them to see things your way, or the Democratic party might well be finished.

Anyway--now it's out there, and just one more thing--before you ask me for any more money or my precious time--think about the majority of the people who worked so hard to elect you!

Here is a copy of my letter to the WH from last night.


Dear Mr. Axelrod,
Thank you for all the information- and all the effort you are putting into reforming the health care system, and the myriad of problems you all tackle every day.
I think that the president is doing a fantastic job over all, in these really tough times--but he can't do it all alone, so we have to be patient--I know.

I have never been taken in by all these stupid rumors spread by your political enemies- but I will pass it on ASAP--but I also want to add a little memo of my own to the White House.

I for one totally support the single-payer system and have lived in countries that have it- to my benefit. I have also written to you before, when asked for an opinion, and always supported this universally accepted position--that "Basic Health" is a human right.
I am appalled at the greed the CEOS so openly flaunt in the face of the public, while others die for want of a few bucks.

But since that is not an option right now--Medicare for those of us who cant afford to really pay anything--sounds pretty good for a start.
Please Do as Thom Hartmann, the wonderfully astute author, proud liberal and progressive radio host suggests- simplify the message -make the public aware that the 'public' option would be and should simply be called Medicare for All!
From what I've heard--this system does work--for those who really need it--but it also needs tweaking to make it better. So why not try it now?

I have been totally stressed out by the lack of leadership among the democrats, and President Obama's need to include the opposition for the sake of bi-partisanship--in these extremely important matters. It drives me nuts.

We are all out here; we have your back --just use the power!

Sincerely,
Gay Rielle

Day 195 in the Age of Obama!

Well I've taken some time off writing to simply observe life as it happens around me!

That means that I also took time off from my favorite websites and political TV shows—as they have also upset me with the constant complaining—whether on the left or the right! (OK I still listen to a few of my favorite radio hosts—mainly Thom Hartmann—and Stephanie Miller whenever I’m up early enough.)
And since I’m plugging them, I have to mention Ed Schultz—who really is doing a great job in his new TV gig.

My crankiness level has been very high throughout the last 26 days--for so many reasons--some personal and some more or less political.

One thing is for sure—I could never have taken so much time off, if it wasn’t for President Obama, as having him in office certainly allows me to sleep better than before in the last nine years, even though –there are some things that I wished he would handle differently—of course!

And yet he is such a clever politician, that I feel it’s wrong to second-guess him –even though he is so much younger than I am. I feel that there has been a very positive change in the world-wide picture since we elected him, despite of the NO-Party’s constant attempts to disqualify him in any way they can think of—no matter how ridiculous and absurd!

Our president is also a very good writer, (I’m currently reading ‘The Audacity of Hope) making reading about politics a better than dry experience, even causing me to laugh out loud from time to time!

During the last few weeks a lot of things have happened, from the hottest days ever in this neck of the woods (103) to the unfortunate death of two vastly different icons from the last century. Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett died on the same day—the 25th of June.

This happened to be a day when I was stuck in my biggest traffic jam ever in Seattle and therefore will stick in my mind as I could hear almost nothing else but Michael’s voice blasting from the gazillion cars surrounding me from every direction.

Normally I wouldn’t be in the city at peak hour traffic, but I had a really important appointment with Homeland Security earlier, and spent more than an hour trying to find the fucking place. In the end I arrived 20 minutes too late and was told to come back the following day. I was pretty upset; especially when I had just spent six precious dollars on parking for less then 5 minutes.

Pulling myself together, I then went on my way to meet a friend at a lecture way on the other side of the city, something she’d organized for Dr. Kerry Kriger, who was in town educating the public on the importance of “Saving the Frogs”.

But back to the traffic jam, even at the best of times—as in off peak—the area known as Sodo, is busy and annoying as it is the industrial business district as well as a gateway to the ferries and also close to the infamous Alaskan Viaduct, soon to be pulled down and replaced by a tunnel.

Actually it was that fact which led to the huge congestion—in fact two thirds of the street had been literarily dug up and the one lane remaining had to be shared by both north and southbound traffic. To complicate things even further, a train line for commuter and freight trains runs parallel to the all the streets leading north and south, so the people who had tried to escape the mayhem from First Avenue- to reach alternate routes-- were stuck at the rail tracks—like me and all the others. Altogether I was stuck in the same spot for 90 minutes, and another 40 trying alternate routes.

So much for the 25th of June—although I did make it to the lecture, it left me feeling frustrated when I remembered all the different animals I have been involved in trying “to save” over years, and the immensity of the problems we have to solve in order to save them and us in the process.

I think it all started for me in Sydney in 1973 or 74 with the first Greenpeace campaign to “Save the Whales”. My husband at the time, with the help of others and myself made a huge inflatable sperm whale to float along Sydney harbor. I still have all the newspaper clippings and we all seemed so sure that what we were doing would work. And to some extent it did, as indeed some of the whale killings stopped, especially around the southern waters around Australia. Also the one remaining “whaling station’ in Albany was closed a couple of years later. Of course now, more than 30 years later we are still trying to do the same thing, only now Greenpeace has somehow become our enemy, while others have picked up the battle to save the magnificent creatures of the deep.

Later, Diane Fossey and tried to save Gorillas, and gave her life no less! I didn’t do much but give money, and tried to get others to do likewise. Of course we still have some of these wonderful animals around, so perhaps our efforts weren’t entirely wasted. We still have Jane Goodall and her battle to save chimpanzees and all the other wonderful organizations involved in saving wolves, grizzlies, spotted owls, polar bears, penguins, and habitats for all kinds of creatures including coral reefs.

I can proudly say that I’ve spent countless hours over the years--signing petitions, and giving money whenever I could! In other words—my efforts have never really stopped.
I don’t seriously believe that I’ve have made any difference in the big picture, but I can’t really say for sure that I haven’t either. It just seems that we are on a one-way ride to oblivion and really don’t have much more power than the animals we’re trying to save.

In order to just save frogs for example—we all have to stop eating meat for a start, and stop all pollution, right down to the smallest detail. We’d all have to stop driving oil-using cars, stop polluting our waterways with oil driven motor boats, stop flying in oil-using airplanes etc, etc, etc, and so on—and even then it’s probably too late.

But when push comes to shove –that last sentence sounds very defeatist—and that’s not really me. I am a fighter to the end and for some reason the important people I meet in my life usually are too.

So I will continue to do the best I can, as it does at least give me personally some piece of mind that I have tried to be a more conscientious inhabitant of this beautiful planet. After all I am grateful for my existence, and so glad that I have had such an interesting life so far—and hopefully much more to come.

Since I didn’t post anything in July except for Roger Federer’s win at Wimbledon, there are a few other things I wanted to note.

I went to my only Pow Wow so far, thanks to a friend who took me there for my birthday. It was a great experience, although I wished I could have spent a bit more time there, and had a little spare cash to spend on one or two of the beautifully crafted artifacts.
My favorite part was the drumming and chanting, but the incredibly colorful costumes were stunning too. There will be some pics posted soon.