Why I Support Hillary Clinton

A friend of mine sent me this message, and I was quite impressed with how well-articulated it was and how it really reflected exactly how I've been feeling - and what drove me to actually watch part of yesterday's debate (mind you, only about 5 minutes worth, but still...)

So Priya, Thank you for this. It's worth spreading the word...

I'm sorry to send out a mass mailing, especially one about politics, but this is a monumental time in our country's history and this election is critical. Although many of you have already voted in primary elections, some of you have not and I want to share my views on why I support Hillary Clinton for president. The media seems to have made its decision and is trying to make your decision for you and that is simply wrong. This is still a democracy and not a media-cracy; our opinions as individuals count.

America is a complete mess right now and from all angles, things looks like they will get worse before they get better. Our next President will inherit a disaster on so many levels, it is staggering. The Bush administration has tangled systems that worked, hidden mistakes that will blow up in the next term or two, and openly flaunted its corruption. In this election, we are hiring a CEO to take over our failing, debt-ridden, thoroughly corrupt enterprise. At this time, more than ever, we need a no-nonsense leader who has proven she can clean up colossal messes. Clinton is tough, strong, brilliant, experienced, and practical; simply, she is the right person for the job now.
While I personally like Obama, I don't think that he is ready for the job yet. The next President must know how to effect the changes we need and I know that Clinton is prepared for that challenge. It is possible that Obama could also do this (and I certainly hope he can), but we simply don't know if he can because he hasn't done enough in his political career for us to examine his abilities as a potential President. The best we can do is hope that he's up to it and this country needs more than mere hope; we need someone who has shown that she is ready for the job.

In closing, I ask you to close your eyes and imagine this time next year, 2009, with Clinton as our President. The feeling I get is one of security, relief, and a sigh that we are finally in good, smart, experienced hands. Hands that know how to untangle, lead, and fix our country. I expect you'll get that feeling, too.

Thanks for listening.

Duh!

When I was in high school, I had to write an autobiography for one of my English classes. I don’t remember what exactly I wrote in there, but the name of my autobiography was “Duh! The Story of My Life.” Well, a couple of weeks ago, I added what could be another chapter to my autobiography.

A group of us planned an overnight trip at an indoor water park in Sandusky, Ohio. After dropping off the dog, the directions to the water park were pretty much as simple as directions can get: take the turnpike west to route 250. Head north, it’s on your right. That’s it. No problem, right? Well, there was a problem.

You know how on most interstate highways, there’s a sign every tenth of a mile stating the highway and direction along with the mile marker? Did you know that the Ohio Turnpike doesn’t have any such signs?

My husband had some important work-related calls to make, so I was driving. And since the directions involved a whole two turns, I figured I could do the navigating myself. And for the first hour or so of the trip, I talked to my husband, asking questions and being mentally involved with whatever he was doing. As time moved on, and we didn’t see the exit approaching, I didn’t think much about it; it had to be coming up soon.

Finally, I saw a sign. “Pittsburgh 73 miles”. No, not the sign I was hoping to see. Then, “Last Exit In Ohio”. And something about Youngstown.

Yes, Youngstown, as in the city on the opposite end of the state of Ohio from Sandusky. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I turned the wrong way on the turnpike. Instead of heading west for a quick one-hour trip, I took my family on a three-hour tour of the Ohio Turnpike.

And so, the story continues.

Fifteen Ways To Beat the Cold

It's February, and it's snowing. Here we are in the middle of winter, and it's easy to get caught up in the whole 'too cold outside' blahdom. However, with kids and a dog, all of whom love the snow, I can offer a couple of suggestions of what to do to fight back winter blahs. First, if you don't own snow pants, go buy them at any sporting good store. They're not just for skiing, and they're better than thermals.

1. Go for a walk. Get all bundled up, and go on out. Set a minimum distance, a goal (perhaps a nearby coffee shop, a video store), and don't turn around until you reach it. You'll feel accomplished, you'll feel healthy, and you'll feel cozy and warm once you get back inside. Heck, turn down the temperature a degree or two before you leave, and you'll still find it toasty (unless you don't pay for heating, in which case, never mind).

2. While you're at the sporting goods store, buy a cheap sled. Then find a hill and go sledding. Sure, you feel silly doing it without kids, but then, heck, find a friend with a young kid and offer to take him/her sledding. It's a win-win situation: you won't feel so foolish, the kid will have fun, and your friend will appreciate the free time. Just make sure you find out when the kid needs to eat something and get him back before then, because you don't want to be responsible for a meltdown.

3. Take up skiing. It's a little more expensive than sledding, but it actually makes you look forward to the snow.

4. Shovel the snow. Or if you know someone nearby who could use the help with shovelling, do that. Again, good karma, good exercise, and again, you feel nice and toasty when you get back indoors.

5. Build a snowman. (See #2 if you think you're too old).

6. Get into snow carving.

7. Try snow shoeing.

But what if it's cold but with no snow? What fun things could you do then?

8. Go Ice Skating.

9. Cuddle up in front of a fire, sip hot cocoa, and read a good book.

10. Sit and talk in front of said fire

11. Bake! Cook! Warm up the house by warming up the kitchen. and then work off whatever you bake next time it snows :)

12. Paint Your Own Pottery. Find a place nearby. Take the kids.

13. Go To A Museum. We live five miles from University Circle, and on Saturday, we finally ventured, with the kids, to one of the museums for a couple of hours because we had the time.

14. Visit Friends. The effort of bundling up and trekking out to a friend's makes the visit that much more meaningful.

15. Plan a party. If you've got a definite goal in mind, and it's something fun, time will fly by. Sure, you could surf the net or watch television and kill time, but at least this way something will get accomplished, something you'll find much more satisfying in the long run than that extra episode of 'The New Adventures of Old Christine' that you decided to watch. Pick a date, determine the guest list, design invitations (or have your kids draw all over cardstock and glue a bunch of colored paper to it), pick the menu; figure out the details now so you're not so frantic as the day comes closer.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it! And look forward to all the things you just can't do in the summertime. And save scrapbooking for a rainy day (although, admittedly, Cleveland hasn't had enough rainy days yet for me to get any scrapbooking done since I've moved here).

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Last night, I finished reading 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini. Wow. It really was an amazing book. It was disturbing, poignant, funny, hopeful, and, in the end, thoroughly satisfying.

There was a part in the book that reminded me of 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood, but was even more disturbing because I knew it was real. Where 'The Handmaid's Tale' stirred me with the picture it painted of a life that could be if the religious right let the course it wishes to take run to its natural end (and, similarly for science in her book, 'Oryx and Crake'), 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' hit me harder as it painted, in the guise of a fictional tale of two Afghani women, a portrait of the real lives and trials of countless Afghani men, women, and children.

It is impossible to come out of the experience of reading this story without finding your faith shaken, your convictions questioned, and your self-assurance in tact that you are doing enough to make the world a better place for having had you in it (my personal guiding principle).

I am grateful to live in America, to be a woman here, living a privileged, comfortable life (and feel horribly guilty complaining about my kids having a snow day, taking away from my 'me time'; how selfish and shallow can I be?!) My children are a blessing. Being able to leave the house whenever I like, with or without a male relative, without fear for my life; being married to a man who respects me, who doesn't see me as his property, and who supports my desire and need to work; living in a land where all my family and friends are not being killed nor their homes destroyed by war. These things are not a part of my reality.

I know there are places in the US where life is not so easy, and perhaps I should start by trying to change the world a little closer to home.

The challenge in this story is to come out of reading this book without denouncing Islam. How could anyone - any woman - have faith in a religion that relegates them to second-class citizens? But the Koran doesn't do that, does it? As with any religion (and I denounce them all equally), the basic tenets respect all people equally. It is the manipulation of the words that people use to further their own selfish desires that leads to religious wars. The bastardization of the 'word of God' allows you to put aside logic and human decency in order to maintain the laws of god. You act against your own conscience - killing others - in the name of 'the ends justify the means'.

This is my issue with war. It reminds me of a bumper sticker I once read, which I am paraphrasing:

Fighting wars to promote peace
is like having sex to promote virginity

And yet, after reading this story, I am not so sure the ends didn't justify the means. I was relieved when the US got involved (even though I knew it was coming, I couldn't remember the exact timeline). I understand why Hillary Clinton supported the war initially. I understand why pulling out altogether may not be the best course of action.

But mostly, I await Khaled Hosseini's next book to learn more about a country I honestly knew very little about before.

And it is my fervent hope that, some day soon, this book becomes required reading in high schools across America.