May 24, 2006

Wilkommen

Ich begrüsse dich auf meine webseite.

I don't know what I just wrote, but I think it is "I welcome you to my webpage."

Whatever. Anyhow, just popping in to see that no one has commented. No one does. Say hello. Please.

May 15, 2006

Looking up for Democrats?

In a poll conducted May 11-12, 2006, by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, any generic Democrat led any generic Republican for the 2008 Presidential election. If only it were May 2008 and not May 2006. These indications, however, are good for the midterm elections this November.

The numbers are as follows:


"Now thinking ahead to the next presidential election in November 2008: In general, would you rather see a Republican or a Democrat elected as our next president in 2008?" Options rotated



































---
Republican (%)Democrat (%)Other Party (%)Unsure
ALL Adults3150217
Republicans843112
Democrats19108
Independents2445328


I think the key number to note is the 45% in the D-leaning Independent... if that breaks 50% and trends upward, the Ds will have a good thing going for them and November 2006 will be theirs to lose.

Now let's win this thing.

-rl

May 12, 2006

Skew(er)ed thinking

From Yahoo

Minutemen, protesters square off at Capitol



By Andy Sullivan
1 hour, 37 minutes ago


Illegal immigration protesters wrapped up a cross-country caravan on Friday with a rally in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, as immigrant-rights activists chanted for them to "go away."

Members of the Minuteman Project and other border-patrol groups warned the United States was in danger of being overrun by Mexicans if the Senate passes a bill that would give millions of illegal immigrants a chance to earn citizenship.

"They should be rounded up and deported, every single one of them," John Clark of the American Immigration Control Foundation said to a cheering crowd of about two dozen. "Leave them here and in 10 years this will not be the United States of America."

Fifty yards away a similar number of counter-protesters chanted "Minutemen go away, immigrants are here to stay" behind a line of police.

Millions of Latinos have taken to the streets in massive protests to demand greater civil rights in recent weeks. Minutemen founder Jim Gilchrist said such protests underlined the growing threat posed by the estimated 11.5 to 12 million illegal immigrants now in the country.

"They are not assembling to protect their rights. They are assembling to strip us of our rights," Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist and others launched a convoy from Los Angeles on May 3 to push for increased spending and active military involvement on the U.S.-Mexico border, where hundreds of thousands of migrants enter the country illegally each year.

Only a handful of vehicles were in the convoy when it left Los Angeles, a number that Gilchrist said swelled to 50 during the cross-country trek.


This is supremely irritating to me. Those two quotes represent some of the most irrational thought ever put forth by someone that doesn't have their own AM talk radio show.

The United States, whether you like it or not, has never been something static. It has evolved and transformed over time. Whatever happened to the entire romanticized notion of being the melting pot? I guess the pot is too diverse. Cripes. What a group of irrationally fearful people.

May 9, 2006

Maybe not closure

It was a touch foolish of me to think that the book was going to be signed and sealed shut after last Sunday/Monday. If anything, the book has become longer and we're still filling in the pages, just differently.

This feels weird, but natural. Is it weird that it feels natural?

Maybe it's making up for lost time...

I don't know.

Speaking of books, Dr. Mattern is getting rid of his review copies... I decided to pick up eleven. Woo. More reading. I think I'll get through a couple at Panera over lunch. The Denaturalizing Ecological Politics title seems intriguing at first glance, but I'm thinking of reading about globalization.

The book is open.

Let's write.

-rl

May 8, 2006

Understanding

I think I comprehend how my father operates.

It's funny how similar yet dissimilar we are.

May 4, 2006

How things change

Let's look back a year:

See the pig dressed in his finest, fine

(No political content or rant content today)

Today marks the close of what has been an amazing, (at times) very trying, and otherwise strange academic year. That... and my 21st birthday was yesterday. Birthdays do unusual things to me, causing me to stop and reflect about the past year(s) and yesterday was no different. At times I was overcome by moments of joy which would then be periodically overwhelmed by periods of seemingly infinite sadness. It becomes difficult to discern the emotions, sometimes, when they all cascade upon you. Sorrow and jubulation.

Christi is leaving for Chicago today... and she's not coming back to BW. I've been prepared for it for at least a month now, and it seemed I would be able to handle it well, but the thought if not being able to see her even once a week verily empties my heart.

I'm going to Virginia to work for the Democrats organizing the coordinated campaign to get Lt Governor Tim Kaine elected. The powers that be still have not yet arranged a place for me to stay for the summer. I'm a little more than irritated about this. I sent an email out to the woman coordinating this effort and she has yet to respond to me in the 8 days it has been since I sent the email.

This summer should be an adventure. Updates may be few and rare... but check in regardless.

-rl


Here we go. I'm turning 22 tomorrow.

I've got a little way to go.

I'm closer to being ready, because I'm afraid. In being afraid comes the realization that maybe I'm maturing. The cockiness is down... and that's probably a good thing.

I'm afraid. But I will come out of it. I always do.

May 3, 2006

Landslide...

... Kucinich takes (D) nomination for OH-10 again... swamps Ferris 74-26.

Well, I'll admit... when I get it wrong, I get it wrong. I thought Barbara was doing much better than she actually did.

On the GOP side, BW grad Mike Dovilla thumped Jason Werner, 64-36. We'll have two goofy looking people competing to represent us in Congress. (I kid... kinda.) If Kucinich could make mince meat out of Ferris, he's going to eat Dovilla alive.

In other good news, Cafaro didn't win in OH-13... but Betty Sutton did. And Sawyer came in 3rd. Sutton should be able to handle Foltin without much issue... but it's a shame Sawyer didn't at least beat Cafaro. Gary Kucinich came in 4th with 14%, a slightly stronger showing than polls were indicating.

It will be Ken Blackwell v. Ted Strickland in November, with Blackwell "edging out" Jim Petro by 10%. Strickland trounced Bryan Flannery.

Sherrod Brown did nearly just as well against Merrill Keiser (who?) as Ted did against Flannery, winning that race 78-22. Incumbent Senator Mike DeWine just cracked above 70% in a three-way race, 71-15-14.

There are cracks in the base for both parties. This Senate race will be one for the record books, like the governor's race. Expect lots of ads and lots of outsiders.

Lewis Katz, Prof of Law at CWRU, will face a potentially vulnerable Steve LaTourette. Hopefully Katz will do a better job at facing Stevie L than SMH (read: Capri Cafaro) did two years ago.

Ralph Regula suffers a scare in his race and is another potential gain for the Dems come November. Jean Schmidt edges out Bob McEwen in OH-2. I don't know who is running (if anyone) for the Ds in OH-2, but this is quite likely another seat that they can pick up, given Hackett's strong showing in the special election last year.

Gonna be a fun summer.

May 1, 2006

Closure

Last night... was one of the strangest experiences I've had in a very long time. It's just before 9:00 o'clock and there's a knock on the door. I say "come in" and the door opens very hesitantly.

It's Christi.

I don't know what look I gave her, but it felt like one of the great "what the hell is going on" looks of the year. She said "hi" and I said "hi" and it was all quite awkward. And then she left. It felt as though reality had totally slipped out of my hands. I looked at Pete and asked "What the fuck just happened?" without eliciting much response. I left the room and looked down the stairwell. I hesitated.

Should I go see her?

Of course.

I blitz down the stairs, catching her in Findley lounge. Still being totally freaked out by her presence, I didn't know what to do... so I asked for a hug. We talked for awhile... 20 minutes maybe? She had to leave... but wanted to know if we could hang out later. Sure.

I spent the next hour-plus not writing my paper, but rather freaking out. It felt like I was having an acid flashback or something (not knowing what an acid flashback is, this is pure conjecture.) What had just happened? Was this real? It seriously scared me that I felt like the final screw had come loose and life began to repeat itself.

She came back at around 10:30 and we ordered pizza from Domino's... large thin-crust cheese and an order of cheesy bread. We talked... she talked. I listened. Something felt right again, just being near her, yet not in the sense that I felt hopeful. I felt like this would bring closure, I could really move on.

She stayed until 2:45... we made it to the bottom of the stairwell and she apologized for how things ended. This really made me want to just let go and start crying. It wasn't her fault... I just stopped communicating. I should have called her, like she said, to let her know that I was thinking about her.

We talked for another hour at the bottom of the staircase. We hugged and she asked if I was going to be okay. I said yes, ultimately because I am okay... the total mix of emotions that was going through me wouldn't really allow for it at the moment. She left... and it felt so strange. It was like leaving Midway again... but not with a weeping heart. I sat on a stair and put my head in my hands.

Was I supposed to cry? I did... a little bit.

I went upstairs and sat down in the hall... I cried briefly again. And then again once I got into bed. But I am okay.

How was it not going to be weird to see someone that you once felt so strongly for... but didn't feel the same way about?

It seems now, though, the final chapter has been written and the book officially closed, one year and three months after it opened.

It was incredible. And everything is okay.