In follow up to the last video I posted, here's this. Credit where credit is due: props to John McCain for helping to correct some of the vile, hate-filled rhetoric that has been dished out about Obama.

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Prez and VP candiates and their education

[education details originally from a comment at huffpo]

Let's take a look at the education that the candidates for presdient and vice president have had:

Obama: Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science, specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude, presdient of Harvard Law Review

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism


Now, education of course does not equal intelligence. There are many keenly intelligent people who do not have the opportunity for a prestigious education, or who simply do not feel as drawn to pursue a rigorous, standardized education as others do.

There are also many notoriously incurious people who, due to the circumstances of their existence (for instance, being the son of an oil millionaire congressman and later U.S. President), do pursue and achieve prestigious education. So, yeah. One's education does not equal their suitability for any profession, including the presidency of the United States.

But education is an indication not just of one's intelligence, but also of one's tenacity. Education does help prepare people for the challenges that will face them in life.

McCain, formal education aside, does indeed have a significant amount of political experience. (I totally disagree with his politics of course, particularly lately. Maverick my ass.) But for Christ's sake, the man chose SARA PALIN as his ideal choice for vice president. I am aghast -- AGHAST -- that the ghost of the "he's a president you can have a beer with" meme has raised its ugly head again, this time in the form of "She's a regular hockey mom!" Do we not learn out lessons?

Is Sara Palin a reasonable choice to stand for the "average citizen?" I would argue that her political stances aer a tad more extreme than the true average, but sure. She's more or less a regular person. Which is all fine and good... Except if you're on track to become the President of the United States.

I DO NOT WANT A REGULAR PERSON AS PRESIDENT. We went through this with Al "smug" Gore, John "Latte" Kerry and now with Barrack "Elite" Obama. Is Obama "Elite?" In some ways yes. Just look at the education record I posted above. He surely strove hard to attain what he became at Harvard, to become an "elite" student... But the whole "elite" epithet the GOP is trying to pin on him falls apart when Guiliani, for instance, makes fun of him for being a "community organizer." I guarantee you that Obama is far more in touch hwo to make thie country a promising place again fro the "average" American than John "elite" McCain.

So, this post has been a little meandering and directionless. Primarily because I started it over a week ago and am just now finishing it... So, I'm just going to declare it done. Right here: [end]

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(Note: Post edited at 3:45 pm because of an unacceptable number of typos.)

These attack ads have got to stop.

[via Edward Current]

OMFSM! WTF?

Okay, have eight minutes?

Watch this BIZARRE video rant about Barrack Obama's mother from some deranged minister who claims to be about "All Jesus, All the Time."

http://www.atlah.org/broadcast/ndnr09-03-08.html

Wow... Just WOW.

Back.

As pretty much anyone who ever reads my blog knows, it's been a challenging few weeks. I am trying to deal with the aftermath of what's been going on the best I can. Sometimes I do a pretty good job of coping in a way helpful to myself and others. Other times, not so much. But I'm trying to work through it.

I've decided I want to return to blogging here regularly. I'm going to keep it to my usual rants on politics, religion and the occasional personal essay. So, anyway... There you go.

The Land of Canadia

So, I got back a couple of days ago from a week (give or take) in Montreal. Montreal is a gorgeous city. It seems very much like a European city. Being in Quebec is SO different from the rest of Canada. I've heard so often about drives for independence and the efforts to further separate that province from the rest of the country... Now having been to Quebec, I can see where they're coming from. The differences go beyond language.

It was a shame to not be able to see more of the city. Most of my time was spent inside the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, a gorgeous hotel in the heart of the city. This was not by choice. I was there for work and I was working HARD. (When I turned in my time sheet the other day, one day showed me working from 6:00 AM to 3:30 AM, no break... Whew!)

I did spend one evening atop Mont Royal, from which you can see the entire city. There were scattered clouds in the sky, and the sun was going down leaving a shadow of the mountian over the city, all of this giving a beautiful cityscape view:
I also (briefly) visited the Montreal Biodome [insert obligatory Pauly Shore joke here] which was beautiful. The former olympic stadium has been converted into enclosed environments recreating all of the different climate regions of the Americas.

I don't want this to turn into a long travelogue, so I'll just leave this post at this. I would love at some point to go back and be able to REALLY see the city. Becuase I'm a nerd, I particularly feel bad for having missed the rest of the "nature museums" (of which the Biodome is one). Ah well. Maybe one day...

Anyway, now that my work conference is over, regular bloogging can resume.