Flirting Her Way to Victory October 3, 2008

The U.K. publication The Guardian published a very interesting article today about Sarah Palin’s performance in last night’s debate. Here’s part of what it said:

At least three times last night, Sarah Palin, the adorable, preposterous vice-presidential candidate, winked at the audience. Had a male candidate with a similar reputation for attractive vapidity made such a brazen attempt to flirt his way into the good graces of the voting public, it would have universally noted, discussed and mocked. Palin, however, has single-handedly so lowered the standards both for female candidates and American political discourse that, with her newfound ability to speak in more-or-less full sentences, she is now deemed to have performed acceptably last night.

I have to say that I absolutely agree with everything said in this article. Somehow, in between gender politics and political correctness, it has become unacceptable to make an intelligent argument and use words that are longer than one syllable (“maverick” doesn’t count). Although Joe Biden won the debate by every major news outlet’s standards (with the widest margin of victory being from Fox News, go figure), disparaging remarks are still being made about how he doesn’t know how to communicate with “us normal folk.” Yet Sarah Palin, with all her winking and inability to answer the simplest of questions, is being lauded for “relating” to the middle class. You know, Debbie Homemaker and Joe Sixpack.

How are people not offended by this? Is the collective morale of the American people so low that we can’t see ourselves as intelligent human beings who can understand phrases more complicated than “You betcha!”?

I don’t know about you, but I want the leaders of my country to be MORE INTELLIGENT than I am. Relatability is all well and good, but at the end of the day that’s not how policy is put into action. That is apparently, however, how you get to be the VP pick for the GOP. Nevermind being able to formulate a sentence that can actually be diagrammed – Sarah Palin is a former beauty queen who knows how to work the camera and that’s good enough!

November 4th is fast approaching. God help us.

The VP Debate: A Tally October 2, 2008

So Meredith, Jennifer, and I all decided to watch the VP debate tonight … with plenty of beer on hand. We decided against a drinking game (namely one that would require drinking every time Sarah Palin made an idiotic statement – meaning one would be drunk in the first five minutes), and decided to keep a tally of how many times each candidate said certain things. Here are the results:

Sarah Palin
Hockey: 2
John McCain: 37
Barrack Obama: 19
“Darn Right” (or some version thereof): 4
Alaska: 17
Didn’t actually answer the question asked: 17

Joe Biden
Middle Class: 11
Local: 4
Barrack Obama: 43
John McCain: 65

How many times Meredith and Lindsay said or gestured “Fuck”
31 (mostly in reference to Sarah Palin’s astounding idiocy)

Clearly we had an entertaining time with this debate. If I wasn’t already decided, this debate did it for me. Joe Biden was intelligent, thoughtful, and actually answered the questions that were asked of him. Granted, he did say “John McCain” WAY too much and there was no discussion of the working poor in the United States, but clearly the Obama/Biden ticket is the superior one.

Now I’m going to go hang with the Castro brothers and talk about how much we love Israel. Because that’s how I roll.

If Only It Weren’t True … September 25, 2008

But the yarn is pretty?

Quote of the Day September 23, 2008

Quote from my training material at work:

“The military is regarded as an organization that serves to protect human rights and societal values.”

A cookie to the reader who can tell me why we here at Fomenting a Rebellion are amused by this statement. Proceed.

Meet Dibley! September 21, 2008

I’ve been hesitant in writing this post for multiple reasons, but I’m finally ready to introduce my loyal readers to Dibley! He’s a miniature schnauzer, born on July 28th (the day I started my job, incidentally), and I just got him on Monday.

Dibley!

I’m trying to be a good dog mom, but it’s definitely hard sometimes. The main thing that’s getting me down is my allergies. They have increased tenfold since I got Dibley, and I’m just hoping it’s something to do with the crazy-ass Waco weather and not actually Dibley. I’m giving it a couple more weeks, but it looks like I’m in this for the long haul!

Also, having a puppy is a great contraceptive. I was already wary of having kids, but after getting this little guy, I’m pretty much anti-children (of my own). You can’t give them back under any circumstances! Scary.

I’m sure I’ll have more stories and pictures of Dibs here soon. Hopefully it won’t get too obnoxious. But if it does, who cares? It’s my blog. Ciao.

Another Addition to the Yes List September 6, 2008

I am obsessed with this song right now. Yes, it’s called Sex on Fire, and yes, I am putting the lead singer at the top of the yes list for the vocals in this song alone. I’m getting easy in my old age …

Props to this lady for posting it first.

And the Winner Is … September 3, 2008

Baltimore! However, I realized after putting my options out there for my loyal four readers to choose from, that before I start talking about Baltimore, I’m going to have to give you a little background on my new job first. So two posts in one. Yay!

On July 28th I started my job at the Waco Regional Office of Veterans Affairs as a Rating Veterans Service Representative. Yes, I realize that’s a mouthful. Yes, I realize you’re probably beyond confused at all the terminology I just threw at you. But that’s why I’m writing this blog post, isn’t it?

Basically, I’m the person behind the scenes who is determining the amount of compensation a veteran receives for disabilities incurred or aggravated while in service. It sounds pretty simple, but I’m realizing more and more how much responsibility I have to the people I’m working for … veterans’ livelihoods are in my hands. It’s pretty scary, actually.

Those of you who know me well are probably reading through this right now, scratching your head, wondering why in the hell your liberal, pacifist, wanna be ex-patriot friend Lindsay is working for the government. For the VA of all places! I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t surprised myself. Still. Every day.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, working for the U.S. government. For months before and after I graduated with my master’s degree in May, I applied to over 50 jobs in the nonprofit sector all over the world. I didn’t get any of them. In fact, I only ever heard back from two of those jobs. And that was for them to tell me that I wasn’t quite the person they were looking for. I just appreciated the fact that they even contacted me at all.

Then, all of a sudden, this job with the VA comes to my attention. It paid well, had great benefits, and I would ultimately be helping people, which was the goal all along. So I applied. And got the job. And started less than two weeks later.

But it was the VA. And it was in Waco. And I’m a pretty hardcore pacifist. It didn’t seem to add up.

After some soul-searching and consulting with very wise friends, I decided I could begin my job as an RVSR at the VA without (too much) inner conflict. I’m viewing this job as my own personal protest against the war in Iraq (and all war in general) by doing what I can to deflect/negate the shitty stuff that comes home with the veterans. I’m helping veterans get the benefits they need and deserve. I think I’m going to like my job, after all.

Now that I’ve rambled on for multiple paragraphs, I think I’m going to put off my post about Baltimore and job training for now. But believe me, there were some good times to be had!

So goodnight, babies. Thanks for sticking with me =).

In Progress? August 31, 2008

Now that I’m back in Waco and getting into the groove of living in a new house, yet again … here’s some of the things I’m considering actually taking the time to blog about:

- Still living in Waco and my feelings concerning that fact of my life
- New friends, old friends, and the balance in between
- That whole “feminist” thing, and some of its consequences
- Baltimore
- My new (and unexpected) job with the government
- Something else RAD

I’m taking votes, so cast them soon. Otherwise, I’ll just write about whatever I want. I might just do that anyway … but still vote.

Coming Soon … August 13, 2008

Dear readers, I apologize for this extended absence … there’s really no good excuse for it. I’m planning on writing a real post later tonight, but for now I’m going to go play in Federal Hill and enjoy being in Baltimore!

For now I leave you with this:

You’re welcome.

Ah, Tuesday. July 22, 2008