Political Courage Or Lack Thereof?

One of the things that irritates me most about politicians is how they dance around simple questions. Direct answers are not in their mindset. Heaven knows they wouldn't want to have any convictions that voters might disagree with. But what if they do agree? The candidates will never know!

This wouldn't be why they are so ineffectual and we are so frustrated would it?

In this morning's paper there was an article about just that. An organization known as Project Vote Smart has for years prepared a questionnaire called the Political Courage Test . Started in 1992, it is a non-partisan research organization designed to give voters straight forward answers, yes or no, to the major issues of the day. You can't get much more straight forward than yes or no!

Over the years fewer and fewer candidates, even after cajoling and repeated reminders, answer. They are told by all their "advisers" that the opposition could use it against them. Well, if they believe in it so what? Isn't that the problem?

In our state, Idaho, neither candidate for the House took the test. Answers as to why are lame. For instance, a candidate spokesman described the questionnaire as no more than a series of pledges and the candidate does not sign pledges.

Of course that raised my curiosity so I went to the website and found the questions. As I said before, they require yes and no answers. The candidate is one who I had up to this point supported. Now I'm wondering. Follow the link and read the questions. They don't strike me as being pledges. Opinions, yes. Beliefs, yes, but pledges no.

If the politicians look at the questions as such, however, perhaps it's time they actually take the "pledge" and answer the questions!

Whitman's Out, O'Donnell's In

Politicians are either blessed or cursed by their own actions. The problem is during election season, shaky truths are often foisted upon opponents. Then it's up to the voter to figure out what is true and what isn't. Take Meg Whitman running in a dead heat for California governor against the man once known as Governor Moonbeam. The dirty tricks charge is being lead by attorney Gloria Allred. If it means notoriety for her, she's in, even if the truth of her allegations are questionable.

All that aside, however, I figure Ms. Whitman is doomed to defeat. Why? Her problem is allegedly having hired, knowingly, an illegal. Most politicians caught in that web are rarely successful in their pursuits.

On the other hand there is Senatorial candidate Christine O'Donnell. She is an amalgamation of blessings and curses. Her views are a bit far reaching for me, but then I don't know everything there is to know about her. That's probably a blessing for me!

By today's criteria of forgivable sins by politicians, even with her eerie views on just about everything, she should be a shoo in for office. You see, she has tax problems. That's okay. Just ask Tim Geithner, among others.

It seems a non-profit of which she is president is three years behind in filing it's tax forms. She isn't just affiliated with it, she started it back in 1996. It's a pie-in-the-sky organization called Savior's Alliance for Lifting the Truth". What the heck does that mean? Apparently it' a pro-abstinence group aiming it's message at young Christians. Pie-in-the-sky is my term. Such approaches don't tend to work this day and age. Ask Bristol Palin. Unrealistic, I believe she said.

I'll give the group credit for it's message but they would have a lot more credibility if the officers, including the president, would mind the business end of it. Like filing their tax forms.

One of her campaign spokesman says it's being looked into. Why are such things always being looked into? You know the answer will be it was just a simple oversight. No harm, no foul.

Funny. Meg Whitman should win. O'Donnell shouldn't. Who knows what will happen.

One thing though, I'd keep a pretty close eye on her campaign books. If I were the citizens of Delaware I'd not want her living high on my dime. Never mind that she already has!

Acupuncture Rocks!

When I'm away from blogging for lengthy amounts of time it's due to one of several reasons. We're busy with yard work which seems to never end unless we're under three feet of snow. We've managed to get away for a few days which I don't like to advertise. I'm tied up with doctors appointments which seem to come in batches.

I haven't reported about my pain issues for quite awhile but I do have an update worthy of note. I've been counting the doctors I've been to in the last couple of years in search of an answer. My then family practitioner. After five years of nagging to get her to listen she finally sent me to an orthopedic surgeon. You heard about that one. The one who has a sign over his receptionist's desk that read "Be nice or leave." I ended up leaving for he found nothing "he could operate on". Next came a spine specialist. You heard about that one too. After two shots in different areas of my back he sent me packing. Again. Nothing.

I changed family practitioners to one I had known before. He sent me to the pain specialist. You remember that one too I'm sure. The last thing we tried that didn't work was botox in my butt. He then talked me into trying methadone. That lasted two weeks. I told my doctor I didn't want to take a narcotic. Period. End of story.

To get one more opinion I was sent off to a neurologist for a nerve conduction test. I finally got that done yesterday. Nothing.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... I was going to acupuncture. The acupuncturist had his own idea of what was causing the problem and assured me we were going to try and fix it rather than just mask it. I believed him and in him. He got my knee back to working. For a time I couldn't get up or down from a kneeling position. It was agonizing. Every week we worked on it. Then it worked. I figured the pain was being fixed from the bottom up!

Even now, though the pain isn't gone, it has eased and I've backed off to less potent pain medication at a dose that had quit working quite some time ago. That's progress! Oh yes, I mustn't forget. I had fresh x-rays taken and a new MRI. It showed the shredded muscles and ligaments in my butt had healed but that I have mild arthritis in my hips, especially the left one. I also have a lot in my tailbone and some additional degeneration in that area. Everyone has concluded that's what's causing my pain. Six years of agony and they conclude it's arthritis.

I asked him this morning if it truly is the arthritis if he could fix it. Well, he can't fix the arthritis but he can fix the pain. He gave me an unequivocal "yes", which is unusual for him He usually says "We'll try."

Nothing happens suddenly with acupuncture, but the time has come where my body is responding positively more readily.

So there you have it. I'm waving good bye to a whole slew of medicine men. I'm going to have my life back. I have no doubt what-so-ever.

Oh, yes, I should mention that the neurologist and one of his nurses wanted my acupuncturist's name and phone number. It seems they both have some issues that no one has been able to figure out. Somehow it seems just.

Leadership?

Once again the media is letting us down. They've been too busy castigating Tea Party candidates, Blue Dogs and the rest of us who are too dumb to get it. I think it's time for them to turn their attention to the leadership of both parties in both houses. Neither is worth the space they take up.

Watching Nancy prance and Harry try to keep awake does not inspire confidence in their leadership abilities. Oh, they're savvy politicians all right. They've certainly have had enough years feeding at the public trough to have perfected their skills. Shoving legislation through in spite of the people's objections, however, is not leadership.

The Republicans have nothing to be smug about either. It's looking more and more like they may not get the tidal wave they say they expect. I look at Boehner and McConnell and find nothing inspirational there either. Of course, not being a fire brand on the podium isn't all bad. We fell for that with Obama and look what we've gotten.

It's disconcerting to see good people lose their seats merely for the sake of change. In many cases that's exactly what the voters are doing. Christine O'Donnell versus Mike Castle is a prime example. Not all Tea Party candidates are duds but it remains to be seen how many will be also rans when all is said and done.

Then back to the leadership. Pelosi and Reid are playing politics right to the bitter end. And the Republicans? I'm waiting for some concrete ideas over and above continuing the current tax levels and shrinking government. Where are the 'hows'?

As for the media pressing the issues? That would mean they'd have to work rather than posture. The politicians are far better at sidestepping questions than the media is at asking them.

Do you ever wonder why the blogosphere gets it and the others don't? Maybe it's because we actually read ~ and (gasp) listen.

Where Have I Been?

Monday night at dinner time the phone rang. It was my cousin in Grangeville telling me she would be coming up Wednesday and leaving Friday. I was about to tell her I had appointments next Wednesday when she told me it would be this Wednesday. Just past. What?

Understand, we rarely have overnight company and the guest room serves as a catch all not to mention my collection of stuffed animals that covers the bed. Oh, well. Not to worry. We had nothing on the calendar and the room needed a good cleaning anyway. I had everything spic and span by Tuesday's end.

It took us little time to sort through some family memorabilia, which was really the purpose of the trip. So what to do with our play time. Not wanting to do things all the tourists do we decided on lunch at Jimmy's Down the Street before it hits the airwaves on the Food Channel's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I considered that a half. It will be the place, at least for awhile, after the segment airs.

What next. Mudgy and Millie, to me, is a must whether tourists seek them out or not. I just think the story of the moose hunting for his buddy, the mouse, who hides in plain site, is the most wonderful, whimsical, ageless example of public art and childhood adventure I've seen. So off we went for the introduction and winding up at Figpickles to buy the book to be read to her grandkids, hopefully often.

What can I offer that is a local treasure yet truly different. The Stickman. We bloggers love him as one of our own. We found him in his usual spot, polishing his walking sticks in his carport at the base of Tubb's Hill where the locals go for great urban hiking. Candles were burning in honor of the troops, emitting a wonderful scent, the walls were lined with finished walking sticks waiting for anyone who asks for one. I introduced my cousin. She began her search while he and I caught up on the current who's and what's of the local blogging community. He chastised me for having disappeared from Huckleberries Online so I promised I would resume commenting on occasion.

We continued our day browsing the shops and galleries then called it a day. I think she enjoyed herself. I know the highlight was meeting the Stickman and getting a personally autographed walking stick of her choosing. It was the highlight of my day too. He's a living treasure right under our collective nose.

I'm proud to know him and happy to have him to take people to meet when they want something really special from their visit.