If This Isn't Who We Are, Who Are We?

Not long ago photos appeared on the web of our service men urinating on dead Afghans and the cry went out.  "This isn't who we are!" It has happened again, an older incident, but one just published.  The same cry has gone out.

It seems to me we're doing a whole lot of denying and very little defining these days.

We're insensitive to our enemies during a war that has been waging for far too long.  We're racist when a white feels it necessary to defend himself. We're not God fearing enough if we're pro choice or neutral on Gay relationships. We're against the poor and the elderly if we think Obamacare is bad legislation.  We're selfish if we're wealthy. This isn't who we are either.  At least I hope not.

On the other hand who are we?  Are we the public servants working for the GSA who mock we tax payers as they party hardy on our money?  Are we the military and Secret Service personnel who partook of the ladies of the night in Colombia?

We're either very confused or just not very nice people any more.  Self indulgent.  Defensive.  Entitled?

Of course there is good out there.  Tons of it.  Kind,  caring,  giving people who do enormous good daily.  They just don't make good enough copy to sell papers or get a discussion going on Facebook or Twitter.  They don't raise your blood pressure.   They don't generate your rage.

I'd like to think they are the silent majority.  Once I would have argued that point.  However, when I read about the continuing abuses by Americans against Americans, like the actions of the TSA for instance, I find it impossible. Maybe it's not us, maybe it's those who we've elected to lead us. If so then shame on us.  We do seem willing to follow their lead however.

The military takes a lot of the abuse but I can't help but wonder from whence it comes.  The Coast Guard, for example, uses live animals for 'live tissue' training. It has been revealed that they will anesthetize a goat and cut off it's legs for the purpose.  Sometimes with nothing more sophisticated than a tree trimmer.

Well, that raises my blood pressure and generates my rage.  I ask you, what kind of people would sanction such  actions?  I cannot imagine.  Does it start at the top?  Is this really who we are?

There's Nothing Wrong With An Old Fashioned Man

Like many women today, I was incensed by Hilary Rosen's put down of Ann Romney and her husband.

Any woman who raises five children knows what "work" is.  Especially while battling MS among other ills over the years.  And just because a woman hasn't held a job that draws a paycheck doesn't mean she isn't keenly aware of the economics of living.  Even if wealthy.

By the same token, when a man defers to his wife as his source of knowledge about what women want it's pretty normal.  Men are from Mars.  Remember?  They don't fully understand women any better than we fully understand them.  We think differently.  It also doesn't mean he doesn't think of women as equals.

I'm married to an old fashioned guy.  One who doesn't wear his hat in the house, will still open a door for me, says please and thank you on a regular basis and remembers my birthday and our anniversary.

I remember him telling me, before we were married, about his accomplishments and what he wanted in the future.  The main thing was to be able to take care of his family.  That family has turned out to be just me and a passel of dogs over the years.

I didn't have to work, but having done so for a long time before marrying, I found myself missing the challenges and interactions with those "out there".  He never denied me when I went back to my work on various occasions, but I knew his feelings were hurt.  You see, in his generation, it was something expected of men - to provide, and a source of great pride when they were successful.  Mitt Romney is only five years younger than we are and I would guess his upbringing was much the same.

All that being said, my husband was as non-chauvinistic a man as you could find.  Women didn't work for him, they worked with him.  If they had the ability to do the job and did it they were treated no differently than their male counterparts.  The same truth applied if they failed.

The President has allegedly said they didn't have the luxury of Michelle not working.  He had a law degree from Harvard but chose to be a community organizer.  Her $300,000+ salary far outweighed his, obviously.  His priorities were different from Hubs; he could bask in his wife's earnings.  But I'd hardly say they were denied the luxury.

Once again it's a generational difference.  We've always been a team but he carried the weight because he felt it was his responsibility.  We're equals but as he once told me our strengths are in diffrent areas.  Not one better than the other, just different.

Maybe that's the difference.  We're the last of the "we" generation. Ms. Rosen and the Obamas represent the "me" generation. I'm old fashioned, I admit.  I'm becoming less flexible in my thinking; I tend to brush off rationale unless it really makes sense.  I do know,  however,  I  don't blame Hub for my shortcomings and he doesn't blame me for his.  We're pretty, what's the word I'm looking for - equal?  The paycheck may be a measure but not the only one and not necessarily the most important.

Newt, Newt, Newt...

How can you send in a filing fee to get on a ballot and have your check bounce, need 94% of the delegates yet to be assigned and still think you have a chance to win the nomination?  Ask Newt.

It would seem a few of his supporters have encouraged him to stay in the race. Too few I fear.  He thinks he'll do better in the upcoming races now that Santorum has bowed out.  Ninety four percent better?

Wow.  Me thinks he's more delusional than anything else.  In a way I feel sorry for him.  He is over $4 million in debt and had a whole 3500 people contribute through his website Tuesday afternoon.  How much would each have had to contribute to make a dent in his debt what's more fill his coffers enough to get his campaign out of Delaware and on to the bigger states like California, Pennsylvania and New York?

Maybe he takes to heart those who don't trust Romney; those who think the Mormons are out to take over the country should Romney be elected.  We had the same fears about Catholics.  Many have the same fears about the Evangelicals.  Religion.  It is the bane of politics and in many cases common sense.  Perhaps that's why the separation of church and state is so important.

All that aside, I wish Mr. Gingrich would suspend his campaign just to save himself and the party the embarrassment. Delusion does nothing to promote confidence.   Should he really like to be a player at the convention he would do well not to appear a spoiler now.

The issue is whether the party would turn to him should something catastrophic happen to Romney.  I seriously doubt it.  If they were to go to a previous candidate, which I doubt they would, it would more likely be Santorum.  He was plugging along with better momentum.  The illness suffered by his daughter is the straw that broke the campaign's back plus weariness on the part of  the electorate.  When people lose interest it's hard to generate votes - or money.

I'd rather we had a different front runner too.  I put too much faith in Obama last go round.  I over looked obvious flaws and red flags.  In case those who fear Romney for his religious convictions are correct about his intent,  I will remain vigilant.  I find it curious, however, if it is the threat as perceived, why has the press has made no mention of it?  Still, one never knows.  The press sees only what it wants to see.

On the other hand, I have to have faith in something better than what we have now. Where  this President is taking us is far worse than an unproven assumption about the contender.  Should the assumption prove true, we lose with either.

Let The Healing Begin - Please

One is cautioned to be careful about for which you wish.  I have for some time now wished Gingrich and Santorum would exit the Presidential primary.  Newt essentially did so over the week end.  Santorum did so today.  But oh, the damage done!

I wish I could be optimistic because of the news, but frankly, it was Mr. Romney's PACs that inflicted most of the damage.  I wonder if they can be as successful when pitted against the Obama machine.  My instinct is that we haven't seen anything yet.

I always wonder to what end all the negativity serves.  It tears down good people.  It does nothing to raise up those inflicting it.  Yet we are supposed to blithely accept that it's nothing more than politics and suddenly turn the resentment into support for the last man standing.

One thing nags, however.  Most of the negatives are based on at least a glimmer of truth.  Sorting out just what that glimmer is versus the whole is difficult at best.  So we hold our breath and hope for the best.

Let's face it. The Republicans have to get their act together and decide what exactly they represent.  Obviously the conservatism of the religious right differs from fiscal conservatism and they lost.  Romney can preach about how conservative he is to his heart's content and it won't make it true.  Plus he will now move more to the center to try to make up lost ground with the independents.  Me thinks he won't have to move much to find his comfort zone.

Two things I'll be watching.  The first will be whether or not Gingrich and Santorum will rally behind Romney or not.  There's a lot of bitterness to overcome.  The second and most important is whether or not Romney will find his voice and a message.  The general election should be a comparison of totally diverse philosophies of what this country should be and how to get it there.  Obama has a foot up.  He has made it abundantly clear where he wants us to go.  I for one want no part of it.

Romney has so far done little other than tout his business background and there is so much more that needs addressed.  It's more than just jobs and the economy.  It's energy policy, foreign policy, military strength and our country's place in the world.  Russia and China are nipping at our heels.  Israel is suspicious.  The Islamic countries are thumbing their noses at us. Others have dismissed us as irrelevant - a country whose time has passed.

Regaining our status will be a huge undertaking.  I know I'll get a ton of disagreement about this from many of my readers, but there is only one candidate who can make those changes.  The other has no intention of trying what's more doing so.

The Race Is All But Over ~ Now What?

With his youngest daughter in the hospital for the second time since he declared his candidacy,  perhaps this is the opportune time for Rick Santorum to bow out of the race.  Gracefully.  No one would blame him.

He has hung on longer than he should with prospects dimming. Newt has faded away yet Santorum hasn't been able to capitalize by getting the would be Gingrich voters to give him a victory.  To drag it out even longer serves no good purpose and makes a weak front runner even weaker.

The Republican ticket as a whole is going to be less than inspiring mostly because nothing has been articulated to inspire us.  The only potential Vice Presidential candidate that hasn't given a flat "no" is Marco Rubio, the first term whiz from Florida.  We have one of those in the Presidency now and it hasn't borne too well for the country.  Granted the number two spot isn't the same but there is always the possibility of the unthinkable.

I'll be watching the next few weeks with intense interest as the speculation begins to build.  Why?  Because the VP slot is all that's left to give die hard Republicans any hope.  Unless America Elects comes up with a dynamite ticket.

The Presidency has never been won on the strength of the Vice Presidential nominee but it has been lost the weakness of one.  Take McCain's choice of Sarah Palin.  She came across as a flighty, if spunky, lightweight.  That paired with a promise of hope and change moved many who wouldn't ordinarily  have gone there to the Obama camp.

I'm trying hard not to fall into the same trap twice.  This time I know what he represents and his abilities and come away thinking we must do better.  Romney would not have been my choice to be the opposition but he is going to be never-the-less.  So now what?

Putting aside his wealth and the "gaffes" he makes when talking about his life, I'll be listening to how he returns to the middle, which he will.  The general election always brings out the more moderate stances of the candidates.  There aren't enough extremists on either side of the political spectrum to get one elected.

I now understand what Obama's agenda is.  I know he's waiting to get the election behind him so he can let loose with nothing more to lose.  I have no idea exactly what Romney has in mind.  I'm not sure he does either.  I'm not sure which is more worrisome since I'm not an ideologue.

By standing aside at this point Santorum would be doing the Republicans a favor.  He'd be giving them more time to figure out just what negative advertising has bought as a candidate.  We voters sorely need that opportunity and Santorum isn't going to get the nomination under any circumstance anyway.

Maybe when all is said and done,  the parties will come to their senses and cut the primary season down to a reasonable length so the candidates and the public aren't exhausted and tuned out by the time of the general election campaign.

Maybe too, with disaster looming, those who are considered the most able will step up to the plate instead of running for cover.  One last hope that is highly unlikely, maybe the media will become responsible once again.

It's Easter in the Christian world.  A time of rising from the dead.  In my version I'd like it to be my country and those who aspire to govern it rising, being reborn as all the good that has come before.  I fear however, I'm falling down the rabbit hole!