Rand Paul and Why You Need To Know Him

     So Tea Party people are dancing in the streets with joy in their hearts. Rand Paul is someone that you should get to know.  He may in fact be the harbinger of right-wing things to come.  On the surface who wouldn't love a fresh-faced Midwestern pseudo-intellectual with a recognizable last name?  Now, had I been more tech savvy I would have inserted an audio clip here that says " 'Be afraid, be very afraid' ".

     While Mr. Paul labels himself a "Constitutional conservative", his ideals run more to the reactionary.  He believes that the nation missed the boat on the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  Additionally, and more importantly, he feels that government should not be able to regulate inclusion or discrimination.  If you are a business owner and you desire not to serve (insert minority group here) then as a business owner you should not have to.  Basically, Brown v. Board of Ed. Topeka was a wet dream.  Plessy v. Ferguson would likely be more his speed.


     So, you don't live in Kentucky, and why should you give a shit?  Mainly because he isn't a lone voice.  He is being held up as the face of a new movement in politics.  While many in his party may cringe publicly when he speaks, privately they are right there in the sentiment.  The cringe is not because he thought it but because he said it out loud.  Please note he is no Sarah Palin.  Kentucky ain't Alaska and he's picked up the NY Times for purposes other than wrapping dead fish.  So, take a read and a listen because Mr. Paul may be the wave of a future past.  Pump your fist, pick your hair and get it done.

Testing the Fences

    So a guy tries to blow up a car bomb in Times Square by parking it in the turning lane.  It doesn't blow up.  I commute to work the following day and my hour long trip turns into a two hour nightmare. Lots of police.  Lots of trucks.  Lots of short tempers.  The thing is, even though nothing exploded, the throngs of police and the large guns do not make me feel safe at all.  The reality is that I have never felt less "safe." The reality is that the terrorists are winning. 

     Shoes off at the airport.  Bag checks in the subway.  "See something, Say something."  If the goal of terrorism is to change a particular way of life, then they are succeeding.  If the goal is empathy for an ideology then they are doing worse than ever.  The reality is that most people don't even care about the ideology whose beliefs would allow someone to strap a bomb to themselves and detonate it in a crowded square.  Most people can't fathom believing in something so deeply.

    In the movie "Jurassic Park"  there was a group of dinosaurs that learned that the fences were shut off in certain places at certain times.  They tested them by having one dinosaur jump at them.  Well, voila, one day it worked and they got out.  I think its an effective metaphor for this last "attack".  The reality is that at some point--someone truly invested in causing mayhem and destruction will do so.  We will have a personal, local and national response.  Be vigilant and be safe.  The only thing that will truly stop a terrorist is the understanding that they are railing against something and having an honest dialogue about what "it" is.

   Be safe and get it done.

Milestones, Moments and Mementos

    Originally penned but not posted on 4/17/10. So as I watched my son graduate yesterday, I was both in the moment and in another world.  I was struck by several thoughts.  My first thought was " 'WHERE DID I LEAVE THE DAMN CAMERA?' " then I realized I had one on my phone.  My second and more important thought was that my child has completed the portion of his journey that I am responsible for.  Wow!!!  

 

   As he embarks on a life of firsts, I worry.  Being on your own now is very different than it was for us fortysomethings.  Truth of the matter is, times are hard.  We went out to eat after the graduation ceremony and I was simply stunned at what a good job I did as a single mom.  I paused to wonder what would have been if he had two parents working together--but trust it was a brief and fleeting pause.

    I count myself fortunate that I can count the milestones, moments and mementos.  There are many who are not alive to do so.  I sometimes have to remind myself to not be so lost in the day to day that I forget the "remember when" or vice versa.  I finding my space in a lot ways around a lot of things.  Congrats to everyone who graduated from anything--especialy those who eft the old for the new.  Get it in--and get it done.