OutFront and Day of Silence

Today, several other students and I went to St. Paul for OutFront Minnesota JustFair Lobby Day. It's a day where pro-LGBTQ supporters go to the state Capitol and make appointments with their state senators and representatives and ask that they support LGBTQ people in Minnesota.

It's so much fun! I love going there and seeing everyone and even meeting with my absolutely unsupportive legislators. Also, really weird legislators. My lobby coach was, who is a regular at the capitol, was wearing pigtails, and my representative pulled one of them. Considering she is a city councilwoman, that is extremely inappropriate and unprofessional. She was really creeped out, and tweeted about it right away. She is not a professional politician, she says. He is really good at avoiding topics, too. And interrupting people.

My senator was better this year than last year. Although we pulled him out of council, so we had to be brief. Last year he talked about how his faith dictates how he has to act. This year, he just talked about how he thinks government should stay out of everything (note, he isn't introducing any bills to get government out of marriage)(another note: he alluded to the fact that his party won't let him introduce any bills at all, so maybe he would if he could)(another note: but he did say he would support government banning same-sex marriage outright, so that's not really government staying out of it. it's banning one type of marriage while actively supporting another). He also got hit by a car a few days ago... he seemed to be okay, though.

And, despite the snow at the outdoor rally, it was just a really awesome day!

Tomorrow will be awesome too. It's the Day of Silence! :D

I'll write more about that tomorrow, though, after I experience it.

Help Save Planned Parenthood

I recently watched this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaxBR1AiFS4 by Wesleyan students in support of Planned Parenthood.

I love it! I love Planned Parenthood and I am so sad/mad/irritated that their small funding pie (none of which actually goes to abortion services) is being cut, while the Air Force gets to keep their NASCAR advertising. While the richest of the rich get more tax breaks. While huge corporations threaten to take even more jobs overseas if they don't get more tax breaks.

Maybe we should just let them leave! Let's start buying in companies that won't hold our deficit hostage if they don't get even more of our money. Buy local. Buy smart! Support the companies that support you! I'm not the biggest Lady Gaga fan in the world, but what she did this week was powerful! Imagine if everyone did that!

Also, Walker and the Wisconsin GOP legislators are cowards.

War is Over If You Want it

So, Operation Iraqi Freedom is over. Well, all combat troops have left, in any case. There are still peacekeeping troops and private contractors to finish training and rebuilding so we don't end up with an unstable shitshow that is our fault. Can't pull out too early, now!

I remember the day that the war started. It was in 8th grade, and my math class went to Subway for some reason. Tyler S. lent me money. I've paid him back since then, of course. Anyway, there were protesters on every street corner on Main Street by the government center.

I remember I wasn't too happy about it. Only in 8th grade and already angry at Bush.

What a weird wartime it has been. There have been no war bonds or victory gardens or ration cards like the days of WWII. There was no peace riots or draft cards or backlash against soldiers like in Vietnam. The beginning was fanatic, crazed patriotism that eventually reverted back to the mindless consumerism that is modern America. As long as we got our luxuries, (and unless we knew people who were fighting overseas), life went on as normal.

I feel the Iraq war wasn't/isn't very real for most people. We hear tales of heroism and of dogs rescued from Iraq, and how heartlifting stories of how free Iraq is now, but the Middle East is so very foreign to most of us. A war in Europe, or South America is much more real to us than Iraq because we have more cultural and historical connection to it.

One thing I am grateful for is the renewed emphasis on Afghanistan. Iraq was a much more winnable war. Afghanistan, not so much, and I feel Bush put more resources and energy into Iraq (partly) because of it. I think all we can hope for in Afghanistan now is a stable situation where the majority of the population in Afghanistan and Pakistan are turned against the Taliban. I think that's what Victory will be for us. I don't actually know what we were hoping to accomplish by going into Afghanistan in the first place, but I am glad the Taliban have less control than they did, even if we did screw up royally by invading. Now we have an obligation to fix it as best as we can. Let's not be the Soviet Union. Let's nation build.

Lostuses

Today was a big day. Today, I went and caucused with the DFL in SD 48B, W1P2. I had spent a large part of the afternoon researching the candidates, looking for someone whose message and intent resonated with me. So, I voted for the one who I thought would be end the dunderheaded logjam in the state government.

MN politicians have just been stupid. None of them are exemplary, but they all think they are, ergo, nothing gets done. The only MN politician I like at all lately is Amy Klobuchar. I have hope for Maureen Reed, who is one of the people running against Bachmann, but we'll see.

I had hopes for Dean Barkely, and he did surprisingly well considering he was running against Coleman and Franken, but I knew he wouldn't win. Still voted for him though, and I don't regret it! Although now I seem to be on his mailing list for even non-political things, which is annoying. (Note to self: make only anonymous political donations).

In any case, we left the caucus early because LOST premiered at 8pm. : )

I have been so excited for this since the minute the season 5 finale ended. I feel like I know what's happening, though. This is a weird feeling. Maybe this is the explanation season, so I won't feel as LOST at the end of the episodes anymore. Which is a little disappointing. Part of the thrill was that I could form little connections and think I knew what was happening. Maybe I've just been lulled into a false sense of security, and I really should be thinking "wtf" more often than I did this episode.

In any case, textbooks and contacts are expensive. Yay credit card!

Red Rover

Tonight was the Political Awareness Committee's Fall Speaker. This year, the speaker was Karl Rove. Oooh! Controversial figure! They reserved the Skoglund Gymnatorium for the Fine Arts so they could get enough seating for everyone. (Side note: Skoglund is just a gym, but it fits the most people of anywhere on campus, so it's used frequently for music events, hence the nickname).

I was expecting the event of the year. I guess it was pretty remarkable. Hundreds of students waited in line outside Skoglund in the rain for a good seat. I think several hundred probably didn't come because of the rain. This behavior is typical of Oles. It must be a remarkable event for people to (1) walk down to Skoglund for an event and (2) walk and stand in the rain for it.

As I was huddled under a nice music major's umbrella and we were slowly trudging to the entrance, I saw a figure in red and white run toward the building, something smoking in hand.

"Oh god," I thought, "Now they're just going to cancel the event. Some stupid kids gotta play terrorist for Karl Rove."

Surprisingly, they just threw the smoke bomb back outside, and kept letting people in.

I got in, took my seat next to KT, and prepared for the fun. Then there was a disturbance behind us. The same red and white figure was now laying on the ground, blood coming from his mouth, not moving. The security guard just started at him, and beckoned some EMTs over. Then they all stood staring at him. Then an officer picked him to his feet and marched him outside. I think he was trying to protest the violence that has come about as a result of Karl Rove's influence, but I think he was a little high so it didn't really come out the way I think he intended. The blood was fake, by the way. Some people, including me, applauded him as he was marched out. KT glowered at me. I think it takes a lot of guts to do something like that, especially at St. Olaf where Minnesota Nice is not only encouraged but institutionalized. I frown on the smoke bomb, but exhibiting your message in a non-verbal form is a unique gift that not many people can pull off, including Reed.

Anyway, Karl Rove eventually started speaking. He spent a long time talking about being Norwegian and Lutheran. The beginning of the speech was directed at the stereotypical St. Olaf students, being as we're a Lutheran and Norwegian school. I don't think he realizes that many of us are not Lutheran or Norwegian. Anyway, then he got into his talking points about healthcare. There was much recitation of the Republican standpoint on health care. It wasn't really anything we don't hear every day now that health care is the biggest issue in politics right now.

It wasn't until the Q&A portion that things got really interesting. (I mean, the health care debate is interesting, but not when only one side is presented and it's a side that's been repeated hundreds of times in the media and town hall debates). Questions were written on note cards, collected by SGA volunteers and then selected by lottery, moderated and read by PAC people. There were questions asking him to defend his role in the war on Iraq, his election tactics, etc.

There was a lot of question evading and more talking points being recited. A lot of facts cited that we've all heard before that don't represent the whole of the issue. The best moment of the night, however, was when someone asked about whether or not another Reagan figure would come to the Republican party, and someone shouted behind us "It's the Second Coming of Reagan!" Pretty sure we laughed at that for over a minute. : )

By the experience, I am satisfied. By the talk itself, not so much. I guess I was expecting new and innovative ideas to be addressed in his speech, but it wasn't anything really challenging.

Father of the Year

You know how sometimes, you hear about some scandal that's happening, and the thought runs through your head: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!
I recently heard one of those stories. The great governor of North Carolina, Mark Sanford, recently returned this weekend. He had managed to evade his security and let no one know where he was, to go on a secret trip to Argentina to meet his mistress. He initially claimed he had been walking "the Appalachian Trail." He eventually admitted that he had been in Argentina because he "wanted to do something exotic." Mission accomplished.

Please note, this was Father's Day Weekend.

"Honey, do you want to do anything special for Father's Day?"
"I don't know. I was thinking about running away to Argentina to destroy our family for Father's Day."

While normally, I don't care what politicians or public figures do in their own personal life, this is just low. He has lied to not only his family, but the entire state of North Carolina, the state who elected him. He left his responsibilities to his family and constituency unattended for several days while he was off doing "something [someone] exotic." No word yet on whether he is stepping down, but if I were a North Carolinian, I would sure as hell do all I could to make sure he did. Irresponsibility and lies have no place in elected leadership positions.

Imagine how much money was spent searching for the missing governor for the several days he was sexing up his mistress.

What were you thinking, Governor Sanford?