I was just thinking...

Name:

I've become addicted to "A"s (I've gone back to college), love eating and cooking everything but goat cheese, I always try to please everyone and laugh without wetting myself or snorting. I love reading and keeping up with current events, I value my friends. And most especially, I'm a proud mother of four and an excessively proud grandmother of five.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

...you should go and vote early, if you can.

The closer it is getting to Election Day, the longer the lines and waiting time. My oldest daughter waited in a 2 1/2-long line in Miami the other day to vote. Mallory and I waited 45 minutes this morning in Virginia Beach. Meeghan, daughter #2, was smart and voted by mail a month or so ago. I can only imagine how long the lines will be on Election Day! This election is exciting--I haven't been this excited since Kennedy won in 1960! So, if you have a chance to get out to your local voter registrar's office, you can cast your vote early. Each State has different requirements. We will be at a family reunion and are afraid we might not get back in time to vote if our flight is delayed. This election is too important to miss.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

...about two more things...

First, yesterday Helena (LeeLee) said she'd been enjoying reading my blog, and made a comment about my name, Cinnabitch. Well, I've been attributing this name to LeeLee's sister, Becca. Mallory keeps reminding me that it was SHE, not Becca, who named me Cinnabitch. Becca calls me that, but it really was Mallory to created it. And I am sorry I didn't set the record straight sooner. Between being busy, and losing my memory, I have perpetuated an urban myth.

Second point, I wasn't going to say anything political today, but while I was changing SharpTooth's diaper, I was listening to MSNBC, and they were reporting that Representative John Lewis had criticized John McCain's camp for doing what they've been doing--race-baiting--although he was a gentleman and didn't call it that. Representative Lewis was involved in the Civil Rights' movement back in the 60s, and likened the insinuations made by McCain's camp with the expected response by some of McCain's supporters, to events during George Wallace's time as Alabama governor. I wholeheartedly agree. While McCain has never uttered the type of crap that came out of Wallace's mouth, the fact that there were insinuations that he never refuted, never chastised his supporters or proxies for spewing, he should have put a stop to it the first time it happened. Saying things like he hangs out with terrorists who wanted to bomb the Pentagon, that we "don't know him," and that his middle name is Hussein, makes it very simple for some very simple-minded people to connect those proverbial dots and equate Obama with the Arab terrorists who brought down the WTC.

What I am trying to say, is Mr. Lewis called it as he saw it. I agree with him totally. Barack Obama does not need to step away from this, nor call Lewis's comments uncalled for. This has become a racially-charged election. Obama didn't start it, McCain's mouthpiece, Sarah Palin did. And I don't believe she's smart enough to have come up with these ideas on her own. (No offense...she couldn't even remember any important Supreme Court cases...how about Plessy vs Ferguson, or Brown vs the Board of Education.) I'm just a grandma, and I remember that. And I'm not running for vice president.

McPain is supposed to be having a rally in Virginia Beach tomorrow. Gag. I'd go there to protest (which I really, really want to do), but I am afraid that when they do a head-count, or show faces on television, I might actually be counted on as a supporter. And that is the LAST FRIGGING THING I WOULD EVER WANT TO DO IN MY LIFE, except throw up.

...about something other than the upcoming election!

For a change, I have something else to talk about. I went to a tea party yesterday at the home of one of my daughter, Mallory's, friends. Erica was hosting her first-ever tea party. (As they say in some political rallies...I want to "give a shout out to her!".) It turned out so nice; in addition to Erica, Mallory, and me, Rebecca, Helena and their mommy JoAnn were there, as was Erica's mom, and two other friends of Erica's. It was also exciting to have so many well-educated women sitting together discussing "smart people stuff." It was a large group to entertain, especially for a first-time event. We sat at a beautiful table that belonged, if my failing memory serves me correctly, to Erica's husband's great-grandparents. Erica had beautiful table linens out, tea cups and saucers, a floral arrangement, and pretty serving pieces. It really looked elegant, and it reminded me of when I was little and my grandma would have my great/grand-aunts, my mom, my sister and me sitting at a very similar table in her apartment in New York City sipping tea and eating finger foods. It bent my heart. Erica's mom made some cucumber sandwiches that made my eyes roll up in the sockets. I've made cucumber sandwiches according to recipes in a couple of my "tea party" cookbooks, but after tasting hers, I will never, ever use my recipe again. Unfortunately, they did not make enough. I was trying to be polite, and I only had two little triangles. Had I known that the other guests were going to be snatching a handful at a time (no names mentioned), I would have knocked them off their chairs to snag a few more myself. Anyhow, it was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon for a change. I've been so busy with my little "butterbean"...we are now calling him "SharpTooth" since he's grown three razor-sharp teeth that he likes to use on us...and constantly trying to catch up on my homework that keeps getting further and further behind because I can't stay connected to the Internet (another long and boring story)...this is a long run-on sentence. I just stuck a period back there so you could catch your breath. Anyhow, I've been busy, and it was the first time in at least six months that I haven't been DOING something. I have actually forgotten how to relax. It felt wierd.
Erica made some blueberry scones and lemon-poppy seed muffins. And deviled eggs (I only got one, damn it), and her mom made some salmon salad (yummy). Mallory made (all by herself) some dark-chocolate dipped strawberries, and brought some kind of pumpkin cake roll filled with something that I couldn't try because it didn't involve chocolate. I didn't eat the strawberries, because all the girls were excited about them, and I didn't want to appear to be a pig. They're easy enough to make, and look and taste yummy. Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

fresh strawberries, rinsed, dried completely, and at room temperature
a bag of Dove dark chocolate candy
paper towel (to dry the strawberries with after you rinse them...use them also to get every drop of water off before dipping)
waxed paper
a cookie sheet

Unwrap the candy and put into a small microwavable bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at a time (stir after each 30 second interval), until just melted.

Hold the strawberry by the green leaves at the top, and dip it into the chocolate, and then lay it down gently on the wax-paper covered cookie sheet. Leave a little space (a couple of inches) between the berries because the chocolate will spread a little. (After you have done a couple, you will know whether or now you have put too much chocolate on the berry, and you can let a little more drip off the next ones you dip before you put them onto the waxed paper.) Once you have filled the cookie sheet, put it into the refrigerator.

I learned that you should probably not try to do 12 dozen chocolate-dipped strawberries for a catered event...unless you have a zillion cookie sheets and enough refrigerators to accommodate them all. Once you have dipped them, you should serve them within a few hours. If you let them stay in the refrigerator too long, they will "sweat" when you bring them out of the refrigerator. It looks ugly. If you refrigerate them overnight, the strawberries may begin to leak juice, and it looks ugly too. So, you should do them a couple of hours, at most, before serving them. A couple of other hints, while the huge strawberries look incredibly impressive, once the chocolate hardens, and you try to bite into it, your guests will have chunks of chocolate falling onto their laps, and strawberry juice running down their chins. So, try to pick smaller ones that are pretty equal in size. It's easier for your guests if they can suck them down in one or two bites.

Guys, you can impress your girlfriend or wife if you do this. Serve with champagne, and you may get a good back rub. Women, you can do this for yourself, or share with friends as a bonding experience.

I am not giving out Erica's mom's recipe for cucumber sandwiches. If she wants to share it with you, that's her business. I feel honor-bound to keep my big mouth shut (except to eat more of them)...and, coincidentally, I just happen to have all the ingredients right here, right now, and I'm here alone with SharpTooth.

Well, he just doodled in his diaper, and is calling for assistance. Those cucumber sandwiches will have to wait. Later!

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

..."SLEAZINESS"...you must read this editorial by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times

Here’s a sad monument to the sleaziness of this presidential campaign: Almost one-third of voters “know” that Barack Obama is a Muslim or believe that he could be.
Nicholas Kristof addresses reader feedback and posts short takes from his travels. (By Nicholas Kristof, of the New York Times)
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/ oped/columnists/nicholasdkristof/index.html
"In short, the political campaign to transform Mr. Obama into a Muslim is succeeding. The real loser as that happens isn’t just Mr. Obama, but our entire political process.

A Pew Research Center survey released a few days ago found that only half of Americans correctly know that Mr. Obama is a Christian. Meanwhile, 13 percent of registered voters say that he is a Muslim, compared with 12 percent in June and 10 percent in March.

More ominously, a rising share — now 16 percent — say they aren’t sure about his religion because they’ve heard “different things” about it.

When I’ve traveled around the country, particularly to my childhood home in rural Oregon, I’ve been struck by the number of people who ask something like: That Obama — is he really a Christian? Isn’t he a Muslim or something? Didn’t he take his oath of office on the Koran?
In conservative Christian circles and on Christian radio stations, there are even widespread theories that Mr. Obama just may be the Antichrist. Seriously.

John Green, of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, says that about 10 percent of Americans believe we may be in the Book of Revelation’s “end times” and are on the lookout for the Antichrist. A constant barrage of e-mail and broadcasts suggest that Mr. Obama just may be it.

The online Red State Shop sells T-shirts, mugs and stickers exploiting the idea. Some shirts and stickers portray a large “O” with horns, above a caption: “The Anti-Christ.”

To his credit, Mr. McCain himself has never raised doubts about Mr. Obama’s religion. But a McCain commercial last month mimicked the words and imagery of the best-selling Christian “Left Behind” book series in ways that would have set off alarm bells among evangelicals nervous about the Antichrist.

Mr. McCain himself is not popular with evangelicals. But they will vote for him if they think the other guy may be on Satan’s side.

In fact, of course, Mr. Obama took his oath on the Bible, not — as the rumors have it — on the Koran. He is far more active in church than John McCain is.

(Just imagine for a moment if it were the black candidate in this election, rather than the white candidate, who was born in Central America, was an indifferent churchgoer, had graduated near the bottom of his university class, had dumped his first wife, had regularly displayed an explosive and profane temper, and had referred to the Pakistani-Iraqi border ...)

What is happening, I think, is this: religious prejudice is becoming a proxy for racial prejudice. In public at least, it’s not acceptable to express reservations about a candidate’s skin color, so discomfort about race is sublimated into concerns about whether Mr. Obama is sufficiently Christian.

The result is this campaign to “otherize” Mr. Obama. Nobody needs to point out that he is black, but there’s a persistent effort to exaggerate other differences, to de-Americanize him.
Raising doubts about a candidate based on the religion of his grandfather is toxic and profoundly un-American, cracking the melting pot we emerged from. Someday people will look back at the innuendoes about Mr. Obama with the same disgust with which we regard the smears of Al Smith as a Catholic candidate in 1928.

I’m writing in part out of a sense of personal responsibility. Those who suggest that Mr. Obama is a Muslim — as if that in itself were wrong — regularly cite my own columns, especially an interview last year in which I asked him about Islam and his boyhood in Indonesia. In that interview, Mr. Obama praised the Arabic call to prayer as “one of the prettiest sounds on earth at sunset,” and he repeated the opening of it.

This should surprise no one: the call to prayer blasts from mosque loudspeakers five times a day, and Mr. Obama would have had to have been deaf not to learn the words as a child. But critics, like Jerome Corsi, whose book denouncing Mr. Obama, “The Obama Nation,” is No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list, quote from that column to argue that Mr. Obama has mysterious ties to Islam. I feel a particular obligation not to let my own writing be twisted so as to inflame bigotry and xenophobia.

Journalists need to do more than call the play-by-play this election cycle. We also need to blow the whistle on such egregious fouls calculated to undermine the political process and magnify the ugliest prejudices that our nation has done so much to overcome. "

...and it's not just me thinking this!!

Hey, by the way, this area is very pro-military--home to the world's largest military base (Naval Station, Norfolk); Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek (SeaBees...construction battalion and Navy Seals here); Dam Neck Naval Base (radar); Oceana Naval Air Station (master jet base--they fly over my house all frigging day and half the night); Ft. Eustis (marines); Ft. Story (army), Ft. Monroe (army), Yorktown Naval Weapons Station...you get the picture.

You would think that the McPain ticket would have more support, right? I am so glad that other people share my views. I know we can't all be blind. From Barry Ambrose, Southern Shores, North Carolina--this appeared in the Virginian-Pilot on October 5th.

"'Average' not enough"

The author of "wrong kind of change," letter, Sept. 21, hit the nail on the head. (my note: I can't find that letter, sorry) She cited the usual list of untruths that the Republicans have managed to insinuate into political conversations for years while the "liberal media" look the other way.

However, she did speak the truth when she described Sarah Palin as an average American and meant it as a compliment. Average! Since when was average good? Frankly it appalls me that Americans are thrilled at the prospect of an average person that close to the White House.

I am certain that Ms. Palin is a very nice and respectable person, but she's simply not prepared. And John McCain showed extremely questionable judgment in selecting her.

George W. Bush won eight years ago largely because the average person thought that Al Gore was too intellectual but that Bush was the kind of guy you could sit down and have a beer with.


When will Americans realize that the greatest nation in the world needs superior brain power in its highest offices? I don't want someone like me running the country. If I did, I'd run for the office myself."

...you think I'm a little hot under the collar, read this!

and From my lovely daughter, Mallory, a biology/chemistry major at Old Dominion University. Whew, I have never seen her quite so "pissed." I took the liberty of taking out all of the anatomical references, because the visual imagery was more than this old lady could take:



"John McCain is a ***liar and a racist. He has no integrity, no dignity. He runs a campaign that can only hope to win if enough Americans are ignorant and racist enough to believe his ***lies and his ***slander. He is not focusing on any important issue. He is only focused on making ignorant people believe that Obama is a terrorist and a(n) "N" (word) who will raise your taxes. WHY DO PEOPLE NOT SEE HIS VP CHOICE AS A HUGE SLAP IN THE FACE? By picking ***Sarah Palin (the *** *** *** ****) (whose smug facial expressions combined with her downright lies), McCain sends the message that he sees our citizens as gullible and ignorant, and thinks that we will vote for him because he picked an uneducated ***HOCKEY MOM with (a vagina), boobs and a wink. Why can their ignorant supporters not see this? McCain cares little about helping our country; he just can’t handle losing to a black man! The impression he gives is that he simply wants to win. McCain and Palin condone racism when they allow comments such as “terrorist” and “treason” to be yelled out at THEIR rallies. Barack Obama lives every single day knowing that it could be his last because some *** *** *** ***IGNORANT RACIST JERK, spurred on by those comments that neither Palin nor McCain have criticized, could take him out. Yet he continues. He continues on and tells you his plans, his hopes for fixing our economy, for leading us out of a war we should never have been in, for helping our lacking educational system, for helping us get HEALTH INSURANCE...so that we can go to the doctor when we have cancer four times like 72 year-old John McCain (who will probably die in office if elected and then our country will be at the mercy of a Christian extremist who can’t tell her ***head from her ***hockey-mom keister). WHAT PLAN HAS MCCAIN LAID OUT THERE FOR YOU? I cannot believe it is the year 2008 and we are not shutting down McCain for his completely immoral campaign. I have no respect for John McCain, Sarah Palin, or any ***voter who supports them in America. I'm fired up!

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

...this attorney's opinion makes sense!

Yesterday morning I happened to catch the tail-end of an interview on our local PBS radio station (WHRV, 89.5, Norfolk, VA). The interviewee was an editor for the Virginian Pilot, our daily newspaper, with a pretty large circulation. The host asked her about letters to the editor, and she commented that they publish every pro-McCain letter, but only a fraction of pro-Obama letters. I thought that was a pretty biased thing to do, until I heard her explanation. She said that the reason they publish all pro-McCain letters is that there are not so many--a mere fraction of the pro-Obama ones. To be "fair and balanced" they publish the same number of pro-Obama letters. Now I know why my letters to the editor haven't yet been printed! So, the following letter is better than mine, and I put it here for your thoughtful review.

This letter to the editor appeared on October 5th. The author, Gilbert DiLucia, of Williamsburg, VA, lays out his points clearly and eloquently, and the comparison leaves little doubt in my mind about who is best suited to lead our country.

"As an attorney, I can appreciate the great honor a law student receives when he is admitted to the staff of a law school's "law review," a magazine composed of articles by exceptionally bright law students. To be elected president of a law review, one almost must be capable of "walking on water" in terms of high intelligence.

Barack Obama was the president of the Harvard Law School Law Review. A person of such high intelligence simply boggles my mind and probably the minds of every lawyer. In all probability, Obama has the IQ of a genius. He graduated at the top of his class.

Obama, because of his basic intelligence and his training at Harvard Law School, can grasp complicated issues and outline solutions for them. He graduated summa cum laude.

On the other hand, John McCain finished fifth from the bottom of his class and was almost expelled from the Naval Academy. He drank a lot of beer and caroused until the early morning hours. The fact that his father and grandfather were admirals most probably prevented him from being expelled.

Also, courses like navigation, seamanship and gunnery probably did little to improve McCain's mind, nor train him to grasp and solve the complicated questions he had to solve in Congress. He admits he does not understand economics very well.

You can vote for Obama, a very bright student and lawyer and original thinker, or vote for a former playboy who has shown little legislative originality during his congressional career. Worse, McCain has not proposed any new and exciting goals for our country in his presidential campaign."

Monday, October 06, 2008

...Judgment Day!

Religious extremism has been brought into the 2008 presidential election by Christian extremists. As the McCain camp tries to instill fear into the hearts of voters, I tried to think about how those extremists might view this election. I had a discussion today regarding what is called "End of Days" or "Judgement Day." This brought up an interesting point of view. On September 11, 2001, America was attacked by religious Muslim extremists who were backed by Osama Bin Laden. Americans were horrified and stricken with fear. The McCain camp is pouncing on this irrational fear by trying to link Barak Obama, by virtue of his middle name and his color to Muslim terrorists.

Do the people who hold those particular Christian extremist views, truly think of this election day as a "Judgment Day?" Do they really believe that the election of Barack Obama will herald the end of the world? Is it a test to see who, if he or she is correct and this IS the "End of Days," will have the front seat on the bus to Heaven...or is it the REAL test to see if Americans can get past their prejudices and their fears?

America has a choice to make. The choice is, do Americans have the capacity to embrace someone whose name sounds, in their own narrow minds, too much like Osama? And whose running mate's name, "Biden," combined with his own name sounds a lot like Osama bin Laden? Does Barack Obama's race continue to be viewed by some as inferior? This is a man whose genetic makeup is a combination of the European colonizers of this country, and African. Barack Obama is what America should be proud to embrace...a living, breathing example of one of the premises of our country...that all men are created equal. He represents the "melting pot." His parents demonstrated what CAN be when people judge one another by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

Americans NEED to see through the lies and to embrace Barack Obama, a man who encompasses so much. And to reject this hate-mongering. John SIDNEY McCain needs to put a an immediate stop to this filthy, vulgar race-baiting. It is behavior unbecoming a gentleman and an officer. John McCain needs to put a muzzle on the vicious mouth of Sarah "The Pitbull" Palin.

If America can do this, then perhaps G-d would look favorably upon them...perhaps, if this IS Judgment Day, these would be the people worthy of being saved.

L'Shana Tova. Happy New Year.

...McPain in the Butt...


This says it all. I have had it up to the gills.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

...If you were the boss, which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, skyrocketing Federal spending, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc. etc., this is an unusually critical election year.

Let's look at the educational background of the candidates and see what they bring to the job:

Obama:
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

& Biden :
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894< /B> out of 899 (meaning that, like George Bush, McCain was at the bottom of his class)

& Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire to lead the most influential nation in the world?

...about the difference between moralistic and morality...

Just so we're clear on this...

Moralistic: Characteristic of or relating to a narrow-minded concern of the morals of others; self-righteous
Morality: The ability to distinguish good and evil or right and wrong, right or good conduct; Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong


Morality: Good
Moralistic: Bad

Thank you for listening.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

...This is Your Nation on White Privilege

As you know, I'm still taking college classes. Two of the more interesting ones are, "Resistance to Oppression" and "Race and Minority Relations." I did not realize how engrained racism is in this country until reading these textbooks. WASPs (white Anglo-Saxon Protestants) have been the dominant culture in America since the first Europeans arrived on its shores and began annihilating the indigenous population. Fortunately our country's policies have changed, but many racist views still can be seen through behaviors, acceptance of the status quo, or simply ignorance.

We can recognize blatant racism; I thought it was just a few losers who would be better off moving back to their ancestors' countries of origin. Racism is so engrained in the fabric in American life that unless it is pointed out, sometimes it goes by unnoticed. I would like to think that most people are simply ignorant of the way things are here, because racism can be very subtle. For you who may not recognize racism when you see it:

"For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges,"
...even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun,
...and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement,
...whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter,
...while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me," -- and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast
...and not make people immediately scared of you.

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto is "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family,
...while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you're being pithy and tough,
...but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college and the
fact that she lives close to Russia--you' re somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because suddenly your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism,
...while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment to her children is unquestionable, and whose "next door neighbor" qualities make her ready to be VP,
...while if you're a black candidate for president and you let your children be
interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're irresponsibly exploiting them.

White privilege is being able to give a 36-minute speech in which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent, while laying out no substantive policy positions on any issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate candidate,
...while a black person who gives an hour speech the week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague about what he would do if elected.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for
rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're just a good church-going Christian,
...but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question,"
...while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep school, then to Yale and then Harvard Business school, and yet, still be seen as just an average guy (George W. Bush)
...while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then Occidental College, then Columbia, and then to Harvard Law, makes you "uppity," and a snob who probably looks down on regular folks.

White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average from Yale (W.) and that's OK, and you're cut out to be president,
...but if you're black and you graduate near the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be trusted to make good decisions in office.

White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash so you can take up with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you go on to call the c-word in public) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values,
...while if you're black and married for nearly twenty years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called "terrorist fist bumps."

White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president,
...while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you "dangerously naive and immature."

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president,
...while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the "lesser adversities" faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and
certain.

White privilege is, in short, the problem."


Although this was written by Tim Wise (9/13/08), I couldn't agree more.
~ Judy