It's The Most Stressful Time...Of The Year!

Yes, I was singing that as I wrote it.  Anyway, I hope everyone is going to have a wonderful holiday season.  I am one of the many that say “holiday” as opposed to Christmas unless I know the person I’m speaking to prefers “Christmas”.  It’s not because I’m religious or anything, I just try not offend anyone.  Well, I mean I know I offend people but honestly, I don’t really care.   I tend to follow the phrases, “What you see is what you get” and “If you can’t handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen” (among other phrases, haha).   Anyway, this is the most stressful time of the year to many people. I can honestly count myself among those people. I love my family and of course they are stressful at times…what family isn’t stressful at times, right? So I’m not really talking about that stress.  Well, I suppose I could.

            Family stress is different than other types of stress.  For me, because I have parents who have been divorced for a while, it is kind of a big thing to determine which holiday to spend with which side of the family.  This year, I decided to do Thanksgiving with my Mom’s side and now I’ll be doing Christmas with my Dad’s side of the family. I’ve been doing this for a while.  As an adult, it just seems strange that I am taking the initiative to be the peacemaker of each side of the family…in a sense.

            I guess I just naturally take on the role of making sure everyone in my family is okay.  While there are some quirks regarding some of my family members, they’re still family.  One of the things I’m sort-of looking forward to is this upcoming weekend.  Since my father’s parents have retired to the state of Arizona – the ones I visited and blogged about on my trip to and from there – it will be the first time we will all be heading to Arizona for Christmas.  This is mainly because my Uncle who lives in California has a newborn and it would be better to travel to Arizona than New York State. So anyway, this upcoming weekend, Dad and I will be traveling to Arizona…by driving out there.  Now, I love driving and I love road-trips. I even love seeing the parts of the country I don’t reside in. However, I am really looking forward to spending time with my dad since we don’t live close to each other (he lives in New York State). I can honestly say we have never really had that “father-son” relationship that so many my age have.  We just view the world through different lens and of course we have very different life experiences. It is hard to relate to him as I think we are exact opposites.  Knowing that though, I always try to reach out for common ground and build on that.  If anything the past week has taught me, we need to hold on to our family and be grateful of the time we have with them. So I image the time on the road with my father will be stressful, but it will also be a chance to rekindle that relationship we had during my childhood.

            Another stressful thing that makes the holidays stressful is the money spent during this time.  It seems that everyone is always asking, “what do want for Christmas” or “Do you have your Christmas list”…and that’s fine.  I always create a list, but I generally put things I need on the list. Heck, I even categorize my list!  I even color-code it! I know my best-friend (and roommate in college) would make fun of me and bring up some other things while laughing about it. So I love being organized, sue me! I guess that’s why I always did better in classes than he did, haha! Anyway, I think people tend to forget about the things that matter and get too wrapped up in the superficial things in life.  With that said, I love getting things. I know I don’t need them, but I am a kid at heart (yes, I just said that). I also love spending money to get gifts for others. I am actually getting into the phase of, “Well, I’m going to start making my gifts for people instead of spending money because they are from the heart” because I’m told I’m getting older. I don’t know either!  Maybe I’ll get married in the next year too and have a child!  See what I did there…I got ya! Those two things are not even something I want to think about.

            With the holidays fast approaching and the stress that endures, it is important for everyone to just stop a some point in their day and take some time for themselves. I am at the point in life where I know this needs to happen more.  It is healthy and rewarding. Within a few weeks, we will enter a new year and new paths to walk down in our various roads of life. I always take the one less traveled, and it always makes all the difference.

I hope everyone has a wonderful & safe holiday season! May all of you be blessed and continue have good health through the New Year and beyond!

P.S.

The world did not end today. So, to recap: Mayans - 0 & Humanity in the 21st Century - 1

“No Words for the Unspeakable” Ushers in a New Generation of Change

I am just at a loss. The past few days have been added to the list of “Darkest Days in America” because of the innocence taken from an elementary school Newtown, Connecticut.  It is a moment of “where were you when…” and “what’s next for the nation”…among many other questions.  Never in my life have I seen an American President openly show emotions for an atrocity so horrendous as the one of Friday, December 14, 2012. [I want to say President Clinton did after Columbine, but I honestly don’t remember it as powerful as President Obama’s remarks.] It is because of a lone gunman, who was just twenty years (just five years my junior) took the innocent lives of 20 children ages six and seven. It didn’t stop there though. He further stole the lives of six adults including the principle of the school and a first grade teacher who was just TWO YEARS older than I am. The shooter’s name will not be mentioned at all from me, because, I agree with Anderson Cooper…he had enough coverage and deserves no more time as he did multiple unspeakable acts within a mere ten minutes or more.

I have been trying to figure some things out.  Yesterday, I posted on Facebook that we should hold off on the political commentary and focus on the families and others affected by this tragedy.  I figured a week would be appropriate; however, the time to speak is now.  This is the second shooting within a week. I would like to just discuss some things going through my head as I think it would be the best way to attempt to cope with this tragedy.  While I am not directly affected, and while I have no children of my own, I feel that as a future parent and as someone’s child (not to mention a constitutional right) I have just as much right to talk as the next person.  I am not here to say my thoughts or ideas are the right and only way; but, I am here to offer my thoughts and contribute them to the conversation that will need to take plan sooner rather than later. I am not an advocating for stricter laws or better healthcare or any other political stance.  I am advocating for common sense, respect, and a potential gateway to having a constructive dialogue to help diminish the violence that we are finding more and more within our daily lives. So here it goes…

I do know that the United States Constitution has a second amendment referring to firearms. In fact, I know it well. It says:

“A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

Now for me, I have to think about this for a while. Please bear in mind that I have only taken one legal class (and it was Legal Environment of Business) and was president of the Pre-Law Club in college. To me, the right to bear arms is clear: citizens can do that. I also know that in order to protect a state, citizens can be in a militia…which I think of as the National Guard of a state. Each state has a national guard (e.g. “The Texas National Guard”, “The North Carolina National Guard”, etc).  One key word that I think people often overlook is the word “regulated”.  I think that this word alone allows policy-makers to regulate the laws and determine which firearms are restricted to solely those protecting the free state and not to the citizens of the state. I understand that many citizens hunt, which is fine.  However, I don’t find a reason why someone would use an AR-15, or another semi-automatic gun, to hunt deer or medium game animals. I have many friends who hunt and I have asked some of them and they say that kind damage done by the ammunition would either destroy or spoil the meat. I honestly don’t know because I don’t hunt, although I have hunted in the past.  Again, I am not advocating for stricter laws, I am merely trying to make sense of all of this and how we can move forward. Guns can be a good thing; but they must be regulated as outlined in the Constitution.

Another thing I would like to mention: why is the shooter being considered as “a mentally-imbalanced person” or “a deranged young man”?  Why not consider him a domestic terrorist? A terrorist by definition is:

“A person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism” or even “a person who terrorizes or frightens others”. (by the way, the part of speech is considered to be a noun)

 Now, some things come to mind.  While we still don’t know the motive, some things could be made: 1) not ideal childhood in school so why should these innocent ones have a better one (selfish); 2) done days after a mall shooting in Oregon (either “copy-cat” or “one up”); 3) done during Hanukkah (religious harm); and 4) wants attention to compensate for said childhood experience.  Clearly I have no answers regarding these observations, but the one thing I can deduce is that this shooter killed innocent lives and has once again instilled fear into not only those families but millions of parents in the United States. To me, that’s a terrorist. I don’t understand the difference is between this shooter and a member of Al-Qaeda.  They both destroy lives and themselves. They commit cowardly acts for those that commit horrendous crimes against humanity…and innocent lives at that.

So the second thing I would like to discuss is the topic of health. No, I’m not going to talk about The Affordable Care Act or it’s other alias. Since the law is not discriminatory, it allows every citizen to the same healthcare benefits as others.  It includes a broad range of things, including Mental Health. In fact, there are at least two different sections in two different titles addressing enhancements in Mental Health.  Of course, there is always more we can do to improve mental health within our country.  One of the things I keep hearing is that there should be more funding for mental health, yet the same people who want states to do more are in deficits.  In fact, mental health needs to be addressed in every state…but as states can’t handle some of these demands, they rely on the federal government for this…and ironically, the federal government has responded.  It is interesting that the only time people need the federal government is when something bad happens and when they can’t rely on their states for ways to help.

It seems that we can come to a common sense approach regarding this issues of guns, violence, and the future of the United States. Yes, citizens are guaranteed the right to own guns in their own homes. Yes, the states have a right to protect themselves…which is why they have national guard unites within their state lines. I do think there is a certain line of balance that needs to be addressed with regards to the second amendment.  I think more of the emphasis needs to be focused on “regulated” and less on the words “right to bear arms”. If we regulate guns and take the appropriate steps, hopefully we can reduce the deadly shootings within the United States each year.  Nobody should live in fear that the next movie they see will be their last; or that new shirt in the mall will never be purchased, or that they will see their child off to school only to find out that they won’t be coming home with homework ever again.

This is one final thing that crosses my mind regarding these tragic events. I would like to address anyone that says that the reason this happened is because of the lack of God in our country or that he has been banned from schools via school prayer: How Dare you! I mean seriously, who the hell do you think you are attempting to tell grieving families that the reason they lost their children is because God isn’t allowed in the school building?  Furthermore, I would love to challenge anyone to prove that God was not in that school building. The fact is we can’t prove or disprove he wasn’t. It is entirely selfish for ANY follower of God to attempt to rationalize any actions they think their God makes. As far as I am concerned and through my teachings and personal studying regarding the subject, God would never harm the innocent and even told his followers to allow the little children see him. Not to mention that it is NOT the time to even attempt to thrust your religious beliefs on those who lost loved ones. I mean, do you plan to tell those same grieving parents that if their children weren’t saved then they were in Hell??? I mean, how screwed up and how selfish do you have to be to bring your own religious beliefs to the conversation.  This is also a violation of those mourning parents’ constitutional right to not be blasted with religious rhetoric. I do happen to believe the United States Constitution has wording that validates the separation of church and state.  Religion, personally speaking, is a private matter and should NEVER be used to try and boost attendance on Sunday services or used as scare tactics. I also firmly think that Mike Huckabee, and others, who claim this event happened because of the lack of God in schools should formally apologize to every single parent who lost an innocent child and should resign from whatever position they are on – if they are on a television network – and return to the pulpit where they belong!

The only solution I can offer is that we stand up.  This has to be the last straw for the American public. I am challenging everyone who reads this, especially those that are a part of my generation, to get involved and let your voice be heard.  I know many in my generation are outraged at the past events of the past six months. We are the 21^st Century “Generation of Change”.  We are at the forefront of many important issues. Regardless of beliefs, I think it is important that those who care about humanity and strive to co-exist will find a way.  Here in the United States, our struggle is with how to enact laws to not violate the constitutional rights of all Americans. 

Again, I am still concerned with the recent events that have taken place in Newtown, Connecticut.  I am not well-versed in gun laws.  I am, however, am a human being who thinks that we need to change some things in order to better society. I don’t want the United States to become the nation as gun deaths rising by 50% each month. What I can promise, though, it to become more engaged in these conversations (after educating myself on all aspects of these tense dialogues). In the meantime, I will continue to send positive thoughts to the families of those affected in Newton; I will continue to support teachers 100%; I will continue to push for common-sense laws to ensure children can’t lose their innocence to vicious cowards; and, I will continue to be an American that has had enough of members of Congress who claim to represent the will of their constituents, yet continue to vote against their interests because they receive funding from groups that want to advance their own interests. I will stand up and I will fight for all Americans…it’s the very least I can do to ensure these unspeakable acts don’t happen to any parent or child again. I am part of the new “Generation of Change” and I am not backing down…and neither should you!

Secretary of State: Who should get it & who will get it (Part 1)

As President Obama’s first term draws to a close, the beginning of a second term is rapidly approaching.  During the transition from first to second term, the American public knows there will be some changes to some important cabinet positions.  Both the secretaries of State & Treasury will retire from their posts. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner is not the most popular person to hold the position, but the individual who will replace him will have a lot of cleaning up to do (and will probably have a harder confirmation process than the next Secretary of State).  In addition to this cabinet position, the more important role to fill will be the Secretary of State.  As Hillary Clinton “retires” from politics, it will become a fierce battle over who will be nominated, who will survive the confirmation hearings, and who will ultimately become the next Secretary of State to represent the United States on a global scale.

            The Secretary of State is the fifth most powerful role within the United States Government – in the event of a tragic event that resulted in either death of the President or his in inability to faithfully execute his powers of the Presidency.  This position within the federal government is addresses all of the foreign relations that the United States encompasses on a daily basis.  There are many names going around regarding who will fill this important position. (Such names are usually referred to as “being on the short list”.) I will discuss a few of these names and why they are on the list and whether it would be a good idea for them to fill the position – or not.

            The first name on the list would be the current United States Ambassador to the United Nations – Susan Rice. If she would be confirmed, she would be the fourth woman to ever hold this post.  Already well-versed in National Security issues as well as international issues & crises’, Dr. Rice has the ability to be resilient when needed and understands the power of negotiations. While she is a admirable and highly distinguished candidate for this position, I do not believe it would be wise to place her within such position.   We need a strong voice within the United Nations, and she has the reputation to get things moving in a sometimes stalled-out body of governance.  In addition, I feel that she would struggle with the confirmation hearing within the United States Senate halls.  Some would refer to her handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, which resulted in four deaths including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. 

Regardless of her role about what she did or did not know, some senators make a semi-valid point about when to share sensitive information without being 100% confirmed. The argument of whether she is qualified or not becomes a moot point, as there are many who have held public office that were not qualified to be in a position of power…much less being nominated to hold a federal position (former President George W. Bush – post 9/11 – and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin immediately come to mind……and to be fair, one could argue former President Lyndon Johnson & former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle). Her confirmation process would just become a façade for the Republican Party.  If the Republicans did decide to confirm her nomination, it would be a political maneuver to prove that they are not sexist (and also to earn back the huge gap they had when Romney lost to President Obama in the 2012 election). If confirmed, she would do an exceptional job.

            Another name that has been discussed is Senator John Kerry f Massachusetts.  He certainly has the international respect of to hold such a position; and, as a member of the Senator Foreign Relations committee, he understands the highly classified intelligence gathered within the government of an international crisis.  I also image he would be considered because of his pivotal role in re-electing President Obama during the election cycle. The only problem I really see with this nomination is that Democrats are trying to maintain a steady majority of the United States Senate. It would be unwise for them to leave a seat open that might be open to Republican grabs. I think the worst thing to do is re-elect Scott Brown to stand alongside Elizabeth Warren to represent the Bay State in the Senate. If he were to be nominated and confirmed by the Senate, it would prove (much like the Susan Rice confirmation) that Republicans are trying to be more bipartisan and are attempting to regroup after their party was severely crushed in the 2012 elections. Republicans have a lot of regrouping to do and need to quickly adapt to the changing times…and demographics.

           

            I have much more to discuss regarding this conversation, so please stay tuned as I provide a valid solution (yet probably not even considered) for the fulfillment of this important cabinet position.

The Final Push to Re-elect Barack Obama as President

Well, after a long election cycle, the end is almost here.  I know I’ve spent hours calling, hours canvassing, hours writing letters to editors, and hours convincing voters why they should vote to keep President Obama in office.  If you are still undecided, here are some of the reasons I voted for President Obama (and yes, voting is past tense because I live in North Carolina which is an early voting state):

1.     He saved the auto industry and also prevented another Great Depression;

2.     He has had 32 consecutive months of job growth (5.4 million of those new jobs were in the private sector);

3.     He eliminated dozens of Al Qaeda leaders including Osama Bin Laden;

4.     He Signed the Affordable Care Act with vastly improves the healthcare of all Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions, senior citizens, and women;

5.     He strongly supports women’s rights and has appointed two women to the United States Supreme Court…one of them being the first Hispanic on the court;

6.     He has lowered taxes for a majority of Americans and believes in the top percent to pair their fair share;

7.     He has ended the War in Iraq as well as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”;

8.     He has signed into law the Lily Ledbetter Act, which allows equal pay for women;

9.     He has ensured that student loan rates not double for millions of students across the country…he even increased Pell Grant spending;

10.  He is in support of Same-sex marriage as well as the Dream Act;

11.  He was opposed to the Arizona Law regarding immigration (and the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with him);

12.  He appointed a commission to protect consumers from wasteful fees;

13.  He supports the state of Israel;

14.  He has enhanced financial regulatory measures; and,

15.  He has unemployment under eight percent (8%).

I truly believe we are on the correct course and we need to make sure Barack Obama remains President of the United States. I think President Obama will win re-election by taking the following states – which will lead to him winning 309 out of 538 electoral votes:

Washington; Hawaii; Oregon; California; Nevada; New Mexico; Colorado; Kansas; Missouri; Iowa; Minnesota; Michigan; Wisconsin; Louisiana; Illinois; Maine; New Hampshire; Vermont; Massachusetts; New Jersey; Delaware; Maryland; NORTH CAROLINA; Connecticut; Rhode Island, and Ohio.

I think that the United States Senate will stay in the control of the Democrats.  In fact, I believe they will pick up three seats: one from Wisconsin, one from Maine, and one from Massachusetts.

I think the United States House of Representatives will return to the Democratic Majority as well, and Nancy Pelosi will get her gavel back.  I think wins in WA-1 (Suzan DelBene), NH-1 & -NH-2 (Carol Shea Porter & Ann Kuster), CA-35 (Dr. Raul Ruiz), NC-11 (Hayden Rogers), NC-10 (Patsy Keever), and many more will be great for the Democratic Party as well.

I am actually really proud of the state of New Hampshire because I believe they will make history and have an all-female delegation (Yes, I am endorsing Maggie Hassan if you didn’t already know)! I also think that Minnesota will vote No on Amendment 2 and Washington state will Approve of Referendum 74. I also think that Maryland will vote for question 6 and Maine will vote in favor of Same-sex marriage.

In less than twenty-four hours, we will (hopefully) know what the next four years will look like.  Will it be a road continuing to progress, or a road leading backwards?  I do hope it’s FORWARD and get FOUR MORE YEARS of PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!! Yes We Can, Sí se Puede!!

Burning the Midnight Oil in the U.S. Senate Chambers

Well, one could say the Senators are finally earning their pay as they stay in Washington over the weekend!  Multiple things to discuss - the Rand Paul Amendment (regarding foreign policy). This amendment is to ensure that aid to Pakistan, Egypt, & Libya will be restricted immediately.  This is mainly due to the unrest within the region and the stated nations do not hold the same values as the United States.  Earlier today, Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) made a pleading case that the United States needs to "stop funding dictators" and to also allow the chance for the United States to take a lesson from the "Arab Spring" and the events surrounding the fallen dictators within the region.  I find it interesting that Senator Paul would attempt to compare the "Arab Spring" to something the United States should endure.  While the junior senator from Kentucky was talking about the various dictators using the aid on their family (by buying Bentleys, Ferraris, and other high-priced cars) instead of giving to the people, he also reminded the listeners that those citizens - I remember he named African countries  in general - living off of of $2.00 USD a day.  I guess I am a little confused by this: It is not okay to fund those that clearly have money and (abuse such allocations) while the working citizens get no results in a foreign nation; but, it is not okay to have the wealthiest of our citizens to pay a little more, because they clearly have money also, and provide services to the working & middle class within our own county's borders?  Furthermore, how is it okay to give "tax breaks" or "tax incentives" (feel free to use whichever rhetorical term that most aligns with your political preference) to the very "American dictators" who were in charge of our financial system which is finally starting to get off life support?
     I also find it interesting that even members of Senator Paul's own party are against this notion.  On CNN's show: Erin Burrnett: Outfront, Ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee John McCain stated that this was a bad idea.  He actually said that "these isolationist members of our party fail to look at history. In the [19]30s & 40s under Eisenhower, after World War II, because of our isolationist thought we suffered dearly for it.  Whenever we attempt to return or conceive that isolationist idea without looking at history, we always come to a unfortunate ending."*
     I really don't believe this amendment will pass, as it needs sixty votes.  If anything, Senator Rand Paul may get 8 votes on his amendment (if that).  Time will tell.

*I am certain I paraphrased his quote. Also, I was off the votes by two.

Fired Up & Ready to Go - DNC Aftermath

     Well, I've had time to recover from all of the excitement of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC.  What a wonderful experience! I enjoyed seeing, and meeting, so many new people.  I met so many amazing political figures; for example, I shared an elevator with General Wesley Clark (and met Congressman Kucinich)!!!  The speeches were wonderful and very inspiring as well!
     First things first, I was so honored to be apart of two historic caucuses!  For the record, I did attend four caucuses: The Hispanic caucus, the Disabilities Caucus, the LGBT caucus, and the Women's Caucus (I also attended the Small Business Council).  Each of these caucuses are important in one way or another to me.  The only thing I can really say, regardless of your political affiliation -you should at least go to one convention.  It is certainly a "wow" moment. I even got quoted in the StarTribune and appeared on MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews!  There is so much I could write about my time at the DNC, but I will try not to bore you too much with it.
     In other news though, and I promise it isn't political, I'm taking a class at Western Carolina this semester.  Furthermore, I have been accepted as a non-degree seeking student next semester which will allow me to take classes and figure out what I really want to get my Master's degree in regarding a field of study.  I am still deciding whether it will be Public Administration or English with a concentration in Composition & Rhetoric.  Speaking of Rhetoric, the class I am taking this semester is...Political Rhetoric!  I love the class so far even though I'm not a fan of Immanuel Kant.
     Okay, back to politics for a second.  While I know that I wrote a blog entry supporting Hayden Rogers, I am really not sure if I can fully support him in the general election.  The main reason is that he is a "blue dog" democrat and I am a "yellow dog" democrat.  I know I certainly will NOT be voting for Mark Meadows (anyone who is endorsed by Rick Santorum will NEVER receive my vote). As for the governor's race....Walter Dalton all the way!  I also hope Minnesota will vote No on their amendment; and, I hope Washington State will approve Referendum 74. Maine & Maryland will hopefully vote in favor of the LGBT community.  With 50 days left, I will continue to campaign for all of the issues and causes that I believe and support.

By the way, it feels great to write a blog post and I really have to write more of them. Also, I'm the one waving in a white long-sleeve shirt and I think I am holding up four fingers chanting, "4 more years!"

            First Lady Michelle Obama speaking at the Women's Caucus!