McCain's VP Choice a Throwback to Old Days

John McCain has made his choice for VP and one wonders exactly what he was thinking, or was he actually thinking? Maybe he was having one of his frequent senior moments, when he can remember much. Is it possible that one day soon when asked, he will say, "well I was a POW in North Vietnam...."

Gov. Pallin is a woman. Not a problem. She is a governor. Not a problem. She has less than two years experience as a governor of a less than bustling state and little experience in public life. A problem. Apparently, McCain and the Republicans, want to continue to move us backward as a country. Years ago the choice of a VP was little news. It was often an unknown person, because the VP was considered to be of little value to the ticket and would only come into play if something happened to the president. Therefore, little thought was put into the choice, and no one really cared.

In recent years the VP position has been taken more seriously and VP's have become more involved in the administrations, some too involved as the last eight years have shown us. So McCain, I suppose, is apparently going in the opposite direction with a candidate who is unknown and inexperienced. If that isn't the case, then why did he choose Pallin?

Could it be that he is trying to attract women voters? Voters who might have voted for Hillary? I have news. It won't work. The American voter right now is much smarter than that. Not only that, but the American voter is fed up with shenanigans such as McCain has just pulled. We have had this kind of wool pulled over our eyes for the last eight years.

There could be one other reason...she is young and attractive. Cindy McCain was once young and attractive, when Johnny cheated on his wife to be with her. Should Cindy be worried? Nah, he can't remember why he did that because he "was a POW in North Vietnam..."

Is Barrak Obama African American Or Caucasian American?

As I watch the Democratic Convention this week a thought continues to turn over in my mind. Barrack Obama is the product of a white mother and a black African father. For all practical purposes, he is half white, half black. So, then, how is he considered to be an African American?

He has a dark skin and the hair of a black African, yet his other features are predominately Caucasian. How is it that he is a ground breaking African American? I keep thinking, why should one race claim him and not the other? Why can't he simply be an American?

I don't mean to sound racist in any way, I just can't help but wonder why this is so. Why is it that those who are the offspring of a white and black union are always considered African American? I know the answer, yet I continue to have trouble accepting it. Race is such a troubling part of our culture.

As the demographics in this country change, I wonder how the country will change. Will it be for the good? Or will it turn ugly as it has in so many other cases around the world. A geography professor of my once said that the reason there are few racial issues in Latin America is because the races have so long been mixed that there is no clear racial divide. Will this happen to us in the U.S.? Something to ponder as we enter what so many are calling a new era with an African American presidential nominee and, hopefully in a few months, President of the United States.

The Talking Heads Pre-empt the Conventions

The networks, cable and broadcast, have decided to forgo televising the conventions in favor of their talking heads. According to the networks, they don't want to broadcast an ongoing "infomercial." I'm sorry network folks, but it is a political convention. One network, FOX News, the fair and balanced folks, broadcast Rudy Giuliani instead of former VA Gov. Warner's keynote speech last night. We can effectively eliminate that network from this discussion, since they are decidedly "balanced" in favor of the Republican Party anyway.

The networks, therefore, have decided that their talking heads' opinions and constant blathering about this candidate or that are more important than the voters, who are watching. As a Democrat, I can't attend the convention, so I want to see and hear all of what is being said there, not just a few important speeches. For example, last night there was a lady from Alabama, who spoke about her unfortunate experience of being paid less than her equal male counterparts. She was not a professional speaker, just someone like me. The networks decided that I wouldn't be interested in hearing that.

Next week the Republicans will take the spotlight and, presumably, we will get more of the same. The networks will decide what is best for us to see, instead of broadcasting the real convention. After all, they must find something for all those "brilliant minds" to talk about, and argue about, and on and on ... for hours, until someone of note speaks.

If you want to see the real convention without a plethora of self important blathering idiots filling time talking, look to C-Span. They simply show the convention. There is no analysis. You can make up your own mind about what you are seeing without some dunce talking and talking and talking. My late mother called it "talking to hear your head roar." I don't know a better way of putting it.

Hillary Supporters

Last night as I watched the Democratic Convention, I was somewhat astonished at the commentators' concentration on Hillary supporters and their supposed defection to the McCain camp. I think this is mostly a "mountain from a molehill" sort of thing.

Of course there is the silly and, I think very risky, McCain ad, using Hillary to blast Obama. (McCain, by the way, best be careful. After all, his opponents in the primary had some very unkind things to say about him.) Then there is the McCain ad with the supposed Hillary supporter, throwing her support to McCain. But how real is this big move of Hillaryites to McCain?

I can't imagine any genuine Democrat actually moving their support to McCain. Maybe there are some independents who might do such a thing, but a real Democrat? I don't think so. McCain represents all that is bad about the Republican party. Sure, he was once a so-called maverick, who supported stem cell research and a woman's right to choose, for example. He was lukewarm in his support for the right wing of the party and the right wing fanatical ideas. But, no more. He is now solidly in favor of the Iraq debacle, against abortion rights and stem cell research and is in favor of extending Bush's tax cuts among many other issues. He has sold his soul for votes and is now a supporter of everything Bush.

Even if a Hillaryite is miffed because she lost and feels that Obama in some way cut her out of the nomination, I can't imagine one of them voting for McCain, even for spite. There is too much at stake in this election. The Bush Regime has done so much damage to this country, our constitutional rights, our environment, our world standing, that we cannot stand another four or eight years of a Bush-like Regime. We need to return to a Democratic "Administration," not another copy of a third world rogue regime.

Childhood Immunizations

Recently there have been several reports about parents, who are not immunizing their children against childhood diseases. One parent, interviewed by NBC, stated that she felt that contracting the disease was less danger to the child than the immunization. Apparently, this mother has been reading too much junk on the Internet. In addition, she had the advantage of having had the immunization as a child, and, therefore, escaped the diseases.

As a child of the fifties, I didn't have that distinct advantage of having access to immunizations for measles, mumps, whooping cough and rubella. Although I don't believe I ever had whooping cough, I certainly had the others, and they were not the picnic this mother apparently believes them to be. She has, obviously, never seen a child with whooping cough. A more miserable child, I have never seen. Note this description from :

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/whooping_cough.html

After about 1 to 2 weeks, the dry, irritating cough evolves into coughing spells. During a coughing spell, which can last for more than a minute, the child may turn red or purple. At the end of a spell, the child may make a characteristic whooping sound when breathing in or may vomit. Between spells, the child usually feels well.

I would never want my child to have to go through this, if it can be prevented. I had rubella when I was about 13 years old. I don't want it again. My mother said I was miserable with mumps as a small baby. Most of the time there are few complications, but death and serious complications may result. The real problems come when one of these diseases is contracted when one is an adult. They are much more serious and more often cause long term damage and death.

I wonder if this mother and the other parents who refuse to have their children immunized, would also reject smallpox and polio vaccinations. Smallpox vaccinations are uncomfortable, but I would much rather have the vaccination than the disease. The same goes for polio. Unfortunately, as more and more parents refuse vaccinations for their children, some of these childhood diseases are making a comeback. This spells danger for so many children.

It is great that these young parents never had to experience the childhood misery of these diseases because their parents saw the need to immunize them. At the same time, it is also very unfortunate that they never knew a time when these diseases were rampant. Because of their ignorance and unnecessary fears, and their irresponsibility, they will cause us to step backward into the "good old days" which, as we baby boomers know very well, weren't always so good.